D.J. Kennington scores fifth straight NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victory in a row in Saskatoon
[media-credit name=”Perry Nelson” align=”alignright” width=”350″]
[/media-credit]When a driver gets on a roll, it’s sometimes hard to get them off of that streak. That could be said for D.J. Kennington as he won the Velocity Prarie Thunder presented by Bayer Crop Science for his fifth straight NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobile 1 victory in a row.
The win at Auto Clearing Speedway for Kennington extends the series record for consecutive victories and puts him atop the list of career series victories, with 16. Kennington also becomes the first driver to multiple-times on the 0.333 mile oval after scoring the victory in 2010.
Kennington would gain the lead from Jason Hathaway on a lap 195 restart when Hathaway ran into mechanical problems. He then hold off Mark Dilley for the win, despite contact between the pair in turn three on the last lap.
Dilley finished second for his second top five of 2012 in four starts while J.R. Fitzpatrick finished third for his fifth top five finish of the season. Defending series champion Scott Steckly finished fourth wit Ron Beauchamp Jr. rounded out the top five.
Jim White finished sixth, followed by Andrew Ranger, L.P. Dumoulin, Nick Jewell and Martin Roy.
Kennington now leads the point standings 41 points over Steckly while Ranger sits third, followed by Fitzpatrick and Hathaway.
The Velocity Prairie Thunder presented by Bayer Crop Science will be telecast by TSN2 on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET and RDS2 on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The next event for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 will be the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres (Que.) on Aug. 3-5.
| Fin | Str | Car | Driver | Team | Laps | Points | B/Points | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 17 | D.J. Kennington | Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge | 250 | 47 | 4 | Running |
| 2 | 2 | 02 | Mark Dilley | Leland/BDI/PartSource Ford | 250 | 42 | Running | |
| 3 | 1 | 84 | J.R. Fitzpatrick | Equipment Express Chevrolet | 250 | 43 | 2 | Running |
| 4 | 7 | 22 | Scott Steckly | Canadian Tire Dodge | 250 | 41 | 1 | Running |
| 5 | 12 | 24 | Jim White | AW Millwrights/New Life Feeds Dodge | 250 | 39 | Running | |
| 6 | 8 | 27 | Andrew Ranger | Pizza 73/GC Motorsports Dodge | 250 | 38 | Running | |
| 7 | 11 | 47 | L.P. Dumoulin | WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge | 250 | 37 | Running | |
| 8 | 6 | 60 | Ron Beauchamp, Jr. | Mopar/Exide/Mobil 1 Dodge | 250 | 36 | Running | |
| 9 | 14 | 51 | Nick Jewell * | Prairie Dodge Dealers/Sikkens Dodge | 249 | 35 | Running | |
| 10 | 3 | 90 | Martin Roy * | Veloce/Battery Expert Dodge | 248 | 34 | Running | |
| 11 | 22 | 44 | Jarrad Whissell | SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford | 246 | 33 | Running | |
| 12 | 16 | 11 | Mike Scholz * | Jiffy Car Wash/Watchfinder.ca Chevrolet | 245 | 32 | Running | |
| 13 | 17 | 09 | Ryley Seibert * | Lake Excavating Ford | 245 | 31 | Running | |
| 14 | 13 | 46 | Dan Shirley * | Saskatoon Co-op/Turtle Wax Chevrolet | 245 | 30 | Running | |
| 15 | 15 | 33 | Bob De Lorme * | Deerfoot Mechanical Chevrolet | 244 | 29 | Running | |
| 16 | 18 | 5 | Noel Dowler | EMCO-Kohler/Rheem Dodge | 243 | 28 | Running | |
| 17 | 21 | 49 | Jason Hankewich * | Hankewich Motorsports Dodge | 243 | 27 | Running | |
| 18 | 4 | 48 | Nathan Weenk | Mid West Combustion Chevrolet | 238 | 26 | Running | |
| 19 | 19 | 14 | James Van Domselaar | Steel-Craft Door Products Chevrolet | 231 | 25 | Running | |
| 20 | 20 | 21 | Jason White | A&W/Bower&Wilkins Dodge | 214 | 24 | Running | |
| 21 | 9 | 3 | Jason Hathaway | Snap-on Tools/Rockstar/Vortex Dodge | 195 | 24 | 1 | Suspension |
| 22 | 10 | 69 | Trevor Seibert | Lake Excavating Dodge | 148 | 22 | Engine |
Is James Buescher the Next BIG Thing?
[media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”329″]
[/media-credit]In his third full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, James Buescher has taken the series and NASCAR by storm.
After going winless in his first two seasons in the series, James has broke out in a BIG way in 2012, posting a series high three wins to go along with five top fives and six top 10’s in 10 races this season.
James’ success isn’t limited to the Camping World Truck Series in 2012. As you may recall, James won the season opening Drive4COPD 300 after a multi-car wreck coming off turn four on the last lap opened the door for him to take the victory. Had Buescher decided to run a full Nationwide Series season in 2012, he would be without a question in the top10 in points as he has posted one win, two top fives, and seven top 10’s in 14 starts.
