September 20, 2003 - In front of a full house on this beautiful fall Saturday evening, Mark Dilley drove his NTN Bearings Intrepid to a new track record during qualifying for the National Fast Freight delivers The Leland 200 at Peterborough Speedway. But it was teammate Dave Whitlock that crossed the finish line first to resounding cheers from fans that had witnessed excellent entertainment.

NOTE: to keep this in perspective, recognize that actual race lap times of under fifteen seconds relate to 4 laps per minute around this little one-third mile high banked oval. They spend about 4 seconds in each corner, which leaves about 3 seconds per straightaway… a lot happens quickly and the drivers well displayed their skills.

Dave Whitlock started his Unitec/ NMT Intrepid from the inside of the third row and quickly moved to fourth. The 4-car pack of Dilley, Peter Gibbons, Kerry Micks and Dave pulled away from the field and continually sparred each other for position as they worked through the balance of the field, and a few cautions. When Dilley and Gibbons pitted for tires at lap 121, Micks and Whitlock stayed out. The two challenged hard for the next 74 laps until the tangle that made the difference in turn one caused Micks to lose control enough for Whitlock and several others to get by. His #39 Intrepid opened up a five-car lead over Jim Lapcevich during the final 4 laps to claim the third victory of the season for ‘Ol Spin’.

"It was a great win for our new sponsor Unitec and for NMT tonight. The car was perfect right from the start and I just had to bide my time and let the race unfold. I hate that I had to move Kerry but we were simply faster and had to get by him. I waited for him to gather it up but I also knew he’d lost his power steering and he had a handful. If he had’ve been faster than us, he wouldn’t have been in that situation, and if the role was reversed, he would’ve done the same – that’s short track racing. Thanks to National Fast Freight and Leland for their involvement too – it was a great day."

Mark Dilley had a great start to the event sponsored in part by one of his associate sponsors Leland Industries. Leland executives entertained their guests in the tower suites and participated in both opening and closing ceremonies. Dilley’s record qualifying time of 14.252 (avg. speed of 84.115 mph) was better than his fifth-fastest practice best of 14.42. Once the green flag flew, the #64 NTN Bearings Intrepid was hounded continually by Gibbons. But Mark made it count every time past and led all of the first 121 laps. The fast pit work by the 64 team got him back out ahead of Gibbons for the restart but Gibbons was faster on the track and got through the lapped traffic first. The pair had caught the leaders when Whitlock opened the door on Micks, and both got through. Mark finished fourth and gained 20 points on DJ Kennington to put his NTN team only 28 out of third, and 45 behind second place Micks.

"What a rocket again tonight" said Dilley. "I felt that second qualifying lap was good enough, and wow a track record and five front rows this year just shows what kind of job Whitlock Motorsports and these NTN guys are doing for us. And to have the stands full and all these folks from Leland and their sister company Global Fasteners here tonight is just awesome. I wish we could have got through all that traffic sooner and been up there with Whit at the end but the car wasn’t quite as good after we pitted. But you gotta’ just love this place. That was a blast."

Bryan Cathcart came home to his most familiar track, with his sponsor hosting the event and entertaining over 200 guests in their hospitality tent that featured kids’ entertainment, clowns and the #71 and #64 show cars. Even Bryan’s National Fast Freight Racing transporter was on the track for two parade laps.

Cathcart’s qualifying best of 14.570 was faster than his best practice times and the rookie team felt pretty good about the race. But fighting some handling issues that were making the car less than perfect, and starting in 14^th he knew it would be a tough battle. After an early race incident saw his #71 Intrepid have to pit to remove the damaged hood, Bryan fought his way back up to 13^th but ended down two laps.

"It was a pretty good night. Things happen pretty fast out there when you’re in the middle of the pack" said Cathcart. " And after you get down a lap, you’re racing everybody around you for each position, then the leaders start coming past and it gets really busy. Our car was not as good tonight as we wanted, especially for our sponsors and fans that were there. We just did the best we could from where we were and kept it off the wall."

"I can’t say enough about the effort of Ray Ash and his staff from National Fast Freight not only for their season with us but the effort they put into this event. Thank you so much. And to have Mark on the pole and Dave win the race makes you real proud to be part of this whole deal this year. I just wish we had the car to be up there at the front too."

