Kennington Survives and Wins Mopar 300
BARRIE, Ontario (July 2, 2007) – It was short-track racing at its best as D.J. Kennington gutted out a grueling 300 laps Sunday evening on the 1/3-mile tri-oval at Barrie Speedway in a race that featured 13 lead changes among six drivers. Most of those lead changes involved Kennington and eventual third-place finisher Don Thomson Jr.
For much of the race, the outside was the place to be on the two-groove track. Therefore, virtually every restart produced a new leader with the second-pace car having the preferred line. NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio rules mandate double-file restarts with lead lap cars at the front of the field like the initial start of the race.
“The double-file restarts are taking some getting used to,” said Kennington. “You’re not racing one or two cars; you’re racing four or five or six.”
Second-place finisher Mark Dilley echoed the thoughts of Kennington on the double-file restarts.
“Those things are crazy,” said the Barrie native. “It makes it pretty hectic out there.”
The race was slowed 16 times for caution, but that did not disappoint the capacity crowd since the result was another exciting restart. Factor that in with the small size of the track leading to lapped traffic in fairly short order and it was a fan-friendly race. There was racing all around the track with every driver fighting for the last inch.
Kennington, racing out of St. Thomas, Ontario, battled Thomson for well more than 80 laps for the race lead over the final half of the race. The two were either door to door or nose to tail and exchanged the lead six times over the span. It was not until the final two restarts of the night that the leader, having the inside position, was able to fend off the second-place car on the outside. Kennington was able to get the nose of the No. 17 Castrol Dodge into turns one and two before Thomson in his No. 4 Home Hardware Chevrolet could sweep in from the outside and gain the advantage.
Thomson, a resident of Ayr, Ontario, ultimately surrendered the second spot very late in the race to pole sitter Dilley, who trailed Kennington to the finish line by 1.126 seconds. It was Dilley’s third top-10 finish of the season in his No. 9 Dodge-sponsored Avenger.
“That was some of the most fun racing I have ever done in my life,” said Kennington of his long battle with Thomson. “(Thomson) is such a great racer. It was an awesome time.”
Finishing fourth was Kerry Mix in the No. 02 Beyond Digital Imaging Ford Taurus followed by Andrew Ranger in fifth. Both Mix and Ranger overcame poor qualifying performances to notch a top-five finish after starting the race in 17th and 16th positions, respectively.
It was the first visit to the bullring of a track for Ranger, a former competitor in the CHAMP Car Series. He also came into the race as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship points leader. It was certainly a different style of racing than what he was used to and, possibly as a result, he got lapped early in the event. However, he did earn his way back on to the lead lap as the beneficiary on the lap 130 restart. The beneficiary car gets to earn back a lap by being the first car a lap or more down at the time of a caution period. Ranger took full advantage of that opportunity and drove his No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford Fusion to the front of the pack from there for the top-five finish.
Ron Beauchamp Jr., John Gaunt, Joey McColm, Jim Lapcevich and Derek Lynch rounded out the top 10.
The already tight championship point standings got even closer. Now, Ranger shares the lead with Dilley with Peter Gibbons, Beauchamp and Thomson all lurking less than 50 points away. Kennington has overcome a last-place finish in the season opener due to a mechanical problem and now sits in sixth position just 56 points off the pace set by Ranger and Dilley.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio heads west for its next event, the British Columbia Dodge Dealers Avenger 300, on July 14-15 at Sun Valley Speedway in Vernon, B.C. That race will be followed up the very next week with a road course event as part of the big Grand Prix Edmonton weekend in Alberta.
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO-Mopar 300
OFFICIAL Results
Sunday
At Barrie Speedway
Barrie, Ontario
Lap length: 0.333 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ontario, Dodge, 300 laps, 49.791 mph, $7,360.
2. (1) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ontario, Dodge, 300, $6,180.
3. (4) Don Thomson, Ayr, Ontario, Chevrolet, 300, $3,040.
4. (17) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ontario, Ford, 300, $2,620.
5. (16) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Quebec, Ford, 300, $2,100.
6. (3) Ron Beauchamp, Windsor, Ontario, Dodge, 300, $2,895.
7. (15) John Gaunt, Barrie, Ontario, Dodge, 300, $2,295.
8. (20) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ontario, Dodge, 300, $2,005.
9. (12) Jim Lapcevich, Caistor Centre, Ontario, Chevrolet, 300, $1,675.
10. (19) Derek Lynch, Warksworth, Ontario, Dodge, 300, $1,615.
11. (
Ron Van Es, Stoney Creek, Ontario, Chevrolet, 300, $1,375.
12. (18) Kent Nuhn, Williamsford, Ontario, Pontiac, 300, $1,290.
13. (11) Brad Graham, Glencoe, Ontario, Dodge, 299, $1,230.
14. (14) Peter Gibbons, Stouffville, Ontario, Chevrolet, 299, $1,190.
15. (7) Dave Whitlock, Petrolia, Ontario, Dodge, 299, $1,130.
16. (13) Jason Hathaway, Appin, Ontario, Dodge, 298, $1,090.
17. (6) Doug Brown, Brantford, Ontario, Dodge, 297, $1,050.
18. (10) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ontario, Chevrolet, 253, $1,010.
19. (5) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ontario, Dodge, 151, motor, $970.
20. (9) Bob Merrifield, Belle River, Ontario, Dodge, 110, radiator, $930.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 2 hours 0 minutes 23 seconds
Margin of Victory: 1.126 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: M.Dilley (85.819 mph, 13.969 seconds)
Caution Flags: 16 for 101 laps.
