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NCAT: Scott Steckly To Start Pole After Qualifying Rained Out at Circuit ICAR

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”Matthew Manor” align=”alignright” width=”350″][/media-credit]After a persistant rain throughout the day, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series made the choice to cancel qualifying for Sunday’s ICAR Lucas Oil Grand Prix presented by Budweiser at Circuit ICAR. The decision was made as due to the wet, rainy conditions, there was a possibility for unequal track conditions throughout the season.

As a result, the race lineup is set by last year’s points, as per the rule book, handing defending series champion Scott Steckly the pole. Steckly finished third last week while J.R. Fitzpatrick won with D.J. Kennington second. Kennington will start second alongside Steckly in second at Circuit ICAR while Fitzpatrick starts third. Kerry Micks and Ron Beauchamp Jr. round out the top five.

A pair of practice sessions were held earlier in the day, with rookie Elie Arsenau posting the fastest lap in the rain at 60.168mph. He will start the race 27th.

Louis-Philippe Dumoulin was second fastest at 59.957 mph followed by Micks at 59.657 mph. Andrew Ranger (59.588 mph) and Steckly (59.544 mph) completed the top five.

Defending race champion Robin Buck suffered damage in practice after hitting the turn seven tire wall, is slated to start the race from 15th after finishing practice in sixth.

The race is scheduled to take the green flag on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. ET.

 

NCATS ICAR 6/3/12 Race Lineup

POS CAR DRIVER TEAM
ROW 1
1 22 Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont. Canadian Tire Dodge
2 17 D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont. Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge
ROW 2
3 84 J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ont. Equipment Express Chevrolet
4 02 Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont. Leland/BDI/PartSource Ford
ROW 3
5 60 Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont. Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge
6 21 Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C. A&W/Bower&Wilkins Dodge
ROW 4
7 3 Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont. Snap-on Tools/Vortex Brake Pads Dodge
8 55 Dexter Stacey, Kahnawake, Que. WJS Motorsports Dodge
ROW 5
9 23 Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont. Tim Hortons Dodge
10 5 Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta. EMCO-Kohler/Rheem Dodge
ROW 6
11 07 Isabelle Tremblay, St. Hippolyte, Que. Frank Lyman Design Dodge
12 47 Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que. WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge
ROW 7
13 99 Steve Cote, Ile Bizard, Que * White Motorsports Chevrolet
14 97 Hugo Vannini, Repentigny, Que. VTI Motorsports Ford
ROW 8
15 66 Robin Buck, Campbellville, Ont. Quaker State Dodge
16 27 Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que. Dodge/GC Motorsports Dodge
ROW 9
17 56 Howie Scannell Jr., Milton, Ont. Trailers by Jim Bray Dodge
18 10 Derek White, Kahnawake, Que. Burger Barn Chevrolet
ROW 10
19 94 Dave Coursol, St. Jerome, Que. * Carquest Canada Dodge
20 81 Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont. * B&B Decals/Speedy Auto Service Dodge
ROW 11
21 90 Martin Roy, Napierville, Que * Veloce/Gamache Truck Center Dodge
22 44 Jarrad Whissell, Calgary, Alta. SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford
ROW 12
23 11 Mike Scholz, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. * Jiffy Car Wash/Watchfinder.ca Chevrolet
24 29 Ray Courtemanche Jr., Montreal, Que. * Construction Danam Bonzai Dodge
ROW 13
25 36 Alex Labbe, St. Albert, Que. * VR Victoriaville Dodge
26 04 J.F. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que. ACASS/Bellemare/Marac Dodge
ROW 14
27 03 Elie Arseneau, Laval, Que. * Prime Racing/Circuit ICAR Chevrolet
28 82 Dave Connelly, Arnprior, Ont. Schneider’s/Metro Dodge
ROW 15
29 85 Michel Pilon, Blainville, Que. Aquacoupe Technologie Chevrolet

* Rookie of the Year contender

TMone, Now Hiring, Hits the Monster Mile with Tommy Baldwin Racing

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SM Archive
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Landon Cassill All About Improvement

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”125″][/media-credit]Landon Cassill, driver of the No. 83 BK Racing Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota, is all about improvement having come off his best finish of the season last week in Charlotte. The team started 18th and finished 18th, starting and finishing inside the top-20 for the first time ever.

“It’s really big for us,” Cassill said. “To run in the top-25 is great for us, but to run in the top-20 is even better.”

“We like that, we keep trying to learn from it, and just keep doing it and being consistent.”

Cassill credits his team as the cause for the improvement as they begin to gel and understand one another. He especially credits the upswing in performance to crew chief Doug Richert.

“We’re a new team, so everybody is learning their place,” Cassill said. “The pit crew has been getting better and the cars have been getting better.”

