- Erica Bicknell
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Merrittville Cancelled June 20th
Merrittville Speedwa's racing program for tonight, Saturday June 20th. is cancelled.
Friday, June 19, 2009
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY: Richards rockets to Six Nations 50 World of Outlaws LM victory
By Tommy Goudge (June 18, 2009) – The World of Outlaws Late Model series visited Ohsweken Speedway for the second annual “Six Nations 50” on Thursday night, bringing forty-two of the best drivers in Dirt Late Model racing to the Southern Ontario speed plant. At the end of a rough and tumble evening, twenty-one year old West Virginia driver Josh “Kid Rocket” Richards was left standing in victory lane. The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars were also in action on Thursday, with Tom Huppunen coming out on top of the twenty-eight car field.
Defending World of Outlaws Late Model series champion Darrell Lanigan and young gun Austin Hubbard began the fifty lap affair on the front row, and it was Lanigan getting the early advantage, but his lead would be short-lived. During a caution period on lap five, Lanigan was forced to the pits with a flat left front tire, leaving Hubbard in command out front, with a hard-charging Richards already on his tail.
The early portion of the race became a matter of survival, as cautions on laps five, seven, fourteen, and sixteen, and a red flag on lap ten slowed the pace. The red flag was a result of a three-car pileup involving Shane Clanton, Gregg Satterlee, and Clint Smith, in which Satterlee came close to getting upside down. Clanton and Satterlee were done for the evening, while Smith’s crew scrambled to make repairs. Their efforts would eventually pay off as Smith would salvage a thirteenth place finish despite missing much of the front section of his machine.
A lap fourteen caution was for series points leader Steve Francis, who hit the turn four wall hard and retired from the event. Hubbard led Richards on the restart, but pulled off the track with a blown engine, ending his bid for a first career series victory and handing the lead to Richards. After another caution for Tyler Reddick’s damaged machine on lap sixteen, the green flag came out and stayed out for the remaining thirty-four circuits, all of which would be led by Richards. “Kid Rocket” would not take the victory easily however, as Brady Smith was on the prowl, and closed in on Richards in lapped traffic, while Darrell Lanigan fought his way back through the pack and into third.
As the race wound to a close, Smith was right on Richards’ tail, while Lanigan made a last-ditch effort to pass both of them, but came up short. Richards’ margin of victory was 0.429 seconds over Smith, who held barely held off Lanigan for the runner-up spot. Lanigan’s third place finish was good enough to take close to within two points of Steve Francis in the series points standings, with Richards just another four markers back.
Lanigan set a new Late Model track record in time trials with a lap of 14.718 seconds around the three-eighths mile oval, and also won the first heat race. Tim Fuller, Shane Clanton, and Steve Francis also claimed heat race wins, while Russell King and Tony Knowles won the two B-Mains.
In Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car action, a fine twenty-eight car field signed in for competition on Thursday night. Travis Cunningham and Mikey Kruchka led the field to green in the twenty lap feature, and it was Kruchka taking over the lead before the completion of the first lap. Jared Zimbardi quickly moved up from his starting spot inside row three to challenge Kruchka for the lead, but the sophomore driver was hanging tough at the front. Zimbardi was able to get by for the lead on lap six, before the race was slowed for the stopped machine of Darren Long on the backstretch.
The race went back green, but was quickly stopped again as the red flag came out for the ambulance to attend to Long, who had been hit by a rock or mud clod that came through his screen. Long was checked out and released, and the race went back green once again, with all eyes now on division points leader Tom Huppunen, who had advanced to third from his tenth starting spot by the time the seventh lap was complete.
On lap nine, Glenn Styres came to life, passing three cars in just one lap and taking over third from Huppunen. Both drivers pounced on Kruchka on lap ten, relegating him to fourth, and then Styres blasted around the outside of Zimbardi and into the lead coming out of the fourth turn to complete the eleventh lap. Styres held court out front for much of the last half of the race, while Huppunen and Zimbardi battled for the runner-up position.
Huppunen finally disposed of Zimbardi on lap seventeen and began to close back in on Styres as the race came to a conclusion. Styres still looked to have the race in hand, but had trouble getting around the lapped machine of Brad Malloy, and Huppunen used that opportunity to pounce. Coming through the final set of corners on the last lap, Huppunen was able to nose ahead and hang on for the win, officially 0.664 seconds ahead of Styres. Zimbardi settled for third, followed by Kruchka, and Kevin Job.
Heat races on the ultra-fast surface were won by Zimbardi, Long, Ryan Hunsinger, and Huppunen, while Dain Naida claimed the B-Main victory after a spectacular incident in his heat race in which his right rear wheel broke off and flew high into the air. Huppunen’s lap of 13.024 in heat race action is now the fastest lap ever recorded for a 360 sprint car at the speedway, which he ran on his way to establishing a new record for an eight lap heat race.
Friday Night Thunder resumes on Friday, June 19 when Outhouse Image and Design presents the first “UMP Modified Summer Sizzler” in conjunction with South Buxton Raceway, plus the ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Bombers! Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken Speedway offers affordable family entertainment just a short drive away from most mid-western Ontario locations. Friday Night Thunder Adult General Admission is just $10, while Seniors and Students are $8, and kids 12 and under are FREE! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information. On Friday night, gates open at 6:00p.m., with the first race at 7:45p.m.
Delaware Speedway: June 19 races rained out
TONIGHT'S RACING CANCELLED (June 19, 2009)
Tonight’s racing at Delaware Speedway has been cancelled due to the impending weather.
The decision was arrived at based on severe weather warnings which in effect for London Middlesex this afternoon and this evening, the severe showers and lightning forecast for the area, and the impact to the facility. Officials have determined that they would be unable to complete the event.
Delaware Speedway would like to extend our appreciation to our fans and competitors for their ongoing support.
Tomorrow’s Transmission Direct Enduro event is on schedule at this time. That event will be assessed by approximately 12:00 pm tomorrow. Competitor gates are scheduled to open at 3:00 pm. Spectator gates for that event are scheduled to open at 6:00 pm with racing by 7:00 pm.
Advanced tickets for next week’s NASCAR Wheelen All-American Series PartSource 142 presented by BX93 are now available through the website. The advanced window is open until Wednesday, June 24 at midnight, at which points tickets for the event will return to the regular gate price.
Auto Clearing Motor Speedway... existing seats sold out for July 29 NASCAR race... more available
June 19, 2009 - Saskatoon, SK – The excitement of NASCAR coming to Saskatchewan, and Saskatoon, is REAL. We are pleased to announce that we have SOLD OUT our existing seating for the July 29th inaugural NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race, the Velocity Prairie Thunder, presented by Bayer CropScience.
As a result, we are excited to announce the addition of 1500 bleacher seats for the race. These tickets will go on sale today. Tickets can still be ordered by downloading a ticket request form at www.autoclearingmotorspeedway.ca. Tickets orders can also be placed at the Avocado Restaurant, 2921 8th St. E, tonight from 4:30 to 7:00 pm or at the front gate at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway on race days.
For more information please contact our Business Development Office at 306-956-3225.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Negotiations back on for Montreal F1 race for 2010
Under the category, off and on more times than a light switch.... off and more more times than the next federal election.... off and on more times than Britney's gitch.... off and on more times than Jim Balsillie's purchase of the Coyotes.... off and on.... well, you get the idea.
TSN is reporting:
"Quebec Finance Minister Raymond Bachand is confirming that negotiations are underway in an attempt to bring back the Canadian Grand Prix in 2010.
Bachand said today talks are ongoing with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone for a potential return of the popular F1 race to Montreal.
Montreal was dumped from the circuit this year in favour of Istanbul but this month's race in Turkey was hamstrung by poor attendance.
Bachand told reporters in Quebec City the province, Ottawa and the City of Montreal are still willing to come up with financing to ensure the race returns.
The finance minister says he's confident but added that F1 has its own financial problems that need to be resolved.
The 2010 F1 schedule is to be unveiled before the end of the month."
P.S. - The story doesn't say who Bernie is negotiating with, but doesn't NASCAR have the contract to put on all races at Ile Notre Dame now?
Bachand said today talks are ongoing with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone for a potential return of the popular F1 race to Montreal.
Montreal was dumped from the circuit this year in favour of Istanbul but this month's race in Turkey was hamstrung by poor attendance.
Bachand told reporters in Quebec City the province, Ottawa and the City of Montreal are still willing to come up with financing to ensure the race returns.
The finance minister says he's confident but added that F1 has its own financial problems that need to be resolved.
The 2010 F1 schedule is to be unveiled before the end of the month."
P.S. - The story doesn't say who Bernie is negotiating with, but doesn't NASCAR have the contract to put on all races at Ile Notre Dame now?
Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints: Ransomville Speedway preview
By Dean Reynolds
You can probably count on one hand race tracks in this country that have the same ownership/promoting team that has lasted for more than two decades…Don’t have the facts but its probably a good bet. The Ransomville Speedway falls in that category.
DIRT Hall of Famer Stan Friesen went from the modified track champion in 1968 to ownership of the historic 4/10ths mile oval in the early 70’s. While he is mostly retired his two sons Joel and Jamie have carried on the tradition and very successfully. Over 35 years with the track under one family bond. Modifieds have roamed here since 1958 and still claim the track home.
The Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) has a long history at Ransomville dating back to 1986. There have been 17 total visits but this Friday, June 19th marks the first time in nine years that the stars and cars from ESS will tackle the high banks.
Drivers of local interest consist of Jim Porter, many of the local stars from the other side of the border as well as Chuck Hebing and Mike Stelter that are down the road on Route 104 in Ontario, NY.
Even though Ransomville is nestled way in the northwestern corner of New York State and draws from a small population area, fans flock to the facility week in and week out. Bleachers go from turn four all the way down to turn one. Modern concessions, VIP Towers are in place with the pits located off the back stretch. The high banked oval is fast and multi-grooved. But, the most famous aspect of Ransomville is the famed moat that is on the front stretch. If you swing wide off of turn four you will find the moat, don’t worry though….many use it to make passes!
ESS Facts – Ransomville Speedway:
ESS Events Run: 17
Different Winners: 10
Most Wins: Tom Taber and John Birosh (3)
Last Event Run: 7/21/01
Most Recent Winner: Steve Dow
Ransomville Facts:
Location: Rt. 93, North on Ransomville Rd., West on Barley Rd.
ESS Date(s): June 19th
Promoter(s): Joel and Jamie Friesen
Track Phone: (716) 791-3602
Website: www.ransomvillespeedway.com
Sites of Interest:
Beautiful Niagara Falls is 20 minutes away.
City of Lockport 30 minutes away.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Cordeiro report; Car & Driver executive editor to compete in Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race @ MID-OHIO
HERNDON, Va. (June 17, 2009) – When the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Round 4 of the season, the drivers will be joined by Car & Driver Executive Editor, Mark Gillies. He will compete as a guest driver in the event, participating in all of the weekend’s activities at the Lexington, Ohio circuit, including the race on June 21 at 11 am ET.
Gilles has served as the Executive Editor of the magazine for three and a half years. Prior to that, he held the same position at Automobile magazine for just over 10 years and also worked at several automotive and racing publications in the United Kingdom. Gilles also is no stranger to motorsports. He began competing in 1982 and has raced at legendary circuits such as Daytona and Silverstone.
“I’ve competed in more than 300 races on different levels, but this will only be the second time I’ve piloted a front-wheel drive car on a race track. I’ve also never driven the Jetta TDI, so to be able to get behind the wheel on a track is going to be a blast for me,” Gillies said. “I’ve also had the opportunity to compete at Mid-Ohio on several occasions in the past, and it’s one of my favorite circuits in North America. I know this series has many up-and-coming drivers with experience in these cars, so I’m just looking to get a sense of the car, run a respectable race and have fun.”
The 2009 season marks the second year of competition for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, which is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. During the season, young, up and coming drivers (between ages 16-26) will compete in 10 events on eight road courses around North America in identical factory-prepared clean diesel Jetta TDI’s powered by Syndiesel® B5 blended biodiesel fuel. Each driver competing in the series will earn a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season. In addition to more than $50,000 in prize money at stake during the season, the series champion will win $100,000
http://www.makehasteracing.com/
http://www.vw.com/
http://www.scca.com/contentpage.aspx?content=105
http://www.can-alignment.com/
http://www.hotbits.ca/
http://www.hyperfuels.com/
Chrysler announces production start at 7 North American assembly plants, including Brampton and Windsor
Auburn Hills, Mich., Jun 17, 2009 - One week after finalizing its global strategic alliance with Fiat Group, Chrysler Group LLC announced today that it will resume volume production of vehicles with the start up of seven of its North American assembly plants the week of June 29, 2009.As part of a phased production ramp-up, the following assembly plants are scheduled to resume production at the end of the month:
Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (Sterling Heights, MI) – Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger
Warren Truck Assembly Plant (Warren, MI) – Dodge Ram and Dodge Dakota
St. Louis North Assembly Plant (Fenton, MO) – Dodge Ram
Toledo Supplier Park (Toledo, OH) – Jeep® Wrangler and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Brampton Assembly Plant (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) – Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Challenger
Windsor Assembly Plant (Windsor, Ontario, Canada ) – Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan
Toluca Assembly Plant (Toluca, Mexico) – Dodge Journey and Chrysler PT Cruiser
Chrysler Group’s Powertrain and Stamping facilities that supply these assembly plants will also be operating. Chrysler’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, which builds the Dodge Viper, resumed production on June 15.
All Chrysler Group plants will be closed during a previously announced two-week Summer Break the weeks of July 13 and 20.
Re-start of production at other Chrysler Group assembly plants will be announced at a later date.
Kawartha Speedway 2009 - Gettin' Back At It
By Jim Clarke, Kawartha Speedway PR/Clarke Motorsports Communications
After a brief, 1 week intermission – one of 3 the track will take during the 2009 season – Kawartha Speedway roars back to life Friday, June 19th with a full night of action featuring the NAPA Auto Parts Late Models, Better Carpet Thunder Cars and the Discount Car and Truck Rentals Mini Stocks. The highlight of the evening will be a 100 lap invitational event for the headline Late Models.
After just 2 weeks of action, the ’09 season is starting to look like the 2008 campaign. To quote baseball legend Yogi Berra “It’s like deja vu all over again”. Cavan, Ontario’s Dan McHattie currently sits a-top the Late Model point standings. The track champion from last year has a 13 point cushion over veteran Tom Walters. Brandon Watson, Dave Morgan and Bryan Mercer round-out the top 5 runners. McHattie and Watson have found their way to the Late Model victory lane in feature race action.
In the Thunder Car division, Willie Reyns of Port Hope, Ontario leads the points chase by just 5 markers over Kyle Donaldson and John Baker Jr. Both Reyns and Donaldson have won feature races during the early season. Rookie Chad Strawn, 2007 champ Steve Mayhew and Howie Crowe finish-out the top 5. On the Mini Stock side of things, the Moroney Racing team controls 4 of the top five point positions. Last year’s high point man Jason Juriga of Peterborough occupies the top spot by a margin of 13 over Dwight Lavoie. Mike Wallace, Shanna Moroney-Juriga and ‘Too’ Moroney fill-out the final 3 spots in the Mini fast 5. Juriga and ‘Too’ Moroney each have feature race wins.
Kawartha Speedway is located at Fraserville, Ontario (just minutes from Peterborough) near the intersection of highway 28 and the 35/115. For full details on the 2009 season – including the American-Canadian Tour Summer Sizzler Sunday, July 12th and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season finale Saturday, September 26th – see www.kawarthaspeedway.com.
Photo attachments: (Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications)
#1). 2008 NAPA Auto Parts Late Model champion Dan McHattie currently leads Kawartha Speedway’s point standings.
#2). Port Hope, Ontario’s Willie Reyns has found his way back to Kawartha Speedway’s victory lane in 2009. The 2008 Better Carpet Thunder Car champion has a 5 point cushion over 2 other drivers following 2 weeks of racing.
#3). Jason Juriga currently leads the Discount Car and Truck Rental Mini Stock point’s race at Kawartha Speedway. His #1 machine is one of 4 Moroney Racing cars in the top 5.
Prepared by: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Rick Young's 'Rick at the Races' June 10-16, 2009
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RICK @ the RACES (June 10 -16, 2009)
www.rickattheraces.com
PIC 1 & 2 358 Modified action from Autodrome Granby
PIC 3 358 Modified Feature winner at Granby, David Hebert
PIC 4 After the Defi Vision race at Autodrome Granby
PIC 5 Defi Vision winners Benoit Pellerin and Fabien Fontaine at Autodrome Granby
PIC 6 & 7 Driver introductions for the ACT race at Capital City Speedway
PIC 8 Action from the ACT Series at the CCS
PIC 9 ACT Series winner at Capital City Speedway Sean Kennedy is interviewed by 'MOTORMOUTH', Brian Goudge
PIC 10 First three in the ACT Series race at CCS, LtoR Jonnathan Irlin, Sean Kennedy and Patrick Laperle
PIC 11 One of the rookies gets it wrong at the Cornwall Motor Speedway
PIC 12 Joey Ladouceur, Pro Stock feature winner at the Cornwall Moto Speedway
PIC 13 Mark Therrien's Modified looking pretty sick after a Cornwall Motor Spoeedway wreck.
PIC 14 Alain Boisvert celebrates in Victory Lane at Cornwall
PIC 15 First three in the Modified feature at Cornwall, LtoR, Joel Doiron, Alain Boisvert and Perry Francis
PIC 16 FLASHBACK to Last year. Josh Richards prior to his World of Outlaw win at Cornwall in 2008
12 June Autodrome Granby ( Quebec)
13 June Capital City Speedway , (Ottawa, Ont)
14 June Cornwall Motor Speedway, (Ont)
Phew ! the last seven days have been somewhat hectic for yours truly and things on my agenda don't show any sign of slowing up.
Last Wednesday, it was time to take Mum and Dad back to Montreal Airport for their return flight to the UK. ( They'd been visiting me on a short vacation). That same evening, a practice session had been arranged at the Mohawk International Raceway at Hogansburg NY, so I made plans to go there after Montreal.
Now, for anyone who is unaware, Hogansburg is located just across the St Lawrence Seaway Bridge from Cornwall, Ontario, and for over two weeks now, the border crossing has been closed. The issue has been caused by a Canadian government decision to arm the border guards. This particular frontier happens to be on Mohawk land and the natives are not happy about armed guards being stationed there. After Mohawk protests, the powers that be decided to close the Canadian customs point. As I prepare this report the government have still not acted to solve the situation, while local businesses both sides of the border are suffering.
With the bridge being closed , from Montreal , I used the Dundee / Fort Covington ( via Vallyfield , Quebec) crossing to enter New York State. Once I was on US soil I met up with my buddy Mike Watts (MIR track photographer) who informed me that the nights practice had been canceled due to wet grounds. So it turned out to be a wasted journey and in order to get back to Long Sault (Ont) another one hour detour by the way of the Ogdensburg/Johnstown border crossing had to be made.
