Press Release Prepared by Ken Spencer
For the first time this season, Smithville’s Ron Van Es had additional sponsor names on his immaculate Super Series race car and he wasn’t about to disappoint them.
Winona’s historic Innsville Bar and Grille and Marshall Truck and Trailer Repair names adorned his #11 Monte Carlo along with season-long sponsors Star Van Systems and All Covers Systems for the trip to Cayuga 2000 Speedway and he acknowledged their involvement with a solid eleventh place finish in the 200-lap CASCAR Super Series event.
Ron qualified fourteen in the 27-car starting field but one could sense for the time the green flag waved that this could be a special night for the youngster. He charged around the weathered but fast 5/8th mile oval for easily his best overall performance of the season in a quest that saw him running in the top ten for portions of the event. Strategy also played a major role in his run as crew chief Alex Nagy elected to keep him on the track for position during a caution flag period moving him to second place when green flag racing resumed. Unfortunately a stop for fuel and tires may have caused his ultimate bid for a much higher placing when the fuel can nozzle jammed causing the high-octane liquid to spill onto the ground instead of into the fuel cell. The costly problem would require another stop later in the race with the results dropping him back in the field.
Despite an extremely fast car on this night, Ron couldn’t catch the leaders and settled for eleventh spot at the finish of the race.
Nevertheless, his overall performance this season is bound to catch the eye of potential businesses as the search for next season‘s sponsors begins.
“That has to be the fastest and hardest I’ve ever driven’” Ron smiled in describing his charge to catch then race leader Jeff Lapcevich during his second place run. “I knew with the earlier leaders now on fresh tire, it was just a matter of run as fast as I could for as long as I could (before they caught me) to salvage a top ten or better finish, but in the late stages of the race the car’s handling started to fade.”
Ron, along with the rest of the Super Series competitors now head Kawartha Speedway next weekend for the final event on the 2005 racing calendar. With a solid run in that event the sophomore Series driver could move to 12th-place in the final standings. He trails Milverton’s Scott Steckley by just 32 points and must finish a least 16 places higher than the driver of the #22 Erb Group of Companies Pontiac to do so.
Peter Gibbons of Stouffville captured Saturday’s race with current points’ leader Don Thomson finishing second and Wyoming’s Dave Whitlock taking the final podium position.
Thomson’s run for a fifth consecutive national Super Series Championship title appears to be in the bag for the Home Hardware Monte Carlo driver as he leads Gibbons and his Canadian Tire Monte Carlo by 89 points heading into the final race. DJ Kennington of St. Thomas appears to have lock on third spot in the standings leading fellow Dodge Charger drivers Dave Whitlock by 31 and Windsor’s Ron Beauchamp Jr. by 59 points respectively.
Sunday’s race could also be the last “CASCAR” Super Series race ever as American motorsports giant NASCAR appears poised to announce their purchase of the series before the end of this month.
Good news indeed for those already involved with the series and for potential newcomers.
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