Category: Other Series PR

New Castle, Ind.—Sept. 27, 2012— Running for the championship in all three USAC National series, makes it difficult for Tracy Hines to test and try new combinations that may benefit him in the next USAC race when he’s at the race track. One way he is able to squeeze in some extra laps and try some new set-ups is when he runs the occasional weekly sprint car race at one of the tracks in his home state of Indiana. That’s what he’ll do this weekend, racing at Gas City I-69 Speedway on Friday night, before heading to Lawrenceburg Speedway for a USAC event on Saturday.

Hines will open the weekend on Friday, Sept. 28, at Gas City I-69 Speedway aboard the Parker Machinery/Turbine Inc./Support Esophagus Cancer Stanton Mopar DRC. The native of New Castle, Ind., will then head to Lawrenceburg Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 29, for the City of Lawrenceburg Fall Nationals which will be co-sanctioned by the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series and the Midwest Sprint Car Series (MSCS).

“We always look forward to two-race weekends in Indiana,” said Hines. “It’s nice to have a couple of short drives and race at two tracks we know pretty well and have done pretty good at over the years. We have some momentum from the win at Eldora last weekend and have been pretty fast in both the No. 24 and the No. 4 this year.”

The native of New Castle, Ind., has picked up a pair of Top-Five at Gas City this season piloting the No. 24 sprint car. Hines finished fourth on May 11 at the track with the King of Indiana Sprint Series (KISS) and was fifth in a weekly show prior to that on April 13. He also finished fourth with the USAC Mopar National Midget Series at the quarter-mile bullring during Indiana Midget Week and raced at Gas City during Indiana Sprint Week.

“It’s fun to race the No. 24 car around Indiana, knowing we are not racing for points so that takes that pressure away and we can try some different set-ups on that car,” he noted. “We always go out with the goal of winning, but if we can work on a few things on that car that will transfer over to our USAC car, then we are definitely moving in the right direction.”

Hines has made three appearances this season at Lawrenceburg Speedway, with two of those starts coming in a sprint car. He finished seventh during Indiana Sprint Week at the high-banked three-eighths-mile. The 2002 USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series champion opened that night as the second-fastest driver in time trials, with a stout 39-car field in attendance. He finished second in the second 10-lap heat race to earn a spot in the 30-lap A-Feature aboard his Shaver-powered MP Environmental DRC.

“We we had a decent night during Sprint Week at Lawrenceburg,” said Hines. “Obviously it’s going to be quite a bit cooler there this weekend than it was then, so that will affect the track and the set-up a little bit. Other than some bad luck at a couple of races, we’ve been near the front most of the last two months in the sprint car in USAC races. There’s going to be a good field on-hand at Lawrenceburg, so we’ll have to be on our game again this weekend.”

Hines made his first appearance of 2012 in a sprint car at Lawrenceburg on April 28 in weekly show. He was originally scheduled to compete in an event with USAC at the track on April 14, but that race fell to rain and was not rescheduled. The veteran driver finished a season-best fourth at Lawrenceburg on June 16 during Indiana Midget Week with the USAC Mopar National Midget Series.

Last year in the City of Lawrenceburg Fall Nationals Hines finished fifth in the 30-lap main event. The veteran driver turned the third-fastest lap in qualifying of the 39 drivers that were in attendance and would finish third in the third eight-lap heat race to earn a spot in the $10,000-to-win main event. In five sprint car starts at Lawrenceburg in 2011, Hines won twice and finished seventh or better four times.

Hines enters this weekend fifth in the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series standings on the strength of two wins along with 17 Top-10 finishes of which nine are Top-Five performances. The victory last weekend for him at Eldora Speedway during the 4-Crown Nationals marked the 43rd of his USAC career, which moved him into fourth on the series all-time win list.

“Our goal is to pick up a few more wins this season and gain a couple of more spots in points,” he shared. “We’re in a good position right now and we’ll keep working hard day in and day out. Running up front near the end of the season always gives you an extra booster heading into the winter.”

Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: MP Environmental, DRC, Shaver Specialties, Parker Machinery, Turbine Inc., Support Esophagus Cancer, AFCO Racing Shocks, Bell Race Gear, FatHeadz, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers, ROD END Supply, Schoenfeld Headers and Stanton Racing for their continued support.

For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, including a complete 2012 schedule, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin.

