MONTREAL, QC - Dave Whitlock and thirty of Canada's best stock car drivers took part in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this weekend in conjunction with the NASCAR Busch Series inaugural event in Canada. Whitlock driver of the No. 39 Dickies/Hamilton Tiger Cats/NMT Dodge Charger finished eleventh after lining up to start the NAPA Auto Pro 100 in seventh.
Whitlock again fielded a three car team this weekend as Pierre Bourque driver of the No. 29 Driving.ca/ Conservative Party Dodge Charger joined him and regular teammate Mark Dilley in the #9 Dodge sponsored Avenger.
Friday's practice sessions saw Whitlock continuously posting times in the top ten and time in with a solid seventh place qualifying effort later in the day. The green flag fell on the field for the start of the NAPA Auto Pro 100 at 10:30 on Saturday morning prior to the running of the Busch event - the NAPA Auto Pro 200 presented by Dodge for the Busch Series teams later in the afternoon.
Whitlock with some help from other drivers was shuffled back to fourteenth on the first lap but he quickly made up the positions and by lap nine was back into the top ten. Late in the race while running in eighth another competitor turned the No. 39 Dickies Dodge Charger around and by the time Whitlock got going again he was back in thirteenth. With only three laps remaining the No. 39 driver was only able to make up two of those positions to finish eleventh.
"We had one of the best road course cars I have ever had here today and we were just running in eighth and taking our time moving up through the field when I got taken out," stated a disappointed Whitlock. "Eleventh is okay but when you know you had a fifth or sixth place car it's small consolation."
Kerry Micks made a last lap, last corner pass for the second year in a row at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to take the checkered flag from hometown favourite Andrew Ranger. Third place was Robin Buck, followed by D.J. Kennington and Scott Steckly rounding out the top five.
The Whitlock Motorsports team now find themselves in eighth position in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series point standings heading into event number seven Saturday August 11th at Mosport Speedway. Last years running of this event under the CASCAR banner, saw the Whitlock team come away with the checkered flag a feat they hope to duplicate this year.
The No. 39 Dickies/Hamilton Tiger Cats/NMT Dodge Charger will be on display this Friday August 10th at the annual Leland Industries BBQ held at their head office on Commander Boulevard in Scarborough.
Williamson-Dickie Canada Co. is a subsidiary of Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company of Fort Worth, Texas. Since its beginnings in Forth Worth, Texas in 1922, the Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company has grown from a humble manufacturer of bib overalls into a global brand powerhouse, with Dickies work pants, shirts, denim, outerwear, school uniforms, outdoor gear, medical and chefs apparel and an extensive licensing program offering sturdy head-to-toe clothing options for hardworking men and women of all ages, professions, regions and interests. Williamson-Dickie operates through subsidiaries in North America, Canada and Europe as well as exclusive distributorship around the world. Dickies products are available at select retailers across Canada and the Dickies Factory Outlet store in Hanover, Ont. For more information please visit www.dickiescanada.com
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit www.nascar.ca
Whitlock Motorsports is a professional racing business located in Wyoming, ON just outside of Sarnia. The 5,000 square foot dedicated motorsports facility houses up to eight race cars, a chassis dyno and all the necessary tools to field a competitive two car race team. Dave Whitlock boasts three National CASCAR Championships, 1991, 1997 and 1998 along with several top three National Championship finishes, while teammate Mark Dilley has one National CASCAR Championship to his credit in 1994. Both teams have consistently posted finishes in the Top Six in the National Point Standings since Dilley joined the Whitlock team in 1999. www.whitlockmotorsports.com
From Linda Jones
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