Monday, May 28, 2007

NCATS: Aggressive Night of Racing Scores Top 10 for Hathaway in Dodge Dealers 200

Nelles Corners, Ontario- The first round of racing in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series was full of heart pounding excitement at Cayuga Speedway with Team 3 Red/EHR's driver Jason Hathaway piloting his #3 Snap on Tools Dodge Charger.

It was at this 5/8 mile track in 2006 that the Team claimed a hard fought 5th place finish. The Team 3 Red/EHR team prepared their car well and were hoping to build on the momentum that they had built up in the 2006 CASCAR Super Series season.

Under the direction of newly appointed Crew Chief Giulio Montanari the team practiced in the two hour testing session on Saturday afternoon. Battling an afternoon of rain showers, the Team struggled in practice and posted a 19th place qualifying position for the 200 lap event.

The excitement got underway quickly under the lights of Cayuga Speedway in the Dodge Dealers 200. With Duane Swinkels in the tower above the track spotting, Jason avoided getting tangled up in numerous incidents caused by some aggressive moves made by cars in the field.

Caution flew on the field on lap 21 for the 2nd of 18 times in the event and the Team brought Jason down pit road to fuel the car and make a chassis adjustment. On lap 33 Jason was spun out on the front stretch. He recovered and brought his car to the attention of his team to check for damage and fell one lap down.

With minimal damage done to the car and some smart driving Jason was able to take advantage of a new NASCAR procedure instated for lap cars on lap 67 and was granted a "free pass" recovering the lap that he was down. At the half way point, Jason had made his way from the back of the field up to 8th place. The restart on lap 112, placed Jason in 2nd and he challenged for the lead spot, when he crossed the line on lap 113, Jason as leading the field.

Fresh tires on a number of competitors relegated Jason back to the 11th spot by lap 165. The Team strapped on a new right front tire on the #3 Snap on Tools Dodge Charger during the 15th caution of the night on lap 177 and put Jason is a key spot to make a move toward the front. With some great driving and the help of his spotter, Jason powered his car to the team's first top 10 finish of the 2007 season finishing 7th.

Jason was pretty happy with their first race of the 2007 season. "After a disappointing qualifying effort we planned on adjusting the car during the race. We got caught in a couple of tough spots tonight, but in the end the cautions allowed us the opportunity to tweak the car throughout the night. Giulio and the guys worked great getting me in and out of the pits tonight and I am pretty happy with our results for our first race!"

In his first race with Team 3 Red/EHR, team crew chief Giulio Montanari was also pleased with the end result of the team's effort. "The guys worked well tonight. We just kept adjusting and adjusting on the car and Duane tried to keep Jason out of trouble on the track. There was a lot of beating and banging going on tonight and this team and the #3 Snap on Tools Dodge really persevered. We are proud of our efforts tonight and start the season off with a top 10 finish for our sponsors.

Based on the results of the first race, Jason Hathaway and Team 3 Red/EHR sit in 6th place in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series points standings with 5 bonus points for leading a lap in the 200 lap exciting event.

The second round of racing in the 12 event schedule will take place at the road course of Mosport International Raceway for the traditional Father's Day weekend June 16th & June 17th.

Team 3 Red/EHR is proud to be associated with their great sponsors and supporters. Team 3 Red/EHR thanks Snap-on Tools, Super 8 Motels, Advantex Freight Forwarders, Fast Eddie Racewear and Choko Motorsports, Briggs & Stratton, Castrol, Napoleon Fireplaces & Barbeques and Xilarate Sports Fluid and Praxair. For more information on our sponsors please visit our website at www.team3red.com.

From Jamie HakonsonTeam 3 Red/Ed Hakonson Racing

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