Change is Good: Jason White Has Success Early in Canadian Tire Series Season
Sometimes they say change is good and for Jason White, that has exactly been the case.
At the beginning of the year, White announced that he was going from a team owner/driver to the role of just a driver as he teamed up with last year’s Canadian Tire Series champion D.J. Kennington.
“I moved on from my own, obviously, and working with DJ’s flying horsepower with Triple Sport and Derek Lynch and his group are supplying the cars and crew for me,” the driver of the No. 21 A&W Dodge said. “It’s a great group of people that have come together. Everybody is working really hard to put the cars on the track and that is really awesome for me.”
The results have showed on track as so far this year, White has three top 10s in four races, including a sixth in the last race at Mosport.
“I’m extremely happy with how things are going,” he said. “I moved to a new team and I’m not the owner and manager anymore so a lot of the stress from that sort of stuff has been relieved so I can just concentrate on driving and the results are showing with the two-top 10s here in the first four races so I’m really happy with how the first half of the season is going here.”
This weekend, White heads into Toronto sitting sixth in points, 154 points behind points leader Scott Steckly.
“I think with the amount of the cars that I am looking at here in the garage right now,” he commented. “I think it’s going to be about keeping your nose clean and being there at the end. A top 10 will probably be the attainable, but everybody is going to have drive smart to be there at the end for sure. It’s going to be a good one.”
The Honda Indy in Toronto marks one of the biggest races of the year for the series, though White says it doesn’t bring any more pressure.
“There’s not more pressure on this race than any other race for me,” he said. “I love racing and wherever we get the opportunity to do it, we do it and we go from there.”
With the success that White has had on the road courses so far this year, it’d be no surprise if Toronto adds more happiness to the season and why right now, he prefers the road courses on the split schedule over the ovals.
“Road coursing makes you a better race car driver in general so with the five road courses we have,” he added. “It just goes well for being a better race car driver and we’ll take that experience to the ovals as well.”
For the driver from Sun Peaks, British Columbia who fell in love with racing by following his dad around while his dad raced super modifieds, there have many lessons learned, including patience, though also many memorable moments. The one that stands out so far would be the 2008 Canadian Tire Series Rookie of the Year Award, however hopefully five years down the road, White says he hopes to be called a series champion.
Race #5 for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Streets of Toronto 100
While it marks the 25th anniversary of the event, this is only the second year that the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series has raced on the streets of Toronto alongside the IZOD IndyCar Series and others. The temporary-street course, which is 1.755-miles in length, runs through Exhibition Grounds and along one of the best known streets in Toronto – Lakeshore Blvd.
Last year, it was Andrew Ranger taking the pole with an average speed of 80.820mph and winning the race with an average speed of 69.065mph.
Ranger is one of the strongest road course racers in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series as he has nine wins in 17 series career road course starts. Three of those wins came last year as along with Toronto, Ranger was able to win Montreal and Trois-Rivieries. Ranger will definitely be a driver to expect in the top three as in those 17 starts, he has only finished outside the top three twice – sixth at Mosoprot in 2008 and 21st at Circuit ICAR this season. The 2-time series champion also has made starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year on the road courses so he comes in Toronto prepared.
Another driver who has ran in the Nationwide Series and has been strong on the road courses in the series is J.R. Fitzpatrick, who finished eighth in last year’s event. His road course stats rank right up there with Ranger as he has five of his six Canadian Tire Series wins have come on the road courses.
“The (Honda Indy Toronto) is definitely a big event for all of us,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s a big stage and everyone wants to put on a great show for the fans.”
So far this year, the 23-year old has legged four consecutive top-10 finishes and sits second in the standings, 48 points behind Scott Steckly.
Steckly is more of an oval racer, though hasn’t done that bad this year as he finished second and fifth in the two road-course races this year.
“It’s a very important race for us,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of cars at Toronto so we definitely don’t want to get a DNF. The road courses attract a lot of cars so we need a good solid finish here at Toronto. We definitely are going to try for a very first road course win. It’s definitely very important for our sponsors to be in Toronto racing at the Indy so we’re looking for great things this weekend.”
