Category: Other Series Racing

[media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]A Familiar Fourth: Buescher Continues Toledo Dominance by Passing Kimmel, Holding Lead Over Final 48 Laps of Menards 200

(TOLEDO, Ohio) – Through the final third of the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway, the two drivers leading the field had earned a combined 12 victories at the half-mile oval.

Chris Buescher passed nine-time winner Frank Kimmel just after a Lap 153 restart and held the veteran off over the final 48 laps to score his fourth Toledo win since the start of 2010, a span of just five races.

Buescher, with sponsorship from BeavEx and Reliance Tool, also drove the No. 17 Roulo Brothers Racing Ford to a win in last year’s season finale, and swept the ARCA Racing Series events at Toledo in 2010. The victory was the sixth of his career and his first in 2012.

“I had a lot of fun racing with Frank,” said the Roush Fenway Racing development driver, from Toledo Speedway’s Sun Drop Winner’s Circle. “There’s no better here. To get (the win) from him was a blast. Hats off to the Roulo Brothers and the help we get from Roush Fenway and everybody. It was just a blast all day. There were some ups and downs on pit road there, but it was just a really fun race once we got down to it.”

Kimmel (No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota) led 20 laps, and for a while was running the fastest laps on track – along with Buescher. His lead approached two seconds – before Buescher used the race’s ninth caution and ensuing restart to his advantage – and he appeared primed to end what was a 67-race winless streak just an hour’s drive from new team ThorSport Racing’s headquarters in Sandusky, Ohio.

Grant Enfinger (No. 99 Hylant Group Ford) finished third, ahead of Clint King (No. 66 Jaclyn North Chevrolet), Tom Hessert (No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet), and Mikey Kile (No. 1 ModSpace Ford).

Clay Rogers (No. 42 Beard Oil Chevrolet), Chad Hackenbracht (No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet), Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell winner Alex Bowman (No. 22 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Dodge), and Jared Marks (No. 12 Premium Energy VIP Drink/SRT Motorsports Dodge) completed the top ten on a warm, sunny day before a new-look Toledo Speedway, which featured two new grandstand towers overlooking the ARCA Racing Series for the first time.

As he did in a win at Salem Speedway last month, Bowman had the dominant car early. In 10 laps after the initial green flag, he created a one-second advantage – significant on a short track where his pole-winning lap had been 16.046 seconds on Saturday afternoon. Buescher showed later, though, that he was the man to beat over a longer run.

A green flag flew at Lap 34 after the race’s third caution. Bowman had run away to easy leads on several short runs, but Buescher closed to within 0.329 second by Lap 50 and took the lead from Bowman on Lap 56. Two laps later, on the 25th lap of the green flag run, Buescher had already picked up a full second’s advantage. He continued to extend, but a Lap 64 caution tightened the field.

Buescher pulled away after the Lap 70 restart, with Bowman, incoming points leader Brennan Poole, and 15-year-old Erik Jones behind him. Kimmel lurked in fifth, having improved from the 12th starting position and 10th place at Lap 25. Rogers brought another caution soon after, though, flattening his tires on Lap 74. Enfinger and Hessert just missed Rogers’ wayward car, which would prove helpful in their strong finishes later in the day.

Another restart came, and Buescher led again. Bowman stuck to second, but Buescher found another one-second lead by Lap 93 and a two-second lead at Lap 109.

Bobby Gerhart spun on the backstretch on Lap 112 and tried to find an opening to resume his progress, but could not avoid a chain reaction involving Milka Duno, Juan Carlos Blum, and Tim Cowen, among others. As traffic tied up the field, Poole bumped into Enfinger. Kimmel was more fortunate, avoiding contact altogether – unquestionably a result of experience after 33 prior Toledo Speedway starts – and moving into third.

Just before crossing past the orange commitment cone to start Lap 114, Buescher made a late decision to pit, bringing each of the next five drivers – Bowman, Kimmel, Enfinger, Poole, and Hackenbracht – with him. Buescher experienced some trouble exiting the pit behind a jam, and came out 10th. Marks, who had stayed out, led the race over Ryan Reed and Nelson Canache.

