NCATS: Mosport Dickies 200 Fast Facts

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 14, 2007) – With one race under their collective belts, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio drivers and teams are geared up for the second race this season.

This time, however, the task includes a few right-hand turns as they tackle the road course at Mosport International Raceway.

THE TRACK: The 10-turn, 2.459-mile road course at Mosport International Raceway, located just north of Bowmanville, Ontario, opened in 1961. In 2000, the track was resurfaced and widened to 40 feet. Over the years, Mosport has hosted the former CASCAR Super Series, as well as Formula 1 and IndyCar events.

THE EVENT: The Dickies 200 presented by Canadian Shield Anticrime is scheduled for a 2:15 p.m. ET start on Sunday, June 17, but a full weekend of racing action is planned at Mosport. Joining the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series for this extravaganza is the Grand-Am KONI Challenge. The Cup Lites Racing Series will also be on hand.

DICKIES AND NASCAR: Dickies, the leading global workwear brand and title sponsor of this weekend’s Canadian Tire Series event, has been involved with NASCAR for over six years. This November will be the third running of the Dickies 500 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway. “We are excited to be working with Mosport and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series,” said Bill McFarlane of Williamson-Dickie Canada Company. “We have a strong partnership with (Canadian Tire) Series driver Dave Whitlock, sponsoring his No. 39 Dickies Dodge Charger, and we think this is another great way to bring racing excitement to NASCAR’s Canadian fans.”

WHY 200?: It’s the Dickies 200 presented by Canadian Shield covering 124.3 miles, but the event does cover 200 kilometers.

FOUR ON THE FLOOR: Canada’s Miguel Duhamel, AMA Super Bikes driver, will drive a four-wheeled vehicle in a NASCAR event prepared by Dave Jacombs, who also fields Andrew Ranger’s No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford team. Duhamel, who owns the records for most wins and championships in the Super Bikes Series, is entered in this event. He also has his sights set on the Canadian debut of the NASCAR Busch Series at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 4.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY: Brothers Jeff and Jim Lapcevich want to give their father, Joe Lapcevich, a very special Father’s Day present at Mosport this weekend in their Tim Hortons/EMCEA Transport Chevrolets.

“It’s been a goal of ours to stand on the winner’s podium together, and it has been close the last two years. It’s been a Mosport Father’s Day present we’ve planned for a while,” said Jim. “Maybe this will be our year.”

FATHER’S DAY FOR THE FANS: Fans can give dad a real Mosport VIP experience, tickets to the Grand Prix Club. The Grand Prix Club includes a three-day admission and a Sunday hospitality event that includes a trackside lunch overlooking the start-finish line and Turn One.Ticket information for the Dickies 200 presented by Canadian Shield Anticrime can be obtained by calling Mosport International Raceway at (905) 983-9141 or by logging onto www.mosport.com. Tickets are also available at TicketMaster.

What: Dickies 200 presented by Canadian Shield (Race No. 2 of 12 in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series).

Where: Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, Ontario.

When: 2:15 p.m. ET (approx.), Sunday, June 17, 2007.

Track layout: 2.5-mile road course.

Race length: 50 laps/125 miles.

Posted awards: $67,524 CAD.

TV: TSN (Sun., June 24, Noon ET).

Top 10 in Points: 1. Don Thomson Jr., 190; 2. Mark Dilley, 175; 3. Peter Gibbons, 165; 4. Andrew Ranger, 160; 5. Derek Lynch, 155; 6. Jason Hathaway, 151; 7. John Gaunt, 150; 8. Joey McColm, 142; 9. Kerry Micks, 139; 10. Kent Nuhn, 138.

Pre-race schedule (all times local): Sat., 6/16 – 6:30 a.m. Registration Opens; 10:05-10:35 a.m. Practice; 11:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m. Practice; 4:00 p.m. Bud Pole Qualifying. Sun., 6/17 – 10:00 a.m. Registration opens; 2:15 p.m. Dickies 200 presented by Canadian Shield.

From NASCAR

Mike Stawicki and G-Force return to PMRA competition at Cayuga

By Bruce F. Mehlenbacher

CAYUGA, ONTARIO (June 11, 2007) - One of Pro Modified drag racing’s most prominent teams will be competing in the upcoming Third Annual KC Auto Family Day Spectacular - PMRA Challenge presented by Paul Wolf Electric & Lighting Supply Inc., Sylvania and Independent Electrical Distributors.

Based in Western New York, Mike Stawicki and the G-Force Race Cars team Camaro will be running this coming Saturday, June 16 at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario.

Running in both the IHRA Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam™ Drag Racing Series and NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Modified Challenge presented by Tindle Enterprises Pro Modified competition, Stawicki considers Toronto Motorsports Park one of his favorite tracks, and has gone down the Kohler Road quarter mile many times. He won the PMRA Challenge race at the track back in 2005, and the team will be ready to take on the large field of Pro Modifieds in the Supercharged 1967 Camaro.

After a development year in 2006 with the new Mike Stawicki 521-cubic inch Brad Anderson Hemi engine, the team was able to muster a 6.09 pass in the 2006 IHRA world finals. For 2007, the team has run a career-best with a 6.03-second, 237.95-mph pass at the NHRA Gatornationals in Florida.