“Doug (Richert) is knowing what to do with the car now that he is familiar with it and I’m learning my guys better,” Cassill continued. “That’s all a part of how it works.”

“We are working really well together,” Cassill said of his crew chief. “He’s got a positive attitude like I do and we seem to communicate really well on things.”

“So, I’m enjoying it,” Cassill continued. “I think that has a lot to do with our improvement and our success so far.”

Cassill also credits some of the improvement to his versatility and ability to adjust to new teams. But a big factor for improvement, according to the young driver, is his years of experience at Hendrick Motorsports.

“I’m kind of used to it lately because I haven’t had as solid of a ride,” Cassill said of his team changes. “So, it’s something I’ve been a little bit used to, but it’s my first time learning how to build at team.”

“ I’m really proud to be a part of that and really focused on hoping that people can see that I’m capable of being a progressive driver who can build things and be a positive addition to a race team.”

“I’ve also got five years of experience testing with Hendrick Motorsports and working with the 48 team,” Cassill said. “So, that’s where I’ve learned a lot about this sport.”

“I’m not anything special but I’ve absorbed what I’ve learned,” Cassill continued. “I try to apply a lot of those fundamentals to the team that I’m on and there’s a lot of experience over here that applies to that.”

“We’re all coming together.”

Cassill credits one other factor, his physical conditioning, for his improvements so far in the season and his hopeful improvements at Dover. He also credits his mental focus with the upswing in his performance.

“When I’m home, I work out and prepare for the next week and get focused for my job,” Cassill said. “We are professional athletes, so there’s an absolute requirement for strength and conditioning.”

“I don’t think for a second that you could be out of shape and do this,” Cassill continued. “I do a cross fit type training and I work out for about an hour and a half every day.”

“I’ve got a trainer from Iowa and he sends me work outs,” Cassill said. “Him and I communicate daily on the workouts.”

“I have a gym where I live and a full gym at home and I spend a lot of time there.”

“The mental training is something that I’ve dabbled in but mental strength comes naturally,” Cassill said. “It’s something that I feel really confident in, probably more than even my physical strength.”

“I’m pretty competitive so when it comes down to it, you do whatever it takes.”

Another important component of Cassill’s on track performance improvement is his relationship with his teammate Travis Kvapil.

“Travis is a great teammate,” Cassill said. “He’s a good driver and a really good guy.”

“He’s good to work with, gives good feedback and knows what he is talking about because he is familiar with these cars,” Cassill continued. “I’ve learned a lot working with him.”

“I think all four of us, both crew chiefs and both drivers, are very compatible,” Cassill said. “We all communicate very well.”

Cassill is definitely looking for improvement at Dover in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks. But he acknowledged that the mile track really can be a monster, demanding constant focus and attention.

Cassill has three Cup starts at the Monster Mile, with his best finish of 30th.

“Dover is one of the most fun race tracks,” Cassill said. “It’s a good one and I have a lot of laps here.”

“You’ve just got to be there all day and outlast the competitors,” Cassill continued. “You’ve got to race the race track for a long time.”

“I’d really like to see us running 25th or better,” Cassill said. “I think that’s a realistic expectation. Another top-20 finish would be phenomenal.”

STRONG START, TOUGH FINISH FOR RON HORNADAY AT DOVER

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SM Archive
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MONSTER SIZE DAY FOR MAX GRESHAM AT DOVER

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SM Archive
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Toyota NNS Dover Post-Race Notes & Quotes

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SM Archive
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Speed Takes on Miles to Fight Two Causes and That Speaks Volumes

By
Melissa Wright
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Photo by David Yeazell for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Go Green Racing is making its third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start of the season this weekend. (Tim Andrews made the debut) with Scott Speed who will be piloting the No. 79 Ford Fusion Sunday afternoon at Dover International Raceway.

This weekend while at Dover, the team announced that Koma Unwind and “Team Kyle” will be the primary sponsors with a special paint scheme on board.

The special paint scheme is to honor seven-year-old Kyle, of St. Clair of Scarborough, ME. He [Kyle] was born seven weeks early, suffers from a lung disease; and he has severe immobility.

“My association with the ‘Team Kyle’ program means a lot to me. It puts things in total perspective and I am looking forward to putting a smile on Kyle’s face by having a good run here in Dover this weekend.” -Scott Speed

Kyle has had over forty-five surgeries and, has spent much of his life in hospitals. His family has recently been able to bring Kyle home using hospice care.

Prior to the Darlington race, Go Green Racing team owner, Archie St Hilaire met Kyle and said, “I had the chance to meet Kyle and his family a couple of weeks back and he is truly an amazing boy. The strength and love he has is contagious. I hope we can get our car into the race and put on a good show for Kyle.”