Marks led Reed after the Lap 118 restart as a tight five-car pack fought behind them. Kile charged through the center to take third initially, but Kimmel gained the position back, a significant jump after falling into seventh place off of pit road. Marks led by a full second at Lap 123, partly a result of Kimmel pressuring Reed so much behind him. Kimmel passed Reed for second on Lap 124.

A backstretch crash caused another caution and restart at Lap 132, and Kimmel wasted no time taking the lead from Marks. His lead on Lap 133 was his first led lap of the 2012 season, and he started to run away from the field. Buescher passed Marks for second on Lap 134, but Kimmel built nearly a two-second lead on him seven laps later.

Bowman touched the grass inside Turn 4 while finishing Lap 148, and brought another caution period – the race’s ninth. With the field back together at the Lap 153 restart, Buescher passed right away in Turn 4 and slowly advanced his lead on Kimmel. Another caution flag tightened the field again, but Buescher again pulled away over a clean final 28 laps. He led by more than two seconds with six laps to go and finished with a final victory margin of 3.514 seconds.

“It was those long runs,” Buescher said. “We could get it going more after we had some heat. That’s exactly what we needed.”

The race ended with 10 caution periods for 52 laps. Buescher led 106 laps overall, more than Kimmel, Bowman (55), and Marks (19) combined. Hessert now leads the point standings, which will be official Tuesday. The full race results are available below.

2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Event #5 Toledo Speedway, Toledo Ohio, 5-20-12 Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care FINSTRNODRIVER/HOMETOWNLAPS STATUS 1317Chris Buescher/Prosper TX200Running 21244Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN200Running 31499Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL200Running 41366Clint King/Denton NC200Running 51052Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ200Running 6111Mikey Kile/Westlake LA200Running 71542Clay Rogers/Troutman NC200Running 8758Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH200Running 9122Alex Bowman/Tucson AZ200Running 10512Jared Marks/Napoleon OH200Running 11916Matt Lofton/Roxboro NC200Running 121615Ryan Reed/Bakersfield CA200Running 131702Josh Williams/Port Charlotte FL200Running 14461Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL200Running 15832Mason Mingus/Brentwood TN200Running 162535Nelson Canache/Caracas Venezuela199Running 171909Charles Evans Jr./Pasadena TX199Running 18182Brandon Kidd/Manlius NY199Running 192885Tim Cowen/Perrysville OH198Running 20265Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA198Running 212001Austin Rettig/Sikeston MO197Running 22225Brennan Poole/The Woodlands TX197Running 233188Buster Graham/Lafayette LA196Running 24246Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela191Running 252104Larry Barford Jr./Denton MD186Running 26655Erik Jones/Byron MI169Accident 27353Levi Youster/Toledo OH155Handling 282768Korbin Forrister/Cedartown GA119Clutch 293018Juan Carlos Blum/Guadalajara Mexico109Accident 302994Ronnie Souders Jr./North Canton OH95Overhtng 312230Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario82Accident 323448James Hylton/Inman SC64Handling 333310Brad Lloyd/Napa CA12Brakes 342323Spencer Gallagher/Las Vegas NV5Accident 353234Darrell Basham/Henryville IN0Engine Menards Pole Award Presented by Ansell: Alex Bowman 16.046 (112.177 mph) Margin of Victory: 3.518 seconds Time of Race: 1:27:35 Lap Leaders: Bowman 1-55 (55); Buescher 56-113, 153-200 (106); Marks 114-132 (19); Kimmel 133-152 (20)

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will visit Elko Speedway in Minnesota for the first time on Saturday, June 2, in the Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care. In 60 seasons, the tour has hosted races in 28 states, and Minnesota will be the 29th. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage from the race, which will begin at 8 p.m. Central.

2012 is the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ 60th Anniversary Season, featuring 20 races at 18 tracks. The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season. This year, the series visited Alabama’s Mobile International Speedway for the first time. In June, the first event at Minnesota’s Elko Speedway will give ARCA a race in a 29th state.

Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events.

