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Kennington enjoys a memorable week in Charlotte

Kennington enjoys a memorable week in Charlotte

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , , ⋅ No comments

December 12, 2010. Castrol Edge Dodge driver DJ Kennington was in Charlotte, North Carolina this past week to accept congratulations and his championship ring as the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion. The NASCAR Gala Night of Champions took place in the Crown Ballroom at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Kennington thanked his family and many team members in attendance and then had an enormous surprise for everyone. Kennington stole the show by getting down on one knee as he offered an engagement ring to his girlfriend Jamie who joyfully accepted and the two were given a standing ovation.

The black tie affair on Saturday was the culmination of a week of activities for NASCAR Champions including Kennington who participated in numerous functions including the annual Go Kart Challenge and exclusive tours of several prominent NASCAR team headquarters.

By the time the week of activity had concluded Kennington was both exhausted and elated. “This was such an incredible week here in Charlotte” said Kennington. “NASCAR did so much for us. It was wonderful to have my family here and so many of my team members who are just like family to me. For Castrol and the amazing support they’ve shown me for seventeen years, they made me what I am and I’m proud to have won this title for them” he added.

Keeping the engagement announcement a surprise on top of the many other duties for the champion was no easy task. “It sure wasn’t easy” said the smiling Kennington. “I was a bit nervous about keeping it quiet but the NASCAR folks and everyone who helped organize the dinner and all of activities helped out and it worked out perfectly. Jamie has been really supportive and understanding when I have to miss a family function to be at a race and this just seemed like the perfect way to ask her to be by my side for the rest of our lives”.

The busy off season for the Castrol Edge Dodge team will continue. Next month Kennington will have his championship Castrol Edge Dodge on display and attend the 58th Rogers London Sports Celebrity Dinner & Auction taking place January 17th at the London Convention Centre. Race fans can 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 Fans are also encouraged to join the Facebook Group DJK Racing.

Photo: DJ Kennington on stage with his Championship trophy at the NASCAR Night of Champions Gala
Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

Steve Mathews is ready to race at St. Eustache

Steve Mathews is ready to race at St. Eustache

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , , , , , , , ⋅ No comments

Team press release

June 28, 2010. New Liskeard, Ontario’s Steve Mathews driving the #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford made a significant impact in race number one of the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Delaware Speedway. Mathews is also now set to continue his season and hone his skills during the next event at the Autodrome St. Eustache Quebec on Saturday July 3rd.

The day at Delaware Speedway began very well for Steve and the #15 Mathews Motorsports team when they posted the quickest practice time during the early session. “Our new McColl car was terrific” said the driver. “I ran a lot of practice laps and we were very strong through the entire session” he added.

Due to a NASCAR penalty the #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford was only granted one qualifying lap and Mathews did tremendously well to come up with the tenth quickest qualifying run. “We were a couple of minutes late for Technical Inspection and the penalty is you only get one lap. Just a season opener mistake we have to live with” summarized the driver.

Showing patience and maturity Steve Mathews began moving his #15 Ford up to the front of the field with precision. “Some of the guys were a little aggressive but I just tried to take it easy” said Mathews. “I knew that we had a strong car and hoped to get out front and stay out of trouble” he added.

On lap 76 the #15 Ford would reach its destination and take over the lead of the race. Staying out of trouble in what turned out to be a caution filled event however was impossible. “After a few great restarts on the outside, I made contact with the #7 and was spun” said the disappointed driver.

Once relegated back in the field it became even more difficult to avoid trouble on the racetrack and the #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford once again became involved in an incident. “I feel we definitely passed the most cars and showed strength all night, but once at the back of the pack it is a gong show,” stated Mathews.

For their next race at the Autodrome St Eustache on July 3rd Mathews and the team are hoping for a better result. “Everyone has been working hard and hard work and persistence will hopefully pay off.”

You can find out more about “Speedy Steve” Mathews and keep up with the latest news on the #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford and follow their progress all season long in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series by logging onto the website www.stevemathews.net

Photo Attached: Steve Mathews in the #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford lined up for qualifying at Delaware Speedway.
Photo Credit: Todd Lewis

For Sponsorship Inquiries please contact:

Ron Baker, AVP Inc. (905) 206-1304 rbaker@avpinc.ca

Canadian Tire announces new Motorsport program

Canadian Tire announces new Motorsport program

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , , , , , , ⋅ No comments

Canadian Tire has a long history of supporting racing in Canada and today they’ve announced major plans to step their involvement up several notches. Already in their fourth year as title sponsor of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, they have just signed on as an official sponsor of both the Honda Indy Toronto and Honda Indy Edmonton events.

