Kennington Runner-Up To Maintain Canadian Tire Points Lead
Barrie, Ont., Canada (Sept. 8, 2013) – While DJ Kennington and Scott Steckly are locked in a battle for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 championshp, Jason Hathaway played spoiler Sunday by coming away with the win in the Hudco Electric Supply 300 presented by G-Oil.
Hathaway took the lead from Kennington on Lap 284, and the No. 3 Snap on Tools/Rockstar Energy Drink Chevrolet survived a green-white-checkered finish that pushed the race to 303 laps on the .333-mile tri-oval. It was hard earned victory in a physical race that saw 10 lead changes among seven different drivers.
“I don’t think there’s a panel on this thing that doesn’t have a mark,” Hathaway said. “We’re at Barrie Speedway, and if anybody thinks they’re coming out of here with no scratches, they’ve got another thing coming.”
Kennington settled for second in front of JR Fitzpatrick. Scott Steckly, who won the Heluva Good! Pole Award earlier in the day, finished fourth.
Kennington entered the weekend with a three-point lead over Scott Steckly. Due to the physical nature of the event, Kennington made contact with the wall and other cars a number of times as he battled for position. When asked about his racing strategy, Kennington had a simple answer.
“We wanted to win the race pretty bad.” In regards to the championship battle, Kennington then added, “All in all, big picture, it’s going to be a good battle. Scott (Steckly) and I raced pretty hard door-to-door tonight and I think that shows we’re both champions and we’re going to go to Kawartha to battle it out.” Kennington will take a five-point lead over Steckly heading into the season finale in two weeks.
Rookie Alex Guenette finished fifth at Barrrie, followed by Martin Roy, Ryley Seibert, Mark Dilley, Ron Beauchamp Jr., and Joy McColm.
It was the second win of the season and third career victory for the 36-year-old from Dutton, Ont. Hathaway won at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, N.S., in August. Hathaway led a race-high 80 laps – one more than Steckly.
The race was scheduled for Saturday, but persistant rain forced NASCAR officials to move qualifying and the race to Sunday.
The Hudco Electric Supply 300 will air on TSN on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. ET, and on RDS on Friday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship will be decided in the season finale Saturday, Sept. 21 in the Pinty’s 250 at Kawartha Speedway in Peterborough, Ont.
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by MOBIL 1-Hudco Electric Supply 300 presented by G Oil
Unofficial Results
Saturday At Barrie Speedway
Barrie, Ontario
Lap length: 0.333 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (6) Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont., Dodge, 303 laps, 60.049 mph.
2. (3) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 303.
3. (7) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Ayr, Ont., Chevrolet, 303.
4. (1) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 303.
5. (11) Alex Guenette, Terrebonne, Que., Dodge, 303.
6. (10) Martin Roy, Napierville, Que., Dodge, 303.
7. (17) Ryley Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Dodge, 303.
8. (9) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Ford, 303.
9. (5) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 303.
10. (13) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ont., Dodge, 302.
11. (18) Ray Courtemanche Jr., Montreal, Que., Dodge, 297.
12. (14) Dave Connelly, Arnprior, Ont., Dodge, 297.
13. (16) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Dodge, 297.
14. (19) Howie Scannell Jr., Milton, Ont., Dodge, 288.
15. (4) Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont., Dodge, 236, mechanical.
16. (8) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 220.
17. (15) Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta., Dodge, 182, electrical.
18. (12) Hugo Vannini, Repentigny, Que., Ford, 121, rear end.
19. (2) Pete Shepherd III, Brampton, Ont., Dodge, 41, ring gear.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 40 minutes 49 seconds
Margin of Victory: .255 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: S.Steckly (83.558 mph, 14.347 seconds)
Caution Flags: 9 for 71 laps.
Lead Changes: 10 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: S. Steckly 1-79; J. Hathaway 80-88; L. Dumoulin 89-94; J. Hathaway 95-145; D. Kennington 146; J. White 147-152; R. Beauchamp,Jr. 153-154; D. Kennington 155-187; J. Fitzpatrick 188-255; D. Kennington 256-283; J. Hathaway 284-303.
Standings: 1. D. Kennington, 430; 2. S. Steckly, 425; 3. J. Hathaway, 408; 4. L. Dumoulin, 395; 5. J. Fitzpatrick, 391; 6. M. Roy, 390; 7. J. White, 343; 8. A. Guenette, 341; 9. N. Dowler, 340; 10. R. Beauchamp,Jr., 338.