Last year, the 2008 series champion finished 11th in Toronto, though will be looking for his 10th series victory after scoring the win in the season opener at Mosport.
A lot of eyes, though, will be on Robin Buck as the road course instructor scored his first series victory on June 5th at Circuit ICAR and finished third in the June 26th event at Mosport.
The Streets of Toronto 100 will see a series-high count so far this year of 36 cars with a mix of series veterans, road course veterans and rookies. With the Toronto track being a challenging course, it’ll be crucial to survive first to win, but watch out for plenty of action. Practice and qualifying is set to be held on July 8th with the race on July 9th. The race will be aired on TSN on July 17th at 5p.m. EST.
Dario Franchitti Takes IZOD IndyCar Series Points Lead into the Honda Indy Toronto
This season so far for Dario Franchitti has gone great, even despite the bad luck that he had at Indianapolis. Going into the Honda Indy in Toronto, Franchitti sits first in points, 20 points ahead of Will Power with three wins this year. The Ganassi Racing driver from Scotland is ready to do battle on the Exhibition Place temporary-street course, where he won in 2009 and finished second last year to Power.
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[/media-credit]Before the cars took the track on Friday for practice, Franchitti answered some questions about the season so far and more.
Ashley McCubbin: How’d you originally get with Chip?
Dario Franchitti: Well, Chip and I talked for a number of years about doing a deal, going back as far as 2001. We never got anything down, until we started talking about the deal in NASCAR with him back in 2007. Luckily for me, that didn’t happen. Then after winning the 500 and the championship in 2007, he asked me to come run with him in Nationwide, which I did for six months. That didn’t go according to plan, so he asked me at that point to come and drive for him for the IndyCar team so that was a very fortunate situation for me to go away from IndyCar Series and come back with Team Target.
AM: What are some of your thoughts on the season?
DF: The season is in a lot way has been good with the three wins so far and with the championship lead, [but still as a team, we’re looking at Indianapolis; we’re still upset with the missed opportunity. I felt that myself, Scott or I should’ve won that. Indy was quite a tough one this year.
AM: What are some of your thoughts on having the points lead this early?
DF: Its nice to have the points total, but having the points lead at the end of the season is what counts. We have done well like I said, but we gotta keep scoring those points and keeping winning those races for me. Right now, its about trying to win whatever race we’re doing and then the points will take care of themselves.
AM: What are some of your thoughts heading into Toronto?
DF: Toronto’s a difficult track, there’s no doubt it’s a challenge. It’s very bumpy, which is part of the charm of the place, very narrow, the brakes are punished pretty hard and its got the new restarts for the first time. It’s going to be an interesting weekend. I love coming to race in Canada. Hopefully I can have a good result here.
AM: Having driven the Rolex Sports Cars and in NASCAR, what are some of the biggest differences that you’ve seen in comparison to the IndyCar?
DF: Well, IndyCar is a different. I’ve driven the Champ Cars of the late generation to the current IndyCar, then the American Lemans Series Grand Am, then NASCAR. The way I would explain it is the IndyCar is one extreme of performance with acceleration and power-wise, the Grand-Am is somewhere in the middle, and then you have the dirt car, with lots of power and no grip. Each one is a little different, requires a different driving style and also skills, so that’s why you see some guys are good in one form of racing, but not another.
AM: What are some of your thoughts on the new IndyCar coming in 2012?
DF: Well, the new car is very new right now because we’re seeing some examples, which are very much concept cars. Nobody has really seen what they’re actually going to look like so we’re waiting to see what they’re going to come up with. I’m very excited that we’re going to have multiple engine manufactures next year with Chevy, Lotus and certainly Honda. I’d like to see the body kit as well. I think the car is going to be great for the series. This car has been great, but to have something new, we’re all excited about it.
AM: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in racing?
