Johnson supports Canadian NASCAR race

Johnson supports Canadian NASCAR race


Canadian Press
7/25/2005 2:21:15 PM
TORONTO (CP) - The idea of NASCAR coming north has the full support of its top driver.
Jimmie Johnson, who leads the Nextel Cup overall standings in his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo, said the time has come for wildly popular stock-car circuit to stage a race in Canada.
''To come north is a no-brainer,'' Johnson said Monday during an informal gathering with reporters at Wayne Gretzky's restaurant in Toronto. ''We need to be here and hopefully it can happen.
''I think Canada can support Busch, (Nextel) Cup and (Craftsman) Trucks. I know NASCAR is working real hard to have the growth of our sport go the right way at the right time. It's just going to take a bit of time for everything to come into place. I'm encouraged by everything I've heard.''
Canada hosts a Formula One event (the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal) and Champ Car races in Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton but no NASCAR events. NASCAR expanded into Mexico this year, staging a junior Busch Series race at a road course in Mexico City.


''I know there was some concern to go to Mexico as far as team owners getting equipment down and being in a safe environment,'' Johnson said. ''But everyone made it down safely and they had a great, great race.
''Obviously travelling north into Canada is a totally different situation.''
Last month, Normand Legault, the promoter of Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, said he had talked with NASCAR officials about staging a road race there but nothing had been finalized.
Ovals are the predominant track in NASCAR, allowing for the spectacle of cars travelling more than 200 m.p.h. (320 km/h) going three-wide in a mad dash to the finish line.
''I have mixed feelings for a race in Canada,'' Johnson said. ''First, I'd like to see an oval because that's where we put on our best show and that's what we're known for.
''At the same time I love road-course racing and I know there are great road courses here. I feel with us having two road-course events we're at a point where it's either lose them or add a few more . . . if we're going to go road-course racing we'd like to see three or four.''
The five-foot-11, 175-pound Johnson was 12th Sunday in the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway. Despite that modest finish, Johnson still leads the overall standings with 2,799 points, 66 ahead of Tony Stewart and 87 in front of Greg Biffle.
Johnson, 29, has finished second in the driver's standings the last two years but is putting his bid for a first NASCAR title temporarily on hold. The next race is Aug. 7 with the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway so Johnson plans to head to Italy this week and spend some down time with his wife Chandra.
''I love to eat so my plan is to eat pasta and drink some wine,'' Johnson said with a chuckle.
NASCAR has been called the fastest-growing sport in North America. Some of its most fanatical fans travel to the various tracks, spending the weekend in motor homes and watching races either in jam-packed stands or perched atop buses or motorhomes, all donning hats, shirts and other related merchandise of their favourite drivers.
''I can say I meet Canadian fans at every single race we go to, even as far south as Talladega, Alabama,'' said Johnson. ''I know there is a huge race market up here and a lot of fans.''
And there are plenty more in Canada watching on television.
TSN has averaged 276,000 viewers for the eight races it has carried so far this season, excluding the Daytona 500, an increase of 41 per cent over the same time last year. Add in the Daytona 500, along with its two support events, and TSN's average jumps to 293,000.
The network attracted 550,00 viewers for the Daytona 500 alone, an increase of 166 per cent over 2004.
''The reason for NASCAR's success is a complicated answer,'' said Johnson. ''First, we have great racing and there's entertainment value for the fans.
''Fans are also able to be close to the drivers who are in cars that you can attempt to buy on the showroom floor and there are products on the cars that you attempt to use. There's a lot of things that connect with fans.
''Being a speed enthusiast, I love watching F1. I've been to F1 races and had a great time watching them in practice and especially qualifying. But once the race started, you could predict basically how the outcome would be. I think competition plays a big part why NASCAR has done so well.''
But not all of the attention in auto racing has been focused on NASCAR. Danica Patrick, a 23-year-old rookie in the Indy Racing League, has continued to grab headlines after becoming the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 en route to an impressive fourth-place finish in the race.
Johnson said the attention Patrick is attracting is great for the sport and he expects there to be a full-time female driver in the NASCAR ranks very soon.
''It's great for sports, period,'' Johnson said. ''Danica had a great showing at Indy and has been showing great progress every week.
''It (full-time female NASCAR driver) is a matter of time. That's something I'd predict seeing very soon.''