[media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit](FLAT ROCK, Mich.) – Flat Rock Speedway hosted UAW Local 3000 Scout Night Saturday evening. A picture-perfect day greeted race fans that ventured to the speedway. Mike McVetta took the win for the Buckeye 305 Super Sprints, Gary Cronenwett notched the ARCA Parts Galore Figure 8 feature, and Clyde McKee made it two for three in the DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock main event.

A slim field of the winged Buckeye Sprinters made the trip to Flat Rock. Mike McVetta started things off by setting a new track record for the group at a sizzling 10:323. Zach Gibson also broke the mark with a lap of 10:357. In the 30 lap main, Brad Wyatt set the pace for 14 laps until McVetta nosed under Brad and zipped to the win. Wyatt held on for second, Kevin Mingus closed in late to battle for second but settled for third, Joe Speakman was fourth and Mike Moore fifth. Speakman picked up the heat race win.

Second-generation driver Gary Cronenwett picked up the lead on a lap 11 re-start and stayed out front to the checkered flag of the 20 lap ARCA Parts Galore Figure 8 main event. Early leader Scott Apperson got tangled up with Robbie Loving several laps later, with both drivers eventually retiring to the pit area. Cronenwett stretched his lead to 5 car lengths and stayed there for his win, giving long-time car owners Dempsey and Cathy Apperson their first win in many, many years. Jeremy Miller came home second, Jeremy Vanderhoof was third, Greg Studt fourth and Billy Earley fifth, followed by Danny Gaddis, Steve Chartrand, Sam Hall, Apperson and Jeremy Fragassi. Miller just nosed out Cronenwett for the fast heat win, while Apperson took the second heat. Dennis Whisman set fast time at 20:703, but got tangled up with Stephanie Pankow, ending both of their nights.

Clyde McKee held the point through several double-file restarts and led every lap on the way to victory in the 25 lap ARCA DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock main event. Tim Moore snuck under Tadek Stadniczuk in the final 5 laps to grab second, Scott Selmi also got by to take third, Stadniczuk was fourth and Grant Hedges came home with a fifth place finish. Frank Jiovani, Rob Moore, Terry Lilley, Paul Duffin and Arnold Kirsch rounded out the top ten finishers. Stadniczuk set the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts fast time at 13:434. Rookie Nick Shanks, Duffin and Steve Chartrand were the heat race winners.

Saturday, May 26 Flat Rock Speedway will present the “Level Pebble Spectacular”, featuring a 100 lap ARCA Truck Series race, a 250 lap Enduro and, for the first time ever at “The Rock”, Monster Trucks! The Monster Truck portion will be a 2-truck exhibition with a wheelie contest, donut contest and freestyle event. The evening will be capped off with a fantastic Fireworks display!

Fans that attended the May 19 show at the track can bring their ticket stubs to Flat Rock for the May 26 show and receive a $5 discount on a full price adult admission ticket. The pit area will open at 2 p.m. the front gates open at 4, practice begins at 4, time trials are at 5:45, $5 Monster Truck rides will be available after time trials and racing begins at 7 p.m.

Flat Rock Speedway features racing every Saturday night throughout the summer.  The track phone number is (734) 782-2480. Log on to www.flatrockspeedway.com for all information. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/toledoflatrock, or follow us on Twitter at @flatrockspeed. Flat Rock Speedway is located on Telegraph Road, one mile south of Flat Rock and five minutes from I-75 or I-275.

Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events.

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Todd Lewis” align=”alignright” width=”237″][/media-credit]May 20, 2012.  The 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racing season opened this past weekend under perfect weather conditions at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.  DJ Kennington the driver of the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge was a winner here the year before and looked to make it two victories in a row.

During practice Kennington didn’t quite have the handling in the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge he wanted.  “The car was a bit tight” he stated so we made a few changes hoping to improve for qualifying.  The changes helped and Kennington would post the fourth quickest qualifying time and start the race on the outside of row two.

When the green flag dropped the competition heated up immediately and Kennington quickly moved the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge up one position and began a race long battle with the rest of the front runners.  “It was pretty intense right from the start” said Kennington.  “I was just hoping not to run too hard too early and have something left for the end of the race” he added.