All the Whitlock Motorsports teams were involved in pre-race activities last week. Monday, Bryan and his #71 Intrepid joined the National Fast Freight folks for a successful press conference. Wed and Thu, Dave’s Unitec / NMT Intrepid and the Tire Change game attended the annual Unitec open house at their facility in Concord. Great people and a great turn out both days. Thursday night, Dave and the big hauler were at a private function for all the staff and friends at the NMT facility in Burlington. All had a ball and some fine food too. Friday afternoon, the big rig moved to Leland Industries in Toronto for another press conference that was well covered by CFTO TV featuring interviews with company President Byron Nelson, drivers Mark Dilley and Bryan Cathcart, and CASCAR’s Richard Coughlin.

Pictured with Dave are Joe (left) and Richard Stangl of Unitec

August 22, 2003 - The hood of Dave Whitlock’s #39 Intrepid will introduce a new sponsor at the Mosport Speedway 200 tomorrow night.

Since 1969, Unitec has established itself as the supplier of choice when it comes to welding supplies, maintenance products and welding gas products Canada-wide.

With offices in Concord, Edmonton and Calgary and new stores in Milton, Belleville and Barrie, Unitec currently services over 2000 accounts and manages a fleet of 55,000 cylinders and 22 delivery vehicles.

Currently, Unitec has established itself as the GTA’s largest independent supplier of welding products, welding gases, and propane. Their Concord facility fills and delivers over 12 million litres of propane per year from a 24 scale filling dock that stores 240,000 liters of propane daily.

Unitec maintains a quality system registered to ISO 9002 and is adept in EDI billing systems.

"We are delighted to welcome Richard Stangl and the 55 employees of Unitec" said Dave Whitlock, 3-time CASCAR Champion and president of Whitlock Motorsports Inc.

Unitec also maintains a strong relationship with its welding product suppliers.

Lincoln Electric Esab Hobart Bros. Miller United Abrasives Tweco Jackson J.Walter Bosch Bernard Tregaskiss Optrel Hornel Tregaskiss

Unitec
61 Villarboit Crescent
Concord, Ontario L4K 4R2

Telephone:
416-244-1407 or 905-669-4249

Fax:
905-660-5495 or 800-268-1356

August 22, 2003 - The 2003 CASCAR Super Series takes to the high banks of Mosport Speedway tomorrow night for 200 laps of excitement on the fast half-mile oval. This event marks the beginning of the third leg of the Series; eight down and four to go. But for the top teams, the heat will get turned up as they return to familiar turf at each event.

The Championship battle is an all-time great one. For each of the last several events, the lead has swapped back and forth between defending Champion Don Thomson Jr and Kerry Micks. And even the last event in Quebec had its drama as Thomson reeled in a 3r^d place finish in a borrowed car, and Micks had a bad night. Thomson now leads by 26 points but goes into this event as the defending winner in a new car. To add to the drama, DJ Kennington was the loaner of Thomson’s ride last event and lurks only 19 points behind Micks.

And 45 more points back is a tie for 4^th between Neil Fair and Scott Steckly.

5^th last event – Couche-Tard 200 at Autodrome Old Milwaukee St-Eustache

Mark has also been lurking in the top five most of the season and is currently in 6^th just 19 markers behind the pair tied for 4^th. The #64 NTN Bearings has been hot on the ovals over the last few events and Mosport should fit right in their sights.

"It was two years ago at Mosport that we earned our first win since joining Whitlock Motorsports" said Dilley. "We opened up a five-second lead until a caution came out with 15 to go, but we held ‘em off and grabbed the checker. They’ve been all through the NTN Intrepid for us and Cousin Larry’s even put a fresh load of Mopar horsepower in it, so we’ll be ready to giv’er on Saturday night." 

12^th last event – Couche-Tard 200 at Autodrome Old Milwaukee St-Eustache

The National Fast Freight driver has a commanding lead in the Rookie standings and is currently sitting 14^th in points, just 38 back of last-year’s Rookie runner-up Cole Pearn. And since this is the only appearance of the Super Series this year at Mosport oval, it will be yet another learning experience.

"I have run here a few times over the years in my late models, so it won’t be completely foreign. But we’ll have our work cut out for us I know that" said Cathcart. "It’s a fast track and the two ends are so different. But I’m really looking forward to it. The input from Mark and Dave (Whitlock) is certainly an asset and I hope this 71 team can be good enough to be there at the end. It’ll be a long night."

16^th last event - Couche-Tard 200 at Autodrome Old Milwaukee St-Eustache

After winning both Quebec events in 2002, the DNF last event was a heartbreaker.

Dave has never won at Mosport. But looking back to 2001 when Mark won his first one, it was Dave that had taken the lead by an off-sequence early pit stop and was passed by Mark on lap 176. The two ran together at the front until Dave’s engine expired 39 laps from the end of that 250-lap event.