It was then back to work until Friday, where a 4-00pm finish allowed me to go racing. My original intention, if done early was to visit the MIR, but with all the bridge closure B/S that I experienced in the week, I decided to go elsewhere.
I basically had three other choices, Autodrome Edelweiss, Autodrome Granby or the Can Am Speedway at Lafagreville NY. There were no Modifieds running at Edelweiss due to an ESS Sprint Car show, so that narrowed it down to two. I've been to Can Am plenty of times , so Granby, Quebec became my destination. On Fridays, I always have my camera gear and spare clothes in the car, in readiness for an early finish, so was able to head straight there. On arrival I found a pits full of 358 Dirt Modifieds ( 27 ) and Sportsman, the sun was shining and it was a great night for racing. David Hebert took the checkers in the Modified feature.
When you've been watching oval racing for over forty years like I have, it's rare to see something different but I did just that at Granby. An event added to the program was a special MIRA charity race ( Guide Dogs for the blind) which consisted of blind and partially sighted drivers . They drove small 4 cylinder compact cars and were accompanied by a co-pilot to give directions. The crash helmet of each driver was covered over with duck tape , I was told, so the partially sighted wouldn't have an advantage. Over 30 cars took to the track for this years ten lap 'DEFI VISION' fund raiser. The speeds were understandably slow but there were lots of fender benders and collisions to keep the crowd amused. It was a great joy to see the beams of happiness on the drivers faces after their thrilling ordeal. It gave a lot of enjoyment to a lot of people. Winners were Benoit Pellerin (driver) and Fabien Fontaine (co-pilot)
Although Dirt racing is my preference, I like to take in a few big paved events each year. I wasn't very impressed with the NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES race I witnessed at Autodrome St Eustache a few weeks back ( 250 laps are just too much ) , but the ACT Series continues to 'deliver the goods' and give entertaining racing.
This past Saturday, after attending a mandatory safety meeting at work, followed by an appointment with a real estate guy to put an offer on a new home, I was at the Capital City Speedway, in Ottawa by mid afternoon for the Toromont Cat 100. This was part of the CASTROL ACT Late Model Tour. Over 30 cars competed and with a sensible 100 laps it made for some good racing. One other thing that I like about the ACT Series is they are not over anxious to throw out the yellow caution flag. If a car spins out and it's not in a dangerous position, they carry on, until either it rejoins the race or the situation requires it. Local man Sean Kennedy # 14 took the honors, with Patrick Laperle # 91 ( St Denis, Quebec) second and long distance traveler Jonnathan Urlin # 4 ( London , Ontario) in third. It was the best race I've ever seen at the Capital City Speedway.
The regular CCS divisions supported the program with some excellent racing.
On Sunday , at last Mother Nature was kind to the Cornwall Motor Speedway (Ont) after two consecutive weeks of rain outs. The headline division on this regular race night were the 358 Dirt Modifieds and it was Alain Boisvert # 73 of Dorval (Que) who fought off Joel Doiron # 40 ( Alexandria , Ont) and Perry Francis # 55 ( Akwesasne NY ) to take the checkers. Joey Ladouceur # 92 grabbed the Pro Stock victory in spectacular fashion from Ghislain Valade # 99 as they crossed the line almost neck and neck.
Next week the Cornwall Motor Speedway hosts it's biggest event of the year when the WORLD OF OUTLAW Late Models ride into town.
If it's anything like last years show, you'll want to be there. It should be awesome !
INDYCAR: Paul Tracy to drive for KV Racing at Watkins Glen
KV Racing Technology announced yesterday that Paul Tracy will compete for the team at the Camping World Grand Prix at the Glen, July 3-5, at Watkins Glen International Raceway.
Tracy will be sponsored by GEICO Insurance and drive the No. 15 GEICO - KV Racing Technology entry as a teammate to Mario Moraes.
"Running Paul at The Glen with Mario gives us the opportunity to maximize our efforts on a very challenging road course and provides Paul with a tune-up race before he competes in front of his hometown fans in Toronto," KVRT co-owner Jimmy Vasser said. "I want to thank GEICO for stepping forward and making this possible, and I think I can speak for everyone at KVRT when I say that we are all very excited."
Tracy, who drove for KVRT at this year's Indianapolis 500, qualifying 13th and finishing ninth, will be contesting his first race on the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen permanent road course.
"I want to thank GEICO Insurance, Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser for the opportunity to compete in another race this year," Tracy said. "I really enjoyed working with (general manager) Mark Johnson and the entire team last month at Indy and was looking forward to racing in the two events in Canada. Now, I have the opportunity to compete on one of the most famous circuits in the world for the first time. It feels a little strange that at this stage of my career that there are still some exciting challenges left, and racing at Watkins Glen, with all its history, is definitely a challenge, but one I am looking forward to meeting."
From IndyCar.
South Buxton Raceway loses a friend (June 13, 2009)
Pictures:
Comp 4 feature winner Nate McNally hold the checkered flag as he is joined in Victory Lane by Scott Schives, the father of 17-year-old Cory Schives who died on June 8 after a courageous fight with cancer. Cory’s picture is on the hood of the McNally car.
When Shawn Jones received his 2008 Comp 4 Rookie of the Year Award last September, his best friend and crew member Cory Schives was by his side. Cory died on June 8, three days after his his 17th birthday, and two days after Shawn finished a career-high second in the Comp 4 feature race at South Buxton. Pictured is Shawn’s brother Trevor Jones, left; Shawn Jones; Cory Schives; and Shawn’s father Dave Jones.
Head and shoulder picture of Cory Schives (June 5, 1992-June 8, 2009)
By Mike Bennett
South Buxton Raceway Public Relations
When news of Cory Schives’ passing spread through the South Buxton Raceway family last week, Nate McNally wanted to do something to honour the young Blenheim teen.
McNally, his wife Kim, and crew chief Mike Van Dyk decided to honour the Blenheim teen by emblazoning his picture on the hood of the No. 8 Mustang.
The Charing Cross driver took the tribute an extra mile on Saturday night – all the way to Victory Lane.
McNally made a dramatic last-lap pass to win the Four Seasons Driver Education Comp 4 feature race on Country 92.9 FM Night At The Races.
“Yes, this one will definitely go down in the history books as my favourite win,” McNally said after an emotional Victory Lane scene, where he was joined by Cory’s father Scott Schives.
“I’ve been thinking about this all week,” McNally said.
The night began with an emotional pre-race tribute to Cory, who passed away last Monday after an 11-year courageous battle with cancer. His funeral was this past Friday, one week after his 17th birthday.
The No. 8 and the No. 27 car of Cory’s best friend Shawn Jones parked in front of the grandstand while drivers from all four classes, pit crew members and the infield safety crew stood as a backdrop.
Cory’s father Scott made a short speech, thanking the SBR family for their support.
“This is my closure … here at the race track. This was his favourite place,” Scott said afterwards.
Spencer Mihalco presented a plaque to Scott on behalf of the South Buxton staff.
Family and friends then released a bouquet of orange and black balloons – the colours of Jones’ race car which Cory worked as a crewman – into the sky.
The Comp 4’s Young Guns – Blenheim’s Clinton Van Dyk, Reid Fenton, Brett Hope, Kyle Hope, Jones and Chatham’s Brent Konecny – six drivers who are all around the same age as Cory, then posed for a picture at the end of the ceremony.
Naturally, every driver in the class wanted to ‘win one for Cory’ on this special night.
Van Dyk was the first to do so, as the 16-year-old won the first heat race.
McNally followed with a win in the second heat race, his fourth checkered flag of the season.
In the feature, Chatham’s Jerry Ramault led the first two laps before Brett Hope took the lead on lap three and led the next three circuits.
Leamington’s Brandon Windsor passed Hope on lap six and brought McNally and Cottam’s Denis DeSerrano in tow, as the top three points drivers staged a tremendous battle over the final nine laps.
After several attempts, McNally finally got underneath Windsor coming out of turn two on the white flag lap and came around to take the checkered.
“I didn’t think we were going to get him,” McNally said of his battle with Windsor.
“He was pushing out of two every once in a while, so I went really wide into one hoping he’d push up,” he said of the pass for the win.
“And that’s what happened, he pushed up, the bite was there and I got under him.”
DeSerrano passed Windsor at the line to finish second, while Blenheim’s Murray Van Hooste was fourth.
Four Young Guns posted top-10s as Fenton was sixth, Van Dyk eighth, Jones ninth and Brett Hope 10th. Kyle Hope was 15th in his season debut and Konecny was 17th.
“It was a lot harder on him than he expected,” Dave Jones said of his son Shawn’s emotional week.
“I don’t think he knew he had a tire going down but he stayed out there and still got a good finish.”
McNally said he will present the special hood to Cory’s 14-year-old brother Jeff as a keepsake.
“That’s great that we were able to win … it will make this a little more special for Jeff,” he said.
The Jones race team is making plans to hold a memorial race for the Comp 4 class in honour of Cory later this season.
Signs By Design and Outhouse Image & Design both made up special decals of Cory, which every driver displayed on their cars.
The feature win was McNally’s second of the season. He had four last year en route to the points championship. His five checkered flags in four weeks are just three shy of his total for all of 2008.
Blenheim’s Andrew Reaume returned from a week off to extend his personal South Buxton regular season feature win streak to eight straight.
The two-time defending champion drove Joe Field’s No. 4 car to win his third Ultimate Sandblasting & Coatings UMP Late Model feature of the year. Reaume wrecked his No. 88 at Eldora last week but expects to have it repaired for this Thursday’s World Of Outlaws Late Model show at Ohsweken.
Chatham’s Louis Clements donned the cowboy hat and was presented with the special guitar trophy after winning the Country 92.9 FM Night At The Races feature race in the Sun Parlour Trailer Sport Stocks.
Justin Coulter made it two in a row for his family as he won the feature race in the Schinkel’s Gourmet Meats UMP Modifieds. His father Curtis Coulter was the feature winner the previous week.
Shrewsbury’s Jim Dale Jr. was second for the fourth straight week.
Dustin Daggett, of Grand Ledge, Mich., won the ASCS Sprints On Dirt feature, his fifth in seven races.
South Buxton hosts the Summer Sizzler this Saturday, the second leg of a two-night series for the UMP Modifieds. The Mods race at Ohsweken Speedway on Friday. Each night’s winner collects $1,000 while the top overall finisher for the two nights earns a $500 bonus.
*****
Cory Schives
By Mike Bennett
Special to the Blenheim Tribune
BLENHEIM – It was almost like he knew. Two weeks ago, Scott Schives noticed his son Cory was looking tired after the night's racing action at South Buxton Raceway.
Cory was helping his best friend Shawn Jones load up the equipment for the No. 27 car after his seventh place finish in the May 30 feature race.
"I asked him if he was all right, and he said 'yeah ...I just want to help load the car,' " Scott said, as Cory finished his duties and then left with the Jones to spend the night at Shawn's house in Blenheim, as he usually does after races.
Dave Jones, Shawn's father, also noticed that Cory wasn't his usual upbeat self that Saturday.
"We were working on the car in the afternoon and noticed we had a broken axle. Usually Cory is right in the middle fixing stuff," Jones said.
"This time, he just sat in the lawn chair and watched."
The following day, Cory was taken to the hospital and was transferred to the London Health Sciences Centre Children's Hospital.
Last Monday, his long and courageous battle with cancer was over. Cory Schives died three days after his 17th birthday. The funeral service for the Blenheim teen was Friday.
He was first diagnosed with cancer when he was just six. After years of treatment, Cory seemed to turn the corner in his early teens.
But three years ago, the disease resurfaced and Cory began taking chemo again.
He was still undergoing treatment when he was hospitalized a week ago with pneumonia.
"His body just couldn't fight it off, like you or I could," Scott said.
"...It was almost like he knew," the father looked back to his son's last night at the race track.
Cory rarely missed a Saturday night at South Buxton. He was a member of the Junior Fan Club as a youth and couldn't wait to turn 14 so he could work in the pits with the Jones race team.
"He loved South Buxton more than anything," Scott said.
"I once asked him if he wanted to go to Delaware for a night, and he said no, that he wanted to save his money for Saturday night at Buxton.
"He always said 'dirt's where it's at!'" Scott said with a smile.
Cory spent time as a youth attending special camps and retreats for children, such as Camp Trillium in Simcoe.
The Blenheim Open golf tournament, which raises money for local youth to participate in the Make-A-Wish Foundation, made arrangements in the fall of 2000 for Cory to go to Disneyland and to Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., where he realized his dream of meeting his racing idol Dale Earnhardt Sr.
On June 6, a Happy Birthday/Get Well Soon card for Cory circulated around South Buxton, but none of those who signed had any idea of his fading condition.
Shawn Jones had a strong run that night as he almost pulled off his first career feature win, finishing second in the Four Seasons Driver Education Comp 4 class. Shawn couldn't wait to tell his best friend about how close he came to winning his first career feature and dedicating it to him.
When the Joneses went to the hospital to see Cory on Monday, they couldn't help but notice the coincidence in the numbers. Cory was in the second room, in bed No. 27. The night before, Shawn finished second, in car No. 27.
"When we saw that, we thought maybe we weren't supposed to win ... maybe we were meant to finish second," Dave Jones said. Cory passed away later that day. South Buxton paid tribute to Cory in a pre-race ceremony on Saturday.
Kawartha Durham Kart Club Report - June 14, 2009
Kawartha Durham Kart Club Race #4 Results
Kawartha Durham Kart Club with guests, Simcoe Kart Club took to the track on Sunday, June 14 for their 4th race of the season sponsored by Body Boomers Fitness Clubs. With an all Honda serving, there was plenty of dicing and drafting, plenty of late breaking and no shortage of excitement as 6 different classes put on a great show for the ever increasing number of spectators that are taking a keen interest in this great club.
The Masters were up first and even though Randy Packham crossed the line in first place, he was tested and pushed the entire race by Carl Thompson with John Beck not far behind. Paul Draganac, the SKC ace and Quinn Dewsbury rounded out the top 5.
In Senior Lite, it was an all SKC top 3 of Michael Glaze, Jeremy Brutzki and Melissa Glaze with new mini-stock driver Kyle Hope preparing to do double duty in a car and in a kart and Ryan Brutzki right behind in 5th.
The Novice class was once again dominated by tiny powerhouse Andre Fiorini. Cole Ledson and Cole McFadden did everything they could to keep up but had to settle for 2nd and 3rd. William Dawson and Marlie Owen, getting faster every week, came in a strong 5th.
Junior Heavy was another race to watch as Julius Makos once again showed why he’s a force to be reckoned with. Another member of the super fast Brutzki clan, Jessica Brutzki in 2nd and the always hard working Marcus Balkison in 3rd. Jesse Ward and Danny Bededict finished in 4th and 5th.
Junior Lite saw Trevor Rancier take the win, but had to work hard to find the right line through the technical sections of Kawartha. Nicholas Ledson, Bailey Jacobs Dean Reilly and Matteus Makos in 5th who did a great job after having to switch engines mid-way through the day.
Senior Heavy is always a great race to watch at Kawartha and Sunday’s battle was no different. Taking the checkered flag was AJ Emms, followed by Kevin Barry, Patrick Pleasance, Dennis Woods having an amazing race with a slightly bent front end, and Craig Walker in 5th.
KDKC Race #5 will take place on Sunday, June 21 and is sponsored by Official Photographer of the Kawartha Durham Kart Club, On-Track Promotions.
www.kawarthadurhamkartclub.com
NCATS: Micks gets bumped around on Mosport Road Course in Dickies 200
BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO (June 15, 2009) –After a terrific start to the season with two top-five performances, Kerry Micks while running in the top-five during the early stages of the Dickies 200 at Mosport International Raceway on Sunday was an innocent victim of a blown engine from a competitor, and finished the 51-lap event in 16th spot.
Micks, driving the Beyond Digital Imaging Ford Fusion, qualified third on the 2.459-mile road course for the third event in the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tires Series. With about a third of the race completed, fellow racer Don Thomson, right in front of Micks, blew the engine in his car, and collected Micks as Thomson tried to keep his car under control.
“Donnie collected me in as he was spinning around,” related Micks after the race. “I thought he was going to stay out of the way, but that didn’t work out. We were running well in fourth spot, that’s racing.”
Micks was able to continue, but he was off the pace, finishing two laps down at the end of the race. He added his Micks Motorsports crew did a good job preparing and servicing the BDI race car for the first road course race of the season.
“I want to thank my team for a great job preparing the car,” he said. “We had a good-running car that was certainly a contender, everyone did a great job.” Andrew Ranger won the Dickies 200.
Beyond Digital Imaging Inc. (BDI), Ultraflex, Royal Distributing, Canadian Detailing Services (CDS), Cathcart Trucking, Thor Motors (Ford), Seguin Marina, Steadymate, NGK Spark Plugs, FXR and Castrol are sponsors of Micks Motorsports, www.micksmotorsports.com
The Micks Motorsports team will have some time to get prepared for the next event in the 13-race series which will take place Saturday, July 11 at the Autodrome St. Eustache, located just west of Montreal, Quebec.
For information about Autodrome St. Eustache tickets and camping, call (514) 591-4388 or visit online at www.autodrome-st-eustache.com
From Bruce F. Mehlenbacher
RYAN LITT: Totalled at Toledo
By Tommy Goudge (June 16, 2009) After another strong run in their most recent race at Delaware, Ryan Litt and the London, Ontario-based #07 BS&B Radiator/OTC Tools Sprint Car team headed for Toledo Speedway last Friday for the ninth annual Fastest Short Track Show in the World featuring the ISMA Supermodifieds and Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints series. The day began with Ryan posting one of the fastest laps of the day in practice for either division.
We ran a 13.15 in hot laps, and I was running smooth laps - not out of control, says Ryan. I know we would have had a really fast lap in qualifyingI have never felt a car so hooked up.
When time trials came around, Ryan was ready to give it his all, and looking for a track record for the second week in a row. Coming out of the first set of turns during his first lap, disaster struck; Parts in the rear end came apart and the left rear wheel came off the car, spinning Ryan hard into the outside retaining wall.
That rear end was only a year old and hadn't been run much, says Ryan. It was a weird break - the tube broke right where the spline meets the threads. There was no warning at allIt made a huge sound when it broke off and I didn't have any time to react. From the time I felt it drop to the time I hit the wall was less than a blink of an eye and I didn't even have time to lift. I was flat out through (turns) one and two, and I didn't drag the brakes or anything. I really wanted to put up a good lap and see if we could set a track record. The car was on a rail!