In addition, while the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series runs as a support event for the Nationwide Series at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the company has added another nice surprise for Canadian’s on that weekend. Canadian racing star Ron Fellows will race the #88 Chevy Impala in the Nationwide race with Canadian Tire Sponsorship.
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DJ Kennington slides into sixth

DJ Kennington slides into sixth

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , ⋅ No comments

Team press release

June 13, 2010. St. Thomas, Ontario’s DJ Kennington, driver of the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge was coming off a season opening win a week ago but knew all too well that round number two of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Mosport International Raceway this past weekend would present an entirely different set of obstacles. Despite his race strategy not playing out as expected he still managed a sixth place finish in the race.

The 2.459 mile track near Bowmanville, Ontario can be challenging for even veteran racers like Kennington. Through practice and qualifying Kennington battled a tight race car yet still qualified the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge with the fourth quickest time. “We’ll take that” he stated. “I got just about everything I could out of the car and fourth is a good result for us” he added.

As the green flag waved for the race Kennington looked to maintain a steady pace throughout the fifty one lap event and hope that the team strategy would work and have the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge within striking distance. Race circumstances however would not be favourable to the team strategy. With a second full course caution looking to be a lengthy one, the team was forced to adjusted their pit sequence and wound up stopping on consecutive laps first for fuel and then for tires.

Returning to the race deep in the field the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge driver would begin to move forward and with the help of others making their scheduled stops make his way back into the top-ten. “We just got burnt really badly with our track position on those pit stops” said the driver. “I just tried to do what I could. We wanted to make two stops just not back to back and that hurt us in the end” he concluded.

Kennington would fight tooth and nail right to the checkered flag to gain every position possible. On the final lap he slid the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge off the track kicking dirt into the air as he claimed the sixth finishing spot. “Our pit stops were good, they just weren’t when we wanted them and then on that long green flag run at the end the car got really loose on me” said the driver. “It’s a good points finish for us, our day could have been a lot worse so we’ll take it and go on to St. Eustache” he added.

Of Note: This past weekend long time race fan and friend to everyone in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Rick Williams passed away suddenly. Rick worked for many years in the Mopar Motorsports Program and was always a welcome sight at each race weekend. Everyone at DJK Racing would like to send their sympathies and condolences to the surviving members of Rick’s family. Rick will always be remembered by everyone he touched in the racing community for his warmth, friendship and his tireless support of racing in Canada.

Round number three of the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season takes place at the Autodrome St. Eustache on Saturday July 3rd. The Vortex Brakes 200 from Mosport International Raceway can be seen on TSN Sunday June 20th at Noon Eastern. Follow the progress of the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge all season on the newly redesigned website www.djkracing.ca plus you can follow their progress at www.twitter.com/djkracing. You’re also invited to join the Facebook Group DJK Racing.

Photo by Gary Grant

Tough luck for Beauchamp and Team Mopar at Mosport

Tough luck for Beauchamp and Team Mopar at Mosport

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , ⋅ No comments

Team press release

June 13, 2010. Ron Beauchamp and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team were looking to round number two of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Mosport International Raceway this past weekend to help propel them forward in the overall championship standings. However even with a quick race car the circumstances encountered during road course events can work against you.

During the Saturday practice sessions the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries wasn’t the fastest car but the entire team was confident they had a car to contend with during the race. “This car will be a good car for the race” said a confident Ron Beauchamp Jr. “I didn’t expect to lay down the fastest qualifying lap, but we expect to be consistent throughout the race” he added.

As the green flag waved Sunday for the main event the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team had planned a race strategy that was somewhat aggressive but didn’t appear to be risky. “We thought that we would come in early whether there was a caution period or not and get fuel and then take tires later in the race” explained the driver. When the second caution period came before lap twenty of the scheduled fifty one all appeared to be going smoothly. “We did just as we planned and came to take on fuel” said Beauchamp.

The trouble for the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team was that would be the final caution period of the day. As the laps ticked away under green the team could not ask their driver to make another stop as it would force him to give up far too much track position. “Everyone expected there would be an opportunity to pit later, but it just didn’t happen” said the disappointed driver. “I knew that I’d just have to hold on as best I could. But with others having newer tires it became very difficult” he stated.

Beauchamp would use all his skills trying to maintain position and as the checkered flag fell he would be classified thirteenth. “It’s a tough pill to swallow” he stated. “With older tires I just couldn’t hold off some of the other cars” he added.

Of Note: The #60 Team received very sad news on Sunday when they learned one of the driving forces behind Mopar Parts enormous involvement in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and their close friend Rick Williams had passed away suddenly. Rick not only oversaw the Mopar Motorsports involvement in NASCAR and before that CASCAR for many years but took a personal interest in and touched each an every member of the racing community he came in contact with. Everyone at Beauchamp Motorsports would like to send their prayers and condolences to the surviving members of Rick’s family. Rick truly was a friend to everyone in the racing community and he will be deeply missed by all.