"We got one monkey off our back with our first win at Delaware this year, and I’d really like to get this Mosport monkey too" said Whitlock. "We have Unitec joining us as a new associate sponsor this week and it would be great to take them to the winner’s circle with us. Our oval program has been strong and the rest of the season should be good for this NMT Intrepid team. We’re out of the points hunt so we’re here to win, it’s that simple."

The National Fast Freight driver has a commanding lead in the Rookie standings and is currently sitting 14^th in points, just 38 back of last-year’s Rookie runner-up Cole Pearn. And since this is the only appearance of the Super Series this year at Mosport oval, it will be yet another learning experience.

"I have run here a few times over the years in my late models, so it won’t be completely foreign. But we’ll have our work cut out for us I know that" said Cathcart. "It’s a fast track and the two ends are so different. But I’m really looking forward to it. The input from Mark and Dave (Whitlock) is certainly an asset and I hope this 71 team can be good enough to be there at the end. It’ll be a long night."

Saturday August 09, 2003

Mark Dilley missed earning his second consecutive oval-track pole by just five one-thousands of a second on Saturday during time trials for the Couche -Tard 200 at Autodrome Old Milwaukee Ste Eustache. The Barrie ON driver of the NTN Bearings #64 Intrepid started the race outside Mark Graham in the Challenger Motor Freight #19 and ran the outside of the flat 4/10 mile speedway for several laps in a challenge for the lead. Dilley then settled in line in the second spot as the five lead cars continued in a heated battle for each position until near halfway, but eventually faded late in the race to a fifth place finish.

"We were strong again tonight" said Dilley. "These NTN guys gave me another rocket. Missing that pole by a half a tenth says that for sure. But with the rain threatening, our strategy was to push hard right up front and get the best position early. It was a hundred lap race in my mind and we were there for a podium at that time. But it didn’t rain and we had just used up the tires by the end and I couldn’t protect the inside any longer. It was still a good run; a top five is good and that will certainly help our points." Unofficially Dilley moves to sixth, just 19 points out of fifth.

Dave Whitlock had been fastest in afternoon practice but the defending race winner missed it by a bit as the evening temperatures dropped for time trials. He qualified his #39 NMT Intrepid as fifth fastest. When the race started, Dave settled in the fourth spot behind Graham, Dilley, and Thomson, and with DJ Kennington behind, the top five moved away from the field. But his night came to a quick ending on lap 111 when he clipped a spinning lapped car on the front straight and damaged the steering beyond repair.

"You just can’t have great finishes all the time and this wasn’t our night" said Whitlock. "I saw him there and tried to steer down as quick as I could without driving into the car inside me. The impact didn’t even touch the body but it sure jerked the wheel when my right front tire hit him. I couldn’t steer or stop since the brake lines were pulled off too."

"It’s too bad. We were good and the car was starting to come to me nicely. This is a track where you really have to keep the tires under you and I think we would have been in good shape for that charge near the end and be on the podium for sure. But not tonight."

Bryan Cathcart had a real decent run for his first visit to Quebec. He qualified the #71 National Fast Freight Intrepid in 13^th and maintained a steady pace throughout the 200 laps, finishing one lap down in 12^th.

"We had a good car here tonight and I was feeling pretty good. But I tapped the back wall early in the race and knocked out the toe-in a bit. She was a handful after that and the crew did what they could to keep me in the race. We’re happy with that finish and we look forward to the remaining races at tracks I’ve been to before."

 NOTES The day’s activities were dampened early for all teams as news quickly spread about the disappearance overnight of the complete truck and trailer of Fitzpatrick Motorsports. It was recovered in a nearby truck stop but gone were the cars of Don Thomson Jr and John Fitzpatrick, as well as three motors and all of the trailer contents – except for Donnie’s new Home Hardware driving suit. Offers of everything from cars to driving gloves were made to both drivers. Remarkably Thomson qualified fourth and finished third in the spare Intrepid of DJ Kennington while John Fitzpatrick qualified eleventh and finished ninth in another Intrepid borrowed from Neil Fair. The generosity of everyone was overwhelming but the issue has heightened, but it remains that all teams must be provided with a solution to protect themselves from this continued invasion by organized crime. The track has countered with a pledge of a secure compound facility for next year’s event.

After a weekend off, event #9 of the CASCAR Super Series will be at Mosport oval on August 23^rd.

9^th last event - Canadian Tire 100, Vancouver Molson Indy in the Avenue ACDelco / NMT #11 Intrepid.