Unlike some other races, time trials at Toledo are a big part of the show because of the breathtaking speeds and the wide-open qualifying laps some drivers like to try, and the fans always show up early to see them. Consequently a lot of people witnessed the accident, and video from a fan in the stands was posted on Youtube the very next day.
I had a lot of people tell me it is the worst hit they have ever seen a sprint car take, says Ryan. It was one of the worst types of hits too, because the drivers side always has the smallest crush zone due to the offset of the chassis. When the car hit, it kind of exploded and a lot of body work and frame work just came off. I think that took some of the energy away from me, sort of like an Indy Car which is made to come apart to reduce the impact.
Ryan later described the damage done to the car when it hit the wall:
The side of the roll cage is bent in - the shoulder support on the seat is nearly past the outside of the roll cage, says Ryan. The front of the car was completely demolished. The only things left holding the front of the car on were the downtubes at the top. If they broke, the motor and front clip from the roll cage forward would have split apart. The motor came so far back that the valve covers hit the frame and crumpledwe figure that it came back five or six inches. I also got real lucky that the top of the roll cage didn't hit the fence post. The top wing hit it, and it mangled the wing badly.
Ryan credits his safety equipment for allowing him to walk away from the brutal accident unscathed, and the safety crew at Toledo Speedway for being quickly on the scene.
It was definitely the hardest hit I have taken, says Ryan. It knocked the wind out of me, and my left leg and my neck were a little stiff, but other than that I am fine. The car is really bad though, and without the LaJoie seat, Leaf belts, and HANS device, I would never have walked away from that. I can't say enough about the Toledo Speedway safety crew. It felt like they were there checking on me before the car even came to a complete stop. I also would like to thank everyone for their kind words and well wishes.
The crash derailed what was previously a good start to the season for the #07 team. They will try to get back to action before the end of the month.
We are going to try and get the other car set up to go for Berlin, but we have a lot of work to do yet, says Ryan. As of now, the plan is to be at Berlin on (June) the 27th for the AVSS race.
Ryan and the team would like to thank all their sponsors for their support during Ryan's 2009 season, including OTC Tools, BS&B Radiator, Linton Media, Linde Gases, Leaf Racewear, Xtreme Metal Worx, and Huron Produce Ltd.
Do you want do be a Ryan Litt Racing insider and have Ryan Litt Racing news delivered straight to your e-mail? Got a question for Ryan? Just send an e-mail to ryanlittmedia@hotmail.com and well do the rest. Questions may be featured in future Ryan Litt news updates so be sure to include your name and hometown! If youre a Facebook or YouTube user, make sure to join the official Ryan Litt Racing groups by searching Ryan Litt Racing.
For more information on Ryan and the team, including schedules, news releases, photos, videos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit Ryan's official website powered by Linton Media at www.RyanLitt.com. The final finishing touches on the revamped website were completed recently, so stop by and check out the new features!
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Bourque has solid run in the Aaron's Dream Machine at Mosport
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OTTAWA, ONTARIO (June 16, 2009) – Pierre Bourque opened his 2009 racing season with a solid 13th-place result in Sunday’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race at Mosport International Raceway. The Ottawa, Ontario resident started 20th in his first outing behind the wheel of the newly-unveiled No. 29 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge and made progress throughout the 51-lap race around the legendary road course, located northeast of Toronto.
“I’m extremely happy with how things went at Mosport,” said Bourque. “There was a big contingent of people from Aaron’s at the track and we really enjoyed our time with them. It was a beautiful day and the racing was great. They had a blast and they were very supportive. It was a superb start to our relationship and I’m looking forward to my next outing in the No. 29 Aaron’s Dream Machine at the Edmonton Indy race weekend, July 24-25.”
Bourque’s Mosport race was the first of three scheduled events in which he’ll have primary sponsorship from Aaron’s in 2009, the other (in addition to Edmonton) is slated for Saskatoon, Saskatchewan’s Auto Clearing Motor Speedway on July 29.
In terms of Bourque’s race on Sunday, he was pleased given that it was his first time back behind the wheel of one of Whitlock Motorsports’ Dodges since last August in Montreal. “For our first race of the year, it was a great run,” continued Bourque. “We advanced seven positions from the start of the race. The No. 29 Aaron’s Dream Machine looked as good at the end of the race as it did at the start, which means we had a clean, competitive race. I have to thank Whitlock Motorsports for preparing the car so well and my crew chief Kris Reddick for calling the shots in the pits.”
In addition to Bourque’s new association with Aaron’s, the Mosport event was also his first race in support of Canada’s Military Families Fund (MFF). Bourque will donate all of his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race winnings in 2009 to the MFF. In other Bourque news, race fans should watch PierreBourque.com for pending announcements related to Pierre’s U.S. NASCAR program.
About Aaron's, Inc.: Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN and AAN.A), the nation's leader in the sales and lease ownership, specialty retailing and rental of residential and office furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances and accessories has more than 1,575 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. Founded in 1955 by entrepreneur R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr. and headquartered in Atlanta, Aaron's has been publicly traded since 1982. For more information, visit www.shopaarons.com.
About Pierre Bourque: During the week, Pierre Bourque is the man behind Bourque Newswatch (www.bourque.com) a website that goes deep behind the scenes of Canadian politics. Dubbed as “Canada's Online News Authority” it follows the movers and shakers of Canada’s political scene. On weekends, Bourque does some moving and shaking of his own, competing in car races in several series, including NASCAR, ARCA and Grand-Am.
About the Military Families Fund: The Military Families Fund (MFF) is an agile and responsive organization that helps military families within hours of being advised of need. It assists with short-term emergencies and also provides long-term support. The MFF allows for several areas of support, including rehabilitation, education, financial assistance in the case of injury or death of a Canadian Forces member due to service, and urgent and extraordinary financial demands where the ability to provide family necessities is at risk. For more information or to donate, visit www.cfpsa.com.
About the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) is Canada’s top motorsports tour. The 13-race series features events across Canada, from BC to Nova Scotia, with a combination of oval and road course events at the nation’s top facilities and race weekends. For more information, visit www.nascar.ca.
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - Racin Jason White Battles to a 15th Place Finish in the Dickies 200 at Mosport Raceway
“We survived to race another day.”
These were Jason White’s post-race comments after a 15th place finish in his A&W #21 car at the Dickies 200 at the Mosport International Raceway on Sunday.
The Sun Peaks, B.C. driver started in 21st position after posting a 96.269 mph qualifying time Saturday.
In what could best be described an “endurance test” for NASCAR Canadian Tire series drivers who are usually more comfortable with “oval racing”, the Mosport road course provided a real challenge.
The Mosport International Raceway is legendary in the history of Canadian car racing and the opportunity to drive this tough course in front of great auto racing fans was something that was not lost on Jason.
Racin Jason, after the race, said, “The car is in one piece, no damage was done and we survived to race another day.”
In further comments, White said that although he had “hoped for a better finish on this demanding road course”, he was “pleased that the car had performed well and finished the race in great condition”. After all, Jason said, “We really struggled with our car all weekend, it is a converted “oval car” so our hands are really tied with it for adjustability, but we did our best and brought her home in one piece.”
Near the race’s end, Jason had to drive carefully as he was running low on fuel and wondered if this might have cost him a place or two in the final standings. Racin Jason commenting further on the fuel issues said, “We were running out of fuel on the last few laps. Going through the tight turns the fuel pick-up would run ‘dry’ until we levelled-out. We actually ran completely out as we came down pit road after the race was over.”
The 15th place finish puts White in 12th position in season earnings, but with lots of races left he is confident that by season’s end he will be further up the standings.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series takes a few weekends off before hitting the track again on July 11 at Autodrome St. Eustache (Que.) for the Tide 250.
Jason is really looking forward to returning to the Quebec oval. Not only does he want to win the race against his fellow NASCAR Canadian Tire Series drivers, but he also wants to see how he “stacks up against former F1 and Indy 500 Champion legend Jacques Villeneuve who will also be competing”.
These were Jason White’s post-race comments after a 15th place finish in his A&W #21 car at the Dickies 200 at the Mosport International Raceway on Sunday.
The Sun Peaks, B.C. driver started in 21st position after posting a 96.269 mph qualifying time Saturday.
In what could best be described an “endurance test” for NASCAR Canadian Tire series drivers who are usually more comfortable with “oval racing”, the Mosport road course provided a real challenge.
The Mosport International Raceway is legendary in the history of Canadian car racing and the opportunity to drive this tough course in front of great auto racing fans was something that was not lost on Jason.
Racin Jason, after the race, said, “The car is in one piece, no damage was done and we survived to race another day.”
In further comments, White said that although he had “hoped for a better finish on this demanding road course”, he was “pleased that the car had performed well and finished the race in great condition”. After all, Jason said, “We really struggled with our car all weekend, it is a converted “oval car” so our hands are really tied with it for adjustability, but we did our best and brought her home in one piece.”
Near the race’s end, Jason had to drive carefully as he was running low on fuel and wondered if this might have cost him a place or two in the final standings. Racin Jason commenting further on the fuel issues said, “We were running out of fuel on the last few laps. Going through the tight turns the fuel pick-up would run ‘dry’ until we levelled-out. We actually ran completely out as we came down pit road after the race was over.”
The 15th place finish puts White in 12th position in season earnings, but with lots of races left he is confident that by season’s end he will be further up the standings.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series takes a few weekends off before hitting the track again on July 11 at Autodrome St. Eustache (Que.) for the Tide 250.
Jason is really looking forward to returning to the Quebec oval. Not only does he want to win the race against his fellow NASCAR Canadian Tire Series drivers, but he also wants to see how he “stacks up against former F1 and Indy 500 Champion legend Jacques Villeneuve who will also be competing”.
A&W food services of Canada, is Canada's original hamburger quick service restaurant chain, and today is one of its fastest growing. The first A&W drive-in restaurant in Canada opened on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg in 1956. The combination of great tasting burgers, onion rings and frosted mugs of famous A&W Root Beer served by friendly carhops was an instant hit. Since then, A&W has continued to grow and evolve with the times, expanding into over 700 locations from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland. At the heart of that growth is the fact that, while so much of our world has changed, the simple things that made A&W so popular in its early days are the same today. We still serve A&W Root Beer in frosted mugs. Our onion rings are made fresh from whole onions every day. With a rich history behind us, we look forward to an even more exciting future ahead of us. A&W is expanding all across Canada, with particular emphasis on Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic.
On your way to the next NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES race, be sure to "CRUISE " into an A&W near you!! See you at the races!!
Stefan Rzadzinski - Mosport High Octane Weekend
Stefan Rzadzinski experienced a variety of challenges at the Mosport High Octane Weekend in his No. 2 Brian Graham Racing Formula Ford.
Heading into qualifying with no prior practice on Saturday, Rzadzinski placed his car in 4th position on the grid. As the race commenced, the outside row where Stefan started was very slow to accelerate causing Stefan to lose momentum and two positions. After regaining 4th position throughout the race, Rzadzinski showed consistency and speed but lacked the draft which prevented him from challenging the top three drivers. Unfortunately, his solid run was cut short as a piece of debris hit his radiator causing water temperatures to skyrocket. Immediately noticing that there was an issue, Rzadzinski turned off the car and saved an engine in the process.
On Sunday, Rzadzinski head out into qualifying and was in 2nd until the final minutes of the session when his time was bettered, giving Rzadzinski a 5th place slot on the grid. Off the start, Rzadzinski attempted a pass but lost momentum and dropped to 6th position. However he quickly regained and returned to 5th spot by the end of the first lap. He then went on to chase down and take 4th place, placing him right on the tail of the leading pack. The 16 year old was right on the tail of the veterans up front and looking to challenge for a podium finish. However, lap traffic caused Stefan to use a slippery part of the circuit to overtake. This manoeuvre cost Rzadzinski precious time and the draft of the top three cars. Rzadzinski battled hard to maintain pace and crossed the finish line in 4th position, adding another good result to his inaugural season in formula cars.
“On Saturday, it was really unfortunate that things went the way they did. I had a good run going and a 4th place finish would’ve been great, but a small piece of debris entered my radiator and ended my day. It was encouraging that no serious damage was inflicted on the engine though.
I also had a fantastic experience sharing this day with The ABL Group who came out to see their car on track. We all had a great time, and I look forward to continuing our partnership!
A lot of positives came out of Sunday for me as well. I had a good qualifying run, just being knocked out of a top three starting position in the final minutes. I felt confident with the car and in myself to put together a strong finish in the final race of the weekend. The Brian Graham Racing / TLM Racing team car was running very well and a podium was possibly in our grasp.
After dropping slightly off the start, I worked my way back into 4th position and right in the scrap for the lead. It was slightly unfortunate that I was caught on the wrong part of the circuit when passing a lapped car which caused me to lose the draft of the leaders. At that point I tried all I could to hang on, but they slowly managed to put a distance on me. Nonetheless, I held on to the position and feel very positive about the progress I made this weekend. I was even holding the fastest lap of the race early on as well!
I would not be able to compete without the support of The ABL Group, SuperTint, and AMSOIL/SyntheticLubricants.ca. I thank them and all of my other supporters who are getting me on the track this season.”
Now Rzadzinski is working to find the funding necessary to compete in the second half of the Ontario Formula Ford Challenge Series. Rounds 7 and 8 of the series will resume on July 24-26 at Calabogie Motorsports Park. For more information about Stefan Rzadzinski’s progress please visit http://www.rzadracing.com/
To contact Stefan Rzadzinski with partnership or general inquiries, please contact: http://www.blogger.com/
Nick Wittmer remains second in the standings with Lombardi Honda Racing
Mosport International Raceway, June the 15th, 2009 РThe second double header that was held on mythic Mosport facility for the third program of the Canadian Touring Car Championship was not what Lombardi Honda Racing drivers expected this weekend. Both Nick Wittmer from Montreal and Jean-Fran̤ois Dumoulin from Trois-Rivi̬res experienced unexpected mechanical problems and had setbacks in one round. Saturday, Dumoulin spent four laps in the pits trying to repair a cracked injector while Wittmer had to slow down in the last laps when his fuel pump became intermittent. Nevertheless, with a sixth place Saturday, Wittmer remains second in the season standings. On the other hand, Dumoulin started deep in the field (22nd) on Sunday but was 7th at the stripe.
“It’s disappointed for our results”, claimed Nick Wittmer. “Usually, we never wonder about our Civics because the Lombardi crew always provides us with perfect cars. The problems we had were totally unexpected. After a fourth row start, I ended up sixth in the Saturday round and was looking for a podium in the second race. I fought hard with Mathieu (Audette) for the first ten laps but had to back up afterwards when my fuel pump had some hiccups. I slowed the pace to earn as much points as I could instead of parking it. I’m still second in the points standings but Mathieu is only four points behind.”
“I encountered my problem on Saturday with a cracked injector” added Dumoulin. “I was starting in seventh place, was very strong when it happened. I spent almost seven minutes in the pits and returned just in time to score a few points. Sunday, I took the start from last place but carved my way up to seventh. It’s always fun to reel in so many cars on that track. I long to race with Nick so we can team up and work our way to the front.”
Mirabel in two weeks
The next program will take the Canadian Touring Championship to Mirabel at the new ICAR complex north of Montreal for the Grand Prix de Mirabel in two weeks. “It will be a new layout, states Wittmer. But we have raced there last year and it is quite special on concrete. There will be a new ruling effective in this double header, allowing us to get more power against a few very quick competitors. I hope we can spend a day testing our new engine before the GP.”
Lombardi Honda Racing team is competing in the Canadian Touring championship for a fourth season. The 2009 schedule shows 15 rounds heading to six facilities, It will feature twice on the new ICAR complex in Mirabel, starting from June 26 to the 28, and the most important double header of the summer will obviously be the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.”
For more information, go to Lombardi Honda web sites at www.lombardihonda.com or www.lombardiracing.com
“It’s disappointed for our results”, claimed Nick Wittmer. “Usually, we never wonder about our Civics because the Lombardi crew always provides us with perfect cars. The problems we had were totally unexpected. After a fourth row start, I ended up sixth in the Saturday round and was looking for a podium in the second race. I fought hard with Mathieu (Audette) for the first ten laps but had to back up afterwards when my fuel pump had some hiccups. I slowed the pace to earn as much points as I could instead of parking it. I’m still second in the points standings but Mathieu is only four points behind.”
“I encountered my problem on Saturday with a cracked injector” added Dumoulin. “I was starting in seventh place, was very strong when it happened. I spent almost seven minutes in the pits and returned just in time to score a few points. Sunday, I took the start from last place but carved my way up to seventh. It’s always fun to reel in so many cars on that track. I long to race with Nick so we can team up and work our way to the front.”
Mirabel in two weeks
The next program will take the Canadian Touring Championship to Mirabel at the new ICAR complex north of Montreal for the Grand Prix de Mirabel in two weeks. “It will be a new layout, states Wittmer. But we have raced there last year and it is quite special on concrete. There will be a new ruling effective in this double header, allowing us to get more power against a few very quick competitors. I hope we can spend a day testing our new engine before the GP.”
Lombardi Honda Racing team is competing in the Canadian Touring championship for a fourth season. The 2009 schedule shows 15 rounds heading to six facilities, It will feature twice on the new ICAR complex in Mirabel, starting from June 26 to the 28, and the most important double header of the summer will obviously be the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.”
For more information, go to Lombardi Honda web sites at www.lombardihonda.com or www.lombardiracing.com
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY: World of Outlaws Late Models with Ken Schrader, Corr/Pak Sprints and J.R. Fitzpatrick on Thursday night
By Tommy Goudge (June 16, 2009) – A highly anticipated event takes the green flag at Ohsweken Speedway this Thursday night, June 18 when the stars of the World of Outlaws Late Models series will contest the second annual “Six Nations 50” presented by Arrow Express, with special guest star Ken Schrader competing. Ohsweken’s Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars will also be on hand for a complete points-paying event. On June 19, Friday Night Thunder resumes at Ohsweken featuring the first ever visit of the UMP Modified division to the track, plus the Mod-Lite Stars Championship Tour North and the ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini Stocks, and Bombers.
While not a stranger to racing in Canada, Ken Schrader will be making his first visit to Ohsweken on Thursday night. The Fenton, Missouri native is well known for his love of racing and has competed and won in almost every oval racing division imaginable during his long career. Perhaps best known for his NASCAR accomplishments, Schrader also has two USAC championships to his credit, and now spends much of his time competing on the dirt tracks in Modifieds and Late Models. Now in his fifties, Schrader also takes an active role in speedway and team ownership, and promotion of short track racing, including at the track where he grew up racing – I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri.
Last year’s inaugural “Six Nations 50” proved to be one of the highlights of the Ohsweken Speedway season, with Tim McCreadie coming away with the victory over a stellar field of more than forty competitors. McCreadie’s victory sparked a strong second half for the Watertown, New York star as he went on to claim a handful of victories, including the Knoxville Late Model Nationals in September. In January, McCreadie suffered severe injuries after a wild flip during the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, and is targeting Thursday’s event at Ohsweken as his comeback date. Despite missing half the season, McCreadie is a former series champion and has to be considered a favourite heading into the race, as he is the defending winner.