DF: I think you learn something in racing every week. It’s just like life; I think you learn something new in life everyday. I think you’re on an accelerated course in racing. It’s just like normal life, but more in the extreme sense so there’s not just one thing. There’s probably a lot of things I’ve learned.
AM: What’s your most memorable win?
DF: I think one of the wins at Indianapolis is got to be pretty memorable. I think the first one at Indy was really special, but the second one felt really good too.
Kyle Busch Claims 5th Truck Victory of 2011
For Kentucky Speedway the UNOH 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck series race the kick off to the biggest weekend in the track’s history. The track joined a small group of NASCAR tracks that can boost of running all three of NASCAR’s top series on the same weekend and all night races at that.
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[/media-credit]To go along with the multi-series events, Kyle Busch began the weekend by winning the Truck series race. The win Thursday night marks his 5th win of the 2011 Truck series season and his 29th overall in the series,
But Busch had to work a bit harder for this win. On a day where he ran a 4 hr Cup practice, two Nationwide series practices and then winning the pole in Truck series qualifying, he showed up seconds late for the driver’s meeting. That slip up forced him to start the race from the back of the field.
It took Kyle 61 laps to finally work his way back to the number 1 position, but he remained up front for the rest of the night leading twice for a total of 61 laps, the most by a single driver. He faced late race challenges by Nelson Piquet, Johnny Sauter, Joey Coulter and finally Parker Kligerman, but held them all off to take the checkered flag on a G/W/C finish at lap 152.
Following Busch across the line were Kligerman, Brendan Gaughan, Todd Bodine and Jason White. Rounding out the top ten were Elliott Sadler, Coulter, David Starr, James Buescher and Travis Kvapil.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series 11th annual Feed the Children 300 is up next Friday night at Kentucky Speedway as Busch looks to claim victory number two for the weekend.
| Unofficial Race Results | |||||
| UNOH 225, Kentucky Speedway | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=10 | |||||
| ========================================= | |||||
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Make | Points | |
| ========================================= | |||||
| 1 | 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 5 | 29 | Parker Kligerman * | Dodge | 42 |
| 3 | 14 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Toyota | 42 |
| 4 | 20 | 30 | Todd Bodine | Toyota | 40 |
| 5 | 9 | 23 | Jason White | Chevrolet | 40 |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 7 | 6 | 22 | Joey Coulter * | Chevrolet | 38 |
| 8 | 18 | 81 | David Starr | Toyota | 36 |
| 9 | 12 | 31 | James Buescher | Chevrolet | 36 |
| 10 | 16 | 5 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | 34 |
| 11 | 22 | 9 | Max Papis | Toyota | 33 |
| 12 | 13 | 32 | Steve Arpin | Chevrolet | 32 |
| 13 | 23 | 4 | Ricky Carmichael | Chevrolet | 31 |
| 14 | 2 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 31 |
| 15 | 17 | 46 | Justin Lofton | Toyota | 29 |
| 16 | 25 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Toyota | 28 |
| 17 | 28 | 92 | Clay Rogers | Chevrolet | 27 |
| 18 | 33 | 63 | Jack Smith | Ford | 26 |
| 19 | 26 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Chevrolet | 25 |
| 20 | 30 | 99 | Charles Vest | Ford | 24 |
| 21 | 11 | 7 | Miguel Paludo * | Toyota | 23 |
| 22 | 3 | 8 | Nelson Piquet Jr. * | Chevrolet | 23 |
| 23 | 34 | 7 | Johnny Chapman | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 24 | 1 | 13 | Johnny Sauter | Chevrolet | 21 |
| 25 | 32 | 93 | Shane Sieg | Chevrolet | 19 |
| 26 | 10 | 60 | Cole Whitt * | Chevrolet | 18 |
| 27 | 7 | 33 | Ron Hornaday | Chevrolet | 17 |
| 28 | 19 | 116 | John King | Toyota | 16 |
| 29 | 24 | 15 | Josh Richards | Toyota | 15 |
| 30 | 29 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Ford | 0 |
| 31 | 36 | 57 | Norm Benning | Chevrolet | 13 |
| 32 | 15 | 88 | Matt Crafton | Chevrolet | 12 |
| 33 | 35 | 84 | Chris Fontaine | Chevrolet | 11 |
| 34 | 31 | 138 | Mike Garvey | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 35 | 27 | 66 | Justin Marks | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 36 | 21 | 20 | Johanna Long * | Toyota | 8 |
Busch wins the NCWTS UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway
Kyle Busch held off Parker Kligerman on the final green-white-checkered restart and won Thursday nights NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway. This was Busch’s fifth NCWTS this season and his 29th in this series.
