NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Team Mopar Fifth at Cayuga

August 31, 2008.  The Mopar Parts Dodge team is officially back as one of the fastest cars and top contenders in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.  This past Saturday at Cayuga Speedway during round number ten Ron Beauchamp Jr. was up front with the leaders for the entire 200 laps and claimed a fifth place finish. 

The Mopar Parts team had suffered a mid season lull in performance but took a proactive approach to correct the problem.  Prior to the race at Cayuga the team conducted a test session with Canadian racing legend Junior Hanley and saw immediate results.  “We worked on entry to the corners first, and then on exits” said Ron Beauchamp Jr.  “I knew we’d have a strong showing for the race”

Beauchamp would begin the Saturday night show in the seventh position but he didn’t stay there long, quickly moving forward and into the top-five.  “The car felt great right from the green flag” said the driver.  “As we began to have long green flag runs the car freed up a little bit, so we thought that during out pit stop we’d tighten it up a little” he added.

On lap 83 several banks of lights went out at the speedway forcing NASCAR officials to throw the red flag a stop the event until repairs were made.  As action resumed the Mopar Parts Dodge continued the trek to the front of the field and took over the lead on lap 137.  “After the red flag, I guess everything had cooled down and the car just took off”

With the Mopar Parts Dodge Avenger running perfectly the team decided against making adjustments and only changed tires and added fuel.  With less than ten laps remaining Beauchamp was out front but as happened earlier the car’s handling characteristics began to worse.  “I think we should have followed our initial instincts” said the driver.  “When the #9 Dodge was challenging me I got a little loose and got into him a bit so I had to let off, another car came up and got us three wide and that crossed me up a little, all heck broke loose, so we lost a couple of positions in the end”.    

Beauchamp would bring the Mopar Parts Dodge to the checkered flag and claim fifth position.  “All in all it was a great car” said the happy driver.  “You can really feel the wave of momentum this team has been building for the last few weeks.  Chris Couvillion returning as crew chief and having this great run here at Cayuga really sets us up for Barrie next week and a strong run to the end of the year”

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be back in action this coming Saturday September 6th at Barrie Speedway.  This years schedule will consist of thirteen races on oval tracks, temporary street circuits and road courses.  All races will once again be broadcast on TSN.  You can read more about Team Mopar and Ron Beauchamp Jr. at www.beauchampmotorsports.com and www.nascar.ca 

Attached Photo: Mopar Parts Dodge cruising out front of the field at Cayuga Speedway // Photo Credit:   Rod Andrews of www.canadianracer.com // This release prepared by, TL Sports & Entertainment

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Gear Gremlins for Full Throttle Team

August 31, 2008.  The Full Throttle Blue Demon/Logel’s Auto Parts/ Challenger Motor Freight Dodge team prepared diligently for the Coke Zero 200, round number ten of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series this past weekend at Cayuga Speedway.  Unfortunately a tough break would not allow them the finish they deserved.

Prior to the race at Cayuga Brad Graham and the  Full Throttle Blue Demon/Logel’s Auto Parts/ Challenger Motor Freight Dodge team conducted a test session with the car hoping to achieve a strong performance.  “We tested this car and found some things that made really improved the car under long green flag runs and we were really happy with what we come out of the test with” said Graham.

Puzzled would be the best way to describe the team’s feelings after practice and qualifying.  “We didn’t think we’d be as far off the pace as we were” said the driver.  “But the Full Throttle Blue Demon/Logel’s Auto Parts/ Challenger Motor Freight Dodge team was still optimistic that the car would perform well during the 200 lap race. 

The long difficult day would continue for the Full Throttle Blue Demon/Logel’s Auto Parts/ Challenger Motor Freight Dodge team as the green flag waved.  “As soon as the race started we were just getting pulled off the turns” said Graham.  “The car was handling well we just didn’t seem to have the speed we expected and that was our first indication that something was wrong, we just didn’t have the power going to the rear wheels”.

Graham would soldier on as best he could with an underperforming car until smoke began to appear from the back end forcing the driver to make the hard left turn behind the pit wall.  The Full Throttle Blue Demon/Logel’s Auto Parts/ Challenger Motor Freight Dodge team would quickly assess that a rear end gear problem was the culprit.   