September 22, 2012. Fraserville, Ont. – Scott Steckly’s #22 Canadian Tire Dodge took a beating on Saturday at the Kawartha Speedway, but he still managed to pull out his 11th top-ten finish of the season at the Pinty’s 250.

Steckly got off to a rocky start in practice. He crashed his car early on when his vehicle snapped around on him and back into the inside wall. He suspected that the rain earlier in the day might have been the source of trouble.

“There was a damp spot up high and I may have gotten my right tire on it,” #22 explained after practice.

The Canadian Tire Dodge sustained a significant amount of damage and the crew had to work quickly to fix the vehicle before qualifying.

“The rear end was pretty bent up,” Steckly said. “But fortunately, the team did an amazing job and fixed the damage before qualifying.”

Steckly rebounded from the morning incident with vigor and qualified 2nd for the main event even after missing all of his practice laps and running a vehicle set up they put together in the shop.

#22 performed well throughout the majority of the event running as high as second. Making their scheduled stops for fuel and tires improved the car during the event. But the lead driver was a tough nut to crack, even for a skilled driver like Steckly.

“I think if I could have got past the #84 I could have driven away,” he said after the race. “But he’s pretty tough to pass the way he chops you off.”

However Steckly’s luck ran out in the final laps and his Canadian Tire Dodge got tangled up in a late-race incident. Steckly wasn’t able to fully recover from the mess and crossed the finish line in 6th place.

“A huge thank you to the team for all the hard work,” he said afterwards.

After the season finale Pinty’s 250, Steckly secured a 4th place in the overall NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship standings with 471 points overall.

The Pinty’s 250 presented by Dodge will premiere on TSN at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sat. Oct. 6 and on RDS2 at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

22 Racing is supported by the following sponsors: Canadian Tire, Motomaster Eliminator, Sylvania, Erb Group, Mobil 1 and AW Millwrights.

Veteran Gosselin Helps Guide Quebec Newcomer

[media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 21, 2012) – Martin Roy has one race remaining on the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, but he’s already assured of bringing home at least one honor. The Napierville, Que., driver has clinched the series’ Rookie of the Year title.
Roy has been the top-finishing rookie on four occasions this season. His best finish on the season, to date, was a fifth-place effort on July 22 at Edmonton (Alberta) City Centre Airport behind the wheel of his No. 90 Veloce/Lemken/Batteries Expert Dodge. He has one top-five finish and five top 10s this season and is currently ninth in the championship point standings.

Coming into the season, Roy had four series starts – all road-course events – under his belt, but was hardly a neophyte to oval racing. He is an accomplished dirt Modified racer and has won several championships in that discipline throughout Quebec and Northeastern United States.

“The adjustment wasn’t that difficult,” said Roy. “The races last year even though they are road courses were pretty helpful in getting used to the cars.”

Making that adjustment easier was crew chief Mario Gosselin, also a Quebec native. Gosselin is a NASCAR veteran at its highest levels as both a driver and crew chief. As a driver, he has 46 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and also has NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series starts to his credit.

“From the very start of the season the communication with (Gosselin) has been very good,” noted Roy. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without his knowledge of the sport.”

Mike Scholz of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., will finish second followed by Larry Jackson, who hails from Oakville, Ont., in third.

Past winners of this award include Jason White (2008), Joey Hanssen (2009), Derek White (2010) and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin a season ago.

The official presentation of the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 Rookie of the Year Award will take place at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards on Saturday, Dec. 8 in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with the top rookie drivers from NASCAR’s other touring series.

[media-credit name=”Chad Finley PR” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]DeWitt, Michigan (Thursday, September 27th, 2012): It’s been four weeks since Finley’s last race at his home track on the 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance, the fast 3/8s (0.375) mile high-banked paved oval of Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Michigan located 20 minutes northeast of the Chad Finley Racing headquarters in Dewitt, Michigan for the Big “O” Classic 100 Presented by JEGS.com were he would come home with a solid second place showing.

Now with the time off to regroup and prepare two cars for the next race, Finley and his entire Chad Finley Racing Team are ready to head down to the McGunegill Engine Performance CRA Fall Brawl Presented by Ultra-Cool Brake Fans on Saturday-Sunday, September 29-30th at the immaculate 0.686 mile semi-banked paved oval of Lucas Oil Raceway, located west of Indianapolis in Clermont, Indiana.