The #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team had planned to stop for fuel as soon as it was possible for them to make it the rest of the distance. Following that stop a second pit stop was made for fresh tires.  A fluky equipment malfunction caused a slower than usual stop, one of the wheels on the jack that slides under the car to lift it during pit stops broke and it slowed down the service.  “It put us back a little bit in the field but there was nothing we could do” said Kennington.

As the race progressed Kennington used his skills to propel the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge forward and once again was back in touch with the lead group of cars.  “I just tried to take my time knowing we still had a lot of racing left” said Kennington.  “The as soon as I knew we were close to the front I got a little more aggressive”.

With the lead of the race in sight Kennington made an aggressive move and took the lead on lap 40.  Kennington was battling his good friend J. R. Fitzpatrick at the front of the field and the two swapped the race lead several times.  “J. R. and I did this same thing last year” said Kennington.  “It’s a lot of fun to race somebody who races so hard but also fair” he added.

Kennington would push the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge to the limit in the closing laps but would fall just short of repeating his victory and settle for second.  Still Kennington was very happy with his team’s effort.  “It was a really good day and a great start to the season for us” said the driver.  “I gave him all I could in the last few laps, there’s even some yellow paint on the bumper of his car but he held on.  We’ll take this great run and move on to the next race in a couple weeks.  I’m really happy to have this great start to the season and represent all our sponsors.  Castrol is such a big part of it, but also Mahindra Tractors has upped their involvement this year and Super Clean is with us too.  It’s great to have such solid support for our program”.

DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team will be in action next on June 3rd at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, QC.

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, @djkracing and fans are also suggested to join the Facebook Group DJK Racing.

Photo: The #17 Castrol Edge Dodge Challenger on track at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Photo Credit: Todd Lewis

 

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Todd Lewis” align=”alignright” width=”239″][/media-credit]May 20, 2012.  The opening round of the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season took place this past Sunday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.  Robin Buck in the #66 Quaker State Dodge battled all weekend and while they came away with a hard fought top ten finish, it still left the thinking they could have done even better.

Several difficulties hampered the #66 Quaker State Dodge team during the weekend including a broken shock mount during the first practice session on Saturday.  “That set us back a little bit” said Buck.  “We were forced to almost use the qualifying session to complete our set up for the race which is why we could only manage the eleventh quickest time” he added.

When the race began Sunday Buck quickly began moving the #66 Quaker State Dodge toward the front of the field, while taking care not to over work the tires as the teams strategy would have them run the entire race on the same set of tires.  “We used this strategy last year” explained Buck.  “If you don’t abuse the tires then it is possible to have this work out really well for you in the race” he added.

Buck did make a scheduled pit stop for fuel early in the race and while giving up track position early, he knew the #66 Quaker State Dodge would be back near the front in short order.  “When we knew that we could stop for fuel and go the rest of the distance we made the move” said Buck.  “All appeared to be going to plan when Buck took over the lead of the race on lap 21.

Now back with the front runners there was still more than half the race to go and Buck needed to be cautious with the #66 Quaker State Dodge.  “I couldn’t push too hard that soon so I ended up losing the lead but we were still in good shape” said the driver.

A late race caution period would work against the #66 Quaker State Dodge team however.  “That really hurt us” said Buck.  “With only a few laps remaining it bunched the field up and meant everyone would be charging hard to the end.  If the race stayed green until the end, it would have been better for us”.

In addition to the unwanted caution period, an aggressive late race move by another driver caused contact with the #66 Quaker State Dodge. “I got hit by the #47 car and it knocked the toe out on the car so at that point I was really hanging on for every spot.  Unfortunately we lost a few in the closing laps” said Buck.

Buck would nurse the #66 Quaker State Dodge to the finish line and claim a 9th place finish.  “It was a decent finish but I know the car was capable of more” said Buck.  “We made the call not to take tires and maybe because it was a warm day we could have used another strategy, but it was how the race played out late that hurt us the most.  I’ve got to thank everyone on the team who worked really hard this weekend and I’m excited about getting back to Circuit ICAR where we won last year” he added.

