nascar canadian tire series

Kennington tightens points battle

September 13, 2011 By Todd Lewis

September 11, 2011. DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team returned to Barrie Speedway this past weekend for round number ten of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series looking to pick up their fourth win at the track. While they didn’t score the victory, Kennington did tighten up the point’s race for the overall championship.

The day began as expected when Kennington posted the quickest time around the very tricky 1/3 mile oval track in the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge. “The car was really good and it got even better with the adjustments we made during practice” said Kennington.

DJ would start the 300 lap race in the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge from the fifth position and easily keep pace with the leaders. “So many things happen at this track you have to be sure and survive the 300 laps” explained Kennington. “I didn’t want to do anything risky too early” he added.

Following several caution periods for incidents the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team made their first pit stop of the night for fuel. “We wanted to have track position later in the race” said Kennington about the strategy. “With a few other caution periods we decided to also make stops for tires and be able to run the rest of the night without stopping” he stated.

The rough racing continued with several incidents. Meantime Kennington continued to keep the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge in position for a late charge. In the late stages of the event however Kennington was hit from behind and spun out of contention. “I know you are going to have contact on this small track, but I feel I was deliberately moved out of the way and that’s wrong” said Kennington.

Despite the setback Kennington charged hardest in the closing laps and salvaged a seventh place result in the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge. It also tightened the championship fight with still two races remaining. “We had a chance to really tighten it up until that spin, but we made some progress and we’re off to Riverside to win” stated the driver.

With the seventh place finish Kennington pulls to within 69 points of the overall championship lead. Round eleven of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will take place Saturday September 17th at Riverside Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Race fans are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest team news in several ways. Race fans should bookmark the team website www.djkracing.ca and follow them on twitter, www.twitter.com/djkracing and look for the new DJK Racing Fan Page on Facebook

Filed Under: barrie speedway, dj kennington, Nascar, nascar canadian tire series, ncts, wild wing 300

Beauchamp gets banged around in Mopar Dodge

September 13, 2011 By Todd Lewis

September 11, 2011. Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge returned to Barrie Speedway for round number ten of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series looking for the same kind of night that had them starting from the pole position at the track one year ago. The night started out well but the rough racing we typically see at Barrie soon took its toll.

During the afternoon practice the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge showed speed but didn’t handle the way Beauchamp was hoping. “The car was a little bit tight” said Beauchamp. “We changed the set up a little bit for this year looking for more speed so we needed some changes after practice” he added.

Beauchamp would roll off tenth for the 300 lap main event. Early on the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge moved forward. “The track tightened up as we expected and the changes we made to the car worked well” said the driver.

Fortunes began to change quickly however as Beauchamp was pushed high on the front straightaway and rubbed the outside wall. “It’s just so tight on this track and I got pushed to the outside and did some damage to the car” explained the driver.

Initially it appeared the damage was mostly cosmetic. However it would quickly become clear that wasn’t the case. During a restart, Beauchamp put the power down on the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge and the left axle broke, turning the car sharply to the left. “That spun me and shot me into the wall and the next thing I know I’ve got cars all around me and one flying over me” explained Beauchamp.

With significant damage the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team hastily made repairs trying to salvage anything they could on the night. “The team did a great job just to make the car drivable” said Beauchamp. “All we could do after that was ride around and try to gain a few points” he added.

Beauchamp would claim a 15th place result and is seventh in the overall championship point standings.

Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge Team will compete in all twelve races on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. The next event will take place on September 17th at Riverside Speedway in Antigonish, NS. Once again this year all events will be broadcast on TSN. Fans should check their local listings for times. For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on to www.beauchampmotorsports.com and www.mopar.ca

Filed Under: barrie speedway, Nascar, nascar canadian tire series, ncats, ncts, ron beauchamp jr, team mopar, wild wing 300

Jason White gets a jolt in Barrie

September 13, 2011 By Todd Lewis

September 11, 2011. Racer Jason White and the #21 A & W Dodge team resumed action in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series this past weekend at Barrie Speedway for round number ten. White showed speed, poise and was en route to a fantastic finish when fortunes quickly changed.

In three previous visits to Barrie the #21 A & W Dodge team hasn’t achieved the desired results. During practice and then in qualifying White was confident their luck was changing. “As usual my Crew Chief Derek Lynch and his crew prepared the car really well and I felt really good heading into the race” said White.

Knowing 300 grueling laps lay ahead White knew patience and a solid race strategy would be key. “I was really fortunate to have Dan McHattie spotting for me today” said White. “He was stressing what to expect right from the start of practice and it was playing out exactly as he said it would” he added.

As expected on the tight one third mile oval there was plenty of action between drivers. “I was just being cautious in the first half of the race and saving the #21 A & W Dodge for the second half of the race” explained White.

Past the halfway point White had stopped for scheduled service and the focus on the end result began. “The car was really coming to us” said White. “I feel we had a car capable of a top five finish for sure and the race was coming to us exactly the way Dan explained earlier” he added.

A shocking twist of fate would occur on a restart just past lap 200. The #60 car would turn inexplicably in front of the #21 A & W Dodge that was on the inside sending White on a wild sliding across the track and crashing hard into the outside wall. “Apparently the #60 broke an axle and the car the just turned in front of me” said a disappointed White. “It’s so frustrating because everyone worked so hard and the race was playing out the way we expected and we were in line for a great finish” he added.

Despite the disappointing end to the night Jason White remains in eighth spot in the overall championship standings. “That was the hardest hit I’ve ever had” said White “but at least we didn’t take too bad a hit in the points”.