Finley and his CFR Team will be doing double-duty over the weekend competing in both the Commonwealth Engineers Incorporated 100 Presented by JEGS.com & Great Deals Magazine as well as the ARCA/CRA Super Series race; The Jack Link’s Beef Jerky 100 Presented by Assembly Products & Great Deals Magazine.

“The time off was way too long for us, but it gave (Crew Chief) Derek (Griffin) some time to get things where he wants them on the cars.” The DeWitt, Michigan driver stated. “It also helped us work on some other things we have in the works for next year. We’re definitely ready to get back to LOR though. That is my favorite track.”

In Finley’s last appearance in the Circle City, he swept both Fast Qualifier Awards in both series’. “Now we want to go down there and put them both in victory lane.” The 20-year-old continued. “We missed it in the JEGS car for the race, but we were on our way to a victory in the Super Series car until we had that flat. Only a few left here to get it done so we are looking forward to it that’s for sure.” He ended.

Going into the CRA Fall Brawl Weekend, Finley is fourth in the JEGS/CRA points standings. 12 races into the JEGS/CRA season, Finley has recorded one event win, the first of his career in CRA, which occurred on May 26th in the CoughlinCars.com 100 Presented by JEGS.com at Columbus Motor Speedway in Columbus, Ohio. His win is part of a total of four top fives and seven top 10 showings. He also has one Fast Qualifier Award, which came at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Indiana on July 26th.

Finley is still one of the all-time leaders in most statistical categories in the second year JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance as he is currently tied for second all-time in career top fives, tied for the lead all-time for the most career top 10 finishes, fourth all-time in career laps led, tied for third all-time in career appearances, and third all-time in career laps completed.

Both Finley’s CRA cars that the CFR Team will take down to LOR will sport black paint schemes and the familiar #42 and will carry sponsorship support on each Ford Fusion from; Auto Value Parts Stores & Certified Service Centers, as well as AutoParts2020.com, XLT Engineering, NorthsideTowing.net, Rain Eater Wiper Blades, JEGS.com, Nalett Trucking, Howe Racing Enterprises, The Air Lift Company, Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, Memphis Wood Fire Grills, Staubli Products, QuicShine99, Hyperco, Maurer’s Textiles, Superior Racing Images, & M.P.H. Promotions.

For more information about Chad Finley Racing and driver Chad Finley and to learn more about the remainder of the 2012 racing season and to also inquire about sponsorship opportunities for the rest of 2012 as well as the fast approaching 2013 campaign, log on to the CFR website at: www.chadfinleyracing.com You can also follow CFR on Facebook as well as Twitter, just log onto: www.facebook.com/chadfinleyracing and: www.twitter.com/chad_finley

September 22, 2012.  For the second time in the last three seasons DJ Kennington is the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion.  The driver of the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge scored his seventh race win of the season in the final event at Kawartha Speedway near Peterborough, ON on Saturday night to secure the points title.

 

The #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team’s methodical approach to the season once again had them as the fastest car during practice and Kennington would net the fourth starting spot with his qualifying run.  “The car felt great at usual” said the driver.  “The team did an awesome job and we were set up to run really consistent over long runs” he added.

 

Needing a 19^th finishing position or better to assure himself of the championship, Kennington ran with the lead group of cars inside the top five in the early going of the 250 lap feature.  He maintained that status for pretty much the entire race.  “We wanted to run up front as we usually do and give ourselves a chance at the win and also secure the championship” explained Kennington.

 

In the late stages of a green flag run Kennington would slip by the #84 car on lap 231.  A late caution would set up a green-white-checker finish and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge would hold off the challenges and cross the finish line first giving the St. Thomas, ON driver his seventh win of the year and his second championship.

 

Not only did the race win assure Kennington of the championship but he set several series records including; most victories in a single season with seven, most oval track wins in a year with six, and a testament to the team’s consistent performance in 2012, most top five finishes in a year, 11.

 

In victory lane following the race Kennington was generous with his praise of all those that made this record setting season possible.

 

“I’ve said this before but I’ve got the best group of guys on any team.  Starting with Dave Wight they just worked their butts off all year” he stated.  ”My Dad, nobody knows how hard he works but I do and I can’t thank him enough along with the rest of my family”.

 

“And none of this would be possible without the great partners we have.  Castrol Edge, without them I wouldn’t be racing, simple as that.  Mahindra Tractors who stepped up their program this year, Super Clean, Hitachi Power Tools, Contact Welding Supplies, Bryan Cathcart, we couldn’t do what we do without their support”.

