June 28, 2026. DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Dodge entered Saturday night’s NASCAR Canada Series event at Riverside International Speedway with high expectations, but an early mechanical issue turned a promising night into a battle of survival.
Kennington arrived at the high-banked 1/3-mile oval with plenty of confidence and showed plenty of speed during practice. The St. Thomas, Ontario driver has a proven record at Riverside, including a victory in the 2025 event and a total of three career wins at the demanding Nova Scotia track.
Rain forced the cancellation of qualifying, with the starting lineup set by practice times. The strong pace of the #17 Castrol Dodge earned Kennington a sixth-place starting position for the 300-lap feature.
Trouble struck almost immediately after the green flag waved. The left-front tire began rubbing against the bodywork, creating an issue that threatened the team’s entire night. Despite the problem, Kennington maintained impressive pace and proved the Castrol Dodge was capable of running with the leaders.
Eventually, the tire rub caused damage and forced Kennington to bring the car to pit road for an unscheduled tire change. The crew quickly replaced the tire and corrected the bodywork issue, but the lengthy repair dropped the team several laps behind the leaders.
With the damage limiting their opportunity to recover, Kennington continued to push hard for the remainder of the race. The veteran driver remained as fast as the front-running cars throughout the event and methodically fought to gain every possible position.
When the checkered flag flew, Kennington crossed the finish line in tenth place, a hard-earned result after facing adversity from the opening lap.
“Obviously it wasn’t the night we were hoping for,” said Kennington. “The Castrol Dodge had really good speed all weekend, and that’s what makes it frustrating. We had a car that could run up front, but the tire issue right at the start put us behind immediately. The crew did a great job fixing the problem and keeping us going, and we were able to salvage a top ten finish.”
Next up:
DJ Kennington and the Castrol Dodge team head to the Autodrome Montmagny in Montmagny, Quebec for a doubleheader event on Saturday July 4th.
TV & Live Streaming
Race fans can watch a replay of the Pinty’s 300 on TSN. Date and time TBD.
Follow DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team on their official social media platforms:
Instagram www.instagram.com/djkracing
Twitter www.twitter.com/@djkracing
Website www.djkracing.ca
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DJKenningtonRacing/