The Full Throttle Blue Demon/Logel’s Auto Parts/ Challenger Motor Freight team made repairs as quickly as possible looking to get back on track and gain valuable information.  “The whole team did a great job to get the work done quickly” said Graham.  “We got back out to pick up whatever points we could and get some more information for Barrie next week and of course coming back here to Cayuga next year.  We haven’t had any sort of a gear problem in about nine years so this is really not something we would expect.  The whole team does such a solid job of preparing the car but you can’t prepare for a part problem”.

The Full Throttle Team gets back in action this coming Saturday September 6th at Barrie Speedway.  This season teams will race from coast to coast in Canada on challenging oval tracks, temporary street circuits and road courses. For more information about the series log onto www.nascar.ca and for more news information about the team go to www.bradgraham.ca . All races this season will also be broadcast on TSN.

Attached Photo:  Full Throttle Blue Demon on track at Cayuga Speedway // Photo Credit:    Rod Andrews of www.canadianracer.com // This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Fitzpatrick Fast at Cayuga

August 31, 2008.  At round number ten of the NASCAR Canadian Tire series this past weekend at Cayuga Speedway, the #84 Fitzpatrick Motorsports Chevrolet once again demonstrated that they are a team that might not have the best running race car at the beginning of the day, but by the end of the night they will have a with plenty of horsepower for driver John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick.

Through the practice session early in the day the car didn’t quite have the feel that J.R. Fitzpatrick was looking for.  The team continued to make adjustments and the twenty year old would qualifying with the sixth fastest time.    

While initially in the 200 lap main event the car was strong, it became a handful for the driver very quickly.  “The car just got way too loose” said Fitzpatrick.  “We’re trying stuff to make things better but it wasn’t working out early”.

Following the scheduled pit stop for tires and fuel the fortunes of the #84 team changed dramatically.  “We were running about sixteenth, almost went a lap down but after we got tires on the car it was great” said the driver enthusiastically.   “The crew did a great job on that stop, we gained about six spots on that stop and getting past some of the traffic really helped us out, they deserve a lot of credit”

Once back in the fight J.R. was able to demonstrate his skills and the improved performance of the #84 Chevrolet.  “The car really did work a lot better in the second half of the race and I was able to get back into the top-five” A late race incident bunched the field up for a two lap dash to the finish with Fitzpatrick on the outside of row number two. 

Quickly the team’s fortunes once again changed as everybody looked to gain as much ground as possible in the remaining two laps.  “We had a late restart with a green, white, checkered finish and I just got a bit too aggressive, I went to the outside, I drove as hard as I could but lifted once I hit a bump on the track, I think I should have kept my foot in it a bit longer, the bump upset the car a little bit and unfortunately that cost us a bunch of places”.

J.R. Fitzpatrick would finish the race in twelfth spot and is now eighth in the overall championship standings with three events remaining on the schedule.

J.R and the Fitzpatrick Motorsports return to the track this coming Saturday, September 6th at Barrie Speedway.  The 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule will take teams to the east coast and western Canada where Fitzpatrick swept away the competition last year.  All races will once again be broadcast on TSN.  More information on the series can be obtained by visiting www.nascar.ca  

Attached Photo Caption: #84 Fitzpatrick Motorsports Chevy at Cayuga // Photo Credit:  Rod Andrews of www.canadianracer.com // This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Fifth Pole Position of the Year for Home Hardware Team

August 31, 2008.  For the fifth time this season Don Thomson Jr. and the Home Hardware Chevrolet team started a NASCAR Canadian Tire series (NCATS) event from the pole position.  Round number ten this past Saturday at Cayuga Speedway would prove to be roller coaster ride for the team.

The drama began for the Home Hardware Chevrolet team right from the drop of the green flag as Thomson was ruled by NASCAR to have jumped the start and would be forced to serve a drive through penalty.  “Not to highlight that as how our day went but I didn’t feel the ruling was consistent with some of the others made this year but we had no option but to serve the penalty” said the driver. 

On the upside the Home Hardware Chevrolet did not do down a lap as the caution flag flew just after Thomson served the penalty and he then set about battling back to the front.  The progress of the Home Hardware Chevy would then be hampered by a mechanical issue.

The horsepower that was demonstrated earlier in the day as Thomson turned his practice and qualifying laps earlier in the day was absent from the car.  The Home Hardware team knew that the car was not working at anywhere near full power.