Ron Beauchamp Jr and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge Team will compete in all thirteen races on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Round number three takes place Saturday July 3rd at the Autodrome St. Eustahce. All events this season will again be broadcast on TSN, the Mosport event airs Sunday June 20th at Noon Eastern. For more information about Team Mopar go online to www.mopar.ca and for series information check out www.nascar.ca.

Photo by Gary Grant

Jarrad Whissell a victim of contact at Mosport

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , ⋅ No comments

Team press release

June 13, 2010. Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team looked to begin their 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race schedule during round number two of the series at Mosport International Raceway this past weekend with a solid outing at Mosport to set the team in the right direction for the year, and to raise as much money as possible in their support of the MS Society. Sadly they were victims in an early incident and their day ended much sooner than expected.

The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu team had to battle through several difficulties right from the beginning of practice on Saturday. “During practice we had some brake bias issues and the car was quite loose” said Whissell. “Then in qualifying the rear end let go and we didn’t have our locker” he added.

In spite of the obstacles Whissell would qualify the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford in seventeenth position and begin the race with a much improved racecar. “Once we had our issues sorted out and got into the race the car was quite fast and we picked up a few positions in the first few laps” said the driver.

As he continued to look for opportunities to pass and improve his position in the running order Whissell would encounter serious trouble in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford. “We were running with the #3, the #69 and the #56 car” he stated. “We ended up passing the #3, got by the #69 and I was battling with the #56 and I wasn’t getting a lot of room to pass. Down in corner five he got a little loose and I made a move inside and he just came straight across into me. I guess he must not have seen me coming up the inside” Whissell concluded.

The damage incurred by the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford was significant. “I ended up spinning and hitting the wall hard in Corner Five” said Whissell. “Then it appears the brake cooling ducts caught fire and that did a lot of damage” said the disappointed driver. The damage would prove too severe to continue and Whissell was classified twenty third in the results.

The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team will have several weeks to make repairs and be ready for their next scheduled event. “The damage was quite significant” stated the driver. “Bill Burns has been working here and preparing the cars and we’ll have to do a lot of work to do. I think we’ve pretty much got to tear it right down and replace all of the wiring and just about everything else at the front of the car to get ready for the Toronto Indy” he concluded.

The five NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events are a part of some of the largest race weekends in Canada and also include the Toronto & Edmonton Indy’s and Montreal Nationwide race weekend. Follow the progress of the team and help support Multiple Sclerosis research through the soon to be launched website www.jarradwhissell.com You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN. The Mosport event will air June 20th at Noon Eastern.

Photo by Gary Grant

Caitlin Johnston enjoys successful first drive in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , , ⋅ No comments

Team press release

June 13, 2010. Twenty One year old Caitlin Johnston of Orangeville, Ontario made her stock car racing debut in the #01 Pizza Pizza Dodge this past weekend during round two of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Mosport International Raceway. With only limited track time to learn about a new car, new series and new competitors her results were remarkable.

Prior to the first practice session Caitlin had only sat in the car and never driven the 2,800 pound beast on a race track. Even with cool and damp conditions she began improving her lap times significantly with each circuit. “It’s a completely different feel and style of driving” said Johnston. “With Formula cars they are very responsive to the slightest move, these cars react much differently”

“It’s a real challenge to learn and make the necessary adjustments, but I like the challenge” said the enthusiastic driver. “I got down into the one minute thirty’s by the end of practice and with each lap felt more and more comfortable” said Johnston. “We just want to keep improving”.

Caitlin would start her first event of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series from the twenty fifth spot on the grid and even with some mechanical difficulties during the race would make significant strides forward. “I just learned so much today” said the driver. “I learned all about re-starts and full pit stops there was just so much to take in and it was a great experience.

During the mid point of the race the #01 Pizza Pizza Dodge was ordered by NASCAR to pit road as smoke was spotted coming from underneath the car. Even that hiccup didn’t rattle Johnston. The crew made the necessary repairs and returned her to fight where she would conclude the race in nineteenth spot, gaining six positions during the event. “We had an excellent first day” said the driver. “We achieved everything that we wanted to, go out and run really good consistent laps and finish, which is exactly what we did”

The #01Pizza Pizza Dodge was a joint venture of DJ Kennington’s DJK Racing and former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series competitor Derek Lynch and Johnston was very proud of the work the entire team did over the weekend. “They are just awesome, all the guys are just awesome” she said enthusiastically. “I can’t say enough about them, all pit stops were great and it was a very solid day”.

When asked about her next scheduled event as part of the Toronto Indy weekend Johnston summed it up very simply she “I can’t wait”!