Meanwhile, the current World of Outlaws Late Model series points leader is Kentucky’s Steve Francis, who has five WoO LM feature wins to his credit this year already. Francis leads fellow Kentucky native and defending series champion Darrell Lanigan by thirty-four points heading into the grueling ten day, nine race “Great Northern Tour”, which kicks off at Ohsweken on Thursday night. A multi-time series champion, Francis had a dismal night in last year’s event at Ohsweken and will be looking for much better results on Thursday. Josh Richards of West Virginia, Shane Clanton of Georgia, and Rick Eckert of Pennsylvania round out the top five in the standings, and all have feature wins to their credit this season.
Quick time in qualifying for last year’s inaugural event was set by Georgia driver Clint Smith at 16.094 seconds, but that mark is likely to fall on Thursday night, with more favourable track conditions expected. Smith is expected back this year, along with other series points chasers such as New Yorkers Tim Fuller and Vic Coffey, Chub Frank of Pennsylvania, Brady Smith of Wisconsin, and series Rookie of the Year candidates Jordan Bland of Kentucky, Russell King from Ohio, North Dakota native Dustin Hapka, Brent Robinson of Virginia, and fourteen year old Californian Tyler Reddick. Also expected to follow the Great Northern Tour are Pennsylvanians Dan Stone, Matt Lux, and Greg Satterlee, seventeen year old Seaford, Delaware native Austin Hubbard, Georgia driver Tony Knowles, April Farmer from Tennessee, and New Yorker Greg Oakes.
As if that weren’t enough, a host of local drivers are also expected in the field on Thursday night, including Adam Ferri, who claimed victory in an Ontario Dirt Late Model event at Ohsweken in August, and put on a show in last year’s “Six Nations 50” after mechanical problems forced him to qualify though the B-Main. Other locals expected include regular UMP Late Model competitors from South Buxton Raceway, such as Chris Ross, Andrew and Brett Reaume, Jim Dale, Jr., Brad Authier, Joe Field, and Dale Glassford. The South Buxton regulars and other Late Model drivers will also visit Ohsweken in July for the UMP-sanctioned “Summer Sizzler” event.
The Corr/Pak Sprint Cars will also be in action on Thursday night, and head into the evening with Tom Huppunen leading the way in the championship chase. Huppunen has claimed two feature wins already this year, while Dain Naida also has one, and Glenn Styres claimed the most recent sprint car feature win at the Speedway on Friday night, defeating the invaders on ASCS SOD tour night. Ryan Hunsinger trails Huppunen in the Corr/Pak standings, followed by Kevin Job, Styres, and Naida. A full field of sprints is expected on Friday night as the drivers and teams compete for valuable points in the quest for the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car championship. The rookie of the year standings are also heating up, as Kevin Loveys leads Jim Huppunen by just seventeen points, followed by Travis Cunningham, Wayne Ashton, and Tyler Rand. Also on hand Thursday night will be current NASCAR Truck Series driver J.R. Fitzpatrick, who will be making his debut behind the wheel of a sprint car in one of the Styres Racing backup machines.
After Thursday night’s event, fans are encouraged to stay overnight in the spacious free camping areas at the track and enjoy a full breakfast at the Speedway on Friday morning! Later that night, Round Six of Ohsweken Speedway Friday Night Thunder will take the green flag, as Outhouse Image and Design presents the first ever “UMP Modified Summer Sizzler” Ohsweken/South Buxton special, plus the first of three visits to Ohsweken this season by the Mod-Lite Stars Championship Tour North, and the ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini Stocks, and Bombers.
The UMP Modifieds will be making their first appearance at Ohsweken on Friday night. Expected in competition are regulars from the South Buxton Raceway, including 2009 feature winners Chris Van De Wiele and Curtis Coulter, as well as Late Model regular Jim Dale, Jr., and former sprint car driver Jeff Daniels. The second half of the Summer Sizzler weekend will be contested at South Buxton on Saturday night, with the best finishing driver from both nights combined earning the title of Summer Sizzler champion.
The Mod-Lite Stars Championship Tour North will also make the first of three stops at Ohsweken on Friday night, featuring drivers such as Merrittville points leader Jamie Gilbert, and last year’s Ohsweken feature winners Paul Klager and Adam Leslie, along with a host of other strong competitors in the ultra-fast division.
Meanwhile ESSO Thunder Stocks points leader Shayne Pierce, ESSO Mini Stocks point leader Mitchell Brown, and Bombers points leader Karl Sault will try to fend off the challenges from all the regular Friday Night Thunder stars this week.
This Thursday night, June 18, Arrow Express presents the “Six Nations 50” for the World of Outlaws Late Model series, featuring special guest star Ken Schrader, plus the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprints! Good seats are still available. Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com and call 1-888-720-7223 for more information. Adult reserved seat tickets are $35, while reserved seats for Kids age 12 and under are $20. A limited number of general admission tickets will be available on race day ONLY at a cost of $20 for Adults and $10 for Kids age 12 and under. Spectator gates open at 4:00p.m., with an autograph session with Ken Schrader and other World of Outlaws Late Model series stars at 4:30p.m. in the tent at the pit entrance outside turn two, then hot laps at 6:30p.m. followed by time trials, and the first race taking the green flag at 8:00p.m. this Thursday, June 18!
Friday Night Thunder resumes on Friday, June 19 when Outhouse Image and Design presents the first “UMP Modified Summer Sizzler” in conjunction with South Buxton Raceway, plus the ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Bombers, and autograph night for all divisions! Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken Speedway offers affordable family entertainment just a short drive away from most mid-western Ontario locations. Friday Night Thunder Adult General Admission is just $10, while Seniors and Students are $8, and kids 12 and under are FREE! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information. On Friday night, spectator gates open at 6:00p.m., with the first race at 7:45p.m. this Friday, June 19!
Monday, June 15, 2009
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Strong run for Whissell foiled with bad luck on pit stop at Dickies 200
Jarrad Whissell finished 18th at the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Dickies 200 at Mosport after spending the better part of 3 minutes in the pits on lap 26 of the 51 lap event. Whissell had a strong run before the pit stop, running in the top 15.
The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford Fusion Started 16th on the grid after experiencing some carburetor issues in qualifying. Whissell ran strong up to his pit stop, running in the top 15 and as high as 5th place during the pit stop sequence. When he came in for his pit stop on lap 26 the Whissell Motorsport crew sprang into action, adding fuel and changing tires. Unfortunately one of the right front wheel studs came loose and got jammed. The crew worked to free the stud and get it back into place, losing 3 minutes in the process. “I have to thank the crew for the excellent job they did all weekend and especially on the pit stop, that was just bad luck,” Whissell comment on the pit stop.
Once back on the track Whissell was three laps down. Despite his frustration over the pit stop Whissell continued to run consistent times and chased down the 21 car of Jason White running in 15th with 10 laps to go. “Jason and I had a good run together – I did not want to race him too hard as I was down a couple laps and he is in the points race.” Whissell said. “The car was pretty good all weekend, although at the end of the long runs in the race the car under steered badly. We have some set up changes for next race.” The team’s next stop is the NASCAR Canadian Tire event at the Rexall Edmonton Indy on July 25th.
The team will be installing NASCAR’s new spec engine in the car for the Edmonton race. “It is a good packaged based on the GM LS2 V8, lighter weight and a little more horsepower than we have been running,” Crew chief Brent Hougestol said. The team expects to be on track at Race City in early July to test the engine and they expect to see some improvements.
Whissell Motorsports Team would like thank their sponsors SMS Equipment, Komatsu, Wolseley, Lafarge and Frontier Fabrication for their continued support. The team continues to search for additional sponsorship partners for the remaining races.
For more information, contact Jarrad Whissell: Office: 403.236.2200 // Cellular: 403.888.9050 // Fax: 403.236.8834 // e-mail: racing@whissell.ca
Driver Jarrad Whissell will compete in the four road course races on the 13 race NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule. Jarrad finished 25th overall in the 2008 NASCAR CATS standings. Previously he was the Western Canadian Motorsport Association (WCMA) 2005 Rookie of the year. In 2006, Jarrad won the overall WCMA and Challenge Car titles. For 2007 Jarrad won the WCMA Formula Libra championship.
HIGH OCTANE EXCITEMENT FROM CASTROL TOURING CARS - Canada’s biggest auto racing series thrills the fans
June 15, 2009Bowmanville, OntarioThousands of auto racing fans were truly entertained this past weekend during round three of the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Toyo Tires during the Mosport High Octane Weekend at Mosport International Raceway. 24 Super Touring Class & 15 Touring Class drivers brought out their “A” game to an enthusiast crowd.
The Super Touring Class championship points leading driver Nigel Krikorian brought his Subaru WRX STi home a solid win during the Saturday heat race as did Touring Class leader Anthony Rapone piloting his Honda Civic Si during the 30 minute race. On the first lap, Northwest Value Partners sponsored BMW driven by Paul Dalla Lana went wide in turn one that resulted in Dalla Lana slamming into the outside tire wall.
This brought out a full course yellow that held the entire field up for seven of the races 15 laps as the rescue crews struggled to free his car & make repairs to the wall.Fast Wheels Hyundai driver, Lee Chaplin was also involved in a single car “off” in Mosports famous ‘corner two’ that sidelined him for the balance of the race. Rounding out the podium in Super Touring class was AutoAnalyser driver Andrew Wojteczko in second and Quebec driver Mathieu Audette taking third place honours.
Sundays 30-minute feature race was held under ideal conditions. The sun was high the track was warm and 37 of Canada’s best drivers came to the grid. The Betz Pools/Bio Guard sponsored Acura Integra of Frank Blanchet was the only car not able to make the grid after Saturdays race due to a massive engine failure. As the cars lined up on the front straight fans were able to spend a moment taking in the entire field just before they proceeded to do their customary two reconnaissance laps prior to taking the green flag.
Super Touring class drivers Nigel Krikorian & Andrew Wojteczko brought the field in for the green flag start. Third place Mathieu Audette had his hands full as Subaru drivers Richard Boake & Nicolas Krikorian took turns battling and changing positions for the first five laps. Not to be outdone and left behind Lombardi Honda’s Nick Wittmer made his way ahead of Audette from his sixth place position to put himself in 5th place until lap 15 when he ran into slight mechanical problems forcing him back to 11th.
In Touring Class, Anthony Rapone in his Honda Civic Si was joined up at the front by his brother & 2008 Touring Class Champion Andre Rapone with Octane Motorsports, Alain Lauziere in his MINI Cooper close behind. The trio battled hard until lap 11 when the throttle cable broke in Anthony’s leading number 72 car. Handing the lead to Andre as Lauziere tried hard to reel him in. Nigel Heron and his Acura Integra was in the right place at the right time and was right where he needed to be to take the third spot in the class.
Great drives worth recognition were from Paul Dalla Lana coming from 34th place start to finish 12th after his crew made extensive repairs to his BMW after the Saturday tire wall incident and to Jean-Francois Dumoulin who started 33rd and finished 8th in his Lombardi Honda.
Post race technical inspections and outstanding protest judgments are holding up the final results from the feature race and will be posted as provisional until all the matter have been settled.
Introduced this past weekend was a new series partner, NOS Energy Drinks. NOS is sponsoring the Fastest Lap award in both classes. Saturday & Sundays Fastest Lap Awards were given to Nigel Krikorian for the Super Touring class and the Rapone Brothers split the weekends Touring Class awards with Anthony taking one home for Saturday & Andre for the Sunday event. Congratulations to all the drivers from NOS Energy Drinks.
The Super Touring Class championship points leading driver Nigel Krikorian brought his Subaru WRX STi home a solid win during the Saturday heat race as did Touring Class leader Anthony Rapone piloting his Honda Civic Si during the 30 minute race. On the first lap, Northwest Value Partners sponsored BMW driven by Paul Dalla Lana went wide in turn one that resulted in Dalla Lana slamming into the outside tire wall.
This brought out a full course yellow that held the entire field up for seven of the races 15 laps as the rescue crews struggled to free his car & make repairs to the wall.Fast Wheels Hyundai driver, Lee Chaplin was also involved in a single car “off” in Mosports famous ‘corner two’ that sidelined him for the balance of the race. Rounding out the podium in Super Touring class was AutoAnalyser driver Andrew Wojteczko in second and Quebec driver Mathieu Audette taking third place honours.
Sundays 30-minute feature race was held under ideal conditions. The sun was high the track was warm and 37 of Canada’s best drivers came to the grid. The Betz Pools/Bio Guard sponsored Acura Integra of Frank Blanchet was the only car not able to make the grid after Saturdays race due to a massive engine failure. As the cars lined up on the front straight fans were able to spend a moment taking in the entire field just before they proceeded to do their customary two reconnaissance laps prior to taking the green flag.
Super Touring class drivers Nigel Krikorian & Andrew Wojteczko brought the field in for the green flag start. Third place Mathieu Audette had his hands full as Subaru drivers Richard Boake & Nicolas Krikorian took turns battling and changing positions for the first five laps. Not to be outdone and left behind Lombardi Honda’s Nick Wittmer made his way ahead of Audette from his sixth place position to put himself in 5th place until lap 15 when he ran into slight mechanical problems forcing him back to 11th.
In Touring Class, Anthony Rapone in his Honda Civic Si was joined up at the front by his brother & 2008 Touring Class Champion Andre Rapone with Octane Motorsports, Alain Lauziere in his MINI Cooper close behind. The trio battled hard until lap 11 when the throttle cable broke in Anthony’s leading number 72 car. Handing the lead to Andre as Lauziere tried hard to reel him in. Nigel Heron and his Acura Integra was in the right place at the right time and was right where he needed to be to take the third spot in the class.
Great drives worth recognition were from Paul Dalla Lana coming from 34th place start to finish 12th after his crew made extensive repairs to his BMW after the Saturday tire wall incident and to Jean-Francois Dumoulin who started 33rd and finished 8th in his Lombardi Honda.
Post race technical inspections and outstanding protest judgments are holding up the final results from the feature race and will be posted as provisional until all the matter have been settled.
Introduced this past weekend was a new series partner, NOS Energy Drinks. NOS is sponsoring the Fastest Lap award in both classes. Saturday & Sundays Fastest Lap Awards were given to Nigel Krikorian for the Super Touring class and the Rapone Brothers split the weekends Touring Class awards with Anthony taking one home for Saturday & Andre for the Sunday event. Congratulations to all the drivers from NOS Energy Drinks.
Two more "Top 10" for Fecteau and Media Racing Team
Bowmanville (Ontario), June 15th, 2009. - Media Racing Team and driver/owner Jocelyn Fecteau were back in Mosport, Ontario last weekend for the second visit of the Canadian Touring Car Championship on the legendary facility in 2009. Still experimenting teething problems with their Toyota Corolla XRS, they were able to clinch two more Top 10 finishes in this very competitive series.
“It was a busy weekend for our team”, explained Jocelyn Fecteau. “The car had a strong engine but we had some minor problems with our race gearbox, especially the differential. We had to rely on our standard transmission for both events and that meant leaving quite a few seconds on the track.”
The Mont-St-Grégoire driver was 11th in qualifying Saturday and inched his way to 9th when the first round was over in his Corolla XRS. On Sunday, he duplicated the same position. “At this point and time, we aim to get the car to the chequered flag” Fecteau added. ”Track time is very valuable for the crew and we learn a more every time we take to the track on a fifty-car grid – with around 15 in the Touring class. Once we get that gearbox situation solved, we will be pretty competitive and start passing more cars. We learned a lot this weekend in Mosport and worked on our setup from session to session. We will carry this lesson to our next event in Mirabel. The good news was the outstanding power we got out of our SDP race engine, the first time we pushed it to its very limit.”
The CTCC will meet again in two weeks, on June 27 and 28, at the new ICAR Complex in Mirabel, north of Montreal. It will be the first outing in Quebec on a concrete surface and the Media Racing Team Toyota Corolla XRS should be in full racing trim. It will be the second Grand Prix de Mirabel and the fourth double header of the 2009 season. “We hope to draw a lot of friends and fans for this program”, said Fecteau.
Media Racing Team participation in the 2009 Canadian Touring Car Championship is only possible with the support of Occasions Dery/Dery Toyota, Spinelli Lexus Lachine & Pointe-Claire, SDP Autosport, Pneus Trudeau, Intergroupe insurance, Encan Talbot, Lettrage Provan, Itex, Auto Cinq, Oakley, 66 Graphx, STD suspension, Transport Laberge, Holiday inn, Touchette Motorsport, Underground Design, Role Model Clothing, Momo, PA Auto Recyclage, Gauthier Flageole, Groupe Arctic Beluga, Chase Cam Video, Boom FM and Le Canada Français.
CANADIAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
2009 SCHEDULE
Dates Venue Province
May 16 + 17 Mosport Park Ontario
May 30 + 31 Shannonville Ontario
June 13 + 14 Mosport Park Ontario
June 27 + 28 ICAR Mirabel Québec
July 11 + 12 Toronto Indy Ontario
July 25 + 26 Calabogie Ontario
August 15 + 16 Trois-Rivières Québec
September 05 + 06 ICAR Mirabel Québec
“It was a busy weekend for our team”, explained Jocelyn Fecteau. “The car had a strong engine but we had some minor problems with our race gearbox, especially the differential. We had to rely on our standard transmission for both events and that meant leaving quite a few seconds on the track.”
The Mont-St-Grégoire driver was 11th in qualifying Saturday and inched his way to 9th when the first round was over in his Corolla XRS. On Sunday, he duplicated the same position. “At this point and time, we aim to get the car to the chequered flag” Fecteau added. ”Track time is very valuable for the crew and we learn a more every time we take to the track on a fifty-car grid – with around 15 in the Touring class. Once we get that gearbox situation solved, we will be pretty competitive and start passing more cars. We learned a lot this weekend in Mosport and worked on our setup from session to session. We will carry this lesson to our next event in Mirabel. The good news was the outstanding power we got out of our SDP race engine, the first time we pushed it to its very limit.”
The CTCC will meet again in two weeks, on June 27 and 28, at the new ICAR Complex in Mirabel, north of Montreal. It will be the first outing in Quebec on a concrete surface and the Media Racing Team Toyota Corolla XRS should be in full racing trim. It will be the second Grand Prix de Mirabel and the fourth double header of the 2009 season. “We hope to draw a lot of friends and fans for this program”, said Fecteau.
