Sherwood Park, Alberta’s Noel Dowler was happy to put the last race behind them and felt optimistic heading into round number nine of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in Montreal at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The team had a new #5 EMCO Dodge car they were going to race for the first time after Noel’s father Kevin Dowler had driven the car in Edmonton.
The #5 EMCO Dodge team approach to the weekend was to get back to basics and bring the car home with a positive result. The team worked doggedly during practice to ensure the car suited Dowler’s driving style.
Thought qualifying didn’t go as well as they’d hoped Dowler felt confident about the #5 EMCO Dodge. “The car felt very good right from the start of practice” said Dowler. “We didn’t have any issues, we just kept looking to make it a little better” he added.
Dowler would begin the race deep in the field in 30th position and survival was the key in the early stages. “Starting that deep things can be a little hairy sometimes” said Dowler. “I just took it easy and stayed clear of trouble”.
As the race settled in Dowler began moving the #5 EMCO Dodge forward. Even with some drivers being very aggressive he remained calm and continued his progress. When the 100km race was ended Dowler had moved forward 12 positions.
Though not a spectacular finishing result the #5 EMCO Dodge driver was pleased. “The car was fast, we learned a lot and we brought it home in one piece” said Dowler. “Going back to basics helped us. We’ve got that figured out and we can progress from there. I like road racing but there’s still a lot that I have to figure out so I’m looking forward to getting back to the ovals now” he stated.
The 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series gets back in action on Saturday September 8th at Barrie Speedway, located just north of Barrie, ON. The series features 12 events from coast to coast including races during the Edmonton Indy weekend and the NASCAR Nationwide event in Montreal. For more information about Noel Dowler Jr. log onto www.apollomotorsports.ca and follow him on twitter, @noeldowler.
