J.R. Fitzpatrick earns his first CASCAR Super Series checkered flag in the
MOPAR Canada Day 300 at Barrie Speedway

BARRIE, ON - On a several occasions during the past few seasons, you got the
feeling that it was only a matter of time before J.R. Fitzpatrick would win
his first CASCAR Super Series race. On Sunday afternoon at Barrie Speedway,
the talented youngster guided his #84 Milwaukee Tools Chevy to victory in the
MOPAR Canada Day 300 presented by the Dodge Dealers of Ontario, confirming
that he is a serious contender on Canada's top stock car tour.

The Ayr, ON resident lined up fourth on the grid for the third race of the
season and cruised comfortably in fourth-place for most of the race before
being the beneficiary of some late-race chaos that eliminated the three
drivers in front of him within the final five laps of 300-lap race.

During a late-race restart, on lap 295, Fitzpatrick's teammate Don Thomson
Jr. was in the lead, in front of DJ Kennington and Mark Dilley. Moments after
taking the green flag, Kennington got into the back of Thomson, sending him
sideways and into the wall on the backstraight of the 1/3-mile tri-oval
speedway. Thomson, the five-time and current National champion was done for
the day. And so, it turned out, was Kennington, who was black-flagged by
CASCAR officials for causing the incident. That left Dilley in the lead, in
front of J.R. Fitzpatrick and Ron Beauchamp Jr.

Moments later, Dilley's Dodge-sponsored Charger was pushed high into the
second groove, opening the way for Fitzpatrick to jump into the lead with
just two laps to go. From there, he maintained his position in front of
Beauchamp's MOPAR Dodge Charger and came home less than one second in front
of the Windsor, ON driver. Three-time Super Series National champ Dave
Whitlock celebrated his 40th birthday in style by finishing third in the
MOPAR Canada Day 300, in his NTN Bower / NMT Dodge Charger.

In addition to Thomson (Home Hardware Chevy), who was scored in 10th-place in
the final results, several other championship front-runners had difficulty at
Barrie Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Former points leader Kerry Micks
(Canadian Detailing Services / Trailers by Jim Bray Ford Taurus) had
transmission woes and finished 20th. Two-time National champion and 2005
championship runner-up Peter Gibbons was involved in a crash that sidelines
his Canadian Tire Chevy on lap 151; leaving him in 18th-place at the end.

Following three events, J.R. Fitzpatrick leads the Super Series points by
just eight points over Milverton, ON's Scott Steckly (542 to 534). NAPA /
Autopro Chevy driver Doug Brown is in third with 513 markers. In Sunday's
race, Brown repeated his fourth-place performance from the season opener at
Barrie, in May, to equal his best-ever result in Super Series action.

After contesting the first three races of the season in Ontario, the CASCAR
Super Series will head west for a two-race swing through B.C. and Alberta. On
July 15 & 16, the tour will visit Sun Valley Motor Speedway in Vernon, BC.
The following week (July 21-23) CASCAR will make its return to Alberta for
the G.P. of Edmonton ChampCar weekend.

CASCAR ON TV: Catch the MOPAR Canada Day 300 presented by the Dodge Dealers
of Ontario from Barrie Speedway on Saturday, July 15 on SPORTSNET. For
information regarding initial airings and replays of Super Series races,
please check your local listings or visit
www.cascar.ca/schedule/tv_schedule.html.

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