Media Racing Team participation in the 2009 Canadian Touring Car Championship is only possible with the support of Occasions Dery/Dery Toyota, Spinelli Lexus Lachine & Pointe-Claire, SDP Autosport, Pneus Trudeau, Intergroupe insurance, Encan Talbot, Lettrage Provan, Itex, Auto Cinq, Oakley, 66 Graphx, STD suspension, Transport Laberge, Holiday inn, Touchette Motorsport, Underground Design, Role Model Clothing, Momo, PA Auto Recyclage, Gauthier Flageole, Groupe Arctic Beluga, Chase Cam Video, Boom FM and Le Canada Français.
CANADIAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
2009 SCHEDULE
Dates Venue Province
May 16 + 17 Mosport Park Ontario
May 30 + 31 Shannonville Ontario
June 13 + 14 Mosport Park Ontario
June 27 + 28 ICAR Mirabel Québec
July 11 + 12 Toronto Indy Ontario
July 25 + 26 Calabogie Ontario
August 15 + 16 Trois-Rivières Québec
September 05 + 06 ICAR Mirabel Québec
Google News relies on the Inside Track Breaking News Blog
Heard from a bunch of people yesteday at Mosport that they visit the Inside Track Breaking News Blog one or more times a day. Getting great feedback like that makes the effort worthwhile. Thanks to everyone for visiting.It was good to see 'daily' guys like Norris McDonald (T.O. Star) and Dean McNulty (Sunmedia) at the track.
As for Inside Track, we're pleased to be the only Canadian motorsports magazine that is committed to providing firsthand coverage of great Canadian racing like the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and road racing series like the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship and the Ontario Formula Ford Championship. Our next issue will be packed with photos and stories prepared by our writers and photographers who were at Mosport this past weekend.
Thanks to all the members of the Inside Track editorial and promotional team who were out in force at Mosport!!!
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - WHITLOCK DISAPOINTED WITH FINISH AFTER GREAT QUALIFYING EFFORT
Bowmanville, ON, Sunday June 14, 2009: The No. 39 Dickies/NMT Dodge Avenger of Dave Whitlock qualified well for the Dickies 200, event number three in the thirteen race NASCAR Canadian Tire Series but a little over half way into the 51 lap event Whitlock’s motor expired and he was relegated to a 19th place finish.
Whitlock started the weekend on Saturday morning with practice speeds in the top ten. Qualifying would follow Saturday afternoon and the No. 39 Dickies team posted the seventh quickest time. “We had a vibration in the first practice so that put us behind a bit.” said Whitlock. “My team got that fixed and I am very pleased with our qualifying effort today.”
The Dickies 200 weekend at Mosport International Raceway is a big event for the entire Whitlock Motorsports No. 39 Dickies Dodge Avenger team. This is the third year that Williamson-Dickies Canada Co. have sponsored this event at Mosport International Raceway and they again brought out a large contingent of employees, their family members, contest winners and guests to cheer on Dave and his team.
Whitlock took the green flag on Sunday afternoon in row four on the inside a spot he maintained for the first few circuits of the 4 km, 10 turn course. After a lengthy red flag interval due to a hard crash by Netherlands driver Joey Hanssen, Whitlock brought his car to pit road for four tires and fuel. The Dickies Dodge Avenger driver was steadily moving back up in the field when the engine expired on lap 30. “First off I want to thank Dickies and all their guests for coming out and spending some time with us today,” said a disappointed Whitlock. “I really hate the fact that we were not able to give the DICKIES folks a solid finish in their sponsored event. But unfortunately our engine decided otherwise! It is a disappointing part of our sport when mechanical failure takes you put of contention.”
Finish: 1. No. 27 Andrew Ranger 2. No. 95 Anthony Simone 3. No. 84 J. R. Fitzpatrick 4. No. 17 D. J. Kennington 5. No. 60 Ron Beauchamp Jr. 19. No. 39 Dave Whitlock.
Next up for Dave and his Dickies/NMT/Prostate Cancer Canada/POINTTS team is a return to the track of their first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series win, Autodrome St. Eustache on July 11th.
The Dickies 200 will be aired on TSN on Sunday June 28th at 11:30 a.m. EST. Check your local listings for more details.
Whitlock Motorsports is proudly sponsored by the following associate and product sponsors: Nitrex Metal Technologies, Prostate Cancer Canada, POINTTS The Traffic Ticket Specialists, CRS Trucking, Linde Gas, Wendell Dodge, Lugfasts and Ntech.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Dave Whitlock please visit http://www.whitlockmotorsports.com/ or contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
Whitlock started the weekend on Saturday morning with practice speeds in the top ten. Qualifying would follow Saturday afternoon and the No. 39 Dickies team posted the seventh quickest time. “We had a vibration in the first practice so that put us behind a bit.” said Whitlock. “My team got that fixed and I am very pleased with our qualifying effort today.”
The Dickies 200 weekend at Mosport International Raceway is a big event for the entire Whitlock Motorsports No. 39 Dickies Dodge Avenger team. This is the third year that Williamson-Dickies Canada Co. have sponsored this event at Mosport International Raceway and they again brought out a large contingent of employees, their family members, contest winners and guests to cheer on Dave and his team.
Whitlock took the green flag on Sunday afternoon in row four on the inside a spot he maintained for the first few circuits of the 4 km, 10 turn course. After a lengthy red flag interval due to a hard crash by Netherlands driver Joey Hanssen, Whitlock brought his car to pit road for four tires and fuel. The Dickies Dodge Avenger driver was steadily moving back up in the field when the engine expired on lap 30. “First off I want to thank Dickies and all their guests for coming out and spending some time with us today,” said a disappointed Whitlock. “I really hate the fact that we were not able to give the DICKIES folks a solid finish in their sponsored event. But unfortunately our engine decided otherwise! It is a disappointing part of our sport when mechanical failure takes you put of contention.”
Finish: 1. No. 27 Andrew Ranger 2. No. 95 Anthony Simone 3. No. 84 J. R. Fitzpatrick 4. No. 17 D. J. Kennington 5. No. 60 Ron Beauchamp Jr. 19. No. 39 Dave Whitlock.
Next up for Dave and his Dickies/NMT/Prostate Cancer Canada/POINTTS team is a return to the track of their first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series win, Autodrome St. Eustache on July 11th.
The Dickies 200 will be aired on TSN on Sunday June 28th at 11:30 a.m. EST. Check your local listings for more details.
Whitlock Motorsports is proudly sponsored by the following associate and product sponsors: Nitrex Metal Technologies, Prostate Cancer Canada, POINTTS The Traffic Ticket Specialists, CRS Trucking, Linde Gas, Wendell Dodge, Lugfasts and Ntech.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Dave Whitlock please visit http://www.whitlockmotorsports.com/ or contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - SIMONE FINISHES SECOND IN DICKIES 200 AT MOSPORT
Bowmanville, ON, Sunday June 14, 2009: Anthony Simone made his sophomore visit to Bowmanville Ontario’s Mosport International Raceway this weekend in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and came home with a second place finish. Simone’s Holland Landing team have picked up the pace in 2009 with two top five finishes in the first three race events including a fifth last weekend at Delaware Speedway.
Simone quickly adjusted to the challenging 4 km, 10 turn road course and was fourth quickest out of the 24 cars in attendance when practice concluded. Qualifying went the similar for the No. 95 Crown Modular/United Lumber Monte Carlo driver as he qualified sixth with a time of 1:25.944 while pole sitter Andrew Ranger notched a 1:25.119. “We have a very good car,” stated Simone after qualifying. “If we could have tested it before this race we think we could be even better but we just finished putting it together [Friday] night.”
Simone took the green flag for the start of the Dickies 200 on Sunday afternoon and it was immediately apparent he would be a contender. In the early stages of the race, Simone kept his No. 95 Crown Modular/United Lumber Monte Carlo on the back bumper of the lead pack of cars. When pit stops started to cycle through Simone moved to the front and gained those five valuable bonus points for leading a lap. When he brought the car to pit road for tires and fuel crew chief Thatcher Krupp and car chief Giulio Montanari made the call for two tires and fuel. With all the other teams having taken on four tires, Simone gained a substantial lead when all pit stops had cycled through. A hard charging Andrew Ranger would not be denied though and a little nudge to Simone would see Ranger dart past the No. 95 Monte Carlo and he would cruise on to victory. With the tires starting to fade over the final laps, Simone held his own and finished second with hard charging J. R. Fitzpatrick rounding out the podium finishers. “This is my best finish ever” stated a smiling Simone after the race. “To come from open wheel cars to these full body cars and to finish up front in our second year is just awesome. A great call by Thatcher & Giulio for two tires gave us the track position we needed.”
The Dickies 200 from Mosport International Raceway will be broadcast on TSN Sunday June 28th at 11:30 a.m. EST.
Simone’s No. 95 Crown Modular/United Lumber Monte Carlo is unofficially being shown in fourth in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series point standings. The teams will have the next three weekends off and will then head back to Autodrome St. Eustache for race #4 of the 13 scheduled NASCAR Canadian Tire Series events.
Simone Autosport would like to thank all their valued sponsors including: Crown Modular, United Lumber, United Truss, Bell, Sign-A-Rama of Newmarket, Grisdale Racing Products, Avery Graphics, Wix Filters and Castrol.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Anthony Simone please visit http://www.simone-autosport.com/ or contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
Simone quickly adjusted to the challenging 4 km, 10 turn road course and was fourth quickest out of the 24 cars in attendance when practice concluded. Qualifying went the similar for the No. 95 Crown Modular/United Lumber Monte Carlo driver as he qualified sixth with a time of 1:25.944 while pole sitter Andrew Ranger notched a 1:25.119. “We have a very good car,” stated Simone after qualifying. “If we could have tested it before this race we think we could be even better but we just finished putting it together [Friday] night.”
Simone took the green flag for the start of the Dickies 200 on Sunday afternoon and it was immediately apparent he would be a contender. In the early stages of the race, Simone kept his No. 95 Crown Modular/United Lumber Monte Carlo on the back bumper of the lead pack of cars. When pit stops started to cycle through Simone moved to the front and gained those five valuable bonus points for leading a lap. When he brought the car to pit road for tires and fuel crew chief Thatcher Krupp and car chief Giulio Montanari made the call for two tires and fuel. With all the other teams having taken on four tires, Simone gained a substantial lead when all pit stops had cycled through. A hard charging Andrew Ranger would not be denied though and a little nudge to Simone would see Ranger dart past the No. 95 Monte Carlo and he would cruise on to victory. With the tires starting to fade over the final laps, Simone held his own and finished second with hard charging J. R. Fitzpatrick rounding out the podium finishers. “This is my best finish ever” stated a smiling Simone after the race. “To come from open wheel cars to these full body cars and to finish up front in our second year is just awesome. A great call by Thatcher & Giulio for two tires gave us the track position we needed.”
The Dickies 200 from Mosport International Raceway will be broadcast on TSN Sunday June 28th at 11:30 a.m. EST.
Simone’s No. 95 Crown Modular/United Lumber Monte Carlo is unofficially being shown in fourth in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series point standings. The teams will have the next three weekends off and will then head back to Autodrome St. Eustache for race #4 of the 13 scheduled NASCAR Canadian Tire Series events.
Simone Autosport would like to thank all their valued sponsors including: Crown Modular, United Lumber, United Truss, Bell, Sign-A-Rama of Newmarket, Grisdale Racing Products, Avery Graphics, Wix Filters and Castrol.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Anthony Simone please visit http://www.simone-autosport.com/ or contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - DILLEY HAS UP AND DOWN DAY IN NO. 9 DODGE
Bowmanville, ON, Sunday June 14, 2009: Mark Dilley driver of the No. 9 Dodge/Leland Industries Dodge Avenger started in the ninth position and finished tenth in the Dickies 200 at Mosport International Raceway today. This was event number three in the thirteen race NASCAR Canadian Tire Series coast to coast schedule.
Dilley was sixth quickest after the second practice session on Saturday morning and he went on to post the ninth quickest time in time trials later in the afternoon. “We aren’t quite where we need to be,” stated Dilley after qualifying. “My guys will work on it and get it better for me for the race.”
Sunday’s Dickies 200 had the No. 9 Dodge driver as far up in the field as second on lap nineteen of the fifty-one lap event. On lap twenty, under green Dilley brought his Dodge Avenger to pit road for four tires and fuel and returned to the track in sixteenth. While other teams were cycling through their stops, Dilley continued to climb toward the front of the pack again when a flat tire forced him back onto pit road. With 20 laps to go and no further cautions, Dilley was unable to catch the lead pack and was scored down one lap in tenth position at the checkered flag. “The guys worked on the car and got it where it needed to be,” stated Dilley. “We ran with Ronnie Beauchamp all day and he finished fifth, but a flat tire got us behind and we just couldn’t make it back up.”
Andrew Ranger started on the pole and won the event with a six second margin over second place sophomore driver Anthony Simone. J. R. Fitzpatrick came from the back to finish third after Jim Lapcevich practiced and qualified the car for him while he raced in the NASCAR Truck race last night in Michigan.
Dilley and his team will now have a three week hiatus before returning to Autodrome St. Eustache on Saturday July 11,th.
The Dickies 200 will be broadcast on TSN on Sunday June 28th at 11:30 a.m. EST.
Mark Dilley would like to acknowledge and thank all his associate and product supporters including Leland Industries, Mobile 1, Exide, Avenue Motorworks and CRS Trucking.
For more information on NASCAR please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Mark Dilley and the No. 9 Dodge Avenger team please contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
Dilley was sixth quickest after the second practice session on Saturday morning and he went on to post the ninth quickest time in time trials later in the afternoon. “We aren’t quite where we need to be,” stated Dilley after qualifying. “My guys will work on it and get it better for me for the race.”
Sunday’s Dickies 200 had the No. 9 Dodge driver as far up in the field as second on lap nineteen of the fifty-one lap event. On lap twenty, under green Dilley brought his Dodge Avenger to pit road for four tires and fuel and returned to the track in sixteenth. While other teams were cycling through their stops, Dilley continued to climb toward the front of the pack again when a flat tire forced him back onto pit road. With 20 laps to go and no further cautions, Dilley was unable to catch the lead pack and was scored down one lap in tenth position at the checkered flag. “The guys worked on the car and got it where it needed to be,” stated Dilley. “We ran with Ronnie Beauchamp all day and he finished fifth, but a flat tire got us behind and we just couldn’t make it back up.”
Andrew Ranger started on the pole and won the event with a six second margin over second place sophomore driver Anthony Simone. J. R. Fitzpatrick came from the back to finish third after Jim Lapcevich practiced and qualified the car for him while he raced in the NASCAR Truck race last night in Michigan.
Dilley and his team will now have a three week hiatus before returning to Autodrome St. Eustache on Saturday July 11,th.
The Dickies 200 will be broadcast on TSN on Sunday June 28th at 11:30 a.m. EST.
Mark Dilley would like to acknowledge and thank all his associate and product supporters including Leland Industries, Mobile 1, Exide, Avenue Motorworks and CRS Trucking.
For more information on NASCAR please visit http://www.nascar.ca/
For more information on Mark Dilley and the No. 9 Dodge Avenger team please contact:
Linda Jones
Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
(705) 730-4044
Email: ljones@wideopensolutions.ca
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE FINISH FOR KENNINGTON IN CASTROL/MAHINDRA DODGE
June 16, 2009. After scoring their first victory of the season in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series DJ Kennington and #17 the Castrol Dodge team was anxious to get back on track and back up that impressive showing. For the first road course event of the year at the famous Mosport International Raceway Kennington and company proved they will be among the toughest competitors at each stop on the tour.
As usual the #17 Castrol Dodge was among the fastest in practice and Kennington would post a solid fifth fastest time during qualifying. “With only a few days to get ready the team did a great job and the car was fast right off the truck” said Kennington.
Sunday afternoon the green flag waved for the 200km feature and Kennington was looking to advance the Castrol Dodge immediately. However just a few laps in his focus changed. Teammate Joey Hanssen in the #40 car had a mechanical failure and slid of course in turn eight and suffered hard contact. DJ’s attention was immediately on his young teammate. “He’s only been here a short time but he’s such a great kid I needed to find out how he was” said Kennington. The race was red flagged while Hanssen was assisted from the car by safety workers. After being checked out at both the infield care center and nearby hospital he was released, sore but otherwise unharmed.
When the race was restarted Kennington resumed his mission looking to improve his position. While fighting amongst the leaders the driver and crew pondered strategies for their upcoming scheduled pit stop for the Castrol Dodge. “We took four times, I thought about taking two or even none, but if there was a caution late in the race we would have been a sitting duck” said Kennington.
Kennington would continue to keep the Castrol Dodge near the front of the field but after his pit stop just didn’t feel as if he had anything more he could get from the car. “We were pretty solid, but the second set of tires just wasn’t as good as the first, and near the end the car loosened up a little” summarized Kennington.
The #17 Castrol Dodge would score a fourth place finish and move Kennington into third in the overall points standings. “It was a good day and we’ll take it” said the driver. “I’m by no means a road racer so we’ll be happy with the good point’s day and get ready for St. Eustache and try to win another one of these races for Castrol and Mahindra Tractors”.
Round number four of the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire series will see teams return for a second visit to the Autodrome St. Eustache on Saturday July 11th. Other events this year will also include events at the Edmonton Indy weekend, the NASCAR weekend in Montreal and new tracks for this season, Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon and Delaware Speedway. All races this season will again be shown on TSN. The Mosport event will air on June 28th at 11:30AM Eastern.
Attached Photo Caption: Kennington moving up through the field at Mosport
Photo Credit: Rod Henderson, http://www.canadianracer.com/
As usual the #17 Castrol Dodge was among the fastest in practice and Kennington would post a solid fifth fastest time during qualifying. “With only a few days to get ready the team did a great job and the car was fast right off the truck” said Kennington.
Sunday afternoon the green flag waved for the 200km feature and Kennington was looking to advance the Castrol Dodge immediately. However just a few laps in his focus changed. Teammate Joey Hanssen in the #40 car had a mechanical failure and slid of course in turn eight and suffered hard contact. DJ’s attention was immediately on his young teammate. “He’s only been here a short time but he’s such a great kid I needed to find out how he was” said Kennington. The race was red flagged while Hanssen was assisted from the car by safety workers. After being checked out at both the infield care center and nearby hospital he was released, sore but otherwise unharmed.
When the race was restarted Kennington resumed his mission looking to improve his position. While fighting amongst the leaders the driver and crew pondered strategies for their upcoming scheduled pit stop for the Castrol Dodge. “We took four times, I thought about taking two or even none, but if there was a caution late in the race we would have been a sitting duck” said Kennington.
Kennington would continue to keep the Castrol Dodge near the front of the field but after his pit stop just didn’t feel as if he had anything more he could get from the car. “We were pretty solid, but the second set of tires just wasn’t as good as the first, and near the end the car loosened up a little” summarized Kennington.