The Home Hardware team would conduct a series of pit stops as caution periods allowed looking to diagnose the problem.   “It turned out to be a bad plug wire” said Thomson.  “We weren’t eve sure we’d be able to fix it.  But we got the chance late in the event.  A great job by the team to orchestrate the pit stops and make the repairs, they got the plug wire back on, we had no air cleaner on, we were running around with just a carb at the end but it was awesome work by the team to get that plug wire fixed”.

With time winding down and the Home Hardware team focused on making the repairs, other planned service had to be sacrificed.  “We made some calls trying to set up for the end, having to make several stops to fix that plug wire we didn’t get tires on the car or we might have been able to come out a little better”.

With the Home Hardware Chevrolet back at full power Thomson would climb his way forward to a seventh place finish.  “We had a little shoot out at the end with the green, white, checker finish, we were up to fourth briefly but it’s chaos out there, I ended up three wide going down the back stretch so I had to lift and lost a couple of spots, but we bounced back to seventh, all things considered the Home Hardware team had a pretty good night.  A big thanks to the team for all their hard work”.   

Now with seven top-ten finishes this season Don Thomson sits fourth in the overall championship standings.

The 2008 NCATS schedule has expanded to thirteen events this year run on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits across Canada.  Teams will be back in action this coming Saturday, September 6th at Barrie Speedway.  You can watch all thirteen races this season on TSN.  For information about the NCATS including schedule, results and more, log onto www.nascar.ca.ca

Photo:  Home Hardware Chevy on track at Cayuga Speedway // Photo Credit:   Rod Andrews of www.canadianracer.com // This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Top-Ten Tightens Points for Kennington

August 31, 2008.  DJ Kennington and the Castrol Dodge team once again had to fight right to the finish at Cayuga Speedway during round number ten of the NASCAR Canadian Tire series this past Saturday night.  While the team isn’t thrilled with their final finishing spot, they are happy to have tightened up the championship battle.

Through the afternoon practice Kennington demonstrated the significant Dodge horsepower posting the third quickest qualifying time.  “We continued to make some dramatic adjustments on the car and really felt like we had made some progress” said Kennington.  “The key was to keep it going during the race”.

During the first third of the 200 lap event the Castrol Dodge team had things working their way.  Kennington would take the lead for the first time on lap three and score five bonus points.  “The car was just a little bit free but okay in the first part of the race and we got the bonus points and then waited to see how it played out.  “But once again we found ourselves not handling quite the way we wanted”.

As the laps ticked away the Castrol Dodge would be a handful for Kennington to drive drifting up from the preferred low line especially in the corners.  Kennington would surrender the lead on lap 70 and had his hands full for the rest of the night.  “Even after the pit stop for tires we just weren’t quite right and it we had some other troubles later”.

As the laps continued to tick away Kennington knew the Castrol Dodge was not anywhere near 100% healthy.  What proved to be puzzling was the reason for trouble.  DJ who is always easy on the throttle to prevent tire problems had blistered the right rear tire that would eventually lose air pressure and cause the #17 Castrol Dodge to spin.  “The strange part is the car handled better today than it has for much of the year, but obviously we’ve got more work to do yet, it’s frustrating, things that are out of your control happen that’s when it gets really frustrating” said the driver.

As always the attitude of the Castrol Dodge crew was to dig in and work even harder to overcome adversity.  Kennington would wheel the #17 car home to a top-ten finish.  After eight straight top-five finishes they are disappointed with the outcome but pleased to be in the championship hunt heading to round eleven.

DJ Kennington sits third in the overall championship standings, just eighty eight points behind the leader with three races remaining.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire series will return to action at Barrie Speedway this coming Saturday, September 6th.  Last season Kennington won both races at Barrie Speedway.  The 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire series will consist of thirteen events on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits from coast to coast.  Each race will be broadcast on TSN.  More information can be found by logging onto www.djkennington.com  and www.nascar.ca

Attached photo:  Castrol Dodge under the lights at Cayuga Speedway // Photo Credit:  Rod Andrews of www.canadianracer.com // This release prepared by TL Sports & Entertainment

INDYCAR: Wilson wins Detroit Indy Grand Prix

DETROIT, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008 – Justin Wilson didn’t let a steering problem ruin his day. The IndyCar Series rookie turned only two laps in the morning warm-up due to the problem, but went on to lead the final 15 laps of the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone in the afternoon to claim his first IndyCar Series victory.