Robin Buck will compete in all five road course races on the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Schedule.  The next road course race is Sunday June 3rd at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, QC.  Buck is the defending champion at Circuit ICAR & Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres.  Race fans will be able to watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series events in High Definition on TSN.  Check local listings for times.

Photo:  Robin Buck in the #66 Quaker State Dodge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Photo Credit:  Todd Lewis

 

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Todd Lewis” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]May 20, 2012.  This past weekend was the debut event for the new Martin Roy race team and the #90 Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre Dodge with driver Isabelle Tremblay also participating in the #07 Frank Lyman Design Dodge in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.  The two drivers each took to the challenging road course at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and gave a wonderful effort in their first event of the season.

Roy and Tremblay have developed an instant chemistry and are along with veteran Crew Chief Mario Gosselin have worked very hard to be ready for the season.  During Saturday afternoon practice the learning continued and Tremblay and Roy were both pleased with their cars performance.  In qualifying both had some difficulties, Roy had a right rear tire blow and damaged the bodywork.  Tremblay’s car did not have the same good handling characteristics it did during practice.

Despite the setbacks both began the race Sunday afternoon with a great deal of optimism.  Tremblay had her best career finish at this track a year earlier and in the early going she drove the #07 Frank Lyman Design Dodge smartly and looked to be consistent while improving on every lap.

Tremblay’s day would end early when contact with the #15 car would damage the trailing arm on the right rear of the car.  “It was very disappointing” said Tremblay.  “I tried to leave room for the other car but he just hit me.  I found out after the race he had lost his brakes.  It was a disappointing result but the positive energy we have with the team is very good.  Working with Martin Roy and everyone on the team has been a wonderful partnership and I’m very excited about our future” she stated.

Roy drove the #90 Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre Dodge smartly in the early going and seemed to be running a smooth and consistent race. Roy will compete for the rookie of the year title and wanted to start the year in the right direction.

The #90 Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre Dodge driver continued to make good progress after his scheduled pit stops for service until a late race difficulty.  “I lost the brakes” said Roy.  “The car became very difficult to drive and I got off course at one point” he added. Unfortunately we didn’t quite get the finishing result we hoped for, but the car was very good and I’m excited to get back racing at the next event” he added.

Martin Roy & Isabelle Tremblay will be back in action next in their home province at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, QC on June 3rd.  While Roy is competing in the full season with support from Veloce & Gamache Truck Centre’s, Tremblay is currently scheduled for only four events. “We are still hopefully of finalizing some arrangements with more partners” said Tremblay.  “We have a great opportunity for someone to occupy the hood of my car” she added.

Photos:  #90 Martin Roy & #07 Isabelle Tremblay at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Photo Credit:  Todd Lewis

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Todd Lewis” align=”alignright” width=”229″][/media-credit]May 21, 2012.  Bowmanville, Ont. – At the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season opening weekend, Sun Peaks, BC driver Jason White returned to the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park – the track where he recorded his career-best finish last season. White ran the Vortex Brake Pads 200 behind the wheel of his No. 21 Dodge.

White and his crew had a rough start at Saturday’s practice when plug wires on the engine were crossed, causing the car to fall short of its potential power.  “It was definitely not the way we wanted to start out the weekend but the guys found the problem right away” said White.

The team resolved the Dodge’s issue quickly and the vehicle roared back to life in no time, finishing out the practice at full strength. Later in the day White continued to show his strong form and would qualify for the 13th starting position for Sunday’s race.

No. 21 had a strong and consistent outing at the 2012 NCATS season opener, and the crew worked efficiently through pit stops. White ran his fastest lap with only five remaining in the race, highlighting the strength of both the team and the car.

White earned a solid 12th place finish behind the wheel of his No. 21 Dodge, climbing one spot above his 13th place qualifying start.  “The team worked really hard and we had a great car,” White said after the race. “They executed great pit stops and we just had a really consistent day.”

