2010 Mosport - NASCAR

In 2010, the Canadian NASCAR series was in its fourth season. With Canadian Tire as the primary sponsor, NASCAR had developed a successful format that attracted competitors and fans.

There were some changes to the 2010 schedule. The title chase started in June at Delaware Speedway and was followed by the road course at Mosport. St. Eustache which hosted two rounds last year would only have one event in 2010. After this stop, competitors would make a west coast swing - racing at Vernon, Edmonton and Saskatoon. Then it was back to the east for weekends at Trois-Rivieres, the Mosport oval, Montreal and Barrie. The penultimate round was held at Antigonish, Nova Scotia and the championship would end in late September at Kawartha Speedway. In total, there were thirteen race weekends and the series would visit thirteen different tracks in six provinces.

The cars competing in the championship are constructed to specifications and rules common to most stock car series. The chassis is a steel tube frame design covered with a fiberglass body and is required to weigh no less than 3000-lbs. Body styles are from manufacturers such as Dodge (Avenger and Charger), Ford (Fusion) and Chevrolet (Impala SS). Engine type and displacement are dictated by the make and model of the vehicle. The carbureted eight-cylinder motors produce approximately 650-horsepower. Depending on the gearing, these cars are estimated to have a top speed of 160-mph.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series made their second visit to Mosport but this time the race was held on the 0.5-mile oval. Twenty-one drivers would compete in the Dickies 200.

The grid lines up on the backstretch for round nine of the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Pacing the twenty-one competitors is the pole-sitter, D.J. Kennington driving the Castrol Edge Dodge. On the outside of the front row is the 2008 series champion, Scott Steckly also in a Dodge. Behind the leaders are the third and fourth fastest qualifiers, Don Thomson, Jr. and Kerry Micks.

At the Mosport Speedway, Don Thomson, Jr. demonstrated the driving skills that earned him five consecutive CASCAR titles (2001-2005). Thomson who had been winless since Barrie in 2008 put the Home Hardware Chevrolet third on the grid. He moved into the lead of the race for the first time on lap-17 and for the final time on the lap-178 restart. Despite pressure from his teammate, J.R. Fitzpatrick, he held on for the win.

The point’s leader, J.R. Fitzpatrick qualified the No. 84 Chevrolet sixth quickest. By lap-3 of the race, Fitzpatrick had already moved into third place. However, on lap-41, an incident with Mark Dilley caused him to hit the turn three wall. Fitzpatrick worked his way through the field and with less than ten laps remaining, he was pressuring the leader, Thomson. Unable to make the pass, Fitzpatrick claimed the runner-up spot.

Veteran, Kerry Micks entered round nine with seven top-ten finishes and a second-place in the most recent event at Trois-Rivieres. But Micks had not won a race since Montreal in 2008. During qualifying, he was fourth quickest. Micks was in contention for the race win all evening – leading a total of twenty-three-laps. As the contest came to an end, he was unable to find a way by Thomson and Fitzpatrick and settled for third.

The 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion, Scott Steckly scored his first win of the 2010 season at Vernon, British Columbia. Steckly was third in the points but was slowly falling behind the leaders, J.R. Fitzpatrick and D.J. Kennington – they each had three victories. His chances for a second win looked good after qualifying second but problems during the race relegated him to a seventeenth place finish.

It was a good event for the CASCAR series veteran, Ron Beauchamp, Jr. The highlight of his season thus far was a fifth-place finish at St. Eustache. Beauchamp, Jr. was gridded eighth for the start of the contest. His crew’s race strategy put in first place on lap-177. Unfortunately, Beauchamp was not able to match the pace of the leaders, Don Thomson, Jr., J.R. Fitzpatrick and Kerry Micks and finished fourth.

Pete Shepherd III doesn’t compete in many NASCAR Canadian Tire events but when he does, he is a threat to win. Thus far this season, he has only entered Delaware and St. Eustache - on both occasions he recorded a fourth place finish. In qualifying at Mosport, Shepherd was fifth quickest. A decision to pit out of sequence during the race resulted in him leading fifty-two laps. At the finish, he was in fifth place.

D.J. Kennington had battled J.R. Fitzpatrick all season long for the championship point’s lead. Entering round nine at Mosport, he was second just one-marker behind, Fitzpatrick. Kennington took care of that deficit when he won the pole. Unfortunately, driver of the No. 17 Dodge fell off the pace and could only manage a sixth-place finish. Kennington fell sixteen-points behind Fitzpatrick with four races remaining in 2010.

FINISH	START	DRIVERS	SPONSOR / CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	3	Don Thomson, Jr.	Home Hardware / Chevrolet	200	-
2	4	JR Fitzpatrick	Schick Hydro / Chevrolet	200	-
3	6	Kerry Micks	Dickies/Beyond Digital Imaging / Ford	200	-
4	8	Ron Beauchamp, Jr.	Mopar/Mobil 1 / Dodge	200	-
5	5	Pete Shepherd III	National Exhaust / Dodge	200	-
6	1	DJ Kennington	Castrol Edge / Dodge	200	-
7	11	Mark Dilley	PartSource/Dickies / Dodge	200	-
8	12	Anthony Simone	Rx100 / Chevrolet	200	-
9	9	John Gaunt	Triad Racing Technologies / Dodge	200	-
10	13	Joey McColm	Canada Windows & Doors / Dodge	200	-
11	15	Shawn McGlynn	B&B Decals/Wigs For Kids / Dodge	200	-
12	17	Pierre Bourque	Mohawk Internet Technologies / Dodge	200	-
13	21	Steven Mathews	Mathews Motorsports / Ford	193	-
14	18	Hugo Vannini	Vannini Motorsports / Ford	190	-
15	7	Jason Hathaway	Snap-on Tools/Vortex Brake Pads / Dodge	189	-
16	14	Derek White	OCR Gaz Bar / Chevrolet	184	-
17	2	Scott Steckly	Canadian Tire/MotoMaster / Dodge	178	-
18	10	Jeff Lapcevich	Tim Hortons / Chevrolet	167	Electrical
19	16	Dexter Stacey	Bully's Truck Stop / Chevrolet	147	-
20	19	Shannon Harding	Harding Racing / Chevrolet	103	-
21	20	Jason White	A&W/Zimmer-Wheaton GMC / Chevrolet	5	Engine