“G-Force Race Cars and Stawicki work hand-in-hand with car development, and this development goes into the race cars we build,” according to G-Force Race Car’s Jim Salemi.

“For the most part we do our testing with the car Mike drives,” said Salemi, who is crew chief for the team. “This is where we try our new ideas.”

Salemi added G-Force Race Cars builds seven to 10 Pro Modifieds a year, plus updates on existing cars. Some of its customers include Raymond Commisso, Mike Janis, and the Carl Spiering Motorsports - Eaton Electrical Camaro.

He added that the competition in the Pro Modified class is constantly getting stronger as the bar is continuously raised meaning more money must be spent to succeed.

“It’s getting harder to promote our race car on our budget,” Salemi admitted. “We’re dealing with million-dollar teams now, but we’ll be there.”

Nick Wittmer returns to Mosport

Courtesy Service Presse

Montreal, Quebec — Nick Wittmer will be returning this weekend on a track he almost calls home for having raced so many times in the last years, Mosport Raceway in Ontario, Canada. The 22 year-old driver will be pairing again with American Glen Bocchino in the #31 I-Moto Acura TSX for the fifth round of the Grand Am Koni Challenge.

They will look for a better result than the 12-lap DNF thay experienced in Lime Rock some three weeks ago. Meanwhile, brother Kuno Wittmer will take some time off after last weekend’s double header in Watkins Glen where he enjoyed only one good result: the older Wittmer brother was sidelined with a mechanical issue when a cv joint broke on his Realtime Racing Acura CSX but he recovered in the second round to finish a rewarding fourth, to keep within striking distance in the standings.

‘‘Mosport has to be like coming home, claimed Nick. This is one of my favourite facilities even if we will be in Trois-Rivières in August. Mosport, probably with Mont-Tremblant, has to be one of the most challenging race strip in North America and I know Glen and I can do very well. We have put our last race hiccup (engine) behind and are looking forward to a podium finish this time. The crew at I-Moto have put our car in mint shape and we hope the weather stays clear and warm.”

“I came back from Watkins Glen with half a smile, grinned Kuno. The upper-state New-York track is outstanding and I wanted to get closer in the standings. In the first round, I almost took the lead in the first corner and was fighting hard for the victory, at least a podium spot, when one of the half-shaft let go. The results indicate I crashed but the only thing that crashed was a cv joint on my car that keft me very disappointed. In the second race, I started ninth and reeled in a few guys before finishing fourth overall. I’m still seventh in the standings, only nine points away from fifth and third is still within grasp.”

Tonight... one night only....Justin Martin and some other guy you may have heard of....

MEET JUSTIN MARTIN and the #7 Southern Ontario Sprints race team at the Hamilton Home Depot tonight (June 14) between 6 and 8pm.

Also on hand will be NASCAR's Tony Stewart to sign autographs (for the first 700 people). This is a great opportunity to see one of NASCAR's top stars. Especially since the last time 'Smoke' was in these parts - for the Canada Day Shootout at Cayuga Speedway a few years back - the event promoter surrounded the driver with 8-foot-tall, steroid-enraged, bouncer-freaks who threatened you with bodily harm for even thinking of taking a picture of Stewart. If you think I'm kidding, I'm not. But that's another story...

WHERE: Home Depot.... 350 Centennial Parkway; North Hamilton

OSS: Choko & Fast Eddie Racewear gets behind the OSS

The Ontario Sportsman Series and Choko Motorsports/Fast Eddie Racewear of Stouffville, On have joined forces for the 2007 season. Both Choko Motorsports and Fast Eddie Racewear have a long history of supporting racing in Canada and they will be the official apparel supplier of the newly formed Ontario Sportsman Series.

“Choko and Fast Eddie Racewear understand racing having been involved with Cascar as well as numerous other racing series; not to mention fielding a car in the former Cascar Super Series and currently they field the #3 car in the Nascar Canadian Tire Series,” stated Dave Connelly of the OSS. “The knowledge and experience that they bring to the table to support is going to help us grow this series in the years to come, it’s an honour to be working with both of these companies.”

"Grassroots racing is the backbone of our sport, we have supported many series over the years that include, Cascar, Oscar, several Saturday night Track Events, and individual drivers, like Peter Gibbons, Stu Robinson Jr, D.J. Kennington, Chris Fowler, Billy Rouse, and more recently Jason Hathaway. The new OSS series will be another positive group in Canada, that will ultimately build driving skills that will allow progression to the larger opportunities,” says Ed Hakonson owner of Choko Motorsports.

Choko Motorsports will celebrate 25 Years in business in early 2008. From the beginning, we had a vision that included a Motorsports in a major role within the Canadian sporting scene.

Having locations in Montreal, Stouffville, Buffalo and Calgary, has allowed our staff and Company in general, to understand our Canadian market and grow in the US also. We are a fixture and intend to continue long into the future, as our Motorsports programs mature. Our Passion for the business and experience with details, allows us to remain as the Number 1 supplier of Motorsports apparel and safety wear in Canada.