The #17 Castrol Dodge would score a fourth place finish and move Kennington into third in the overall points standings. “It was a good day and we’ll take it” said the driver. “I’m by no means a road racer so we’ll be happy with the good point’s day and get ready for St. Eustache and try to win another one of these races for Castrol and Mahindra Tractors”.
Round number four of the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire series will see teams return for a second visit to the Autodrome St. Eustache on Saturday July 11th. Other events this year will also include events at the Edmonton Indy weekend, the NASCAR weekend in Montreal and new tracks for this season, Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon and Delaware Speedway. All races this season will again be shown on TSN. The Mosport event will air on June 28th at 11:30AM Eastern.
Attached Photo Caption: Kennington moving up through the field at Mosport
Photo Credit: Rod Henderson, http://www.canadianracer.com/
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - BEAUCHAMP FINISHES FIFTH IN MOPAR PARTS DODGE, MAINTAINS POINTS LEAD
June 16, 2009. Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts Dodge Avenger team continue to be the model of consistency in the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tier Series. At round number three this past weekend at Mosport International Raceway, Beauchamp piloted the Mopar Parts Avenger to their third top-five finish in as many events and maintained his lead in the overall season points standings.
Beginning with Saturday practice the #60 Mopar Parts team continued to solidify their reputation as one of the fastest cars on the circuit. Beauchamp would post quick practice times but an unusual problem would set them back in qualifying. “I was out to run my qualifying laps and the car just wasn’t up to speed” said the driver. “Guys were just going by me easily. Upon closer inspection after the session the Mopar Parts team determined that a loose rivet was holding the brake pedal down and not allowing the car to show its full potential.
Beauchamp would begin the 200KM feature event on Sunday in the eleventh spot and in short order moved into the top-ten. Following a long red flag delay green flag racing resumed and the race would stay green for the duration. Beauchamp would continue his climb up the chart and was in the top-five before making his scheduled pit stop for tires and fuel. “The car was fast, everybody did their job in preparations and my crew chief Chris (Couvillion) made the right call on set up and when to pit, we were having a good day.
As laps ticked away Beauchamp maintained his position inside the top-five and until the checkered flag waved was looking for more. “I was fighting it out with the #17 car pretty good but couldn’t quite get him” said the driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge. “But we had another good solid race, the car was really good and I’m happy with a fifth place finish. It’s great for Mopar, Exide and Mobil 1 to be running this well at every race so far” he added.
With the fifth place run Beauchamp maintains top spot in the overall championship point standings with a nine point advantage. “That’s exactly what I was looking for after this weekend, top-five finish and hold onto top spot in the points” said the driver.
Not resting on their accomplishments so far the #60 Mopar Parts team will debut a new car at the next event in St. Eustache. “We worked really hard but took our time on these new cars that’s why we didn’t rush them out” said Beauchamp. “Obviously we’re happy with the results so far this year, but we feel the new cars will allow us to get even better as the season moves along” he added.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racing season continues with round four and the second visit to the Autodrome St. Eustache on Saturday July 11th. Team Mopar will participate in all thirteen events that take place on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits. You can follow the action all year long with the television broadcasts on TSN. The race from Mosport will air June 28th at 11:30AM Eastern. For more information about Team Mopar and Ron Beauchamp Jr. at http://www.beauchampmotorsports.com/ and http://www.nascar.ca/
Attached photo caption: #60 Mopar Parts Dodge silver road course paint scheme used at Mosport.
Beginning with Saturday practice the #60 Mopar Parts team continued to solidify their reputation as one of the fastest cars on the circuit. Beauchamp would post quick practice times but an unusual problem would set them back in qualifying. “I was out to run my qualifying laps and the car just wasn’t up to speed” said the driver. “Guys were just going by me easily. Upon closer inspection after the session the Mopar Parts team determined that a loose rivet was holding the brake pedal down and not allowing the car to show its full potential.
Beauchamp would begin the 200KM feature event on Sunday in the eleventh spot and in short order moved into the top-ten. Following a long red flag delay green flag racing resumed and the race would stay green for the duration. Beauchamp would continue his climb up the chart and was in the top-five before making his scheduled pit stop for tires and fuel. “The car was fast, everybody did their job in preparations and my crew chief Chris (Couvillion) made the right call on set up and when to pit, we were having a good day.
As laps ticked away Beauchamp maintained his position inside the top-five and until the checkered flag waved was looking for more. “I was fighting it out with the #17 car pretty good but couldn’t quite get him” said the driver of the Mopar Parts Dodge. “But we had another good solid race, the car was really good and I’m happy with a fifth place finish. It’s great for Mopar, Exide and Mobil 1 to be running this well at every race so far” he added.
With the fifth place run Beauchamp maintains top spot in the overall championship point standings with a nine point advantage. “That’s exactly what I was looking for after this weekend, top-five finish and hold onto top spot in the points” said the driver.
Not resting on their accomplishments so far the #60 Mopar Parts team will debut a new car at the next event in St. Eustache. “We worked really hard but took our time on these new cars that’s why we didn’t rush them out” said Beauchamp. “Obviously we’re happy with the results so far this year, but we feel the new cars will allow us to get even better as the season moves along” he added.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racing season continues with round four and the second visit to the Autodrome St. Eustache on Saturday July 11th. Team Mopar will participate in all thirteen events that take place on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits. You can follow the action all year long with the television broadcasts on TSN. The race from Mosport will air June 28th at 11:30AM Eastern. For more information about Team Mopar and Ron Beauchamp Jr. at http://www.beauchampmotorsports.com/ and http://www.nascar.ca/
Attached photo caption: #60 Mopar Parts Dodge silver road course paint scheme used at Mosport.
Photo Credit: Rod Henderson http://www.canadianracer.com/
Inside Track Canadian Speedway Guide available as a free download
The 2009 edition of Inside Track's annual Canadian Speedway Guide is available as a PDF file. Just 13 MB in size with hotlinks to ads and tracks built in, the Canadian Speedway Guide is a very handy reference as you plan out your personal racing schedule for the summer.
Click here or on the cover at right to open / save your own copy. And don't forget to click on any ads that may be of interest. By doing that, you'll go directly to their site. Our advertisers make the piece possible, so please support the business that support racing.
LAPCEVICH CHARGES INTO THE TOP-TEN IN TIM HORTONS CHEVROLET
June 16, 2009. Jeff Lapcevich and the #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet team have suffered from a number of disappointing circumstances in the first two events of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season. They were determined not to be disappointed again in round number three at Mosport International Raceway this past weekend. Their efforts were rewarded with their first top-ten finish of the year.
On track activity began with practice and then qualifying on Saturday and the #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet was struggling. “The team determined that we had a gear problem and then during qualifying we had a problem with the ignition wires and we weren’t getting all the power from the engine” said Jeff Lapcevich. Due to the necessary repair work done on the car NASCAR ruled Lapcevich would have to start #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet the 200KM race from the back of the field.
As the green flag waved Lapcevich immediately began improving his position gaining spots before the first caution period of the day on lap four. Following a lengthy red flag delay due to the incident Lapcevich continued his charge toward the front of the field.
As green flag pit stops began to cycle through Lapcevich continued to guide the #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet toward the front before making their own scheduled service. During the stop the crew had a problem that would cost them time. “We had a lug nut hang up and they held us in the pits until it was corrected, that costs us a least twenty or thirty seconds and it was time we just couldn’t afford” said the driver.
Back in the fight after service Lapcevich would use all of his racing skills to regain the positions lost on pit road and more. The #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet showed some of the speed the entire team knew was there but hadn’t been able to display this season. As the laps wound down Lapcevich would not rest until he had gained every spot possible and crossed the finish line with a strong seventh place result after starting at the rear of the field.
“It’s a nice way to come back, it’s kind of unfortunate about the pit stop, but the guys worked really hard, we were definitely off the pace and had some mechanical problems when we got here but the entire team did a great job to get it fixed” said the driver. “We were definitely on pace and I think if we had a little more practice time and had a chance to tweak things a bit we would have been even better” he added.
Lapcevich and the #23 Tim Hortons team are optimistic going forward as well. “I think we learned a bit on this new motor too” said the driver. “It was my call on what gear we ran and I think I blew it but we know what to do next time so I feel we’ll be better on the next road course” he stated.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series continues with round number four and the second visit of the season to the Autodrome St. Eustache on Saturday July 11th. This years thirteen events will consist of ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits from coast to coast in Canada. All events are once again scheduled to appear on TSN. For More information about Jeff Lapcevich and Lapcevich racing log onto http://www.lapcevichracing.com/
Attached Photo Caption: The #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet moving through the field at Mosport.
Photo Credit: Rod Henderson http://www.canadianracer.com/
On track activity began with practice and then qualifying on Saturday and the #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet was struggling. “The team determined that we had a gear problem and then during qualifying we had a problem with the ignition wires and we weren’t getting all the power from the engine” said Jeff Lapcevich. Due to the necessary repair work done on the car NASCAR ruled Lapcevich would have to start #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet the 200KM race from the back of the field.
As the green flag waved Lapcevich immediately began improving his position gaining spots before the first caution period of the day on lap four. Following a lengthy red flag delay due to the incident Lapcevich continued his charge toward the front of the field.
As green flag pit stops began to cycle through Lapcevich continued to guide the #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet toward the front before making their own scheduled service. During the stop the crew had a problem that would cost them time. “We had a lug nut hang up and they held us in the pits until it was corrected, that costs us a least twenty or thirty seconds and it was time we just couldn’t afford” said the driver.
Back in the fight after service Lapcevich would use all of his racing skills to regain the positions lost on pit road and more. The #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet showed some of the speed the entire team knew was there but hadn’t been able to display this season. As the laps wound down Lapcevich would not rest until he had gained every spot possible and crossed the finish line with a strong seventh place result after starting at the rear of the field.
“It’s a nice way to come back, it’s kind of unfortunate about the pit stop, but the guys worked really hard, we were definitely off the pace and had some mechanical problems when we got here but the entire team did a great job to get it fixed” said the driver. “We were definitely on pace and I think if we had a little more practice time and had a chance to tweak things a bit we would have been even better” he added.
Lapcevich and the #23 Tim Hortons team are optimistic going forward as well. “I think we learned a bit on this new motor too” said the driver. “It was my call on what gear we ran and I think I blew it but we know what to do next time so I feel we’ll be better on the next road course” he stated.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series continues with round number four and the second visit of the season to the Autodrome St. Eustache on Saturday July 11th. This years thirteen events will consist of ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits from coast to coast in Canada. All events are once again scheduled to appear on TSN. For More information about Jeff Lapcevich and Lapcevich racing log onto http://www.lapcevichracing.com/
Attached Photo Caption: The #23 Tim Hortons Chevrolet moving through the field at Mosport.
Photo Credit: Rod Henderson http://www.canadianracer.com/
EARLY EXIT FOR THORNDYKE AT MOSPORT
June 16, 2009. David Thorndyke and the #67 Thorsons Enclosed Vehicle Transportation/iRacing.com Chevrolet team were excited to be participating in their first event of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season at Mosport International Raceway this past weekend. Unfortunately it would be a short day for the #67 Chevy team as mechanical misfortune ended their afternoon early.
Thorndyke took to the 2.5 mile road course track first on Saturday for practice and qualifying. The EVT/iRacing.com Chevrolet team had been testing for a couple of sessions prior to the weekend and showed promise. “We didn’t spend money for new tires we just wanted to check out the work we had done in the off season and the car was definitely better this year.
The team’s sessions were marred by oil pump problems and they also discovered to be only running on seven of the eight cylinders and were relegated to the twenty third starting position.
Even prior to the green flag for the 200KM main event on Sunday Thorndyke began to notice that the EVT/iRacing.com Chevrolet was beginning to run a little hot at the end of the pace laps, but the oil pressure and temperature were okay. “I thought we were going to be alright. The car was actually running really well once the green came out and we got going, but then it started smoking really bad”.
Thorndyke was forced to bring the #67 EVT/iRacing.com Chevrolet to pit road and the attention of the team who quickly determined their day was finished early. “I think the problems are deeper than the oil pump” said Thorndyke afterwards. It’s disappointing but we’ve got some time before our next race. Probably not tomorrow but the day after that, we’ll start getting to the bottom of this problem. I feel bad to start out this way with our new association with iRacing.com we certainly hoped for a better result, but we’ll get to the bottom of this”.
David Thorndyke and the EVT Chevrolet team will next take to the track the weekend of August 14-16th at the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres. The race will also be broadcast on TSN. For more NASCAR Canadian Tire Series information log onto http://www.nascar.ca/ and to learn more about the #67 Thorsons EVT/iRacing.com Chevrolet team go to http://www.promotiveracing.com/
About iRacing.com
iRacing.com was founded in September of 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry. Kaemmer was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, developers of award-winning racing simulations including NASCAR Racing: 2003 Season and Grand Prix Legends. Henry is principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group – the co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing – as well as an avid simracer. The iRacing team combines more than 100 years of real-world racing experience with more than 50 years of successful racing simulation development. The company has developed numerous corporate relationships in the motorsport industry, including agreements to develop track simulations with International Speedway Corporation, Speedway Motorsports, and Panoz Motor Sports Group and vehicles with Volkswagen, General Motors, Riley Technologies, Radical Sportscars, and 600 Racing. iRacing is the official simulation partner of the Star Mazda Championship and the Skip Barber Racing School.
Thorndyke took to the 2.5 mile road course track first on Saturday for practice and qualifying. The EVT/iRacing.com Chevrolet team had been testing for a couple of sessions prior to the weekend and showed promise. “We didn’t spend money for new tires we just wanted to check out the work we had done in the off season and the car was definitely better this year.
The team’s sessions were marred by oil pump problems and they also discovered to be only running on seven of the eight cylinders and were relegated to the twenty third starting position.
Even prior to the green flag for the 200KM main event on Sunday Thorndyke began to notice that the EVT/iRacing.com Chevrolet was beginning to run a little hot at the end of the pace laps, but the oil pressure and temperature were okay. “I thought we were going to be alright. The car was actually running really well once the green came out and we got going, but then it started smoking really bad”.
Thorndyke was forced to bring the #67 EVT/iRacing.com Chevrolet to pit road and the attention of the team who quickly determined their day was finished early. “I think the problems are deeper than the oil pump” said Thorndyke afterwards. It’s disappointing but we’ve got some time before our next race. Probably not tomorrow but the day after that, we’ll start getting to the bottom of this problem. I feel bad to start out this way with our new association with iRacing.com we certainly hoped for a better result, but we’ll get to the bottom of this”.
David Thorndyke and the EVT Chevrolet team will next take to the track the weekend of August 14-16th at the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres. The race will also be broadcast on TSN. For more NASCAR Canadian Tire Series information log onto http://www.nascar.ca/ and to learn more about the #67 Thorsons EVT/iRacing.com Chevrolet team go to http://www.promotiveracing.com/
About iRacing.com
iRacing.com was founded in September of 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry. Kaemmer was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, developers of award-winning racing simulations including NASCAR Racing: 2003 Season and Grand Prix Legends. Henry is principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group – the co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing – as well as an avid simracer. The iRacing team combines more than 100 years of real-world racing experience with more than 50 years of successful racing simulation development. The company has developed numerous corporate relationships in the motorsport industry, including agreements to develop track simulations with International Speedway Corporation, Speedway Motorsports, and Panoz Motor Sports Group and vehicles with Volkswagen, General Motors, Riley Technologies, Radical Sportscars, and 600 Racing. iRacing is the official simulation partner of the Star Mazda Championship and the Skip Barber Racing School.
Shannonville SoloSprint Update
Courtesy Frank Ewald
Wow, what a weekend. After four events, Katie Ewald is in fourth place in the overall Novice Championship. Saturday was good with a third place for Frank Ewald and a fifth place finish for Katie. Sunday turned out to be a perfect day for the track with Frank in second and Katie in third.
"We continued to learn a lot and the car is doing exactly what we need it to do, run consistently," said Frank Ewald. "It was the first time at Shannonville Nelson for Katie and I. It seemed like we were always at the redline and yet the corners were so close it didn't really make sense to shift. We learned a lot about communication. Sunday was the Shannonville Pro track and it's a great layout that we really enjoyed. It was also the first time either of us had driven this configuration. The Dad and Daughter competition really heated up as I was running consistent 85 second laps with Katie starting off with an 88 second sessions during her first two outings. She was reducing her lap times each outing. The gap is closing very fast"
Chris and John Paczynski were the event organizers and they had everything very well organized as things moved efficiently through the day. Frank and Katie also want to thank Paul McFadden, the SPDA SoloSprint ambassador, who truly represents the sport and has been a huge supporter and the Associate Racing Team, a wonderful Honda crew. The father/daughter duo had some tire issues and they came through with a set of tires.
The team would also like to thank their sponsors, Paul Coffey Nissan who provide them with access to parts and technical support and Can-alignment, who helped sut up the car just prior to the event.
RISING YOUNG CANADIAN STOCK CAR RACER JOINS FORCES WITH CHARITY TO HELP KEEP KIDS ON THE RIGHT TRACK
June 15, 2009 - Toronto: Kelly Wood, the 19-year old rising star of Canadian Late Model series stock car racing, attended the annual Youth Assisting Youth (YAY) picnic Saturday June 13, to announce her partnership with the peer mentoring service that matches at-risk or newcomer children throughout the GTA with young adult mentors.
“As a mentoring organization, Youth Assisting Youth is thrilled to be aligned with the strength and integrity that Kelly brings, both as a competitor on the race track and as a positive role model that any young person could look up to,” said Sally Spencer, CEO of YAY. “We make it a priority to support our mentors who are in turn, helping the community’s youth.” (www.yay.org)
This partnership represents a natural fit between Kelly’s own keen desire to inspire Canadian youth to achieve success in all aspects of their lives and YAY’s mission to promote the healthy and productive growth and development of young people through mentorship. “If you want to be successful, you have to work hard for it,” explains Wood. “Now that I’m in the competitive world of stock car racing, I realize the value of the love, support and hands-on help I’ve been given over the years by my family, friends and racing mentors. They’ve helped me grow as an athlete and as a young woman entering this exciting sport, and along the way, I’ve learned many valuable lessons including the realization that it takes a team to help you get there.” And Kelly is now teaming up with YAY to help keep other kids on the right track.