Wilson started fourth and moved into second on Lap 60. After a restart on Lap 69, Wilson put pressure on Helio Castroneves, who led a race-high 53 laps. Wilson made two attempts to pass on Lap 72, but was rebuffed by Castroneves who went low and then back high. Race officials penalized Castroneves one position for blocking, and Wilson took the lead on Lap 73.

Castroneves, who finished second for a record eighth time this season, gained 13 points on series points leader Scott Dixon to climb within 30 points of Dixon heading into the Sept. 7 championship season finale at Chicagoland Speedway.

Dixon led the first 18 laps after starting on the pole but shuffled back to 18th after his first pit stop and could never get back higher than his final position of fifth.

Tony Kanaan finished third and Oriol Servia finished fourth. Bruno Junqueira improved 17 positions from his 24th-place starting position to finish seventh.

Wilson, who won four times during his career in the Champ Car World Series, was the ninth different race winner in the IndyCar Series, tying a record set in four other seasons.

***

For the first time this season, the pits of Target Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon are split. Dixon is the in the pit stall closest to pit out while Wheldon is in the fourth pit. The two are separated by the pits for the two Team Penske cars.

MIKE HULL (Team managing director, Target Chip Ganassi Racing): “It’s the first time for us this year. The IRL has a rule about how the pits are selected. They’re selected based on owner’s points. You have the option on whether you want to average your positions or split your positions during the year. We chose to split at the beginning of the year. We did it because we knew if we had one guy in the championship at the end of the year we wanted to be as far downstream as we could be, whatever position that was. It’s OK because the people that we race with are all clean in the pits. We don’t have a problem with them. The only thing it probably affects is the communication between the two timing stands.”

***

INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE NOTES:

*       Justin Wilson earns his first IndyCar Series victory. Wilson won four races in Champ Car. His last victory was Sept. 2, 2007 at Assen, Netherlands.
*       Wilson’s previous best finish this season third at Edmonton.
*       This is the second IndyCar Series victory for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. The team also won with Graham Rahal at St. Petersburg in April.
*       Wilson is the ninth driver to win this season, tying the record for most drivers to win in a season (1996/97, 2002, 2003 and 2005).
*       Helio Castroneves finished second for the record eighth time this season. He clinched the three bonus points for most laps led during the race.
*       Castroneves made his 111th consecutive start, passing Sam Hornish Jr. for the second-longest streak all time. Scott Sharp holds the record with 138 consecutive starts.
*       Tony Kanaan finished third, his seventh podium finish of the season.
*       Oriol Servia finished fourth, his fourth top-five finish of the season.
*       Scott Dixon finished fifth, his 13th top-five finish of the season.
*       Dixon led 18 laps and has led 885 laps this season. He needs to lead five more laps to break Tony Kanaan’s record for laps led in a season set in 2004.
*       Bruno Junqueira improved 17 positions during the race to finish seventh, his second top-10 finish of the season.
*       Will Power finished eighth, his fourth top-10 finish of the season.

***

INDYCAR SERIES POST-RACE QUOTES:

JUSTIN WILSON (No. 02 McDonald’s Racing Team, first): “It was a long tough day, but we managed to stay clean, and we got great strategy and good pit stops. The McDonald’s team was doing a fantastic job. I was so desperate to get a victory this year, my first one in IndyCar (Series) and my first one with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. This means a lot. It’s the most important win of my career.” (About competition with Castroneves): “Helio was racing hard. The first yellow, I was right behind him and that’s how it goes. It was just hard racing. The second time I got a good run out of (Turn 12) and started to overlap, and I had the inside for the next corner. Before we got halfway down the straight, he started to come across and I had to lift or we both were going to crash. I was a little upset at the time, but I was relieved w hen the officials put it right.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, second): “We finished second for the eighth time, but the point is we’re still in the hunt for the championship, and Team Penske is going to try everything we can to win it.” (About penalty): “Consistency is the only thing I ask for. I’ve been in this series since 2002, and we never had a situation like this. We always have a warning, and then if you do it again, then you’re going to be penalized. All of the sudden, I didn’t get any warning. It was, ‘Move over, or you’re going to be black flagged.’ It was uncalled for. I know that (Brian Barnhart) is trying to put pressure on and make everyone disciplined, but two races to go for the championship, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.”

TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Team 7-Eleven, third): “I have a bad flu, but starting eighth and finishing third is not bad. We’re in a battle for third place in the championship, and Dan (Wheldon) didn’t finish. It was a good result for us, and for the championship it makes it exciting, not just for first and second, but third and fourth as well.”

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 5 KV Racing Technology, fourth): “I am happy with fourth, but when you are so close to a podium it just feels like it is not enough. The KV Racing Technology car was good, especially towards the end of the race. At the beginning, we were just not fast enough. The KVRT crew did a great job this weekend, and we are getting there, still fighting with the top three teams, and eventually we will get them.”

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, fifth): “I don't think it was much of a race, to be honest. It was pretty pitiful. The car was clearly quicker than anybody's. We were saving a ton of fuel up front and sort of having a merry old day, and that changed pretty quickly. We left with a half tank after that caution. I think I was probably the only person or maybe a couple of others. It's just a hard situation when you're in that point when nobody else pits and you have a lot of slower guys that pitted early on and have a lot of fuel and you have to try to pass them. That was pretty much the race. From that point on, we were just trying to pull up there.”

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 17 Rahal Letterman Racing Team Ethanol, sixth): “We needed a drama-free race day and we got punted again, but we were able to rebound and salvage something good out of it. It was a good day in the points, and we had to have that today. It takes discipline to be racing and saving fuel, and sometimes it’s not the most enjoyable way to spend a day, but we really helped ourselves in the points by doing it.”

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (No. 18 Z-Line Designs, seventh): “I’m very pleased with our results today. We didn’t have the fastest car out there, but we did what we could with it. We worked our way up with lots of passes and took every chance we could on the track. I’m very happy with our results, especially after what happened yesterday. The team worked all night repairing the car, so it’s nice to be able to repay them with a good result.”

WILL POWER (No. 8 Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia, eighth): “I think the Aussie Vineyards–Team Australia crew did a great job. The car was really quick, but I was just unable to pass (Ryan) Hunter-Reay. I tried in Turn 7, got a run on him, then backed out at the last moment, which I shouldn’t have done and lost the front wing. The guys did a great job in the pits getting me back out. I think at best we could have finished fifth or sixth, so it cost me a couple of spots, but still it was a great day, and I was happy to have a good fun race. I enjoyed it a lot.”

RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, ninth): “We had a little miscommunication on our first pit stop. We probably should've stayed out on the first yellow, but we came in instead. After that point, I spent the entire race running with slower traffic; in fact I don't think I got one clear lap during the whole race. We tried to recover and get creative with our pit strategy. I think Team Penske did a good job getting us back into the top 10. It would've been nice to be able to have run up front with the faster traffic, but at least we were able to bring it home in ninth. The best news from today is that we were able to clinch fifth place in the championship. I'm proud of my guys, and I think that's the mark of a successful season.”

A.J. FOYT IV (No. 2 Lilly Diabetes/Vision Racing, 10th): “We had a good strategy, a good car and a good result. Everything worked pretty well for us today. We really needed a day like this where everything went our way for a change. We haven't had too many of those this year. It's great for the team, but it's great for this Lilly Diabetes crew. They've worked hard, and we needed a bit of a boost, and we got that with a good result today. It's nice to have finished twice now in the top 10. The difference this year is we had an even better car. The result also helps lift everyone up to get ready to head for Chicago where we're hoping for a really good result.”

BRIAN BARNHART (President Operations and Competition, Indy Racing League): “We talk about blocking every week in the drivers’ meeting and tell them what they can and can’t do and what the code of conduct is on the racetrack. (Helio Castroneves) clearly moved his car to impede the progress of a following car (Justin Wilson) and moved his car in response to the actions and the line taken by a following car. That’s what I tell them in the drivers’ meeting every week. We made the same decision early in the race with the (Darren) Manning and (Bruno) Junqueira cars, and unfortunately you have to call it like you see it. I think Helio and everyone associated knows that it’s not what’s expected and not what’s accepted of how we race out there. We want to race clean and fair and we need to call them like we see them.” (Did the championship figure into the call?): “You can’t officiate based on points or who’s involved or what position they hold. You have to do it out of fairness and competition.”