The 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season consists of thirteen events from coast to coast All races will be televised on TSN. You can learn more about Caitlin Johnston by clicking on her website, www.caitlinjohnston.com. Also get more information about DJK racing on their website, www.djkracing.ca and find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo by Gary Grant

Learning experience at Mosport for Derek White

Learning experience at Mosport for Derek White

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , ⋅ No comments

Team press release

June 13, 2010. Derek White and the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar Race Team were looking to gain road course racing experience and complete round number two of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Mosport International Raceway with as good a finish as possible. It was a steep learning curve but the team accomplished their goal.

Prior to the race at the world class Mosport Raceway Derek White had only competed with the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar Race cars in one previous road course event. That was last season at Trois Rivieres and the Bowmanville, Ontario facility presents several unique challenges that were new to White. “The elevation changes are really interesting” said the driver. “I just tried to use every lap to learn something new about the track and how to handle the car” he added.

White would qualify the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar Chevrolet in the twenty second starting spot and as the race began he looked continue the learning process and also improve his position. “I didn’t want to try and do too much” said the driver. “This is a tough track and some of these guys are road course specialists so I just tried to keep improving” he added.

During the late stages of the race the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar driver appeared to have really learned a lot and was looking for a top-fifteen finishing spot. White would be forced to make a green flag pit stop for fuel, but still managed a seventeenth place finish, gaining five spots on the day. He also feels that the team will be in much better shape heading into future road course events. “Oh we definitely learned a lot here and we’ll be better for Toronto next month” said the driver. “Before that though I’m looking forward to racing in Quebec at St. Eustache”.

Derek White and the #99 DPW/OCR Gas Bar Team will return to action at the Autodrome St. Eustache for round three of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on July 3rd. The team plans to compete in all thirteen series races this season. As in years past all NCATS races will also be seen on TSN. The Mosport race will air at Noon Eastern on June 20th. You can follow the team all year long by following this link to their website and by logging onto www.nascar.ca

Photo by Gary Grant

Pierre Bourque battles to the finish

Pierre Bourque battles to the finish

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , ⋅ No comments

Team press release

Bowmanville, ON. (June 13, 2010) Round number two of the 2010 Canadian NASCAR season took place this past weekend at Mosport International Raceway. Pierre Bourque and the #00 Telus Dodge team looked to build on their career best sixth place finish from one week ago. However they weren’t as successful as they would have wished.

During practice for the Sunday afternoon race Bourque and the #00 Telus Dodge team did their best to improve the performance of the car and their best practice time would improve by more than half a second from the first to second session.

Pierre would find himself near the middle of the pack in terms of lap times and qualified the #00 Telus Dodge in the eighteenth position. After qualifying the team noticed a problem with the motor and diagnosed a problem in the carburetor. “They kind of kept that one a secret from me and I didn’t hear about it until later” he smiled “maybe that was best” he added.

As the race began Bourque found himself in an enviable and at the same time a frustrating position. “At the end of the day it was actually kind of a boring race from a driving perspective” said the driver. “I distanced the people behind me which was good, but unfortunately the people ahead of me had distanced me” he explained.

Bourque would continue to push the #00 Telus Dodge looking for any opportunity to improve his position. “I had to hope for a bit of attrition too” said the driver. “I think we had a good pit stop but we did lose some track position” he added.

The #00 Telus Dodge team would wind up fifteenth at the finish. Pierre Bourque would assess the performance of the team by saying “I think we got as much out of the driver and the car as we could. I enjoy this track immensely” said the driver “but it’s a bit of a learning curve”.

Photo by Gary Grant

Fitzpatrick Wins The Vortex Brake Pads 200

Fitzpatrick Wins The Vortex Brake Pads 200

Gary Grant ⋅ Motorsport News ⋅ , , , , ⋅ No comments

Mosport press release

The final day of Mosport’s Vortex Brake Pads 200 Weekend saw the sunshine return and with it came great racing action in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, F2000 Championship, Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship and Ontario Formula Ford Championship F1600.

In Canada’s top stock car Series, Cambridge native J.R. Fitzpatrick returned to Mosport to take the checker flag in the Vortex Brake Pads 200 in dominating fashion. Fitzpatrick, who started in second after qualifying, was able to overtake his Mosport rival and pole sitter Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond, QC on lap five. Ranger, the 2009 Series Champion, broke his own qualifying record with a time of 1:24.041. In the four Canadian Tire Series races held on the famed 4 km track, Fitzpatrick and Ranger have now won two apiece.

Brazilian Victor Carbone won the second leg of the F2000 Championship Series weekend doubleheader while breaking the Series track record with a lap time of 1:21.311. Saturday’s winner and lone Canadian participant, Remy Audette of Ste-Anne-des-Lacs, QC finished in third.

For a fifth consecutive year Ayr’s Shane Jantzi won the Can Am Cup after taking the second race of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship F1600 Saturday/Sunday doubleheader. Caitlyn Johnston of Orangleville finished third, about an hour after competing in the NASCAR race.

Photo by Gary Grant

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