The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Race Reports
KENNINGTON BATTLES FOR ATTO 300 VICTORY
by Shon Sbarra, Nascar Public Relations
BARRIE, Ontario (Sept. 8, 2007) – Everybody uses bungee chords for a variety of things around the house and garage. On Saturday night at Barrie Speedway in the ATTO 300 D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol/Krispy Kreme Dodge) used one to hold his gas pedal off the floor.
Kennington’s throttle return spring broke in the middle portion of the race and the team handed him a bungee chord to hook the throttle to the steering wheel. It was not the most glamorous of pit road adjustments but it was good enough to earn the St. Thomas, Ontario resident the win.
“The throttle return spring or something broke and I had to lift the pedal off the floor with my foot and that wasn’t going to work very well,” said the victorious Kennington. “Then I thought we could use a bungee chord to create some resistance.”
The throttle problem was not the only issue for Kennington on this night. He was also quite tired. He competed in the NASCAR Busch Series event at Richmond (Va.) International Speedway on Friday night and had to drive to Raleigh-Durham, N.C. to catch a morning flight to Toronto in order to make it to Barrie in time for the driver’s meeting.
“I’ve haven’t slept since Thursday night,” he said. “I’m pretty tired, but the win picked me up quite a bit.”
He also withstood several battles on late race re-starts from Dave Whitlock (No. 39 Dickies/Hamilton Tiger-Cats Dodge), who hung on for a second-place finish, a season-best.
“With the problems that we’ve had this year, I’ll take second,” Whitlock said. “I would have like to have won, but this will do. I’m very happy with it.”
Don Thomson Jr. (No. 4 Home Hardware Chevrolet) started on the outside pole and earned a third-place finish, his fifth top five of the year. Thomson was followed by Peter Gibbons (No. 1 Canadian Tire/Master Craft Chevrolet) and John Gaunt (No. 12 Centennial Chrysler Dodge) in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Andrew Ranger, Derek Lynch, Jason Hathaway, J.R. Fitzpatrick and Scott Steckly rounded out the top 10.
The race was slowed nine times for 67 laps. The lead changed hands 12 times with six different drivers out in front.
In the unofficial championship point standings, Ranger lost a little ground on Kennington, but still holds a 87-point advantage. Gibbons moved into third place, 144 points off the leader’s pace.
The Canadian Tire Series heads eastward for the Atlantic Dodge Dealers 300 on September 15 at Riverside Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. It is the first series visit to Nova Scotia and the high-banked 1/3-mile track modeled after the legendary Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO-ATTO 300 UNOFFICIAL Results
Saturday
At Barrie Speedway
Barrie, Ontario
Lap length: 0.333 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (7) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ontario, Dodge, 300 laps, 57.644 mph, $7,350.
2. (15) Dave Whitlock, Petrolia, Ontario, Dodge, 300, $4,430.
3. (2) Don Thomson, Jr., Ayr, Ontario, Chevrolet, 300, $2,780.
4. (10) Peter Gibbons, Stouffville, Ontario, Chevrolet, 300, $2,475.
5. (3) John Gaunt, Barrie, Ontario, Dodge, 300, $2,990.
6. (14) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Quebec, Ford, 300, $1,800.
7. (18) Derek Lynch, Warkworth, Ontario, Dodge, 300, $2,200.
8. (16) Jason Hathaway, Appin, Ontario, Dodge, 299, $1,915.
9. (12) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ontario, Chevrolet, 298, $1,575.
10. (5) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ontario, Dodge, 297, $1,525.
11. (11) Bob Merrifield, Belle River, Ontario, Dodge, 288, $1,300.
12. (6) Doug Brown, Brantford, Ontario, Dodge, 264, rear end, $1,225.
13. (8) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ontario, Dodge, 261, $1,160.
14. (17) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ontario, Dodge, 253, $1,130.
15. (13) Kent Nuhn, Williamsford, Ontario, Pontiac, 249, $1,075.
16. (9) Brad Graham, Glencoe, Ontario, Dodge, 240, $1,025.
17. (19) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ontario, Dodge, 210, suspension, $995.
18. (20) Trevor Monaghan, Hamilton, Ontario, Dodge, 191, clutch, $950.
19. (1) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ontario, Ford, 183, $2,420.
20. (4) Jim Lapcevich, Hamilton, Ontario, Chevrolet, 46, suspension, $880.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 43 minutes 59 seconds
Margin of Victory: 1.453 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: Kerry Micks. (85.215 mph, 14.068 seconds)
Caution Flags: 9 for 67 laps.
Lead Changes: 12 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K.Micks 1-65; D.Thomson,Jr. 66-90; P.Gibbons 91-209; D.Thomson,Jr. 210; P.Gibbons 211-220; J.Fitzpatrick 221; P.Gibbons 222-231; D.Whitlock 232-233; P.Gibbons 234-238; D.Whitlock 239; D.Kennington 240-273; D.Whitlock 274; P.Gibbons 275-300.
Standings: 1. A.Ranger, 1622; 2. D.Kennington, 1535; 3. P.Gibbons, 1478; 4.
D.Thomson,Jr., 1473; 5. K.Micks, 1461; 6. J.Fitzpatrick, 1441; 7. D.Lynch, 1388; 8. M.Dilley, 1371; 9. J.Hathaway, 1355; 10. D.Whitlock, 1309.
ATTO 300 POST-RACE NOTES
Ø Kennington joins club … It took five races into the 2007 season to get a repeat winner in the Canadian Tire Series. Now, 10 races into the 12-race schedule, there are four two-time victors. D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol/Krispy Kreme Dodge), with the ATTO 300 win, swept the two Barrie (Ontario) Speedway events and joined J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Milwaukee Electric Tools Chevrolet), Kerry Micks (No. 02 Beyond Digital Imaging Ford) and Don Thomson Jr. (No. 4 Home Hardware Chevrolet) as multi-race winners.
