July 25, 2012. Saskatoon, Sask. – Jarrad Whissell made big strides behind the wheel of his #44 Komatsu/SMS Ford on Wednesday at the Auto Clearing Motor Speedway despite his limited experience driving oval tracks and mechanical issues halting his qualifying laps.
The first practice session uncovered a problem with the upper control arm, but after making the repairs, Whissell and his crew were reasonably pleased with the times they were recording. However mechanical troubles plagued them again, as the #44 Komatsu/SMS Ford never completed a qualifying lap due to suspension issues again in the right front.
“The problem we had with the bracket in practice caused a failure during our qualifying run, and we broke the sway bar link,” Whissell said. “The guys did a great job to make the repairs and overcome the problem to get the car ready for the race.”
Whissell’s inability to qualify landed him at the back of the field for the main event later that day.
#44 took it easy in the early going of the race as he struggled to collect spots and pass his tough competitors. The long stretch of green and Whissell’s strained passing opportunities caused him to lose a lap early on.
Whissell’s car again showed some instability, when around the lap 80 it began to push. #44 forged on, making his scheduled stop for fuel and handling adjustments. On his second schedule stop, this time for tires, there was a miscue in the pits and Whissell fell behind another lap.
Luckily for #44 and his crew, the Komatsu/SMS Ford ran fast during the end of the race and made up for lost time. Despite losing two laps and the various mechanical issues that sprung up, #44 prevailed and made efforts to finish as strong as possible. Whissell crossed the finish line 11th, up 11 spots from his dead last, 22nd place start.
Jarrad Whissell will race next in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event during the NASCAR Nationwide weekend in Montreal August 17 & 18. Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com You can also follow Jarrad on twitter, @JarradWhissell and also check out the team fan page on Facebook. Fans can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.