From John Griffin, Indy Racing League

South Buxton Raceway: August 30, 2008 report and photos

Pictures: Head and shoulders of Paul DeGoey

Championship winners, from left: Louis Clements of Chatham, Lube Tech Sport Stocks; Rob Quick of Cottam, Garage Restaurant Comp 4s; Andrew Reaume of Blenheim, Castrol UMP Late Models; and Justin Coulter of Leamington, Schinkels Gourmet Meats UMP Modifieds. // Please credit James MacDonald for contributed photos

By Mike Bennett // South Buxton Raceway

SOUTH BUXTON - Blenheim's Andrew Reaume and Chatham's Louis Clements both went flag-to-flag to win their season championship races on Saturday night at South Buxton Raceway. Reaume led all 30 laps to win his second straight Castrol UMP Late Model championship while Clements went green-to-checkered for his first Lube Tech Sport Stock title-race victory. Both drivers also won their division points championships.

Leamington's Justin Coulter stunned the Schinkels Gourmet Meats UMP Modified class by winning the championship race on just his third night in the car while Cottam's Rob Quick made a late pass to win the Garage Restaurant Comp 4 title. The championship night, however, was marred by a terrifying accident earlier in the preliminary races.

Leamington's Paul DeGoey was seriously injured in a Modified heat race when his car flipped several times after being struck on the driver's side while going through turns three and four. DeGoey slipped in and out of consciousness as the track's Emergency Medical Response unit, along with its volunteer fire and safety crews stabilized the driver until Chatham-Kent EMS and fire services arrived. Firefighters from Station 16 Raleigh South had to cut the roof off the car to allow paramedics to safely remove DeGoey.

DeGoey was transported to Chatham hospital and immediately air-lifted to London's Victoria Hospital. He was moved out of intensive care on Sunday and is listed in stable condition. Coulter said his family is relieved to hear of DeGoey's progress. "It's been really tough on my dad, he's been pretty emotionally upset by it," said Coulter of his father Curtis, the other driver involved in the accident. The throttle stuck on the elder Coulter's vehicle as he entered the corner, shooting him up the track into DeGoey.

"We're glad everything is going to be OK," Justin said. "Our family has been praying for him. We'll all be really happy when he's out of the hospital and home again." Reaume's championship victory was a Sunday drive - literally - as the green flag to start the race fell after midnight and he had his car on cruise-control the 30 entire laps to win his fifth straight feature and sixth of the season. "We just kept it smooth, concentrated on hitting our marks and tried not to get in the rough stuff and screw up," Reaume said of his coast-to-coast win.

Chatham's Joe Field won the battle for second place, as Thamesville's Dale Glassford, Kirk Hooker and Jim Jones, both of Chatham, rounded out the top five. Reaume said his second straight points and championship titles are a bonus to his ultimate goal for the season. "The big goal is still the Shootout," he looked ahead to the Castrol Canadian UMP Late Model Shootout on Sept. 27, which pays $6,000US to win.

"This run has been good," he said of finishing the points season with five straight feature wins. "It means we're finally starting to pay some bills and get caught up." Reaume finished with 719 points to win the points title, 16 ahead of Glassford, the runner-up for the second year in a row.

Clements went into the season with championship aspirations, but that all changed after mechanical breakdowns the first two nights. "We wanted to make a really good run at the championship but when we broke the first two nights and were 10th in points, we really didn't think we had a shot at it," Clements said.

His troubles climaxed on mid-season championship night, when he finished the race on his roof, about 25 yards shy of the finish line. "We had a good car that night, until we had problems," he looked back at the turning point on July 5.

"The guys thrashed really hard after mid-season, we got things rolling and everything just fell in place," said Clements, who finished the season winning three of the last five features. He officially wrapped up the points title with his heat and pursuit wins earlier in the night before leading all 25 laps of the championship race.

"The first couple laps after a restart, I could hear Eric (Vanderiviere) but I could never see his nose," he said, as his Taylor Avenue neighbour second. Wallaceburg's Gary Vyse, the mid-season champion, was elevated to a third-place finish after Chatham's Todd Wellman failed post-race inspection. Kingsville's Rob Young and Essex's Gerald Martin rounded out the top five.