Dave is the defending winner of this event and is confident that his #39 will be up front again. "We always finish well at Ste Eustache. She’s a tough little track that is real hard to pass without getting your nose inside somebody but we’ve had a lot of podiums there. Last year it was rain shortened but we had the pole and won it by driving away every restart. Warren (crew chief Jones) and all our guys love it too and I think this might be our chance to win a third race this year with this NMT Intrepid."

Many thanks to Avenue Motor Works for their support for the last three races.

At Ste Eustache, Dave’s #39 Intrepid will remain the outstanding Avenue colours of green, white and purple. And the Team transporter will debut the Rest Up! Save Your Neck. image announcing the importance of headrest adjustment to passing motorists up and down the highways.

14^th last event – Canadian Tire 100, Vancouver Molson Indy in the NTN Bearings #64 Intrepid

After Calgary’s pole and race dominance, this #64 NTN Bearings team is hungry to get the results they have been robbed of several times this year on the ovals. They have worked hard and Mark has done an excellent job of putting his Intrepid in the hunt. At Peterborough, he dominated the outside groove coming back to the front after being an innocent victim. And if you saw the Mopar 300 from Calgary on TV tonight, you saw the biggest disappointment, and how innocently Mark’s win and the Whitlock Motorsports 1-2 finish evaporated.

"We have been so strong," said Dilley. "Giulio (crew chief Montanari) and these NTN guys have been giving me awesome cars that just keep getting better throughout the race. If we can ever get it to the end, this NTN Intrepid will be on the podium."

"Those street courses were fun and were a giant learning curve for us, but now we’re back to serious business" said Bryan, who has a commanding lead in the Rookie of the Year award. He has now been to most of the remaining tracks, except Ste. Eustache.

"I’ve never raced in Quebec anywhere but I hear this will be a great one. I grew up on the little ones so I’m hoping we can learn this little one real quick. Crew chief Steve Mifsud and this National Fast Freight team are really gelling and I think we’ll get some of the finishes we had hoped for this year. And just maybe it’ll start for us this weekend – wouldn’t that be awesome."

For SCHEDULE OF EVENTS and series information, www.cascar.ca/schedule/2003-08-09-eventschedule.htm

Whitlock Teams – Mopar 500 Weekend pre-race 

June 30, 2003 Rain played havoc during the early laps of the Dodge Canada Day Shootout presented by Mopar. But when the skies cleared nicely for the 200 lap event at Cayuga 2000 Speedway last night, it set a great stage for some real thunder as fans witnessed an outstanding late-race driving performance by three-time Champion Dave Whitlock.

By virtue of his win in the first 50-lap qualifier, Whitlock started the Shootout on the inside of the second row. Within 10 laps, the trio of Pete Gibbons, Kerry Micks and Dave Whitlock had driven away from the balance of the field. The leaders pitted for fuel and tires during a caution at lap 80, and the trio again quickly assembled ahead of the field. With 40 to go, Dave was feeling comfortable that he had more car left than the others and was patiently waiting for signs of their weaknesses. But a different strategy was immediately forced upon his NMT / H&S Heat Treating team a few laps later when Whitlock’s #39 Intrepid experienced a flat right front tire.

Returning to the track in 17^th position, and reminiscent of the 2001 event here that saw him come from last to first in 30 laps, Whitlock was again a man on a mission. Passing cars on both the inside and out, he was back up to seventh when a caution came out with two to go. Although his momentum was interrupted, Whitlock’s last lap attempt to pass DJ Kennington in turn 4 for fourth was foiled when DJ drove him high, allowing two others to slip past and resulted in a seventh place finish for the Wyoming ON driver and team owner.

"That’s not what we wanted or what we should have got here tonight" said Whitlock. "This NMT / H&S Intrepid was awesome all night and I think I would have had enough car to chase down Pete, Pete or Kerry there at the end. We tested good here last week and the crew gave me the right setup tonight, but flat tires are a just tough break you can’t do anything about. That’s the frustrating part. I really wanted this one for our team, for our NMT sponsors here tonight, for the Dodge people, for Intrepid - and especially for Whitlock Motorsports and all that extra Mopar bonus money that was on the line tonight."

Also in the Whitlock Motorsports grandstand area were Mark Dilley’s sponsors Leland Industries and National Waste, as well as executives of Bryan Cathcart’s sponsor National Fast Freight. At the NTN Bearings campsite, several clients and sponsors enjoyed the pre-race barbecue and the hospitality of NTN’s Jim Dunlevy.

With one weekend off, the Series returns to left-and-righters for the 'Avenue ACDelco 100' Super Series race on the street course of the Toronto Molson Indy on July 11-12. Many activities take place during the week prior, and some other relative news from the Whitlock stables will be part of that – stay tuned.