White’s teammate DJ Kennington also highlighted the Dodge team, finished the Vortex Brake Pads 200 in 2nd place – narrowly edged out by J.R. Fitzpatrick.  “Big congratulations to DJ for a great run and to DJK Racing for preparing me such a good race car, I can’t wait to get back at it”.

Jason White and the #21 Dodge team will compete in the entire 2012 NCATS schedule that will take the team from coast to coast in Canada for the 12 events.  Next on the schedule is another road course at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, QC on June 3rd.  For the latest off season news about Jason White and the #21 Dodge team check out the team website at www.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

Photo Credit:  Todd Lewis

 

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Todd Lewis” align=”alignright” width=”263″][/media-credit]May 20, 2012.   Bowmanville, Ont. – Mechanical problems at practice nearly dropped David Thorndyke from the weekend’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season opener – but the labour and strategy of his crew lead the #67 Thorsons EVT Transport Chevy to a solid finish at the Vortex Brake Pads 200 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

The team encountered problems during Saturday’s practice that could have derailed the entire weekend, fearing they had blown a motor in the #67 Thorsons EVT Chevrolet. Careful diagnosis revealed a less devastating, but still major, repair – the vehicle required a new transmission. Despite the crew’s labour on Saturday after replacing the car’s transmission, Thorndyke was unable to qualify and started Sunday’s Vortex Brake Pads 200 at the back of the field.

Early in the race, Crew Chief Adam Thorndyke made a beneficial strategy decision to bring the car in during an early caution period to give them fuel needed to complete the race distance.

“It was a strategy we hoped would give us track position when the leaders pitted,” Adam said afterwards.

The Crew Chief’s plan worked – the #67 Thorsons EVT Chevrolet ran as high as 5th place during the race.

“It was fun mixing it up with the leaders,” David said. “We were on a different strategy, and I knew I had to preserve the car, so I didn’t get too aggressive or get in anyone’s way.”

Much to their relief, the team got their mechanical troubles out of the way early in the weekend, and the car performed consistently well throughout the main event on Sunday.

Thorndyke moved up consistently through the field despite starting at the back of the field, and finished the season opener in 17th place.

“The day finished strong after we started the weekend pretty rough,” David said after the race. “The car felt great, handled really well, and we were really consistent all day.”

David Thorndyke and the EVT Chevrolet team are next scheduled to race during the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres August 3-5.  For more NASCAR Canadian Tire Series information log onto www.nascar.ca and to learn more about the #67 Thorsons EVT Chevy team go to www.promotiveracing.com

Photo Caption: #67 Thorsons EVT Chevrolet at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park

Photo Credit: Todd Lewis

 

May 20, 2012.  Bowmanville, Ont. – Ron Beauchamp Jr. and his team made big off-season adjustments to his #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge and their efforts proved successful at this past weekend’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series opener.

The team made significant suspension and handling changes to the car over the winter, and were quick through both practice sessions on Saturday. The re-vamped vehicle had a great inaugural weekend of the 2012 season, backing up their successful practice by qualifying 5th for Sunday’s race – Beauchamp’s career-best qualifying effort at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

“Our team worked really hard during the off-season,” said Beauchamp. “New Crew Chief Deon Deneau has us really well prepared for a strong season.”

Beauchamp kicked off the race cruising comfortably with the lead group and easily maintaining his 5th place position. The #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge took center stage during laps 17 through 20, leading the pack while front-runners made pit stops, only surrendering the lead for scheduled stops for fuel and fresh tires.

However, as the end of the race neared, Beauchamp’s #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge suffered handling issues that the driver battled through the final laps. Beauchamp slipped to 7th and eventually crossed the finish line in 11th place – just narrowly missing the top ten.

After the race, triage of the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge showed a flat tire was the cause of the handling troubles throughout the tail end of the contest.

“It’s kind of frustrating to have such a great race car and not get the finish we were expecting,” Beauchamp said after the race. “But we know that we have a great race car for the road course events.”

Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team return to action June 3rd at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, QC. For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on to www.beauchampmotorsports.com and www.mopar.ca

Photo:  The #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge on track this past weekend

Photo Credit:  Todd Lewis