Whitlock Caught Up in Early Race Incident

Courtesy Linda Jones

BOWMANVILLE, ON – Dave Whitlock driver of the No. 39 Dickies/Hamilton Tiger Cats/NMT Dodge Charger was caught up in an early race incident when two cars in front of him got together. The contact happened at lap 12 and made for a very long night for the Whitlock team.

During practice and qualifying earlier in the day, Whitlock was not quite as quick as they wanted to be. However they qualified under the hot sun in the afternoon in ninth position. Whitlock and his team knew the car would come to them as the day turned into night during the 200 lap Full Throttle event.

On lap 12 J.R. Fitzpatrick spun around collecting the No. 02 of Kerry Micks. Whitlock went high but by the time he got there as so often happens the hole had closed up and the left front of the car sustained brake line and front steering damage. He brought the No. 39 Dickies Dodge to the attention of his team and they made quick repairs however upon returning to the race track Whitlock would find himself down seven laps. It was a long night as all they could do was stay out of the lead lap drivers way and hope for the best. A disappointing seventeenth place finish was the result. "I know we would have had a car to contend tonight," stated a very disappointed Whitlock after the race. "We started ninth and the car was really good we were just waiting for opportunities to move up. It is really tough getting taken out of a race so early and having to just run around at the back all night. It has been that kind of year for us but we are looking forward to moving on to Trois Rivieres and the final four oval events to try and turn it around."

Don Thomson Jr. dominated the show leading the most laps, followed by Whitlock teammate Mark Dilley. Kerry Micks, Jason Hathaway and Derek Lynch rounded out the top five.

Next event for the No. 39 Whitlock team will be at the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres this weekend starting with practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and the main event on Sunday.

For more information on the team, series or sponsor visit nascar.ca, whitlockmotorsports.com or dickiescanada.com.