Kelly has been racing since 2006 when she started in go-karts, winning Rookie of the Year at the Simcoe Kart Club and chalking up numerous wins, top-ten finishes and two championships. She moved up to Limited Late Model racing in 2008 and placed 4th in her very first race. 2009 sees Kelly running a full Late Model Schedule at Kawartha Speedway. In 2010, Kelly joins the big leagues, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, where she’ll proudly carry the YAY logo on her car when she takes her first trip around the professional tracks across Canada. www.kellywoodracing.com
“As a mentoring organization, Youth Assisting Youth is thrilled to be aligned with the strength and integrity that Kelly brings, both as a competitor on the race track and as a positive role model that any young person could look up to,” said Sally Spencer, CEO of YAY. “We make it a priority to support our mentors who are in turn, helping the community’s youth.” (www.yay.org)
This partnership represents a natural fit between Kelly’s own keen desire to inspire Canadian youth to achieve success in all aspects of their lives and YAY’s mission to promote the healthy and productive growth and development of young people through mentorship. “If you want to be successful, you have to work hard for it,” explains Wood. “Now that I’m in the competitive world of stock car racing, I realize the value of the love, support and hands-on help I’ve been given over the years by my family, friends and racing mentors. They’ve helped me grow as an athlete and as a young woman entering this exciting sport, and along the way, I’ve learned many valuable lessons including the realization that it takes a team to help you get there.” And Kelly is now teaming up with YAY to help keep other kids on the right track.
Kelly has been racing since 2006 when she started in go-karts, winning Rookie of the Year at the Simcoe Kart Club and chalking up numerous wins, top-ten finishes and two championships. She moved up to Limited Late Model racing in 2008 and placed 4th in her very first race. 2009 sees Kelly running a full Late Model Schedule at Kawartha Speedway. In 2010, Kelly joins the big leagues, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, where she’ll proudly carry the YAY logo on her car when she takes her first trip around the professional tracks across Canada. www.kellywoodracing.com
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Hanssen Okay After Heavy Impact
MOSPORT, ON - Joey Hanssen the seventeen year old rookie of the year challenger in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series had a race that he’d like to forget in round number three of the series Sunday at Mosport International Raceway. After a frightening off course excursion only a few laps into the race Hanssen was alright afterwards complaining of only some overall soreness.
Hanssen piloting the #40 Prime Champ Dodge Avenger worked hard at practice and qualifying and was looking forward to his first road course event of the season. But after completing only three laps of the 200km feature event Hanssen suffered an equipment failure as he approached the high speed corner eight in the Prime Champ Dodge. The failure left Hanssen without braking ability and would send him crashing hard into the tire barrier and toward the concrete retaining wall.
NASCAR officials red flagged the event and stopped all other competitors on the front straightaway while track safety workers and NASCAR safety crews worked methodically to free the driver after what was an extremely hard impact. The extrication took sometime as safety crews worked carefully to ensure the drivers safe removal from the race car and assess any injuries.
Hanssen was first transported to the Mosport infield care center and then transported by ambulance to Bowmanville Hospital for further precautionary examination and x-rays. The good news is the Prime Champ driver while sore and uncomfortable was in good spirits and subsequently released after following successful completion of all tests.
Teammate DJ Kennington spoke to Hanssen after the race and was very happy to hear that the young man from the Netherlands was alright. “That was a hard hit and I’m sure that it really shook him up” said Kennington. “He tried to climb out but felt some pain so he did the right thing and waited for the safety crews to help him out of the car. He was worried about having been involved in wrecks in back to back races and I told him we can build as many cars as we need. The most important thing is that he’s alright”.
The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season continues with round four on Saturday July 11th at the Autodrome St. Eustache. This years schedule will consist of thirteen races on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits from coast to coast in Canada. All thirteen races will be seen on TSN. For more information about Joey Hanssen the NASCAR Canadian Tire series go to www.NASCAR.ca.
Attached Photo caption: The 40 Prime Champ Dodge on course at Mosport. Photo Credit: Rod Henderson www.canadianracer.com
About Prime Champ: Prime Champ is one of Europe’s largest environmentally friendly producers of all natural mushrooms with no pesticides used at any stage of the production process. Prime Champ supplies large retailers, discounters and industrial food services in the UK, Germany and Netherlands.
This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com // (239) 961-2618
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HATHAWAY EARNS TOP 10 AT MOSPORT ROAD COURSE
June 14, 2009- Bowmanville, Ontario- Jason Hathaway and the #3 Snap-on Tools Dodge came away with the Teams’ second top 10 of the 2009 season on the 4 kilometer road course at Mosport International Speedway Sunday afternoon.
Practice for the Team went well on Saturday morning and the Team worked to tweak the car for Saturday afternoon qualifying. In qualifying Hathaway found his rhythm and qualified an impressive 10th in the field of 24 cars.
Sunday brought clear and sunny skies with hopes of a perfect day for racing. A few laps after the green flag dropped on the 51 lap event, Hathaway reported into his crew that he had lost the power steering in his race machine. Crew Chief TJ Martino and the Team 3 Red/ EHR crew brought him down pit road, fixed the power steering and sent Hathaway out in 23rd and the last car on the lead lap of the race to work his way back up through the pack.
With the spotting assistance of renowned road course racer and Toronto native Ludwick Heimrath, Hathaway worked the course and brought his Dodge up the running order. At the half way point Hathaway was leading the race and earned 5 bonus points for doing so.
Tire and fuel pit stops cycled through the field after the half way point and the Team decided to work some strategy and take fuel only in their green flag pit stop. This allowed Hathaway to stay out on the lead lap and hold onto valuable track position. The #3 Snap-on Tools Dodge finished 8th on the day and made a significant jump in the point standings from 12th to 9th place.
Hathaway was happy with the Team’s day. “This was a good way to come back from our disappointment at Delaware last weekend. It was hard work to keep the car turning on this 9 turn course without the power steering not working 100%, but we made it through. We are happy with the finish today and it was a good points day for us in the standings.”
The Team will take a few weeks off before running 4 weekends in a row starting at Autodrome St Eustache near Montreal on July 11, 2009.
Team 3 Red/EHR is partnered with Snap-on Tools, Vortex Brake Pads, Napoleon Grills and Fireplaces, Ted Reader’s Famous BBQ, Advantex Freight Forwarders, Castrol, Fast Eddie Racewear, Dayco Belts & Hoses, Choko Motorsport Apparel and Praxair.
For more information on the Team you can visit www.team3red.com or contact Jamie Hakonson at 905-642-1010 or jamie@team3red.com.
To learn more about the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series you can check out www.nascar.ca
Practice for the Team went well on Saturday morning and the Team worked to tweak the car for Saturday afternoon qualifying. In qualifying Hathaway found his rhythm and qualified an impressive 10th in the field of 24 cars.
Sunday brought clear and sunny skies with hopes of a perfect day for racing. A few laps after the green flag dropped on the 51 lap event, Hathaway reported into his crew that he had lost the power steering in his race machine. Crew Chief TJ Martino and the Team 3 Red/ EHR crew brought him down pit road, fixed the power steering and sent Hathaway out in 23rd and the last car on the lead lap of the race to work his way back up through the pack.
With the spotting assistance of renowned road course racer and Toronto native Ludwick Heimrath, Hathaway worked the course and brought his Dodge up the running order. At the half way point Hathaway was leading the race and earned 5 bonus points for doing so.
Tire and fuel pit stops cycled through the field after the half way point and the Team decided to work some strategy and take fuel only in their green flag pit stop. This allowed Hathaway to stay out on the lead lap and hold onto valuable track position. The #3 Snap-on Tools Dodge finished 8th on the day and made a significant jump in the point standings from 12th to 9th place.
Hathaway was happy with the Team’s day. “This was a good way to come back from our disappointment at Delaware last weekend. It was hard work to keep the car turning on this 9 turn course without the power steering not working 100%, but we made it through. We are happy with the finish today and it was a good points day for us in the standings.”
The Team will take a few weeks off before running 4 weekends in a row starting at Autodrome St Eustache near Montreal on July 11, 2009.
Team 3 Red/EHR is partnered with Snap-on Tools, Vortex Brake Pads, Napoleon Grills and Fireplaces, Ted Reader’s Famous BBQ, Advantex Freight Forwarders, Castrol, Fast Eddie Racewear, Dayco Belts & Hoses, Choko Motorsport Apparel and Praxair.
For more information on the Team you can visit www.team3red.com or contact Jamie Hakonson at 905-642-1010 or jamie@team3red.com.
To learn more about the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series you can check out www.nascar.ca
FASTEST FOOT FORWARD -- RICHARD KENT WINS FROM THE POLE IN STAR MAZDA CHAMPIONSHIP RACE 2 AT NEW JERSEY MOTORSPORTS PARK
New Jersey Motorsports Park (June 14, 2009) – Completing a return to form that has seen stops and starts to his Star Mazda Championship season, Englishman Richard Kent won Race 2 of the double-header Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear Mazda Formula X weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Kent led every lap from the pole after smashing the existing Star Mazda Championship lap record at New Jersey Motorsports Park by more than 4/10ths of a second in the #33 Andersen Racing / Traka / Lafarge N.A. / Allied Interior Products Mazda .
"I won the last race of last year at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and then sat on the pole at this year's season-opener at Sebring but missed the second race due to an injury and this race really marks the start of my 2009 season," says the driver from Milton Keynes, England. "We just have to keep up on these podiums and winning these races and hopefully misfortune will come a few other people's way as well, as it has for me. My leg still hurts a bit, but not in the car and it isn't affecting my on-track performance; I just have to be sensible with it when I'm away from the track. But right now nothing hurts at all… Remy my engineer and Alan my mechanic have done a fantastic job putting together the car. And the heat out there wasn't as hot as yesterday, but when you're running out front on your own trying to maintain concentration is always a struggle, so I just kept my head down and kept focused and it all worked out."
Finishing second, after starting on the outside of the front row, was Louisiana racer Alex Ardoin, driving the #51 JDC Motorsports / Oral & Facial Surgery Center / Twister Trailer Mazda. It was a great comeback after a difficult day yesterday in which an off-course excursion jarred an ignition wire loose and left him stranded on course with no power. Rounding out the top-3 was a familiar face in a familiar place from yesterday's race – Canadian racer Mikael Grenier, driving the #17 Andersen Racing / NAPA Auto Parts / CAA-Quebec / HS Telecom Mazda – who also finished third yesterday.
The top-finishing Master Series (aged 45 and over) driver was Californian Mike Guasch who co-starred in the biggest accident of Saturday's race when he spun his #91 JDC Motorsports / Molecule Mazda and was hit, hard, from behind while trying to re-enter the track. His victory today brings him back to the form that has him leading the Master Series championship with three in-class wins. He finished 18th overall in the 26-car field. Bringing his #16 Kester Racing Team 3G / Texas World Speedway / Motul Oil Mazda home 15th overall and first in the Expert Series was Chris Cumming of Vancouver B.C. He is the reigning 2008 Expert Series champion and is currently leading the 2009 Expert battle with three in-class wins.
Rounding out the top-5 overall were 2008 MAZDASPEED ladder driver Joel Miller who finished 4th in the #2 JDC Motorsports / Fader Higher Productions / eSoles / Doug Mockett & Co. Mazda, and Brazilian racer Caio Lara who moved up from 8th on the grid to finish 5th in his #19 JDC Motorsports / MLD / ATW/ Molecule Mazda. And Peter 'The Irish Steamroller' Dempsey, who finished 6th on Saturday and 7th today in an altogether tough weekend in his #3 AIM Autosport / Motorsport Ireland / Queyside.ie Mazda, still managed to emerge as the points leader when former leader and 2-race winner Adam Christodoulou spent three laps in the pits to repair a suspension failure and finished 25th out of 26 cars. Dempsey, in his second season of Star Mazda Championship racing, won four races last year, and also won Round 2 at Virginia International Raceway earlier this season.
Saturday's pole-sitter and race winner, Conor Daly, the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder winner, had a loose (oversteering) car in qualifying and started from 9th on the grid. With only a single full-course yellow to bunch up the field during the entire 40-minute event, he drove every lap at 10/10ths and could do no better than 8th at the finish. Daly, the son of racing legend and noted motorsports broadcaster Derek Daly, is the 2008 Skip Barber Pro Series champion and won his ride in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear courtesy of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder. This unique program, the only one supported by a major automaker, provides champions from karting through the top levels of the sport with sponsorship to move up to the next level.
In the 2009 Star Mazda Championship battle, Peter Dempsey leads with 173, followed by American Joel Miller with 172. Former leader Englishman Adam Christodoulou drops to third with 171. Brazilian Caio Lara is in fourth with 158 points and Saturday's winner Conor Daly has moved up to fifth with 156.
GREEN LEGEND GROWING -- CONOR DALY WINS FROM THE POLE IN STAR MAZDA RACE 1 AT NEW JERSEY MOTORSPORTS PARK MAZDA FORMULA X DOUBLE-HEADER
New Jersey Motorsports Park (June 12, 2009) – His bright green #22 Andersen Racing / College Network / Indeck / Cytomax Mazda leading the way from start (more or less) to finish, Conor Daly, son of racing legend Derek Daly, began growing his own legend with a win from the pole in Race 1 of a Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear double-header weekend at the Mazda Formula X Event at New Jersey Motorsports Park. It was his first victory of the season and vaulted him to 4th from 7th in the championship points.
Leading Daly into Turn 1, but giving up the lead in Turn 3 and ultimately following Daly across the finish line was Englishman Adam Christodoulou, the current championship leader and winner of two races so far this season. He started his #11 JDC Motorsports / Molecule Mazda on the outside of the front row. The final podium finisher, scoring his first top-3 finish of the season, was Canadian racer Mikael Grenier, who was fast in practice but qualified 8th after a late-night setup adjustment to his #17 Andersen Racing / NAPA Auto Parts / CAA-Quebec / HS Telecom Mazda went awry.
"I didn't get a great start because my car was creeping even with the clutch in, so I had to work the clutch, gas and brake all at the same time; that's why Adam was ahead of me going into the first turn," said Daly. "But I got past him again in three and from there on had a really good race. It probably wasn't as exciting as the TV people would like, but I enjoyed it and the car was perfect. I was able to drive really consistent laps and was fortunate to be open up a gap at the beginning of the race, and after the re-start as well. I knew Adam was back there behind me and if there was an opportunity for him to pass he'd take it, so I had to focus on opening up a gap and once I was able to do that I just concentrated on managing my tires and conserving my car to go the full distance. Everyone will be working on their cars overnight, but my car is so good right now that I feel pretty good about being able to do this again tomorrow."
The top-finishing Master Series (aged 45 and over) driver was Gerry Kraut, co-owner of JDC Motorsports who brought his #55 JDC Motorsports / Dougherty & Co. / Dougherty Funding LLC Mazda home in 20th overall. In addition to his victory here, he has scored three in-class top-3 finishes so far this season and is second in the points battle for the Master Series Championship. Bringing his #16 Kester Racing Team 3G / Texas World Speedway / Motul Oil Mazda home 17th overall and first in the Expert Series was Chris Cumming of Vancouver B.C. He is the reigning 2008 Expert Series champion and is currently leading the 2009 Expert battle with two class wins and two in-class podium finishes.
In the 2009 Star Mazda Championship points battle, Adam Christodoulou leads with two wins, two poles a podium and one 7th-place finish totaling 159 points. Peter "The Irish Steamroller" Dempsey, who won four Star Mazda Championship races during the 2008 season and finished third in the championship, sits second in the championship battle with 144 points. He won Round Two at Virginia International Raceway, finished on the podium at Miller Motorsports Park and came through the New Jersey field from 15th on the starting grid to finish 6th. American Joel Miller, the 2008 MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder driver, is third with 138 points, two podiums and two top-5 finishes. Race winner Conor Daly, the 2008 Skip Barber champion and this year's MAZDASPEED ladder driver, sits in fourth with one pole, one win, one podium, one top-5 and 128 points.
STECKLY SUCCUMBS TO ENGINE FAILURE AT MOSPORT
Bowmanville ON, Sunday June 14, 2009: Scott Steckly for the second race in a row qualified second quickest to start on the front row but this time disappointment followed as the 22 Racing/Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge Avenger succumbed to engine failure on lap 21 of the 51 lap race.
Steckly as usual was right up top of the practice charts in the first practice early on Saturday morning. A broken wheel part would keep them from participating in the second practice session but it didn’t turn out to have any ill effects on the team as they qualified just 2/10ths of a second slower than pole sitter Andrew Ranger.
The start of the Dickies 200 on Sunday would have Steckly put his Canadian Tire Avenger on the back bumper of Ranger’s car for the early laps. Steckly attempted a pass on Ranger on the long Andretti straightway on lap four but Ranger was able to wrestle the lead back a short time later. No to be deterred Steckly stayed with the lead cars until pit stops on lap 18. With four fresh tires and fuel the No. 22 Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge Avenger driver was ready to charge to the front when a short three laps later they experienced engine failure. A twentieth place finish was recorded. “The car was really good all day,” stated Steckly. “All weekend really. After pitting for tires and fuel we ran our best lap of the weekend, so we were confident about getting back to the front once all the pit stops cycled through. I am really disappointed for all of our sponsors.”
Andrew Ranger won from the pole with No. 95 Anthony Simone finishing a career best second and J. R. Fitzpatrick rounding out the top three.
The driver of the No.40 car, Joey Hanssen from the Netherlands experienced a very hard hit in turn eight which resulted in an extended red flag period while they extricated him from the car on lap ten.
Steckly and his No. 22 Racing team now get three weeks off before returning to Autodrome St. Eustache for event number four of the thirteen race NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule on Saturday July 11th.
The No. 22 Racing/Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box team are also sponsored by the following associate and product sponsors: Motomaster, Exide, Mobil Super, Erb Transport, AW Millwrights, Marks Work Warehouse and Reefer Sales.
The Dickies 200 from Mosport International Raceway will be televised on TSN on Sunday June 28th at 11:30 a.m. EST. Check local listings for more details.
About 22 Racing
Scott Steckly and the No. 22 Racing Team are supported by a large group of sponsors including: Canadian Tire, Tow Truck in a Box, Motomaster, Exide, Erb Transport, Mobil Super, AW Millwrights, Marks Work Warehouse, Reefer Sales and Twin City Graphics.
Scott Steckly and his 22 Racing Team are a familiar face in top level stock car racing in Canada. Steckly in his second season with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in 2008 went on to win 4 events, place 2nd in four more and overall post 9 top five finishes on their way to claiming the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship. The team is based out of the small town of Milverton, ON just outside of Stratford, ON.
About Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX: CTC.a, CTC) operates more than 1,200 general merchandise and apparel retail stores, gas bars and car washes in an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retail, financial services and petroleum. More than 57,000 Canadians work across the Canadian Tire organization from coast-to-coast. Canadian Tire Retail and its Associate Dealers together form one of Canada's best-known and most successful retailers with 475 stores in communities nationwide. Canadian Tire stores offer a unique mix of products and services through the leadership of three specialty stores under one roof - Automotive, Sports and Leisure, and Home Products.
Steckly as usual was right up top of the practice charts in the first practice early on Saturday morning. A broken wheel part would keep them from participating in the second practice session but it didn’t turn out to have any ill effects on the team as they qualified just 2/10ths of a second slower than pole sitter Andrew Ranger.
