The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Race Reports
LYNCH TAKES OPPORTUNITY AND WINS SUBWAY
300
by Shon Sbarra, NASCAR Public Relations
NELLES CORNERS, Ontario (Sept. 1, 2007) – Derek Lynch (No. 77 Allied Steel Buildings/Canadian Shield Dodge) played the role of opportunist to win the Subway 200 presented by Sicard Holiday Campers at Cayuga Speedway Park.
Peter Gibbons (No. 1 Canadian Tire/Master Craft Chevrolet) and Jim Lapcevich (No. 25 EMCEA Transport/Tim Hortons Chevrolet) exchanged the lead five times in the final 37 laps, but on the final turn of the final lap the two locked bumpers sending both cars spinning out of contention. Lynch was more than happy to fill the void and pick up his first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio victory. He was able to outdistance runner-up Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford) to the finish line by just over a half second.
Last lap passes for the win are some of the most exciting in racing and the Canadian Tire Series has made it routine. Five of the last six races have been determined on final lap lead exchanges.
“Gibbons and Jim (Lapcevich) were going at each other pretty hard there for a long time,” said the victorious Lynch. “I wasn’t going to stick my nose in there. I had a top five car and I wanted to bring it home that way.”
Lynch, out of Warkworth, Ontario, was racing under the colors of a new sponsor – Allied Steel Buildings – and he was happy to bring them on board with a win.
“It really could not have worked out better,” Lynch said. “It’s the perfect ending for their first race. The car looked great, but more importantly it drove great. It hasn’t been our best season, but this gives us some great momentum for the last three races.”
Polesitter Don Thomson Jr. (No.4 Home Hardware Chevrolet) had his sights set on taking both ends of the Cayuga doubleheader in 2007 after having won the May race, but that bid was foiled on just the eighth lap. As the field was heading into turn three, Kerry Micks (No. 02 Beyond Digital Imaging Ford) made contact with Thomson which sparked a multi-car accident. Involved in the accident beyond Thomson was his Fitzpatrick Motorsports teammate J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Milwaukee Electric Tools Chevrolet) and Doug Brown (No. 10 Haldex/NAPA Dodge) . All three cars were knocked from contention. Only Fitzpatrick was able to make repairs and re-enter the race despite being 85 laps down.
With Thomson and Fitzpatrick sitting second and third, respectively, in the championship point standings, the beneficiary of the accident was Ranger. As the current points leader, Ranger found himself in the second position on the track after the smoke cleared.
Ranger took the ball and ran with it by wrestling the race lead away from D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol/Krispy Kreme Dodge) on lap 35. He did not surrender that lead until he headed to pit road for service on lap 130 along with most of the other leaders.
The changes made to the Ranger machine by the Jacombs Racing team did not have the desired effect. The car did not seem as strong once the green flag racing resumed.
“No, the car did not like the changes at all,” stated Ranger. “But second place is a great finish for us here.”
The pit stops shuffled the field, but Gibbons, who was running second to Ranger prior to the stops, quickly worked his way through the pack and assumed the race lead on lap 138. He went on to lead 41 of the final 62 laps of the race. However the final lap incident with Jim Lapcevich relegated him to a seventh-place finish.
Kennington started the race in the third position and stayed among the leader all evening and collected the third-place trophy and snapped a brief two-race slump.
Micks rebounded from the early race incident to finish fourth – his fourth consecutive top-five finish. Brad Graham (No. 19 Full Throttle Energy Drink/Challenger Freight Dodge) earned his first top five of the season with his fifth-place effort.
Jeff Lapcevich, Gibbons, Jim Lapcevich, Jason Hathaway and Randy MacDonald rounded out the top 10.
The race was slowed six times for 40 laps. The lead changed hands 14 times with 10 different drivers out in front.
In the unofficial championship point standings, Ranger’s second -place finish certainly didn’t hurt, but his case was further aided by the suffering of Thomson and Fitzpatrick. Ranger stretched his lead from 91 points coming into the race to 112. Micks and Kennington now share the second spot, but Micks gets the nod due to his two victories compared to Kennington’s one. Thomson and Fitzpatrick dropped to fifth and sixth, respectively.
The Canadian Tire Series visits the cozy confines of Barrie (Ontario) Speedway for the ATTO 300 next Saturday evening.