Clements won the points title with 484 points, 40 up on Vanderiviere and Dick, who tied for second. Justin Coulter thought his chances of winning went out the window when he pitted under caution early in the race for what thought was a flat tire. "The guys checked it out and said the tires were all up, but yeah, I thought I was done," the 29-year-old said.

After restarting at the back, he quickly powered through the field, taking the lead from Shrewsbury's Jim Dale Jr. after a restart on lap 13. "He put a slide move on me in one and two, and then I lost it in three and four, just trying too hard," said Dale Jr., who went from first to fourth on one lap. Coulter made the pass on the inside, knowing his car was faster on the low line.

"I took that chance, pulling that little slide job off and thank God it worked," he said of the winning pass. Coulter continued to run the low line the final 12 laps to win his the first championship of his career. Dale Jr., the mid-season champion, rebounded for a second-place finish, followed by Merlin's Brad McLeod, Curtis Coulter and Woodslee's Clayton Smith.

It was only Justin Coulter's third night in his modified car this season. He drove part of the season in Jason Haskell's late model. "I was planning to run it in the Shootout," Coulter said, as this year's event includes the UMP Modified Canadian Fall Blowout for the first time.

"My dad told me to bring it out here to get some seat time," Coulter smiled, as his father's advice led him to a championship ride. DeGoey is the Modified points champion as he finished 50 points ahead of Dale Jr., while Curtis Coulter slipped to third after the final tabulations.

Nate McNally of Charing Cross was three laps away from adding the championship race to his points title when Quick rallied to spoil his bid. "I could hear him back there," McNally said of Quick. "The car got a little push in it and washed up, and that allowed him to get under me."

Quick said he was content to run second and wait patiently for his opportunity to make a pass. "I just tried to stay back and stay out of trouble," he said. "I put the nose under him to let him know I was there. In the mid-season (championship), I hurried to get to the front and got wrecked. Tonight, I just took it easy and did the job."

McNally hung on for second, followed by two Young Guns - Clinton Van Dyk, 15, and Shawn Jones, 16, both of Blenheim. Norm DeSerrano of Kingsville was fifth, while two more Young Guns had top-10s - Reid Fenton, 15, of Blenheim, and Jason Arnel, 17, of Chatham.

While McNally was disappointed with his second-place finish, he was more than satisfied with his points championship. "That was our goal going in to the year, to win the points," he said. "There's always next year for the (championship) race." McNally finished with 519 points, while Quick was second with 506.

Pit Notes: *None of the four mid-season champions - Dale Jr. in the Late Models and Modifieds, Vyse in the Sport Stocks and Leamingtion's Brandon Windsor in the Comp 4s - were able to follow up their wins on Championship Night.

* One of the biggest cheers on the night was for Mechell Van Dyk, after driving her No. 88 Comp 4 car to her first victory of the season in the second heat race.

*South Buxton Raceway's management and officials were appreciative of the fans' patience on Saturday, as the race night went well beyond midnight as a result of the rescue efforts in the DeGoey accident and an extended intermission to finalize the points standings.

*Track management also thanked John Verkaik and his Chatham Towing Services, who dispatched two vehicles to the races after problems with South Buxton's tow vehicles. Verkaik and his Chatham Towing Services business was the main sponsor of Don Hendricks' famous 09 Panic car in the 1970s and 80s.

*Fans can become a part of the Castrol Canadian UMP Late Model Shootoutand Modified Fall Blowout at the Sept. 27 event. For $50, fans can sponsor a lap and have their name posted on the Shootout Fan Lap Board, which will be displayed at the track. Fans can use their individual name, their family name or dedicate the lap in memory of a loved one. Everyone who becomes a lap sponsor will be entered in a draw for four tickets to the event, a value of $100.

*There will be Mechanics and Powder Puff races, after all. Scott Mihalco received several requests from drivers for the special races, which will be held on Sept. 13, the second of two extra non-points race nights. The first extra race night will be this Saturday, which will include trophy presentations to the points champions, top rookies and most sportsmanlike drivers in all four classes. These nights will not be rescheduled, in case of rain. There will be no races on Sept. 20, to allow track workers to get the facility prepared for the Castrol Canadian UMP Late Model Shootout/Modified Fall Blowout on Sept. 27.