Jason White and the #21 A & W Dodge team are back in action on Saturday September 17th at Riverside Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Race fans will have even more opportunities to follow Jason White and the #21 A & W Dodge Challenger team this season. Check out the all new team website at www.jasonwhiteracing.com and be sure to follow Jason on twitter for the latest updates @racinjasonwhite The 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will consist of twelve events from coast to coast in Canada. Get more information about the series at www.hometracks.nascar.com

Photo by Gary Grant

Filed Under: barrie speedway, jason white, Nascar, nascar canadian tire series, ncats, ncts, wild wing 300

BOURQUE SHOWS IMPRESSIVE SPEED IN AARON’S DREAM MACHINE

September 13, 2011 By Todd Lewis

Barrie, ON. (September 11, 2011) NASCAR driver Pierre Bourque excitedly accepted the challenge of racing his first ever event in the#00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge at Barrie Speedway for round number ten of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. And right from the first practice laps Bourque was up to the challenge.

Racing on the one third mile oval of Barrie Speedway has been described as like trying to fly a jet airplane in a gymnasium. With that Bourque set out to make that as comfortable a process as possible in the #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge. “It is a very challenging race track” said Bourque. “But I felt very comfortable right away and we backed that up with practice times that were just outside the top ten” he added.

Bourque would qualify the #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge sixteenth for the 200 lap feature event with a plan to take a cautious approach. “When all the cars are racing it can be very tough to gain positions” explained Bourque. “I just wanted to be patient and cautious at first and then be ready to seize any opportunities” he added.

The first third of the race would have several caution periods for on track incidents that Bourque managed to avoid keeping the #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge poised for success. “The car was really coming to us” said Bourque. “It was getting faster and everything was going as we hoped. We were in good position to be moving up even more in the second half of the race.

While Bourque proceeded thoughtfully in the #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Dodge the rough racing amongst other drivers was continuing and near the midpoint of the race he would be collected in an accident. “It’s just a shame” summarized Bourque. “We were running our race and we simply got collected in somebody else’s troubles. The result was our steering was broken and our night finished early” he added.

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 Telus Mobility: Telus is unique in the Canadian market because we now operate three distinct wireless networks: 3G+, 3G (CDMA) and Mike (iDEN). When you choose Telus, you get clear and simple pricing, the latest and greatest devices, an exceptional client experience plus Canada’s fastest 3G+ network. More information: http://www.telusmobility.com

About Mahindra USA Farm Equipment Sector
Houston, Texas-based Mahindra USA Farm Equipment Sector is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra LTD, and part of Mahindra & Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector (FES) – the largest tractor company in the world by volume. Mahindra’s professional-grade tractors are built with heavy-duty components that allow them to outperform other tractors in their class and are designed to provide consumers with the ability to push more, pull more and lift more, so they can do more, in less time.

For more information on Pierre Bourque, go to http://www.pierrebourque.com and http://www.twitter.com/pierrebourque

Filed Under: barrie speedway, nascar canadian tire series, ncats, ncts, pierre bourque, wild wing 300

Some bright spots during the Wild Wing 300

September 11, 2011 By Gary Grant

With all of the excitement of the big boys playing bumper cars, it would be a shame not to mention some of the bright spots further back in the field. There are some great racers in the mid pack who often times endure bouts of racers luck or budget related failures. Each of the folks below proved they are stars worthy of racing in a pro series like the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

Joey McColm in the #50 Dodge is a favorite among the other competitors thanks to his friendly nature and his tenacious efforts to succeed despite having older equipment than the rest of the field. In last night’s race, McColm was battling as high as 5th in the latter stages of the race, with hardly any marks on the car. Some of the late race action moved him back to 8th at the finish, but Joey showed that he has what it takes to run up front and race cleanly.

Always a fan favorite, Isabelle Tremblay has had her ups and downs over the past couple of seasons as she peddles the pink #07 as fast as she can. She has made a few mistakes on track and has been targeted by some old boy style initiations, but she has hung on and worked hard to hone her craft. In Barrie, Tremblay did a great job of staying out of trouble and putting in some consistent laps which landed her in 11th at the end of the night. No small feat with all of that action.

Fans love a driver that gives them lots of action and few can do that the way Dexter Stacey does. Just as one would expect from a 18 year old, Stacey displays youthful exuberance on the track which often gets him and the bright yellow #55 into rather spectacular situations. Despite dealing with some political off track drama in his team, Dexter made it to the leader board for the first time last night, at one point showing as high as 2nd. There is no question that a maturing Dexter Stacey is going to be atop the podium soon enough!

The plain white & blue Ford of Steve Mathews makes a statement about the lack of outside support his team receives. Mathews has been fast all season, but has suffered some bad luck along the way and unfortunately the Wing Wing 300 continued the trend. Qualifying third, Steve had a good, strong run going and looked certain to grab a podium finish. Sadly, his best race ever went south when he got caught up in Ron Beauchamp Jr’s incident. Like Stacey, a top spot finish can’t be far away for Mathews.

Last night was the first NCTS race ever for 20 year old Chris Raabe, but he is far from a rookie. Having started racing karts at age 6, Raabe has raced and won in everything from karts to dirt track cars, including several championships in DIRTcar and Sportsman. Another future winner, Raabe did a pretty good job of keeping his nose clean during the race and managed to finish. A good number of veterans didn’t fare so well.

Filed Under: barrie speedway, chris raabe, dexter stacey, isabelle tremblay, joey mccolm, Nascar, nascar canadian tire series, ncats, ncts, steve mathews