BROWN EARNS FIFTH PLACE HONOURS AT DELAWARE: Brantford Driver Sticks To Game Plan

By Ken Spencer, Marketing and Media Relations, Brown Auto Racing

September 5, 2005 – Brantford’s Doug Brown headed to the annual CASCAR Labour Day Weekend classic at Delaware Speedway with a firm game plan. Put his NAPA/Autopro Monte Carlo in a good starting position, stay with the leaders throughout the race and avoid any problems that are bound to occur in 300-laps of short oval track racing –especially with 32 cars in the starting field.

The veteran racer stuck to his game plans and was rewarded with a fifth-place finish in an event that saw him qualify seventh on Saturday then wade through the Sunday event that featured seven lead changes, 17 cautions and one red flag for a multi-car accident on lap 232.

Doug ran in the top-ten throughout most of the afternoon but it was a daring last lap, last corner move that earned him full marks for his best ever finish in Super Series competition.

With the white flag waving, Doug was running seventh in a tight chain entering turns one and two and down the fast backstretch at the London area half-mile. But when Wyoming’s Dave Whitlock washed high into turn three causing DJ Kennington of St. Thomas to brake momentarily, Brown darted to the inside and leapfrogged his way into fifth place at the finish line.

“It was the invitation I was looking for,” the perspiration drenched driver commented “and I wasn’t about to turn it down. It was just a case of right foot down and hold on especially when (Dave) Whitlock got into my right side fenders.”

The strong finish moved Brown into an eleventh-place tie with Milverton’s Scott Steckley in the national standings. Steckley was one of seven drivers caught in the lap 232 accident. They now both trail Mt. Hopes Dave Jacombs by 50 points heading to Cayuga 2000 Speedway for this Saturday’s rescheduled event that was postponed by rain three weeks ago. The Super Series schedule wraps up at Kawartha Speedway south of Peterborough on September 17th-18th.

Stouffville’s Peter Gibbons returned to victory lane with the win at Delaware edging out points’ leader Don Thomson of Hamilton and Jeff Lapcevich of Caistor Centre for the victory. Ron Beauchamp of Windsor finished fourth followed by Brown (5th), Kennington (6th), Pete Shepherd of Brampton (7th), Whitlock (8th), JR Fitzpatrick of Cambridge (9th) and Brad Graham, one lap down (10th).

For more information visit www.cascar.ca or www.dougbrown.net.