Jason White was thrilled for the inaugural race of the 2013 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday, but the day dealt him a handful of obstacles to tackle behind the wheel of his #21 Bowers & Wilkins Dodge prepared by DJK Racing.
White was feeling confident about his vehicle early in qualifying, the Dodge handled well at a steady pace. However, #21 was caught by surprise as he burned up an electrical line in the vehicle, cutting his session short with smoke under the hood. Despite the electrical malfunction, White still managed to register the second-fastest time in his qualifying group.
#21 lined up for the Vortex Brake Pads 200 in 15th place, and ran solidly through the early going. He established his strategy early on, purposefully pitting only for fuel and reserving his stop for fresh tires later in the race. White moved steadily through the pack, pushing as high as 3rd place.
“What a hotrod we had running up there as high as second for a while,” White said after the race. “We wanted to wait to take tires to keep our momentum strong.”
The contest was shaping up quite well for White towards the end. He made his calculated stop for tires during the late caution period and was in position for a very good finish.
“I think I had the freshest tires and the cautions fell where we needed them to,” he said.
But things went south for #21 quickly, as #47 brake checked the field on a restart and White made significant contact with neighboring vehicles, resulting in damaged body work. #21 was still able to finish the race, soldiering through the remaining laps and finishing the race right where he started – 15th place.
“I don’t know if it was “brain fade or what. It’s disappointing NASCAR didn’t penalize the culprit,” White said later. “It took out some good cars with that move including mine.”
Regardless of the day’s challenges, White says he’s excited to be back behind the wheel and looks forward to the next race, June 15 at Delaware Speedway near London, ON.
To keep up with the latest news about Jason White and the #21 Dodge team check out the team website at www.jasonwhiteracing.com and be sure to follow Jason on twitter for the latest updates @racinjasonwhite You can get more information about the NCATS series atwww.hometracks.nascar.com