From Dave Connelly // OSS

NCATS: Pierre Bourque Using All of His Talents at Mosport... Versatile Racer Kicking Off Busy Stretch Inside Racecars In Two Countries

CONCORD, NC (June 14, 2007) – Pierre Bourque is an accomplished road racer who has branched out into stock car racing in recent seasons. This weekend, he’ll get to combine both worlds into one race in front of his countrymen at the historic Mosport road course near Toronto, Ontario.

The race will be Bourque’s first NASCAR Canadian Tire event of the season and he’ll be behind the wheel of a Whitlock Motorsports entry.

"I'm thrilled to be renewing my on-track relationship with Whitlock Motorsports,” said Bourque. “The NASCAR Canadian Tire series is going to be a great place to go racing this season and this is going to be our first of several races. The fact that it will be at Mosport, where there is so much history and prestige only makes me look forward to this weekend even more.”

Bourque recently got the chance to try out his #29 Driving.ca, Canada.com, Working.com, Dose.ca Dodge Charger at Mosport, and that test set a good tone for the upcoming race there.

“We tested our Dodge Charger there last week, ironed out an engine hiccup, and we feel we will be very competitive for the Father's Day race."

The month of June is going to be a busy one for Bourque. After he completes his race at Mosport, he’ll be heading to the United States to spend two days at New Hampshire International Speedway, testing with Fitz Motorsports in preparation for the June 29th NASCAR Busch North Series event there.

“I’m also really looking forward to getting back on track in the Busch East Series,” said Bourque. “This is going to be my first time racing at New Hampshire and it looks like a challenging track – a real racer’s track. I can’t wait to get out there and take some laps there.”
Race fans will now have a new tool to keep up with Bourque’s busy racing schedule. His new website, www.pierrebourque.net has been launched. The site features all kinds of news, results and background information on the Canadian race driver, as well as a number of multimedia goodies for race fans. Be sure to check Bourque’s new site out, as well as his primary sponsor’s website, Driving.ca.

“I am as passionate about motorsports as my primary sponsor Driving.ca is about motoring. Driving.ca is a fantastic website for people looking to research a new vehicle purchase, learn about the latest industry developments, or follow the very latest in racing. We're both all about passion, which makes Driving.ca and perfect match for me."

The Canadian Tire event at Mosport will take place on Sunday, June 17th

For more information on Pierre Bourque, please contact Mike Twist at (207) 590-1786 or (207) 499-2565 and be sure to check out the all-new PierreBourque.net.

NCATS: BROWN READIES FOR ROAD COURSE TEST

BRANTFORD, ON – Doug Brown and his Haldex Limited, Mopar-powered Dodge Charger will be among the field of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series competitors heading to Mosport International Raceway this weekend for the first of four road course events on their 2007 racing calendar.

In the past, the 10-turn, 4 kilometre course has presented major disappointments for the veteran competitor and his teammates who definitely prefer the oval track events of the 12-race series. After five previous attempts at the legendary track set in the rolling hills of Clarington Township north of Bowmanville, Ontario, Brown finally gained his first top-ten finish last season with a daring pass on the last lap of 51-lap event in the former CASCAR Super Series.

“It’s always a challenge adapting to the speed variations, the shifting and the unusual configurations of road course racing but as a team we feel confident that the experienced gained from past outings at Mosport will help improve our performance in this year’s race,” Doug responded in evaluating his chances in the Father’s Day event. “On any road course you have to race the track not just the competition.”

For this weekend’s event, the Brantford-based competitor will be in an unfamiliar car prepared by DJ Kennington and powered by the engine built by DJ’s father Doug Kennington.

“We feel the car will be as competitive as those of any of our Series’ top competitors and we know that DJ has prepared the car to do the job. It’s now up to me to drive it smoothly, consistently and as fast as possible to run with those who have proven their expertise on road courses. I’m really looking forward to testing that Dodge horsepower, especially on the long Mario Andretti straightaway. “

Doug currently sits 13th in the early season standings after being knocked out from an accident and ensuing electrical problems late in the opener at Cayuga Speedway two weeks ago.

“The Cayuga race put us in an early hole but I feel we still have a strong chance to catch and run with the early leaders as the season progresses. We were solid throughout most of that opener and I’m confident that with steady runs in each of the remaining races we have a legitimate chance to give the early season favourites a strong run for the championship.

30-plus teams are expected to contest Sunday’s “Dickies 200 presented by Canadian Shield Anticrime.” Qualifying for the race will take place on Saturday.

HB Motorsports is pleased to have Haldex Limited as its Title Sponsor with NAPA Autopro supporting team programs through its role of Major Associate Sponsor role. Bicknell Racing Products; World of Graphics; HurryPrint Imaging Centre; WIX Filters; KWIC Internet; Gates Canada; BOC Gases; Brochures etc; Leitch Performance Engines; Strodes BBQ & Deli; and BrentZone Graphics are also valued members of our Associate Sponsorship Marketing team.

Prepared by: Ken Spencer // Marketing and Media Relations // HB Motorsports