The start of the Dickies 200 on Sunday would have Steckly put his Canadian Tire Avenger on the back bumper of Ranger’s car for the early laps. Steckly attempted a pass on Ranger on the long Andretti straightway on lap four but Ranger was able to wrestle the lead back a short time later. No to be deterred Steckly stayed with the lead cars until pit stops on lap 18. With four fresh tires and fuel the No. 22 Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge Avenger driver was ready to charge to the front when a short three laps later they experienced engine failure. A twentieth place finish was recorded. “The car was really good all day,” stated Steckly. “All weekend really. After pitting for tires and fuel we ran our best lap of the weekend, so we were confident about getting back to the front once all the pit stops cycled through. I am really disappointed for all of our sponsors.”
Andrew Ranger won from the pole with No. 95 Anthony Simone finishing a career best second and J. R. Fitzpatrick rounding out the top three.
The driver of the No.40 car, Joey Hanssen from the Netherlands experienced a very hard hit in turn eight which resulted in an extended red flag period while they extricated him from the car on lap ten.
Steckly and his No. 22 Racing team now get three weeks off before returning to Autodrome St. Eustache for event number four of the thirteen race NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule on Saturday July 11th.
The No. 22 Racing/Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box team are also sponsored by the following associate and product sponsors: Motomaster, Exide, Mobil Super, Erb Transport, AW Millwrights, Marks Work Warehouse and Reefer Sales.
The Dickies 200 from Mosport International Raceway will be televised on TSN on Sunday June 28th at 11:30 a.m. EST. Check local listings for more details.
About 22 Racing
Scott Steckly and the No. 22 Racing Team are supported by a large group of sponsors including: Canadian Tire, Tow Truck in a Box, Motomaster, Exide, Erb Transport, Mobil Super, AW Millwrights, Marks Work Warehouse, Reefer Sales and Twin City Graphics.
Scott Steckly and his 22 Racing Team are a familiar face in top level stock car racing in Canada. Steckly in his second season with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in 2008 went on to win 4 events, place 2nd in four more and overall post 9 top five finishes on their way to claiming the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship. The team is based out of the small town of Milverton, ON just outside of Stratford, ON.
About Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX: CTC.a, CTC) operates more than 1,200 general merchandise and apparel retail stores, gas bars and car washes in an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retail, financial services and petroleum. More than 57,000 Canadians work across the Canadian Tire organization from coast-to-coast. Canadian Tire Retail and its Associate Dealers together form one of Canada's best-known and most successful retailers with 475 stores in communities nationwide. Canadian Tire stores offer a unique mix of products and services through the leadership of three specialty stores under one roof - Automotive, Sports and Leisure, and Home Products.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - Ranger Dominating In Dickies 200 Win
BOWMANVILLE, Ont. – Andrew Ranger won the Dickies in dominating fashion in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series action at Mosport International Raceway.
Ranger (No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford), out of Roxton Pond, Que., took the lead from Anthony Simone (No. 95 Crown Modular/United Lumber Chevrolet) on Lap 39 and ran away from the field. Ranger beat Simone to the finish line by 6.678, the largest margin of victory in series history.
Ranger dominated the early portions of the race, opening up a lead as much as five seconds over DJ Kennington (No. 17 Castrol/Mahindra Tractor Dodge). However, Ranger lost several positions, when the field began making green-flag pit stops, due to a sub-par stop.
“The car was just awesome all weekend,” said Ranger. “The pit stop was a little slow and we got behind a little, but we were able to make up the time.”
All told for the weekend, Ranger led both practice sessions, qualified on the pole and led 31 of the 51 laps of the race en route to his second career victory at Mosport International Raceway. It was his fourth series career victory.
Second-place Simone earned his first series podium finish. Racing out of Holland Landing, Ont., Simone is off to a solid start in his sophomore season after being the runner-up in rookie-of-the-year honors a year ago.
Third-place finisher JR Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Fitzpatrick Motorsports Chevrolet) came all the way from the back of the field in 2009 series debut. He was forced to start from the rear due to taking over the controls of the car from Jim Lapcevich, who practiced and qualified the car yesterday. Fitzpatrick was at Michigan International Speedway where he competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Kennington finished in fourth followed by Ron Beauchamp Jr. (No.60 Mopar/Mobil 1/Exide Dodge) in fifth.
Robin Buck, Jeff Lapcevich, Jason Hathaway, Howie Scannell Jr. and Mark Dilley rounded out the top 10.
In the race’s fourth lap, rookie driver Joey Hanssen (No. 40 Prime Champ Dodge) made hard contact with the tire wall in Turn 8. He was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Unofficially in the championship point standings after three races, Beauchamp holds a slim eight-point advantage over Ranger. Kennington is in third, 35 points off Beauchamp’s pace.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series takes a few weekends off before hitting the track again on July 11 at Autodrome St. Eustache (Que.) for the Tide 250.
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES-Dickies 200 Unofficial Results
Sunday
At Mosport International Raceway
Bowmanville, Ontario
Lap length: 2.459 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (1) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Ford, 51 laps, 79.220 mph, $8,000.
2. (6) Anthony Simone, Holland Landing, Ont., Chevrolet, 51, $4,000.
3. (13) JR Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ont., Chevrolet, 51, $3,500.
4. (5) DJ Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 51, $5,000.
5. (11) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 51, $3,600.
6. (8) Robin Buck, Campbellville, Ont., Ford, 51, $2,000.
7. (19) Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont., Chevrolet, 51, $2,900.
8. (10) Jason Hathaway, Appin, Ont., Dodge, 51, $2,300.
9. (14) Howie Scannell, Jr., Milton, Ont., Dodge, 50, $1,650.
10. (9) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Dodge, 50, $1,550.
11. (15) Kent Nuhn, Williamsford, Ont., Chevrolet, 50, $1,450.
12. (17) Derek Lynch, Warkworth, Ont., Dodge, 50, $1,400.
13. (20) Pierre Bourque, Ottawa, Ont., Dodge, 50, $1,350.
14. (12) Trevor Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Ford, 50, $1,325.
15. (21) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Chevrolet, 50, $1,300.
16. (3) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont., Ford, 49, $1,250.
17. (22) John Fletcher, Ancaster, Ont., Dodge, 49, $1,250.
18. (16) Jarrad Whissell, Calgary, Alb., Ford, 48, $1,200.
19. (7) Dave Whitlock, Petrolia, Ont., Dodge, 28, $1,200.
20. (2) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 21, $1,150.
21. (24) Dexter Stacey, Kahnawake, Que., Pontiac, 21, $1,150.
22. (4) Don Thomson, Jr., Hamilton, Ont., Chevrolet, 16, engine, $1,100.
23. (18) Joey Hanssen, Venray, Holland, Dodge, 3, accident, $1,100.
24. (23) David Thorndyke, Oshawa, Ont., Chevrolet, 3, mechanical, $1,050.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 34 minutes 59 seconds
Margin of Victory: 6.678 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: A.Ranger (104.000 mph, 85.119 seconds)
Caution Flags: 1 for 6 laps.
Lead Changes: 5 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: A. Ranger 1-18; A. Simone 19-20; H. Scannell,Jr. 21-25; J. Hathaway 26-27; A. Simone 28-38; A. Ranger 39-51.
Standings: 1. R. Beauchamp,Jr., 500; 2. A. Ranger, 492; 3. D. Kennington, 465; 4. A. Simone, 459; 5. K. Micks, 450; 6. D. Whitlock, 442; 7. S. Steckly, 438; 8. M. Dilley, 409; 9. J. Hathaway, 392; 10. K. Nuhn, 384.
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Photos... Lap 7 to End... Mosport Dickies 200... Andrew Ranger wins
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NCATS NEWS FLASH: Mosport Dickies 200... Ranger wins
MOSPORT, ON - Andrew Ranger won Sunday's Dickies 200 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race at Mosport International Raceway. The 2007 NCATS champ started on the pole and took the lead for the final time in the 51-lap race with a turn 5 bump-n-run on eventual runner-up Anthony Simone on lap 39. J.R. Fitzpatrick finished third, ahead of DJ Kennington and Ron Beauchamp Jr. Reigning champ Scott Steckly went out with motor trouble on lap 21.
NCATS Mosport: Dickies 200. Lap 25 update
Howie Scannell leads Jason Hathaway, Trevor Seibert, Anthony Simone, Jarrad Whissell, DJ Kennington, Andrew Ranger, Robin Buck, Ron Beauchamp Jr, J.R. Fitzpatrick.
Scannell pits from lead on lap 25., handing lead to Jason Hathaway.
Scannell pits from lead on lap 25., handing lead to Jason Hathaway.
NCATS: Mosport Dickies 200 - Photos up to Lap 7 red flag
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NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Qualifying: Andrew Ranger To Start On Pole For Sunday's Dickies 200
BOWMANVILLE, Ont. – Andrew Ranger earned the pole position in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series qualifying for the Dickies 200 at Mosport International Raceway. He worked his way around the 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course in a series track record 85.119 seconds for an average lap speed of 104.000 mph.
It is the first pole of the season for Ranger (No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford) and the fourth of his series career. He last started first on the grid last July in Edmonton. All four poles have come on road courses for the product of Roxton Pond, Que.
The previous track record of 85.375 seconds (103.688 mph) was set by Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge) on June 14, 2008.
This time around, Steckly will start on the outside of Ranger for Sunday’s race. He posted a time of 85.398 seconds (103.661 mph). He finished second to Ranger a year ago in road-course events in Montreal and Trois-Rivieres, Que.
The second row will consist of Kerry Micks (No. 02 Beyond Digital Imaging Ford) who timed in at 85.832 seconds (103.136 mph) and Don Thomson Jr. (No. 4 Home Hardware Chevrolet) with his time of 85.845 seconds (103.121 mph).
Rounding out the top 10 qualifiers is DJ Kennington, Anthony Simone, Dave Whitlock, Robin Buck, Mark Dilley and Jason Hathaway.
The Dickies 200 is scheduled to get underway Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. ET
For more information, contact: Shon Sbarra, NASCAR PR, (704) 309-5493 or ssbarra@nascar.com
Qualifying Results
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES - Dickies 200 Lineup
Race Sunday; Qualifying Saturday
at Mosport International Raceway
Bowmanville, Ontario
Lap Length: 2.459 miles
1. (27) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Ford, 104.000
2. (22) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 103.661
3. (02) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont., Ford, 103.136
4. (4) Don Thomson, Jr., Hamilton, Ont., Chevrolet, 103.121
5. (17) DJ Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 103.102
6. (95) Anthony Simone, Holland Landing, Ont., Chevrolet, 103.002
7. (39) Dave Whitlock, Petrolia, Ont., Dodge, 102.681
8. (66) Robin Buck, Campbellville, Ont., Ford, 102.670
9. (9) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Dodge, 102.183
10. (3) Jason Hathaway, Appin, Ont., Dodge, 101.694
11. (60) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 101.578
12. (69) Trevor Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Ford, 101.389
13. (84) Jim Lapcevich, Hamilton, Ont., Chevrolet, 101.093
14. (56) Howie Scannell, Jr., Milton, Ont., Dodge, 100.571
15. (18) Kent Nuhn, Williamsford, Ont., Chevrolet, 99.875
16. (44) Jarrad Whissell, Calgary, Alb., Ford, 99.310
17. (77) Derek Lynch, Warkworth, Ont., Dodge, 98.958
18. (40) Joey Hanssen, Venray, Holland, Dodge, 98.902
19. (23) Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont., Chevrolet, 98.544
20. (29) Pierre Bourque, Ottawa, Ont., Dodge, 98.187
21. (21) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Chevrolet, 96.269
22. (49) John Fletcher, Ancaster, Ont., Dodge, 95.401
23. (67) David Thorndyke, Oshawa, Ont., Chevrolet, 94.332
24. (55) Dexter Stacey, Kahnawake, Que., Pontiac, 91.549
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Lap 7... red flag...
NCATS Mosport: Dickies 200
Lap 7... Red Flag for crash in turn 8. Single car involving rookie Joey Hanssen. Hanssen was extracated from the car but the race is still stopped for repairs to the tire barrier.
Polesitter Andrew Ranger has led the entire way, in front of Scott Steckly, Don Thomson Jr., Kerry Micks, D.J. Kennington, Anthony Simone, Robin Buck, Dave Whitlock, Mark Dilley and Ron Beauchamp Jr. J.R. Fitzpatrick is 11th after starting at the back.
Lap 7... Red Flag for crash in turn 8. Single car involving rookie Joey Hanssen. Hanssen was extracated from the car but the race is still stopped for repairs to the tire barrier.
Polesitter Andrew Ranger has led the entire way, in front of Scott Steckly, Don Thomson Jr., Kerry Micks, D.J. Kennington, Anthony Simone, Robin Buck, Dave Whitlock, Mark Dilley and Ron Beauchamp Jr. J.R. Fitzpatrick is 11th after starting at the back.
NCATS: Robin Buck announces 3-race deal
BOWMANVILLE, ON – June 12, 2009) - NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and road racing veteran, Robin Buck has signed a three-race deal that will see him drive the #66 Active Green+Ross/Durabody Ford Fusion at his home track Mosport this weekend in the Dickies 200, part of the Mosport High Octane Weekend, June 12-14. The Campbellville, Ontario native will also compete in Series events at Trois-Rivieres and Montreal.
For Active Green+Ross, a premier chain of full service tire and auto centres with 74 locations across Ontario, the move to become primary sponsor of Buck is a natural evolution of their program that began with Buck at last year’s Dickies 200.
“ As the Tire Experts, Active Green+Ross is becoming more involved in racing, not just to raise awareness for the chain, but also because of the growing number of vehicles that are fitted with high-performance tires,” said Mike Cira, owner of three Active Green + Ross stores and a member of the chain’s Advertising Committee.
“We want people to know that Active Green+Ross are the “Tire Experts” and with 74 locations, we are positioned to give all our customers the expert knowledge they need to make an informed decision on tire purchases,” Cira explained. “We can supply and advise the basic needs of the city commuter to a professional motorsport driver. Plus, we’re not just tires but a chain of professional well- trained staff and technicians to carry out all mechanical servicing and repair requirements. We believe that teaming with Robin and motorsports is a good way to create awareness in the marketplace, to get the word out and to create excitement for our employees.”
Buck will be making appearances at Active Green+Ross stores for autograph sessions and will meet the chain’s employees at several special events including lapping days and this weekend’s race at Mosport.
Founded in 1981, Durabody is a private Canadian company. Durabody is recognized as the most diversified manufacturer of transportation solutions. Their core product families are in truck bodies, decks / platforms, refers & trailer vans, double drop decks, platforms & specialized configurations up to 53 feet in length.
They view motorsports and their sponsorship of Robin Buck Racing as a platform to increase industry awareness of their differentiated product array & their profile within the transportation industry.
“By being a part of such a successful & familiar Canadian racing legend as Robin, we are looking forward to increasing our visibility & thus generating new business opportunities” said Alan Shaw, President and CEO of Durabody Industries. Trucking is a big part of the racing industry. Durabody is very exited to be involved in such a series & dynamic environment.”
With new sponsors and more support, comes a new attitude and stronger race package than Buck has had at previous Mosport NASCAR Series races.
“I’ve enjoyed my share of success here at Mosport over the years, but the last few NASCAR Canadian Tires Series events here have been frustrating,” said Buck, who began his career at Mosport racing Formula Fords in the early 1980s. “Recently, we’ve been very fast here, but reliability has been an issue. With the support of Active Green+Ross and Durabody, a top-of-line rebuilt engine and the hard work and smarts of our crew chief, Randy Gray, I think we’re going to surprise some people and have a shot at reaching the Dickies 200 podium on Sunday.”
Buck will also be raising awareness this weekend for Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity, which has been assisting seriously ill children and their families with special treatment needs, medical expenses and financial assistance in times of need since 1990.
For Further Information: Robin Buck, (416) 346-2243 (cell)
For Information about Mosport or The Dickies 200: Lee Bailie, Mosport, (905) 995-8313 (cell.) or email lee@mosport.com
For Active Green+Ross, a premier chain of full service tire and auto centres with 74 locations across Ontario, the move to become primary sponsor of Buck is a natural evolution of their program that began with Buck at last year’s Dickies 200.
“ As the Tire Experts, Active Green+Ross is becoming more involved in racing, not just to raise awareness for the chain, but also because of the growing number of vehicles that are fitted with high-performance tires,” said Mike Cira, owner of three Active Green + Ross stores and a member of the chain’s Advertising Committee.
“We want people to know that Active Green+Ross are the “Tire Experts” and with 74 locations, we are positioned to give all our customers the expert knowledge they need to make an informed decision on tire purchases,” Cira explained. “We can supply and advise the basic needs of the city commuter to a professional motorsport driver. Plus, we’re not just tires but a chain of professional well- trained staff and technicians to carry out all mechanical servicing and repair requirements. We believe that teaming with Robin and motorsports is a good way to create awareness in the marketplace, to get the word out and to create excitement for our employees.”
Buck will be making appearances at Active Green+Ross stores for autograph sessions and will meet the chain’s employees at several special events including lapping days and this weekend’s race at Mosport.
Founded in 1981, Durabody is a private Canadian company. Durabody is recognized as the most diversified manufacturer of transportation solutions. Their core product families are in truck bodies, decks / platforms, refers & trailer vans, double drop decks, platforms & specialized configurations up to 53 feet in length.
They view motorsports and their sponsorship of Robin Buck Racing as a platform to increase industry awareness of their differentiated product array & their profile within the transportation industry.
“By being a part of such a successful & familiar Canadian racing legend as Robin, we are looking forward to increasing our visibility & thus generating new business opportunities” said Alan Shaw, President and CEO of Durabody Industries. Trucking is a big part of the racing industry. Durabody is very exited to be involved in such a series & dynamic environment.”
With new sponsors and more support, comes a new attitude and stronger race package than Buck has had at previous Mosport NASCAR Series races.
“I’ve enjoyed my share of success here at Mosport over the years, but the last few NASCAR Canadian Tires Series events here have been frustrating,” said Buck, who began his career at Mosport racing Formula Fords in the early 1980s. “Recently, we’ve been very fast here, but reliability has been an issue. With the support of Active Green+Ross and Durabody, a top-of-line rebuilt engine and the hard work and smarts of our crew chief, Randy Gray, I think we’re going to surprise some people and have a shot at reaching the Dickies 200 podium on Sunday.”
Buck will also be raising awareness this weekend for Jennifer Ashleigh Children’s Charity, which has been assisting seriously ill children and their families with special treatment needs, medical expenses and financial assistance in times of need since 1990.
For Further Information: Robin Buck, (416) 346-2243 (cell)
For Information about Mosport or The Dickies 200: Lee Bailie, Mosport, (905) 995-8313 (cell.) or email lee@mosport.com
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