A&W 300 Notebook
NASCAR Home Tracks Spotlight: Barrie Speedway
Dickies 200 Presented By Lucas Oil Post-Race Notes
 
Kennington Logs Miles On And Off The Track
 
Traveling from track to track and series to series has garnered much
attention this season thanks to the exploits of Kyle Busch, who has used
helicopters and jets to work his way between tracks to compete in NASCAR's
top three series.
 
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio has its
own version of Busch in D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol/NPP Dodge).
Kennington's travels from the NASCAR Nationwide Series to the Canadian Tire
Series, however, come via cars and pick-up trucks.
 
Weekend before last, Kennington competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series
event at Kentucky Speedway before making the nine-hour drive north to
Mosport International Raceway near Bowmanville, Ontario.
 
Awaiting him there was a start at the rear of the field since he was not
present on Saturday to qualify his machine. Seemingly working on adrenaline
only, he stormed forward and was on the cusp of the top 10 after just eight
laps on the 2.459-mile road course.
 
After cracking the top 10 following green flag pit stops, it apparently
wasn't going to get much better for the 2007 championship point standings
runner-up. However, an unlikely break was coming his way. Rain began to
fall on the track with just a little over 10 laps remaining and during a
caution period, the St. Thomas, Ontario native ducked on to pit road and
made the switch to grooved rain tires. When everything shook out,
Kennington found himself running second to J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84
Fitzpatrick Motorsports Chevrolet) at the finish line.
 
It was a long and exhaustive couple of days, but he is committed to both
programs and will do everything in his power to see both succeed.
 
"I'd like not to make a habit of this kind of travel, but it's worth it on
both sides," he said. His Castrol-sponsored Canadian Tire Series car is his
bread and butter but, at the same time, he cannot forgo the opportunity to
compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
 
"I can't pass up the chance to race down there, but Castrol and I have been
together for a long time and I need to do this, too," he said.
 
Kennington has a pair of Canadian Tire Series victories to his credit, both
coming last season at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway, a bullring of a track at
which survival, more than anything else, is the name of the game. Oddly
enough, he credits his experiences in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for his
success at Barrie.
 
"Down there, they race hard every second of every race. There is no letting
up -- ever. There's no settling into the middle part of the race," he said.
"And that is how it is getting up here. We've always raced hard, but the
competition is so tight now that you have to be up on the wheel from start
to finish."
 
Driving hard and the tight competition tends to lead to impatience, but the
slightest amount of indecision is the difference in winning and not.
 
"Barrie demands that you be patient because it is so small, but you can't
let any opportunity to make a move pass by or it's gone forever and who
knows if another chance will come," he said. "The slightest hesitation is
costly there. There is a fine line between aggression and patience and you
have to be right on that line at Barrie. If you're not, then that could be
the difference between winning and 15th place."
 
***
 
The Race: A&W 300
 
The Place: Barrie Speedway, Barrie, Ont.
The Date: Saturday, June 28
 
The Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
TV Schedule: 2:30 p.m. ET, July 6 (delayed)
 
Track Layout: .333-mile tri-oval
Race Purse: $75,692 CAD
 
2007 Winner: D.J. Kennington
2007 Pole: Mark Dilley
 
Schedule: Saturday: Practice 11:45 a.m. - 1:45 p.m., Time Trials 4:15 p.m.
 
***
 
Beauchamp Closing The Door On Difficult 2007 Season
 
There was a question hovering in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented
by Sirius Satellite Radio garage area in 2007. Most treated it like an
elephant sitting in the corner and let it be, but everyone wondered what
was going on with Ron Beauchamp Jr. (No. 60 Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge). Included
in that group was the Beauchamp camp itself.
 
Last season was a monument to Murphy's Law for the team. They found their
way into other people's accidents, had little things -- like differentials
-- and big things -- like blown motors -- knock them out of races.
 
"I'm just glad it's over," said Beauchamp of the 2007 season.
"So little
went right for us. It was actually kind of amazing."
 
The last time out at Mosport International Raceway, Beauchamp had his Dodge
Avenger in the lead for five laps and after the field cycled through green
flag pit stops, he settled into third place with an eye toward his first
Canadian Tire Series victory. However, when the rain began to fall, he was
caught between surrendering valuable track position and stopping for rain
tires.
 
"We were in third place, so we decided to stay out and hang on, but I spun
and ended up in the gravel. I just wanted to stay on the track and get all
that I could. The car was great, though," he said.
 
Despite the 17th-place finish, the performance prior to the weather is what
is expected from the multi-time CASCAR Super Series winner.
 
The first Barrie race last season was one of the few that Beauchamp did not
have major problems and finished sixth.
 
News & Notes
 
The Race: This event is the third of 13 races on the NASCAR Canadian Tire
Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio schedule. Overall, it is the
third visit to the track for the Canadian Tire Series.
 
The Procedure: The starting field is 24 cars, including provisionals. The
first 21 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining three
spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 300
laps covering 99.99 miles.
 
The Track: Barrie Speedway opened in 1965 and has made substantial
improvements since 1999. At that time, the track was widened and lengthened
from a .25-mile oval to its current unique .333-mile tri-oval
configuration. The tri-oval and pit road are situated on the backstretch.
 
The Records: Mark Dilley holds the qualifying record for Barrie Speedway
with a lap time of 13.969 seconds (85.819 mph) on June 30, 2007. The
300-lap race record is held by D.J. Kennington. He completed the race on
Sept. 8, 2007 in 1 hour, 43 minutes and 59 seconds for an average speed of
57.644 mph.
 