Greasemonkey.

CASCAR SUPER SERIES: MOPAR 300 Summary & Results

CALGARY, AB – CASCAR Super Series veteran DJ Kennington won Saturday night’s MOPAR 300 at Race City Motorsport Park. The Castrol Dodge driver started sixth in the field of 29 who took to the high-banked, half-mile oval for the 300-lap race but quickly carved his way to the front en route to scoring his first-ever win at the Calgary oval.

The St. Thomas, ON resident led a total of 125 laps of the MOPAR 300, including the final 15 tours after passing two-time National champ Peter Gibbons, who showed the way from lap 202 to 285. Gibbons went on to finish second in the race in his Canadian Tire Chevy, ahead of veteran Super Series competitor Dave Jacombs of Mt. Hope, ON in his Lou’s BBQ Ford Taurus. Jacombs’ run was all the more impressive considering he lined up 18th on the starting grid.

Fourth-place went to last year’s rookie of the year runner-up J.R. Fitzpatrick of Ayr, ON. The Cambridge Rigging Chevy driver continues to impress in his sophomore season on the Super Series tour. Rounding out the top five in Calgary was Edmonton, AB resident Kevin Dowler. The multi-time Western Series champ was the top finishing western competitor in the MOPAR 300, which also served as a points race for the Western Series.

Points leader Don Thomson was scored in 14th-place after the motor in his Home Hardware Chevy expired with five laps to go. Fortunately for Thomson, his nearest rivals in the points chase (Mark Dilley and Kerry Micks) also experienced their own troubles, so Thomson will retain a healthy points lead heading to the next event. Gibbons’ solid finish in the MOPAR 300 moved him to second in the standings following the conclusion of the first half of the schedule.

A pair of 100-lap qualifying sprint races took place on Friday night at Race City Motorsport Park. In addition to setting the starting field for the MOPAR 300, they were also full Super Series points races. PowerWater Ford driver Kerry Micks and Kevin Dowler (EMCO Ford) picked up checkered flags in their respective sprint races. Kennington’s win in the MOPAR 300 was his first Super Series victory since August 9, 2003 at Montreal’s Autodrome St-Eustache.

The next CASCAR Super Series event takes place next weekend (July 29-30) at Sun Valley Motor Speedway in Vernon, British Columbia. The race will follow the same Twin 100 plus a 300 lap feature format at the MOPAR 500 Weekend.

POINT STANDINGS: After 6 events. Unofficial as of July 23, 2005: 1. #4 Don Thomson Jr. (1100 pts.); 2. #1 Peter Gibbons (1044); 3. #02 Kerry Micks (1031); 4. #9 Mark Dilley (1029); 5. #39 Dave Whitlock (984); 6. #17 DJ Kennington (975); 7. #60 Ron Beauchamp Jr. (952); 8. #84 J.R. Fitzpatrick (951); 9. #19 Brad Graham (941); 10. #14 John Fitzpatrick (920); 11. #88 Dave Jacombs (900); 12. #22 Scott Steckly (866); 13. #37 Tara MacLeod ® (844); 14. #50/71 Pete Shepherd (830); 15. #10 Doug Brown (826)
® Denotes Rookie of the Year.

CASCAR Super Series
RESULTS: MOPAR 300
Round #6 of 12 // July 23, 2005 // Race City Motorsport Park
Calgary, Alberta // 300 Laps // ½-mile, high-banked oval