Regardless of what the outcome of the 2012 NCWTS championship is, you can be rest assured there will be several teams gunning for the 22-year-old Plano, Texas native. The question is will Buescher stay in the truck series next season in the No. 31 for Turner Motorsports or will he move up to the Nationwide Series full time in 2013 for Turner Motorsports?
One thing is for certain – he has a definite career in the Sprint Cup Series in the very near future. I have been listening to race fans nationwide this season and a lot of them are comparing Buescher to two multi-time Cup Series champions, namely Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Awfully high praise for anyone to live up to especially a 22-year-old who is unquestionably having the best season of his career.
With the future of the sport rapidly changing in the very near future and with all the new young talent making their way eventually up to the Sprint Cup level, my money is on this 22-year-old from Deep in the Heart of Texas to make the biggest impact of them all. NASCAR fans take notice – James Buescher is here and is here for a very long time.
J.R. Fitzpatrick wins pole for Velocity Prarie Thunder presented by Bayer Crop Science in Saskatoon
[media-credit name=”Perry Nelson/NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”350″]
[/media-credit]For the second time this year, J.R. Fitzpatrick will lead the field to the green flag. The first time was earlier this year in June after qualifying was rained out at Circuit ICAR. The second time will be later tonight after he won the pole with a new track record for the Velocity Prarie Thunder presented by Bayer Crop Science at Auto Clearing Speedway.
The Cambridge, Ontario native drove the .333 mile-oval in 14.655 seconds in his No. 84 Equipment Express Chevrolet. The previous track record was 14.668 seconds, set by D.J. Kennington last year. It marks the eighth pole for Fitzpatrick in 61 starts.
Fitzpatrick had led final practice earlier in the day with a lap of 14.716 seconds. The driver who sits fourth in points is looking for his second win of the year after winning the season opener at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
Mark Dilley was second with a lap of 14.719 seconds after leading the opening practice, followed by Martin Roy and Nathan Weenk. Points leader D.J. Kennington rounded out the top five as he looks for his fifth straight victory in a row in the series.
Ron Beauchamp Jr. qualified sixth, followed by Scott Steckly, Andrew Ranger, Jason Hathaway and Trevor Seibert.
The 250-lap Velocity Prarie Thunder is set to begin Wednesday night at 8:15 p.m. MT.
NCATS Saskatoon 7/25/12 Qualifying
| POS | CAR | DRIVER | TEAM | TIME | SPEED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 84 | J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ont. | Equipment Express Chevrolet | 14.655 | 81.801 |
| 2 | 02 | Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont. | Leland/BDI/PartSource Ford | 14.719 | 81.446 |
| 3 | 90 | Martin Roy, Napierville, Que * | Veloce/Battery Expert Dodge | 14.802 | 80.989 |
| 4 | 48 | Nathan Weenk, Lethbridge, Alta. | Mid West Combustion Chevrolet | 14.809 | 80.951 |
| 5 | 17 | D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont. | Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge | 14.826 | 80.858 |
| 6 | 60 | Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont. | Mopar/Exide/Mobil 1 Dodge | 14.862 | 80.662 |
| 7 | 22 | Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont. | Canadian Tire Dodge | 14.886 | 80.532 |
| 8 | 27 | Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que. | Pizza 73/GC Motorsports Dodge | 14.902 | 80.446 |
| 9 | 3 | Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont. | Snap-on Tools/Rockstar/Vortex Dodge | 14.946 | 80.209 |
| 10 | 69 | Trevor Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C. | Lake Excavating Dodge | 14.972 | 80.069 |
| 11 | 47 | L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que. | WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge | 14.978 | 80.037 |
| 12 | 24 | Jim White, Kamloops, B.C. | AW Millwrights/New Life Feeds Dodge | 15.017 | 79.830 |
| 13 | 46 | Dan Shirley, Saskatoon, Sask. * | Saskatoon Co-op/Turtle Wax Chevrolet | 15.075 | 79.522 |
| 14 | 51 | Nick Jewell, The Pas, Man. * | Prairie Dodge Dealers/Sikkens Dodge | 15.120 | 79.286 |
| 15 | 33 | Bob De Lorme, Calgary, Alta. * | Deerfoot Mechanical Chevrolet | 15.154 | 79.108 |
| 16 | 11 | Mike Scholz, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. * | Jiffy Car Wash/Watchfinder.ca Chevrolet | 15.157 | 79.092 |
| 17 | 09 | Ryley Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C. * | Lake Excavating Ford | 15.228 | 78.723 |
| 18 | 5 | Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta. | EMCO-Kohler/Rheem Dodge | 15.250 | 78.610 |
| 19 | 14 | James Van Domselaar, Ft. Saskatchewan, Alta. | Steel-Craft Door Products Chevrolet | 15.269 | 78.512 |
| 20 | 21 | Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C. | A&W/Bower&Wilkins Dodge | 15.326 | 78.220 |
| 21 | 49 | Jason Hankewich, Kindersley, Sask. * | Hankewich Motorsports Dodge | 15.419 | 77.748 |
| 22 | 44 | Jarrad Whissell, Calgary, Alta. | SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford | No Time |
Nine questions with Joey Gase
[media-credit name=”Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”300″]
[/media-credit]At the beginning of 2012, it was announced that Joey Gase would be running the full 2012 Nationwide Series schedule for Go Green Racing. Gase took some time out of his schedule to answer some questions about his career so far.