 

After finishing as a runner up on several occasions Kennington claimed his first series title in 2010 and it was a very emotional experience.  Sharing his second with his new wife Jaimie who is pregnant with the couple’s first child was another kind of emotion.  “It’s been an unbelievable year” said Kennington, Jaimie and I got married early this year, we found out that we were going to be parents this November and to share this with them is really very special” he stated.

 

You can watch the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race from Kawartha Speedway in High Definition on Saturday 6^th at 4:30PM Eastern.

 

Kennington will be honoured for his championship along with other NASCAR Touring Series champions on Saturday December 8^th at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards in the Grand Ballroom in the Charlotte Convention Centre at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

 

Race fans are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest DJK Racing team news in several ways.  Race fans should bookmark the team website www.djkracing.ca and follow them on twitter, @djkracing and fans should also “like” the team Facebook Page DJK Racing.

September 22, 2012.  The final event of the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire series took place Saturday night at Kawartha Speedway near Peterborough, ON.  It marked another spectacular run for  Martin Roy driver of the #90 Batteries Expert/Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre Dodge who is the series rookie of the year and teammate Isabelle Tremblay pilot of the #07 Frank Lyman Design Dodge also showed well.

Even before the final race Martin Roy had secured the rookie championship for the season but that didn’t slow their drive to accomplish even more.  The #90 Batteries Expert/Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre Dodge was quick during practice and would start the race 12^th.  “As usual the car was very fast and I really enjoyed racing on this track at Kawartha” said Roy.

As became the norm as the season progressed Roy would maintain a quick pace and run with the lead group of cars for much of the night.  Refining his skill with every lap this season the #90 Batteries Expert/Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre Dodge was again in position for a solid result as the race set up for a green-white-checker finish.  As drivers jockeyed for position in the final laps Roy skillfully moved his car through the crowd to claim a fifth place result.

“It got a little crazy in those last two laps” said Roy.  “Fortunately I was able to move the car ahead a couple of spots on the final laps and finish with another top five” he added.

This was the second top five result for Martin Roy this season; it also marked his sixth top ten finish and also boosted him to eighth place in the overall championship standings for 2012.  “I am so proud of what this team has accomplished this season” said Roy.  “We are a new team and we have matured so much, a lot of the credit goes to my Crew Chief Mario Gosselin and the great job he did.  To our sponsors, Batteries Expert, Veloce, Gamache Truck Centre’s have been great partners for us this year” he stated.

Martin Roy will be honoured for his rookie of the year championship at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala in the Grand Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on December 8^th.

It was a pleasant surprise that teammate Isabelle Tremblay was also able to compete at Kawartha Speedway.  Tremblay made the most of her additional opportunity in the #07 Frank Lyman Design Dodge in this final race.  “This was a last minute decision for me to race and a thank you to the fans and sponsors for their love and support this season” said Tremblay.

The #07 Frank Lyman Design Dodge was very quick during the race and Tremblay ran very competitively with the leaders.  She was poised for another strong result when she was disrupted by a couple of tough breaks.  Tremblay was ordered to complete a drive through penalty by NASCAR for an infraction which cost her a lap.  And in a strategy move during a pit stop she also lost a lap.   “I was a bit confused and disappointed by the ruling” explained Tremblay.  “It was unfortunate those two things worked against us or we would have had another very good result.  I had a very good car and was able to battle with the leaders” she stated.

A reminder to race fans that voting is underway for the NCATS most popular driver and Isabelle Tremblay currently leads the voting.  You can vote once each day by logging onto the NASCAR Home tracks website, hometracks.nascar.com.  “I have been overwhelmed by the support of the fans” said Tremblay.  “This a great boost to our program and shows our sponsorship partners how loyal the fans are to our program”.

Photo:  1. Martin Roy at the #90 Batteries Expert/Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre Dodge.  2.Martin & Isabelle racing at Kawartha  3.  Isabelle Tremblay & her team with the #07 Frank Lyman Design Dodge

September 22, 2012. Sherwood Park, Alberta’s Noel Dowler, the #5 EMCO Dodge team approached the final round of the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Kawartha Speedway near Peterborough, ON looking for another strong finish and to finish as high as possible in the overall standings.  While being collected in an incident would end the team’s night early, Dowler still finished in top ten of the overall championship standings.