Go Green Racing and “Team Kyle” are also encouraging fans to show their support for Kyle by following “Team Kyle” on his Facebook page: http://ow.ly/bjK05

Fox will air the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks on Sunday, June 3rd at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Can Hendrick Motorsports Be Stopped At This Point?

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit id=38 align=”alignright” width=”236″][/media-credit]Does this current NASCAR season remind you of 2005? Roush Racing vs Hendrick Motorsports ring any bells? At this point in the 2005 season, Greg Biffle already had four race victories. He won at Auto Club, Texas, Darlington, and Dover. Carl Edwards had at Atlanta. Kurt Busch had a race win at Phoenix, and Mark Martin topped it off with an All-Star win. Hendrick Motorsports in 2005? Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were both doing well at this point. However; it is also after this point that Gordon hit a big bad luck streak that led to him missing the Chase. The difference for Gordon this season is that he’s had nothing but bad luck it seems minus three top-10 finishes at Phoenix, Texas (ironic), and Charlotte.

Fans will agree with me that Gordon has had great cars all year along minus Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Charlotte. Gordon had a pretty bad car at Vegas, but his team managed to get him a 12th place finish. Gordon had a good car, but not a great car at Phoenix and also at Charlotte.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been the surprise of the season.  Jr’s been up near the front of the points all season long.  Jr’s consistency has been really helpful and that is something that we haven’t seen from him since 2008. Every driver eventually will have a bad race, but we haven’t seen a terrible finish for that no.88 team yet.

Kasey Kahne, like Gordon, started off the season backwards, but many say now that Kahne is one of the hottest drivers on the track as he is racking top-5 finishes and showed it with his third Coca-Cola 600 win. Now, what about Johnson? He started off with that nasty crash after completing the first lap at the Daytona 500. That was unfortunate. Johnson has also had a pretty decent year. The problem for Johnson is mistakes. We have seen more mistakes from his pit crew from these past 2 seasons than ever before. If Chad Knaus wants them to be competitive when the Chase comes, I suggest that they work better at that.  Johnson broke a long winless streak after scoring his 2nd Southern 500 victory. If Johnson’s team can start finishing in the top-10 on a weekly basis and not have a random hiccup in the middle of that, then I think the no.48 team will definitely be a threat to the Roush train.

Is it only a matter of time before Gordon finds his stride? Before the Coca-Cola 600, Gordon had finished outside the top-20 for five consecutive races. For a guy that should be a six-time champion in the sport that is just incredible bad luck, but with his 7th place finish at Charlotte last weekend, is this the beginning of the recovery cycle for the no.24 team? Gordon can only hope, but he will have a good starting position for the race tomorrow.

If you think about it, Hendrick Motorsports has won the last four races. Johnson won the All-Star Race and Darlington. Earnhardt Jr. snagged the All-Star Showdown and Kahne got the 600. Is Gordon next to win? Can Hendrick Motorsports be stopped?

My prediction is simple, Johnson and Kasey Kahne will head into the Chase 1 and 2. Notice how I didn’t mention Jr.? For those of you who are new to the sport, we have a seed system based on wins and right now to me it looks like Jr.’s team is focused more on consistent finishes rather than go that extra yard for a victory. I say Gordon will make the Chase, but it’s definitely not going to be an easy ride.

Richard Petty Motorsports Nationwide Race Report – Dover

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SM Archive
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Logano Puts on Monstrous Nationwide Show; Stenhouse Jr. Wrecks Out of Points Lead

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”223″][/media-credit]Joey Logano put a whipping on the Monster Mile, dominating most of the race and leading laps to score his first Nationwide win ever at the Dover track, as well as the coveted Miles the Monster trophy.

Although strong throughout much of the race, Logano pitted under caution and had to battle back against teammate Ryan Truex in the last twenty laps to score the checkered flag.

“I was frustrated as soon as the caution came out and we lost our track position,” Logano said. “Once we got to second and he (Truex) got caught in lapped traffic, I was able to pass cars, take the lead and get the win.”

“When you lead it, think you gave it away, and then get the win, it’s good.”

“It’s been four or five years and I have never gotten a win here,” Logano said. “It’s the coolest trophy you can win. It’s awesome to finally get it.”

The driver of the No. 18 Dollar General Toyota led the parade of Joe Gibbs Racing drivers with teammates Ryan Truex and Brian Scott in second and third respectively.

Although Truex gave a very gutsy performance to finish second, especially after just having had surgery for appendicitis, he was not a happy camper.

He was particularly upset with lapped traffic, which slowed his run and allowed Logano to pass him.

“I’m not happy,” the driver of the No. 20 Grime Boss Toyota said. “It’s second and I’m not happy with it.”

“We had a winning car,” Truex said. “I hate to blame it on someone else, but it’s just stupid.”