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[/media-credit]“On the restart, when Jason White was on my inside, I figured if I could just get another good restart where I didn’t spin my tires, I’d be all right. Those guys spun their tires every time, and it kind of worked for us.” Busch said.
This is also Busch’s 98th NASCAR career win, placing him third all-time (29-NSCS, 48-NNS).
Brendan Gaughan finished third, Todd Bodine fourth and Jason White finished fifth.
Despite finishing 24th after his truck broke its rear axle, series points leader Johnny Sauter extended his lead to 23 points over Cole Whitt.
| Unofficial Race Results | |||||
| UNOH 225, Kentucky Speedway | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=10 | |||||
| ========================================= | |||||
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Make | Points | |
| ========================================= | |||||
| 1 | 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 5 | 29 | Parker Kligerman * | Dodge | 42 |
| 3 | 14 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Toyota | 42 |
| 4 | 20 | 30 | Todd Bodine | Toyota | 40 |
| 5 | 9 | 23 | Jason White | Chevrolet | 40 |
| 6 | 4 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 7 | 6 | 22 | Joey Coulter * | Chevrolet | 38 |
| 8 | 18 | 81 | David Starr | Toyota | 36 |
| 9 | 12 | 31 | James Buescher | Chevrolet | 36 |
| 10 | 16 | 5 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | 34 |
| 11 | 22 | 9 | Max Papis | Toyota | 33 |
| 12 | 13 | 32 | Steve Arpin | Chevrolet | 32 |
| 13 | 23 | 4 | Ricky Carmichael | Chevrolet | 31 |
| 14 | 2 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevrolet | 31 |
| 15 | 17 | 46 | Justin Lofton | Toyota | 29 |
| 16 | 25 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Toyota | 28 |
| 17 | 28 | 92 | Clay Rogers | Chevrolet | 27 |
| 18 | 33 | 63 | Jack Smith | Ford | 26 |
| 19 | 26 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Chevrolet | 25 |
| 20 | 30 | 99 | Charles Vest | Ford | 24 |
| 21 | 11 | 7 | Miguel Paludo * | Toyota | 23 |
| 22 | 3 | 8 | Nelson Piquet Jr. * | Chevrolet | 23 |
| 23 | 34 | 7 | Johnny Chapman | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 24 | 1 | 13 | Johnny Sauter | Chevrolet | 21 |
| 25 | 32 | 93 | Shane Sieg | Chevrolet | 19 |
| 26 | 10 | 60 | Cole Whitt * | Chevrolet | 18 |
| 27 | 7 | 33 | Ron Hornaday | Chevrolet | 17 |
| 28 | 19 | 116 | John King | Toyota | 16 |
| 29 | 24 | 15 | Josh Richards | Toyota | 15 |
| 30 | 29 | 10 | Jennifer Jo Cobb | Ford | 0 |
| 31 | 36 | 57 | Norm Benning | Chevrolet | 13 |
| 32 | 15 | 88 | Matt Crafton | Chevrolet | 12 |
| 33 | 35 | 84 | Chris Fontaine | Chevrolet | 11 |
| 34 | 31 | 138 | Mike Garvey | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 35 | 27 | 66 | Justin Marks | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 36 | 21 | 20 | Johanna Long * | Toyota | 8 |