How did you make it to this point in NASCAR?
“I made it to this point in my career by staying passionate about it, keep challenging myself and never stop pushing myself, training, never giving up, being friendly, keeping the teams needs that I drive for a priority, working hard to find sponsors, finding people who have faith in me, staying focused, and having my families support.”
Joey what was it like going to Daytona and the nerves racing there?
“Racing at Daytona is just crazy, especially your first couple times on the track. The first time I ever went into turn one it took my breath away! It was just a crazy feeling; it feels like it sucks you right into the corner, way too hard to explain….haha. The thing I was most nerves about was handling the draft. Before the race in February no one really knew what kind of drafting was going to take place, tandem or pack drafting. The only kind of drafting I was able to do in practice was tandem and I was the one being push, luckily for me I had the best in the business pushing me! Dale Jr.! In the race we had tandem and pack drafting. I had a lot of fun in the big packs going three wide and being able to come from the back to the front in almost a lap. The hardest thing was trying to stay patent, if you made big moves and no one went with you, you went straight to the back of the pack and if you weren’t lucky you would even lose the draft.”
Do you feel cup drivers racing in nationwide steal your guy’s spotlight? Or do they add a welcomed challenge?
“I would say they definitely do to a point, I also think they make it harder for us regulars to get a ride with a top team because a lot of the top teams are already taken by cup regulars. I think cup driver should be allowed to do Nationwide races but only a limited number. Like five to ten races a year I think would be a good number.”
What is your reaction to AJ drug test?
“I was very surprised by it, I feel sorry for the guy if he really didn’t take any banded substance, but if he really did take something and knew he was taking it; it’s pretty hard to feel sorry for the guy.”
What is your future looking like?
“I would say my future is looking pretty bright. I’m still young and I’ve been getting a lot of great seat time this year in the Nationwide Series thanks to Go Green Racing and Jimmy Means Racing. I got to keep on the track and keep turning laps and when I can get a great finish.”
What do you have up your sleeve for 2013?
“I don’t have any for sure plans yet for next year, but my goal is to have a full time ride and finish in the top 15 in points in Nationwide.”
What are your thoughts on Indy going to the Brickyard?
“I will not be racing there this year but hopefully next year. Indy is a really special place. I went to the Brickyard almost every year when I was younger. ORP was also a cool track and I wish that was still on the NNS schedule.”
How did you get started and what did you start racing first?
“I’ve been around racing all my life. My dad raced for a long time before I ever did. When I was eight years old I started racing go karts, when I turned 14 I raced an open wheel modified for a year. The next year I moved up to Late Models and have been moving up ever since but I still race Late Models from time to time. In fact I just got a win in my Late Model last Friday a Hawkeye Downs Speedway.”
What was your greatest accomplishment?
“I don’t really know what my biggest accomplishment would be right now, but the top ones would have to be getting fifth in points at New Smyrna Speedway during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing (Speed Weeks) in the Crate Late Models (2009), being the youngest (16) ever to win the track championship at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Late Models (2009), (2011) My first Nationwide Series start at Iowa Speedway and finishing 20th.”
Thanks you Joey for allowing me to interview you!
Kasey Kahne: Chase or bust?
[media-credit name=”Greg Arthur ” align=”alignright” width=”300″]
[/media-credit]It’s quite hard to tell whether Kasey Kahne will make the Chase this year or not. With two wins, it’s fair to say that since joining Hendrick Motorsports this season that Kahne has done better than previous years. As many of you already know, he’s already won at Charlotte and New Hampshire. However, he’s had his fair share of bad luck this season too.
Kahne has been as low as thirty-third in the series point standings this season. Hard to believe, right? It all started during Daytona 500 practice when he wrecked his primary car. He was then tangled up in a wreck during the Daytona 500 itself. From there the bad luck just kept going on and on. Results showed zero top tens in the first six races. Kahne fans were ready to give up Chase hopes! Until we finally hit Texas, when he finally got the top ten he was looking for.
Texas seemed to be a turning point for Kahne. Once he finally got a good finish and the good finishes continued. Getting seven top tens in a row. After that, the bad luck started up again at Pocono and continued on through Sonoma. His next top ten finishes were in Kentucky and Daytona, finishing second and seventh. The week after Daytona, he went on to win what was a very tough race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway holding off a hard charging Denny Hamlin.
The win at New Hampshire gave him two wins on the season and put him in the first wild card spot for the Chase. With his fair share of bad and good luck, everybody has been wondering, can he make it in? He does have a wild card spot right now but there are still seven races left until the Chase cutoff. Anything can happen. Coming off of the win in New Hampshire and the well deserved off-week, I think he could very well continue his momentum all the way to Richmond and maybe even just get in by cracking the top ten.
What do you think will happen with Kasey Kahne? Only time will tell.