Ø Chevy continues to lead the way … Dodge picked up its third win of the season courtesy of Kennington, but Chevrolet continues to lead the Canadian Tire Series manufacturers’ standings. Chevy, with 68 points, has four wins in 10 events this season – two each by Fitzpatrick and Thomson. Derek Lynch (No. 77 Allied Steel Buildings/Canadian Shield) is the other Dodge driver with a triumph. Ford has three wins on the season as well at the hands of Micks and Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford).
Ø Mobil 1 Oil "Command Performance of the Race" Award … As a reward for his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victory at Barrie Speedway, Kennington collects his second $1,500 check from Mobil 1 for his effort.
Ø Mopar Fast Five … This program awards the top-five finishing Dodges in the race. In the ATTO 300, the Dodge of Kennington, obviously, was the top finisher and was awarded $2,000. Dave Whitlock (No. 39 Dickies/Hamilton Tiger-Cats Dodge) with his season-best second-place finish was the second-highest finishing Dodge and earned $1,250. Barrie resident John Gaunt (No. 12 Centennial Chrysler Dodge), who notched his first top-five finish of the season, collected $1,000 for finishing third among the Dodge entrants. The fourth-highest finishing Dodge was that of Lynch which netted him $500. Jason Hathaway (No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Super 8 Dodge) completed the Mopar Fast Five with his eighth-place finish and will receive $250.
Ø Ranger closing in … Ranger continues to close in on the first-ever Canadian Tire Series championship with just two races left on the slate. He was able to avoid trouble on the cozy 1/3-mile track to finish sixth, his ninth top-10 finish out of the 10 races, so far, this season. However, Kennington, with the win, was able to carve into the 122-point lead Ranger brought into the ATTO 300 and now trails by 87 points as the second-ranked competitor. Peter Gibbons (No. 1 Canadian Tire/Master Craft Chevrolet), in third, also was able to nudge closer to Ranger with his fourth-place effort at Barrie. Gibbons is now 144 points off Ranger’s pace.
Ø Standing room only … Barrie Speedway operator Brad Moran had to bring in additional seating to accommodate the ticket demand for the ATTO 300. Nearly 10,000 spectators jammed their way into the track that holds just over 4,000 fans for a standard Saturday night of racing action. The Canadian Tire Series has now raced in front of seven crowds at or in excess of capacity, including gatherings of more than 60,000 at both Edmonton and Montreal.
ATTO 300 NEWS & NOTES
By Shon Sbarra, NASCAR Public Relations
Ø The race … This event is the 10th race for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio in 2007. It is the second of two visits to Barrie Speedway this season.
The ATTO 300 is scheduled for an 8:45 p.m. E.T. start on Saturday, Sept. 8. Joining the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Barrie Speedway will be several local classifications including the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series
. This year is Barrie’s first season as part of the NASCAR weekly racing series’ family of tracks. They are joined in Canada by Autodrome St-Eustache in Quebec, Edmonton International Speedway in Alberta and SunValley Speedway in Vernon, B.C.
Ø The track … Barrie Speedway is a 1/3-mile tri-oval located near the shores of Lake Simcoe north of Toronto. The track opened in 1965 and underwent a complete facelift in late 2004. At that time, the track was expanded from a 1/4-mile oval to its current layout. Also included in that work, was an overall widening of the racing surface along with the addition of a pit road to accommodate longer races. What makes pit road unique at Barrie is that it is located on the backstretch of the track
Ø Just three to go … With just three races to go in the inaugural season of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio, the already intense racing action is sure to become even fiercer. Five of the last six races have been decided by last-lap exchanges of the lead. In the July 1 race within the cozy confines of Barrie’s 1/3-mile track, the lead changed hands 13 times before Kennington collected the win.
Ø Ticket information … Information for the ATTO 300 can be obtained by calling the track at (705) 487-0279 or by logging onto www.barriespeedway.com. Advance tickets can be purchased at Jeff Walters Diamonds, conveniently located at 331 Bayfield Street, Suite 203, in Barrie and at St. Onge Recreation, located at 74 Saunders Road in Barrie. Tickets also can be purchased online from the track’s website. And tickets will be available on race day at the track.
Camping will be available at Burl's Creek Family Event Park. Contact Burl's Creek directly at (705) 487-663 for reservations or check them out online at www.burlscreek.com.
Please note this special traffic advisory this weekend – traffic heading to Barrie Speedway from the south should exit highway 11 at Line 7, follow line 7 to Ridge Road and then take Ridge Road to Line 8. The direct exit to Line 8 from Highway 11 will be congested due to the automotive flea market.
Fast Facts
What: ATTO 300, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Race # 10.
Where: Barrie (Ontario) Speedway. When: 8:45 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 8. Track layout: 1/3-Mile Oval. Distance: 300 Laps, 99.99 miles.
Posted Awards: $68,734 CAD
2006 winner: Inaugural event. 2006
polesitter: Inaugural event.
Records:
Qualifying: Mark Dilley, July 1, 2007, 85.819 mph, 13.969 sec.;
Race: D.J. Kennington, July 1, 2007, 49.791 mph, 2 hr 0 min 23 sec.
Pre-race schedule:
Practice, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Qualifying, 4:30 p.m. Note: All times subject to change.
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Top 10:
1. Andrew Ranger 1472; 2. Kerry Micks 1350; 3. D.J. Kennington 1350; 4. Peter Gibbons 1308; 5. Don Thomson, Jr. 1303; 6. J.R. Fitzpatrick 1298; 7. Mark Dilley 1247; 8. Derek Lynch 1242; 9. Jason Hathaway 1213; 10. Scott Steckly 1161.
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