2014 Kawartha - NASCAR

In September 2006, NASCAR announced the purchase of Canada’s premier stock car series - CASCAR. They also revealed a long-term sponsorship agreement with the Canadian Tire Corporation. The series debuted in 2007 at Cayuga Speedway. The first season included many of the teams that had previously participated in the CASCAR series.

The 2014 championship opened at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park as it had done since 2012. The schedule looked much as it had in 2013. The opening round was followed by two events in Quebec - Autodrome Chaudiere and Circuit ICAR. The series then headed to western Canada and competed at Edmonton International Raceway and the Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon. Then the championship returned to Quebec for races at Autodrome Saint-Eustache and Circuit Trois-Rivieres. Next on the schedule were Riverside International Speedway and the second visit to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The season finale was held at Kawartha Speedway.

The series cars 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, Challenger and Charger), Ford (Fusion) and Chevrolet (Monte Carlo and 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.

After ten races the 2014 NASCAR Canadian Tire Championship would be decided between L.P. Dumoulin and J.R. Fitzpatick at Kawartha Speedway. Drivers would race on the 0.375-mile semi-banked oval for 250-laps in the Pinty’s 250 at Kawartha.

Twenty-three competitors prepare to receive the starters green flag. On the pole is J.R. Fitzpatrick driving the No. 84 Chevrolet Impala with sponsorship from Equipment Express and Autism Speaks. On the outside of the front row is the two-time series champion, Andrew Ranger in the Mopar Dodge. Behind the leaders is Scott Steckly driving the Canadian Tire Dodge and Indy Car veteran, Alex Tagliani.

Entering Kawartha, J.R. Fitzpatrick trailed the point’s leader, L.P. Dumoulin by twenty-one markers. Determined to win the title which had eluded him, Fitzpatrick’s strategy was to score maximum points. He started by earning bonus points for being the fastest qualifier. Fitzpatrick won the race and led the most laps (171 of the 250-laps) which added to his tally. But this was not enough and he finished second in the championship.

It was a difficult season for the 2007 and 2009 series champion, Andrew Ranger. Ranger often qualified at or near the front of the grid but a string of mechanical issues took him out of the hunt for the Driver’s title. In the season finale, he qualified on the outside of the front row. Unfortunately, the driver of the No. 27 Dodge was the first to retire – attributed to a steering problem. Ranger ended the season sixth in points.

Another series veteran to post a good result was Mark Dilley. Dilley competed in six of the eleven races during the season and scored his best result, a second, at Autodrome Chaudiere in the Budweiser 300. In the final event of the season, he qualified ninth and finished fourth. The driver of the No. 02 Leland Industries/Johnsonville Ford Fusion was tenth in the final standings.

Jason Hathaway’s season was filled with a series of highs and lows. Hathaway picked up wins in the second event at Autodrome Chaudiere and at Barrie in round ten. But he was at the bottom of the result sheets at Riverside International Raceway and the second Canadian Tire Motorsport Park event. The series finale saw Hathaway start twelfth and grab the final spot on the podium.

Two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Champion (2010 and 2012), D.J. Kennington went winless in 2014. In fact, his best results were a pair of thirds at Barrie Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. But Kennington had consistent finishes and they paid off with a third in the final standings. At Kawartha, he started in the eleventh grid position and was in fifth place at the checkered flag.

L.P. Dumoulin entered the season finale with the points lead. Dumoulin’s season had been punctuated with his first oval track victory and a win in his hometown of Trois-Rivieres. Heading into Kawartha, Dumoulin had only one finish outside of the top-five and that was a sixth at Riverside. Taking a cautious approach in the final race, he started fifteenth and finished ninth. This was enough for him to win the 2014 NASCAR Canadian Tire title by three points.

FINISH	START	DRIVERS	SPONSOR / CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	1	J.R. Fitzpatrick	Equipment Express/Autism Speaks Chevrolet	250	-
2	3	Scott Steckly	Canadian Tire/AW Millwrights Dodge	250	-
3	12	Jason Hathaway	Rockstar Energy Drink/Fast Eddie Chevrolet	250	-
4	9	Mark Dilley	Leland/Johnsonville/BDI Ford	250	-
5	11	D.J. Kennington	Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge	250	-
6	13	Jeff Lapcevich	Tim Hortons Dodge	250	-
7	5	Steve Mathews	Mathews Motors/Mathews Automotive Ford	250	-
8	18	Matthew Scannell	OMVIC Dodge	250	-
9	15	L.P. Dumoulin	WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare / Dodge	250	-
10	8	James White	AW Millwright/Sturdy Form Concrete Dodge	250	-
11	20	James Van Domselaar	Steel-Craft Door Products Chevrolet	249	-
12	10	Donald Chisholm	Keltic Ford/Nova Construction Ford	249	-
13	6	Anthony Simone	Innovative Plumbing & Mechanical Dodge	249	-
14	7	Joey McColm	PartSource/Toronto Maple Leafs Dodge	248	-
15	14	Larry Jackson	OMVIC/B&B Decals Dodge	248	-
16	21	Noel Dowler	Empire Mechanical Dodge	248	-
17	17	Marc-Antoine Camirand	99 Resto Bar Chevrolet	247	-
18	22	Trevor Monaghan	Bomb Energy/Seven Star Express Line Dodge	246	-
19	23	Erica Thiering	AlbertaIsHiring.com Dodge	246	-
20	16	Dwayne Baker	GD Coates Superstore/Baker Perf. Dodge	241	-
21	4	Alex Tagliani	EpiPen/Dicom Express Dodge	193	Mechanical
22	19	Gary Klutt	CTL Financing/Legendary Motorcar Dodge	179	Clutch
23	2	Andrew Ranger	Mopar/Exide Dodge	144	Steering