 

During the afternoon practice session Dowler wouldn’t find the #5 EMCO Dodge quite to his liking.  “The car just didn’t have the balance we expected or were used to” explained the driver.  Following practice the team worked on the car to improve the handling.  With no time to practice with the changes Dowler went blindly into his qualifying run and would start the 250 lap feature 24^th.

 

As the green flag dropped to begin the race Dowler took a patient approach.  During an early caution period the team also chose to pit for further adjustments.  “The car was definitely better after that” said Dowler.  “We still had plenty of time left so I started to get a bit more aggressive looking for openings” he added.

 

The #5 EMCO Dodge would make steady progress climbing in the field before being collected in an incident between turns one and two.  “That one wasn’t too bad” explained the driver.  “It didn’t really hurt the car”.

 

The same could not be said later on.  Continuing his methodical approach Dowler was racing toward corner three when he was collected in another incident and suffered severe trauma.  A quick inspection from the team determined the damage was too critical to continue.  “It’s too bad because the car was a lot better and we were making some progress.  I guess we kind of finished the season the way we started with a tough outing” said the driver.

 

Though the final race ended premature for the #5 EMCO Dodge driver, Dowler is proud of how well the team performed in their first full season of competition.  “I’m so proud to work with this group of guys” he stated.  “Starting with Crew Chief Chris Wright and right through the entire group, they worked so hard every week”.

 

“We accomplished a lot this year picking up five top ten finishes, we got our first podium finish at Barrie Speedway, a really tough race track, and we finished in the top ten in the standings.  Other teams and drivers are recognizing how far we’ve come and I think we’re earning their respect.  It’s also making everyone even hungrier for more success”.

 

“This whole #5 EMCO Dodge team is grateful for the fantastic support we receive from all of our partners and we’re honoured to represent them.  We had some really special visits to EMCO dealer locations this year and to have so many people come to the race tracks and cheer us on is just wonderful.  And the same kind of encouragement comes from our partners at Kohler and Rheem, they’re just great to work with and we want to keep getting better to thank all of them too”.

 

As with any successful operation there will be plenty of work done in the off season to get ready for the 2013 season.  “We’ll evaluate how we do things, we already have some ideas for a few improvements” said Dowler.  “It looks like we’ll do some racing in the US this fall too to get some more experience so there’s a lot going on.  We’re ready to take that next step” he added.

 

The entire #5 EMCO Dodge team would also like to thank all the race fans for their support during the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season and they look forward to seeing everyone at the races again next season.  You can watch the race from Kawartha Speedway on TSN Saturday, October 6^th at 4:30PM Eastern time.  For more information about Noel Dowler Jr. log onto www.apollomotorsports.ca and follow him on twitter, @noeldowler.

September 22, 2012. Fraserville, Ont. – Jason White was satisfied on Saturday with the performance of his #21 Bowers & Wilkins Dodge at the Pinty’s 250, calling it the “best running car we’ve had this season.” Unfortunately for White, the car’s performance wasn’t quite enough to give him the edge he needed to move up in the season standings.

White’s Bowers & Wilkins Dodge was solid all day and the team made some adjustments during practice that improved it even more. #21 qualified 18^th for the main event –  not the ideal starting position – but the team still felt confident they had a strong car to rely on.

Early on, White compensated for his lackluster qualifying and moved up quickly in the field, eventually making his way inside the top ten.

“Wow, what a race car,” he said. “I think it was probably the best running car we’ve had this season.”

#21 and his team strategized to wait longer than the rest of the drivers to put on four fresh tires, a tactic that had worked well for them in the past.

“The cautions fell where we needed them to and we stopped later for tires,” he explained. “Once we put them on, the car just kept climbing back up through the field.”

White continued to practice patience, aiming for clear openings to make his passes and collect spots closer to the lead. But in the late going, not every car observed the same restraint.

“I don’t know what the #23 car was thinking,” White said. “He just sent his car in there way too deep and he dumped me. We were hoping to finish up 8^th in points but he took that away.”

White eventually finished the race in 14^th place leave him just short of moving into 8^th place in the season standings.

His collective 375 points lock him into 9^th place overall. In 12 races, White earned 3 top ten finishes and 1 top 5 finish.

To keep up with the latest news about Jason White and the #21 Dodge team check out the team website atwww.jasonwhiteracing.com and be sure to follow Jason on twitter for the latest updates @racinjasonwhite  You can get more information about the NCATS series at www.hometracks.nascar.com