“I probably could have picked a better lane around them,” Truex said of the lapped traffic. “It’s just frustrating.”

“I wish I could have got a win,” Truex said. “It was too close to come in second.”

As unhappy as Truex was, the third member of the Joe Gibbs Racing triumvirate, Brian Scott was most pleased with his third place finish. Scott did admit, however, that he probably could learn some lessons from his younger teammates.

“We had a really good Dollar General Toyota all day,” Scott said. “This one’s for JGR with a one, two, three finish.”

“It’s fun to be up there and racing our teammates for the win,” Scott continued. “I’m a young kid myself at 24, but Ryan and Joey, who are younger than me, can show me a few things.”

“Really happy to bring back a top-5 finish after all we’ve been through this year,” Scott said. “Hopefully, it’s a huge confidence booster for the team.”

Kurt Busch, in the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports, finished fourth and Justin Allgaier, in the No. 31 Brandt Chevrolet, rounded out the top five. These two drivers, however, were none too happy with one other, having some words after the race on pit road.

“We just agreed to disagree on a few things at the race track,” Allgaier said of the incident with Busch. “Great day for the Brandt Chevrolet.”

“Glad we finished in the top-five; that was the first one for us this season,” Allgaier continued. “It was definitely a good day.”

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 American Ethanol/New Holland Chevrolet, was the highest finishing rookie, scoring the sixth spot.

“It was a good run,” Dillon said. “We made sure our car was good for the race and it was.”

“It was just way too tight in traffic,” Dillon continued. “We didn’t have the car to get up there like Joey did.”

Troubles abounded, however, for points leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. when he lost control of the No. 6 Cargill Beef Ford Mustang and hit the wall hard on lap 27. The young driver took full responsibility for the wreck.

“I just lost it,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “I wasn’t up on the wheel and just kind of riding around until that competition caution and just got behind on the steering.”

“It was driver error, totally my fault,” Stenhouse continued. “We will have to go back take a weekend off and get ‘em at Michigan.”

Stenhouse, Jr. was able to get back out onto the track but his car looked more like a modified car than a Nationwide car. He finished a disappointing 32nd and fell to second in the point standings, twelve behind Elliott Sadler.

Yet in spite of being the new points leader, Elliott Sadler was also not amongst the happy camper drivers as far as his finish.

“Our run today was not what we were looking for,” Sadler said. “To finish seventh is kind of disappointing.”

“We had to fight back from a lucky dog but definitely not the day we wanted at Dover,” Sadler said. “We have homework to do before we come back in the fall.”

“We are the points leader and we’re very happy to be back in the points race,” Sadler continued. “But we know as a team that the 6 car is going to run good every week and is not going to have problems every week.”

“But it does feel good to be back in the middle of this thing,” Sadler said. “As a team, we just have to keep fighting and keep improving.”

Unofficial Race Results
5-hour Energy 200, Dover International Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=12
=========================================
Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
=========================================
1 2 18 Joey Logano Toyota 0
2 1 20 Ryan Truex Toyota 43
3 5 11 Brian Scott Toyota 41
4 9 54 Kurt Busch Toyota 0
5 7 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 40
6 11 3 Austin Dillon * Chevrolet 38
7 6 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 37
8 3 33 Ty Dillon Chevrolet 0
9 14 30 James Buescher Chevrolet 0
10 15 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 34
11 23 43 Michael Annett Ford 33
12 12 22 Parker Kligerman Dodge 0
13 10 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 31
14 19 88 Cole Whitt * Chevrolet 30
15 30 81 Jason Bowles * Toyota 29
16 20 19 Tayler Malsam Toyota 28
17 28 14 Jeff Green Toyota 27
18 27 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 26
19 21 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 25
20 13 199 John Wes Townley Toyota 0
21 34 23 Jamie Dick Chevrolet 23
22 18 39 Josh Richards Ford 22
23 22 38 Brad Sweet * Chevrolet 21
24 32 50 T.J. Bell Chevrolet 20
25 – 4 Brad Teague Chevrolet 19
26 36 52 Joey Gase * Chevrolet 18
27 29 40 Erik Darnell Chevrolet 17
28 – 124 Tim Bainey Jr. Chevrolet 0
29 35 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 15
30 17 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 14
31 26 41 Timmy Hill Ford 0
32 4 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 12
33 8 44 Mike Bliss Toyota 11
34 – 174 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 10
35 37 171 Matt Carter Chevrolet 9
36 – 175 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 0
37 24 42 Josh Wise Chevrolet 0
38 16 47 Scott Speed Chevrolet 0
39 25 10 Kevin Lepage Toyota 5
40 31 108 Tim Andrews Ford 4
41 – 15 Blake Koch Chevrolet 3
42 33 46 Matt DiBenedetto Chevrolet 0
43 – – – – 0
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