Lead Changes: 13 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D.Kennington 1-72; M.Dilley 73-82; D.Kennington 83; M.Dilley 84-153;
J.Hathaway 154; P.Gibbons 155-170; J.Gaunt 171-172; D.Kennington 173-193; D.Thomson 194-208; D.Kennington 209-221; D.Thomson 222-239; D.Kennington 240-283; D.Thomson 284-286; D.Kennington 287-300.
Standings: 1. A.Ranger, 500; 2. M.Dilley, 500; 3. P.Gibbons, 456; 4. R.Beauchamp, 455; 5. D.Thomson, 451; 6. D.Kennington, 444; 7. J.Gaunt, 428; 8. D.Lynch, 427; 9. J.Fitzpatrick, 413; 10. K.Micks, 399.
NASCAR Race Number 3
Unofficial Race Results For The Mopar 300 - 07/01/2007
Barrie Speedway - Barrie, Ontario - 0.333-mile paved tri-oval
Total Race Length 159 K - 300L - 99 M Purse: $70,894
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Total Award Status
1 2 17 D.J. Kennington Castrol Dodge 300 190 10 $7,360 Running
2 1 9 Mark Dilley Dodge/Wild Wing Dodge 300 175 5 6,180 Running
3 4 4 Don Thomson Home Hardware Chevrolet 300 170 5 3,040 Running
4 17 02 Kerry Micks Beyond Digital Imaging Ford 300 160 2,620 Running
5 16 27 Andrew Ranger Wal-Mart/Tide Ford 300 155 2,100 Running
6 3 60 Ron Beauchamp Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge 300 150 2,895 Running
7 15 12 John Gaunt Centennial Chrysler Dodge 300 151 5 2,295 Running
8 20 50 Joey McColm ATTO Dodge 300 142 2,005 Running
9 12 25 Jim Lapcevich Tim Hortons/Emcea Transport Chevrolet 300 138 1,675 Running
10 19 77 Derek Lynch Canadian Shield Dodge 300 134 1,615 Running
11 8 11 Ron Van Es Van Es Motorsports Chevrolet 300 130 1,375 Running
12 18 09 Kent Nuhn Fuel Genie/Nuhn's Auto Recylers Pontiac 300 127 1,290 Running
13 11 19 Brad Graham Full Throttle/Challenger Dodge 299 124 1,230 Running
14 14 1 Peter Gibbons Canadian Tire/Mastercraft Chevrolet 299 126 5 1,190 Running
15 7 39 Dave Whitlock Dickies/Hamilton Tiger-Cats Dodge 299 118 1,130 Running
16 13 3 Jason Hathaway Snap-on Tools Dodge 298 120 5 1,090 Running
17 6 10 Doug Brown Haldex/NAPA Dodge 297 112 1,050 Running
18 10 84 J.R. Fitzpatrick Milwaukee Electric Tools Chevrolet 253 109 1,010 Running
19 5 22 Scott Steckly Erb Transport Dodge 151 106 970 Motor
20 9 43 Bob Merrifield Brimar Homes/RE/Max Dodge 110 103 930 Radiator
Fastest Qualifier: Mark Dilley, Time: 13.969 Seconds, Speed: 85.819 MPH
Time of Race:2 hrs., 0 mins, 23 secs
Average Speed: 49.791 mph
Margin of Victory:1.126 Seconds
BUD POLE AWARD: Mark Dilley, 9 Dodge/Wild Wing Dodge
MOBIL 1 "COMMAND PERFORMANCE OF THE RACE" AWARD: D.J. Kennington, 17 Castrol Dodge
MOPAR FAST FIVE AWARD - 1ST PLACE: D.J. Kennington, 17 Castrol Dodge
MOPAR FAST FIVE AWARD - 2ND PLACE: Mark Dilley, 9 Dodge/Wild Wing Dodge
MOPAR FAST FIVE AWARD - 3RD PLACE: Ron Beauchamp, 60 Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge
MOPAR FAST FIVE AWARD - 4TH PLACE: John Gaunt, 12 Centennial Chrysler Dodge
MOPAR FAST FIVE AWARD - 5TH PLACE: Joey McColm, 50 ATTO Dodge
Caution Flags: Laps 39-47; 67-72; 77-82; 86-92; 96-99; 114-118; 124-130; 154-158; 168-172; 186-193; 196-202; 203-208; 216-220; 230-236; 260-265;
278-285. 16 for 101 laps.
Lap Leaders: D.J. Kennington 1-72, Mark Dilley 73-82, D.J. Kennington 83, Mark Dilley 84-153, Jason Hathaway 154, Peter Gibbons 155-170, John
Gaunt 171-172, D.J. Kennington 173-193, Don Thomson 194-208, D.J. Kennington 209-221, Don Thomson 222-239, D.J. Kennington
240-283, Don Thomson 284-286, D.J. Kennington 287-300.
Total Laps Led: D.J. Kennington 165, Mark Dilley 80, Don Thomson 36, Peter Gibbons 16, John Gaunt 2, Jason Hathaway 1. 13 changes involving 6
drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: Andrew Ranger 500, Mark Dilley 500, Peter Gibbons 456, Ron Beauchamp 455, Don Thomson 451, D.J. Kennington 444, John
Gaunt 428, Derek Lynch 427, J.R. Fitzpatrick 413, Kerry Micks 399
Next Race:7/15 at Sun Valley Speedway (Vernon, B.C.)
Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=6253.msg26586#msg26586