FIN. ST. # DRIVER (HOMETOWN) SPONSOR(S) / MAKE LAPS
1 6 17 DJ Kennington (St. Thomas, ON) Castrol Canada Dodge 300
2 7 1 Peter Gibbons (Stouffville, ON) Canadian Tire Corporation Chevrolet Monte Carlo 300
3 18 88 Dave Jacombs (Mt. Hope, ON) Lou’s BBQ Ford Taurus 300
4 9 84 J.R. Fitzpatrick (Ayr, ON) Cambridge Rigging Chevrolet Monte Carlo 300
5 3 35 Kevin Dowler (Sherwood Park, AB) EMCO Ford Taurus 300
6 10 71 Pete Shepherd (Brampton, ON) PowerWater Ford Taurus 299
7 21 8 Marc Miller (Holland, MI) Carhartt Clothing Dodge 299
8 16 30 Derek Polack (Stony Plain, AB) Bulldog Box Liners Chevrolet Monte Carlo 299
9 15 11 Ron VanEs (Smithville, ON) Star Van Systems / All Cover Chevrolet Monte Carlo 299
10 5 60 Ron Beauchamp Jr. (Windsor, ON) MOPAR Parts / Exide / Mobil 1 Dodge Charger 298
11 11 19 Brad Graham (Glencoe, ON) Challenger Motor Frt. / Logel’s Dodge Charger 298
12 14 14 John Fitzpatrick (Ayr, ON) Latta Cranes Chevrolet Monte Carlo 298
13 20 36 Jim White (Kamloops, BC) MOPAR Dodge Charger 298
14 2 4 Don Thomson Jr. (Hamilton, ON) Home Hardware Chevrolet Monte Carlo 295
15 17 37 Tara MacLeod (Innisfil, ON) R Central Merchant Services Ford Taurus 295
16 12 79 Wade Lee (Calgary, AB) James Western Star / Sun Valley Motor Speedway Chevrolet M.C. 292
17 25 3 Stu Robinson Jr. (Holland Landing, ON) Snap-On Tools Dodge 292
18 24 21 Jason White (Kamloops, BC) Zimmer Wheaton GM Chevrolet Monte Carlo 289
19 29 27 Mark Derks (Calgary, AB) Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Chevrolet Monte Carlo 286
20 30 26 Shaun Polack (Stony Plain, AB) Unifirst Chevrolet Monte Carlo 282
21 8 9 Mark Dilley (Barrie, ON) Dodge / PowerWater / Mobil 1 / Exide Dodge Charger 276
22 4 02 Kerry Micks (Mt. Albert, ON) PowerWater Ford Taurus 270
23 22 10 Doug Brown (Brantford, ON) NAPA / Autopro Chevrolet Monte Carlo 268
24 27 15 Mike Browne (Calgary, AB) Bartin Pipe / Waste Management Pontiac Grand Prix 201
25 1 39 Dave Whitlock (Wyoming, ON) Avenue Motor Works / NMT Dodge Charger 169
26 23 74 Dennis Masse (Lethbridge, AB) Auto Value / Quaker State Dodge 137
27 26 6 Todd Nichol (St. Albert, AB) Pennzoil / Rocky Mountain Sales Chevrolet Monte Carlo 132
28 19 44 James VanDomselaar (Ft. Sask., AB) South Fort Chevy Chevrolet Monte Carlo 39
29 13 22 Scott Steckly (Milverton, ON) Alltruck Int’l / ERB Group Pontiac Grand Prix 5
30 28 87 James Ward (Kelowna, BC) Lordco Auto Parts Ford Taurus DNS
31 31 69 Randy Kozek (Kelowna, BC) Ford Taurus DNS
32 32 53 Scott Kessler (Calgary, AB) Chevrolet Monte Carlo DNS

R after the hometown denotes Rookie contender.
POLESITTER: #39 Dave Whitlock // TIME OF RACE: 1 hour, 58 minutes and 2.51 seconds // MARGIN OF VICTORY: 2.143 seconds // CAUTIONS: 5 for a total of 50 laps // LAP LEADERS: #4 Don Thomson Jr. (1-20), #39 Dave Whitlock (21-30), #17 DJ Kennington (31-106), #60 Ron Beauchamp Jr. (107-110), #39 Dave Whitlock (111-167), #17 DJ Kennington (168-201), #1 Peter Gibbons (202-285), #17 DJ Kennington (286-300) // GOODYEAR BELTS & HOSES FASTEST LAP: #39 Dave Whitlock on Lap 5.


Contact CASCAR at (519) 641-1214 or visit www.cascar.ca
Prepared by Inside Track Communications. // Contact: Greg MacPherson (416) 561-2320 (cell).
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