July 15, 2012. Vernon, BC – Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Exide Batteries/Mobil 1 Dodge team shined at the Motoplex Speedway yesterday, setting a new track qualifying record and clocking in with another solid top 10 finish.
#60’s Mopar Parts Dodge kicked off the weekend with an ideal practice session. Beauchamp was the wheelman with the fastest vehicle, qualifying him for pole position. His top finish was a record at the Motoplex Speedway – #60 ran the half mile in 18.446 seconds, or 97.582 MPH.
Beauchamp headed into the race after setting a great tone in practice and lead a lap early to claim a bonus point, settling comfortably in the top five.
“We expected the car to loosen up and it did so I wasn’t too concerned that we dropped a few positions,” Beauchamp explained.
Despite losing a few positions after a strong start, #60 still consistently ran in the top 10 during the remaining laps.
The crew made their scheduled pit stops for service and continued to run with the leaders, once again creeping up into the top five. Beauchamp finally got his wish and felt the Mopar Parts Dodge loosen up after his crew’s hard work during pit stops. Although after the race, Beauchamp offered some retrospective analysis: “Even though we made good adjustments, maybe we should’ve gone a little bit further,” he said.
In the late stages of the contest, Beauchamp was clinging to a spot in the top five and battled to maintain a top position as the handling on his vehicle started to deteriorate. Despite #60’s fierce persistence, he couldn’t hang on to the top five and eventually finished 8th.
I’m proud of scoring the pole with a new track record, great job by the team to give me a good car,” Beauchamp said. “We would have liked hanging on to the top five finish, but it’s another top 10 and we’re gaining momentum.”
Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team will be back in action next weekend as part of the Edmonton Indy weekend. Practice & qualifying will be held Friday & Saturday with the race next Sunday July 22nd. For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on to www.beauchampmotorsports.com and www.mopar.ca