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO-Subway 200 presented by Sicard Holiday Campers UNOFFICIAL Results
Saturday
At Cayuga Speedway Park
Hagersville, ON
Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (16) Derek Lynch, Warkworth, Ontario, Dodge, 200 laps, 66.578 mph, $7,500.
2. (6) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Quebec, Ford, 200, $3,300.
3. (3) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $4,150.
4. (5) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ontario, Ford, 200, $2,600.
5. (15) Brad Graham, Glencoe, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $3,080.
6. (19) Jeff Lapcevich, Caistor Centre, Ontario, Chevrolet, 200, $1,875.
7. (4) Peter Gibbons, Stouffville, Ontario, Chevrolet, 200, $1,780.
8. (13) Jim Lapcevich, Hamilton, Ontario, Chevrolet, 200, $1,740.
9. (12) Jason Hathaway, Appin, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $2,150.
10. (11) Randy MacDonald, Oshawa, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $1,850.
11. (17) Dave Whitlock, Petrolia, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $1,350.
12. (23) Bob Merrifield, Belle River, Ontario, Dodge, 197, $1,275.
13. (18) Pierre Bourque, Ottawa, Ontario, Dodge, 196, $1,210.
14. (9) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ontario, Dodge, 189, $1,180.
15. (7) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ontario, Dodge, 183, $1,120.
16. (14) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ontario, Dodge, 161, $1,080.
17. (20) John Gaunt, Barrie, Ontario, Dodge, 150, suspension, $1,040.
18. (21) Nik Lapcevich, Hamilton, Ontario, Chevrolet, 150, accident, $1,000.
19. (22) Kent Nuhn, Williamsford, Ontario, Pontiac, 143, electrical, $960.
20. (2) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ontario, Chevrolet, 115, $920.
21. (8) Ron Van Es, Stoney Creek, Ontario, Chevrolet, 16, oil leak, $880.
22. (1) Don Thomson, Jr., Ayr, Ontario, Chevrolet, 7, accident, $2,380.
23. (10) Doug Brown, Brantford, Ontario, Dodge, 7, accident, $880.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 52 minutes 39 seconds
Margin of Victory: .560 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: D.Thomson Jr. (107.841 mph, 20.864 seconds)
Caution Flags: 6 for 40 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 10 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J.Fitzpatrick 1-4; D.Thomson,Jr. 5-7; K.Micks 8-12; D.Kennington 13-35; A.Ranger 36-129; D.Whitlock 130-132; R.MacDonald 133-134; D.Whitlock 135-137; P.Gibbons 138-162; J.Lapcevich 163-171; P.Gibbons 172 -182; J.Lapcevich 183; P.Gibbons 184-188; J.Lapcevich 189-199; D.Lynch 200.
Standings: 1. A.Ranger, 1472; 2. K.Micks, 1350; 3. D.Kennington, 1350; 4. P.Gibbons, 1308; 5. D.Thomson,Jr., 1303; 6. J.Fitzpatrick, 1298; 7. M.Dilley, 1247; 8. D.Lynch, 1242; 9. J.Hathaway, 1213; 10. S.Steckly, 1161.
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES PRESENTED BY SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO
by Shon Sbarra, NASCAR Public Relations
Subway 200 NEWS & NOTES
Ø The race … This event is the ninth race for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio in 2007. It is the second of two visits to Cayuga Speedway Park this season.
Ø The track … This 5/8-mile oval track is one of Canada’s premier racing facilities, and proudly earned its nickname as "The Charlotte of the North" with door-to-door, bumper-to-bumper action. It offers both the speed of a superspeedway and the tight action of a short track.
Over the years, Cayuga has challenged some of NASCAR’s legendary drivers in battles against Canada’s top stars. Dale Earnhardt Sr., Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, Jack Hollis, Junior Hanle, and Don Biederman are just but a few of the names. Canada’s largest oval facility also has hosted current NASCAR stars, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Canadian Ron Fellows.
Ø Remembering yesterday, looking forward to tomorrow … That is the theme for this Saturday’s race. On hand to remember yesterday will be one of NASCAR’s all-time greats, Bobby Allison, who also has competed on the Cayuga track. He is a former champion of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and was named in 1998 as one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers. The three-time Daytona 500 winner also was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993.