Two And Counting: D.J. Kennington won both events at Barrie Speedway in
2007. He started second in the July race and came from the seventh position
in the September event. In the September race, he was forced to work the
throttle with a bungee cable attached to the steering wheel after the
recoil spring on the pedal failed.
 
NASCAR Legend To Be On Hand: Bobby Allison, 1983 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner, will serve as the event's grand
marshal. The legendary driver will be available for autographs Saturday
afternoon as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of his 1983 title.
 
Dickies 200 Post-Race Notebook
 
Alone At The Top, For Now: With his win at Mosport, J.R. Fitzpatrick (No.
84 Fitzpatrick Motorsports Chevrolet) holds the record for most wins in the
series' brief history at three, breaking a tie with three other drivers.
 
Gibbons Switches Gears: Having no financial alliance with General Motors,
Peter Gibbons (No. 1 Canadian Tire/Mobil Super) took to the track at
Mosport in a Ford as opposed to his normal Chevy. He noted that three of
the four road course races in 2007 were won by Fords and decided to make
the switch in 2008 for the four non-oval events. Had the rain not started
to fall, the switch may have resulted in a win. Leading the race at the
time the weather came, Gibbons opted not to forfeit his track position by
pitting for rain tires. In the virtual no-win scenario, he was a sitting
duck for the cars on grooved tires and had to settle for a ninth-place
finish.
 
High Water Marks: Piloting a stock car for just the fourth time, Alex
Tagliani (No. 7 Wal-Mart/Ubisoft Ford), a former open-wheel standout,
notched his first Canadian Tire Series top five with a finish in fifth.
Peter Klutt (No. 42 Legendary Motorcar Pontiac) scored a NASCAR career-best
finish of eighth. And Pierre Bourque (No. 29 Whitlock Motorsports Dodge)
equaled his best series finish of seventh established last season in
Trois-Rivieres. Road Course Ringers: Robin Buck (No. 88 Active Green+Ross
Ford) and Trevor Seibert (No. 69 Lake Excavating Ford) had podium finishes
a season ago in road races. This time around, though, both had to retire
early with mechanical problems.
 
Mobil 1 Command Performance of the Race Award: As a reward for his NASCAR
Canadian Tire Series victory at Mosport, Fitzpatrick collects $1,500 from
Mobil 1 for his effort. He also has wins at SunValley Speedway and Grand
Prix Edmonton to his credit.
 
Mopar Fast Five: This program awards the top five finishing Dodges in the
race. In the Dickies 200, D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol/NPP Dodge)
finished second and thus earned a $2,000 bonus as the top-finishing Dodge.
Scott Steckly (No. 22 Tow Truck in a Box/Erb Group Dodge) finished fourth
overall and was the second-highest finishing Dodge, which earned him
$1,250. Picking up $1,000 for finishing as the third-highest Dodge was
Bourque. Collecting $500 for placing fourth among the Dodge entrants was
Doug Brown (No. 10 Haldex Dodge). Rounding out the top five Dodges was
Derek Lynch (No. 77 Allied Steel Buildings/Canadian Shield Dodge), which
pays him $250.
 
POWERade Power Move: Kennington improved his position the most over the
course of the event. After starting 27th on the grid, he charged through
the field en route to his runner-up finish. As a result, he earned a $1,000
award.
 
Tow Truck in a Box Free Pass Award: In a new program in 2008, the driver
who receives a free pass during the event and has the highest finish earns
$1,000. Bourque was caught a lap down early in the event, but rebounded for
a top-10 finish.
 
NASCAR Home Tracks: Late Models Rule The Roost At Barrie
 
Barrie Speedway, in its second season as part of the NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series, has long been a proving ground for late model racing
in Ontario.
 
The Classic Pro Tube Late Models are the premier division. Barrie's current
.333-mile tri-oval configuration provides the heart-pounding door-to-door
racing fans crave and the opportunity to race hard the competitors love.
 
The 2007 track and Ontario provincial champion, Dwayne Baker, held off
Keith McLeod for the title. The two battled all season long, but Baker was
able to claim a slim 18-point advantage at season's end.
 
This season has been more of the same in the late model division. The lead
has gone back and forth with Baker currently out front by 21 points. Both
have a pair of early season wins, but McLeod holds an edge in top-five and
top-10 finishes.
 
They are not alone atop the standings, though. Gord Shepherd and Dave Lewis
are well within striking distance of the 2008 prize and a trip to Las Vegas
in November for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banquet, at which all
state and provincial champions will be honored.
 
Current NASCAR Canadian Tire Series standouts Mark Dilley and John Gaunt
both have Barrie Speedway titles on their resume.
 
The track also races Thunder Car, Pure Stock and Charger classifications
under the NASCAR banner.
 
The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series serves as the foundation of NASCAR --
grassroots racing across the United States and Canada. Whelen Engineering,
a leading manufacturer of automotive, aviation, industrial and emergency
vehicle lighting, is the series sponsor. More than 10,000 drivers compete
at NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks throughout both countries.
 
The short-track racing program in NASCAR was founded in 1982. Since its
inception, the series has been a successful starting point for the careers
of many top drivers. NASCAR stars Greg Biffle, Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Kurt
and Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kevin
Harvick, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte, Jamie McMurray and Brian Vickers all
began their careers in this series.
 
##MMR 2.61#.  (copied MP MMR 2.61#, was  6-29-08 #AS:E01/001 Stock Car
Racing - NASCAR, etc.#) 


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