CASCAR Super Series heads to Montreal’s Autodrome St-Eustache for the CASCAR 200TORONTO, ON – After a three-week pause in the schedule, the CASCAR Super Series returns to action this Saturday night (June 10) with a 200-lap race at Montreal’s Autodrome St-Eustache. The flat, 4/10-mile oval always produces an exciting spectacle. Ford driver Kerry Micks is the defending race winner at St-Eustache.The Mt. Albert, ON resident took the lead on lap 118 of the Whelen 200 last June and never looked back en route to his first of two feature wins in 2005. DJ Kennington (Castrol Dodge Charger) and Ron Beauchamp Jr. (MOPAR Dodge Charger) were second and third, respectively.
Reigning and five-time CASCAR National champion Don Thomson Jr. will head to Montreal in a familiar position. The Home Hardware Chevy driver holds the Super Series points lead after one event, just 10 markers in front of Scott Steckly, who won the season opener at Barrie Speedway. The Barrie race on the May long weekend was a physical affair and there are several racers who are looking to bounce back at St-Eustache after being involved in incidents during the GO-RACING.CA 300.
There have been whispers in the weeks since that some racers’ tempers have yet to subside in the wake of the Barrie event. One driver who is more concerned about getting to victory lane than settling grudges is Super Series veteran Brad Graham, of Glencoe, ON.
The Challenger Motor Freight / Logel’s Auto Parts Dodge Charger driver won the CASCAR Sportsman Series title in 2004, but has yet to win a feature race in the sanctioning body’s elite division. Graham came close on several occasions in 2005, but it was the St-Eustache race in 2003 that still sticks out in his mind as ‘the one that got away.’
In that event, Graham started on the pole and led the first 167 laps before his car’s handling went away and he fell to fourth at the finish. Three weeks ago, at Barrie Speedway, Scott Steckly got the proverbial ‘monkey off his back’ when he won his first career Super Series feature. Brad Graham is hoping Steckly started a trend and that he, too, will be able to shed the reputation of being one of the series’ top racers who has yet to win a race.
ST-EUSTACHE NOTEBOOK: During last year’s visit to Autodrome St-Eustache, veteran racer Peter Gibbons earned the pole for the feature with a lap of 17.767 seconds. The effort ended a personal pole-qualifying drought for the Canadian Tire Chevy driver, which dated back to June 29, 2003 at Cayuga Speedway…
FLO~PRO.COM WESTERN SERIES: The FLO~PRO.COM CASCAR Western Series will be in action this weekend at Vernon, BC’s Sun Valley Motor Speedway. Saturday’s event is Race #2 on the schedule for the Western Series. Back in May, former series champion Daryl Harr returned to the tour in glorious fashion by taking the checkered flag in the season opener at Sun Valley. The St. Albert, AB racer led the final 32 laps in his #71 Westworld Chevy, coming home in front of Jim White and Daryl’s father, Carl Harr. Reigning Western Series champ Kevin Dowler was fourth in the opener.
MARGARET GIBBONS: The CASCAR community was recently saddened to hear of the passing of Margaret Gibbons, the mother of Super Series veteran Peter Gibbons. Margaret was a fan of Peter's racing efforts and it was special for him when she was able to join he and the rest of the team in victory lane, following a win. CASCAR extends its condolences to the entire Gibbons family for their loss.
CASCAR ON TV: Catch the GO-RACING.CA 300 CASCAR Super Series season opener from Barrie Speedway on Saturday, June 10 on SPORTSNET. For information regarding initial airings and replays of Super Series races, please check your local listings or visit
http://www.cascar.ca/schedule/tv_schedule.html.
SCHEDULE: AUTODROME ST-EUSTACHE (Montreal, Quebec)
CASCAR Super Series // CASCAR 200
SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2006
5: 00 p.m. CASCAR Practice
6:45 p.m. CASCAR Time Trials & Impound
7:15 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. St-Eustache Division Heats & Features
8:30 p.m. Driver Introductions
9:00 p.m. START: CASCAR 200 CASCAR SUPER SERIES FEATURE
Contact CASCAR’s Toronto Office at (416) 531-4714 or visit
www.cascar.caPrepared by Inside Track Communications. // Contact: Greg MacPherson (416) 561-2320 (cell).
Comments regarding additions to – or deletions from – this mailing list should be sent to:
greg@insidetracknews.com