Ø Ticket information … Information for the Subway 200 presented by Sicards Holiday Campers can be obtained by calling the track at 1-866-670-1958 or by logging onto www.cayugaspeedwaypark.com. Free weekend camping is available compliments of Sicards.
Fast Facts
What: Subway 200 presented by Sicards Holiday Campers, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Race # 9. Where: Cayuga Speedway Park, Nelles Corners, Ontario.
When: 8:05 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 1. Track layout: 5/8-Mile Oval. Distance: 200 Laps, 125 miles. Posted Awards: $70,434 CAD 2006
winner: Inaugural event. 2006
polesitter: Inaugural event.
Records: Qualifying: D.J. Kennington, May 26, 2007, 108.251 mph, 20.785 sec.; Race: Don Thomson Jr., May 26, 2007, 54.381 mph, 2 hr 17 min 55 sec.
Pre-race schedule: Practice, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Qualifying, 4:30 p.m. Note: All times subject to change.·
Scott Steckly Is In Right Frame Of Mind
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 28, 2007) – Every season in every racing series there are one or two drivers who, at the end of the year, look back and wonder about what could have been. They bring competitive equipment week in and week out. They qualify well. They run with the leaders or are the leader come race time, but for one reason or another, something jumps up and bites them and ends their day in disappointment.
Scott Steckly (No. 22 Leafs TV/Erb Group Dodge Charger) most certainly could be a member of that club this season in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio. In the eight races this season, Steckly has an average starting position of 5.75. In fact, he has started inside the top 10 at each race. His average finishing position, though, drops to 12.5. He has two top-fives to go along with just four top 10s, but all of those have come in the last five races.
It would be easy for Steckly, racing out of Milverton, Ontario, to point fingers of blame at others or to complain about his luck, or lack thereof, but that is not at all where his mind is. "I prefer to look at it from the standpoint that we have taken a good car to every race this season, but for some reason we didn’t get the finish we should have or could have," said Steckly. "We’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing and know the breaks will eventually come." That is a difficult mental state to reach. "Sure, it’s frustrating, but there is nothing we can do about it now," he said. "We’re obviously doing something right and not all of the bad luck is of someone else’s doing. We’ve got a stake in this, too."
It is that attitude which will serve Steckly well over the final four events of the 2007 season. He currently holds the 10th slot in the championship point standings, 246 points off the pace of current leader Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford). More manageably, though, he is just 85 points behind seventh-ranked Mark Dilley (No. 9 Dodge/Leland Industries Dodge).
While it can be difficult to make up huge chunks of ground in the point standings as the season progresses to its later stages, Steckly is not at all consumed with scoreboard watching at this juncture. "We just want to go out and finish the season strong. We definitely want to pick up a win," said Steckly. "We’ll go out and perform like we have all season and get a break or two, that I’d like to think we have coming to us, then the points will take care of themselves."
The Canadian Tires Series is heading into the last third of the season with four races spanning the first four weekends of September. All four will come on oval tracks. The first of these final four events is the Subway 200 presented by Sicards Holiday Campers at Cayuga Speedway Park on Saturday, Sept. 1. This is the series’ second visit to Cayuga – the track was the site of the Canadian Tire Series’ inaugural event on May 26, which was won by Don Thomson Jr. (No. 4 Home Hardware Chevrolet). Steckly’s first response when asked his opinion on the 5/8-mile oval, located in Nelles Corners, southwest of Hamilton, Ontario, was more than a little measured. "I don’t mind it too much," he stated, but he quickly qualified that statement. "I shouldn’t really put it that way. I didn’t used to like racing there a whole lot, but last May, we liked it a lot," he said. "We ran pretty well and I think we have figured out a pretty good set up. I’m actually looking forward to it. It’ll be another great race."
To help along the change of fortune, Steckly’s No. 22 Dodge will have a different look to it for three of the final four races this season. "For the three Ontario races (Cayuga, Barrie Speedway and Kawartha Speedway), we’ve signed Leafs TV as a primary sponsor," Steckly said. "I think this is something we may be able to build upon for the future. Like I said before, if we can continue to bring a good car and catch a break, then I know we’ll be able to run well for them." Leafs TV is a channel available within the footprint of the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs that carries live games and other team-related programming.
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