Whitlock, Dilley, Cathcart, Shepherd ready for Shootout

June 26, 2003         This is IT; the weekend for the 2^nd annual ‘biggie’ at the famous 5/8 mile high-banked oval of Cayuga 2000 Speedway. It’s the Dodge Canada Day Shootout presented by Mopar, and if it’s anything like the inaugural event, there’ll be lots of action and things to see. It’s two days of really good racing and a big midway. And the presence of NASCAR stars Sterling Marlin, Kenny Wallace and the Bodine brothers of Brett and Geoffrey pitted against our homegrown stars of the CASCAR Super Series create memories for a lifetime. The entire 15,000 in attendance last year will well remember those final laps as NASCAR’s Matt Kenseth showed his talents using the high groove to overtake CASCAR champion Don Thomson Jr. for the win.

Dave Whitlock well remembers also the bumping and grinding with NASCAR’s Johnny Benson as they vied for the same spot for several laps. But more significant on Whitlock’s mind this weekend will be the strategy required to put his NMT / S&H Heat Treating #39 Intrepid in Victory Lane. His last win at Cayuga was in 2001 which ended a drought dating back to 1997, was a direct result of late race spin and subsequent pit stop for new tires. The victory was immediately dedicated to his father Doug whom had just passed away. Whitlock will be in that same car called ‘Ol Spin - named that day after Doug’s hunting Jeep that bears that name on the license plates.

Sunday will also be a special day for Whitlock sponsor Nitrex Metal Technologies, as thirty five guests will fill the top rows of the Whitlock Motorsports grandstand area. NMT President David Orosz says "This is a really big thing for us. Our people are so excited to be part of something that last year at this time we would have never even discussed. Meeting Dave Whitlock and the group of people he has assembled, and being involved with CASCAR racing is great for NMT and our sister company H & S Heat Treating. We’ll be there to cheer on Dave as well as all those Whitlock Mopars this weekend, and experience all that excitement."

All drivers from the Whitlock stables attended a very successful test day at Cayuga last week.

Mark Dilley in the NTN Bearings #64 Intrepid has been fast the last two races this season, and is looking for lady luck to shine on their performance this weekend. "The test day went well and we’re happy with the car. We’re still looking for that first win here at Cayuga, and the way Giulio has brought this crew together and the way that these Whitlock Intrepids are being prepared for us certainly provide us the best opportunity yet" said Dilley. "Can’t wait to spar with Marlin and Wallace, and can’t wait to get that NTN car to the front." NTN Motorsports Manager Jim Dunlevy has a full weekend beginning with a luncheon barbecue at the local NTN dealer in Caledonia on Friday featruing Dilley and his NTN Bearings #64 Intrepid. Dunlevy will host many dealers and customers over the weekend, providing the special NTN flavour of fun that has become their hallmark.

Bryan Cathcart makes his first appearance at Cayuga in his National Fast Freight #71 Intrepid. The Rookie of the Year contender tested well, but the seasoned late model champion was concerned that something wasn’t perfect. But a few laps in the #71 by Whitlock confirmed that a few additional tweaks would be made this week. Also in the Whitlock Motorsports grandstand area will be Bill Yarn, Ray Ash and guests of National Fast Freight. Ever a man of excitement, Ash says "We’re just so pleased to have National Fast Freight as part of this rookie season with Bryan and can’t wait to see him take on that big oval at Cayuga. Should be a great weekend."

Petey Shepherd III is a new young gun making his CASCAR Super Series debut this weekend. The 16 yr. old Grade 11 student and 2002 Alstar Series Rookie Champion from Brampton will be in the Whitlock Intrepid #98 with sponsorship from the auto parts warehousing firm National Exhaust, Inside Track – the Official Publication of Canadian Motorsport, and County Interiors who specialize in commercial renovations. Petey also joined the test day and felt real comfortable, running times within a couple tenths of a second of Whitlock and Dilley. An added bit of excitement for the Shepherd family this weekend will be having their friend Murray Tim changing tires for Petey. Tim, of Kitchener ON will be home for the weekend but must return Monday to Charlotte where he is the front tire changer on the Winston Cup team of former NASCAR Champion Terry Labonte. A big and special thanks go to Tom Baker of National Exhaust, Don Connors of County Interiors and all the great people at Inside Track for helping the Shepherds put this weekend together for Petey.

LAST MINUTE TICKETS…. Still available in the Whitlock Grandstand - $50 each. Save $5 and get a Mopar gift and cheer on those Intrepids. Call Don Brooks at 519-243-2031 before 9 pm Thursday with your credit card number – pick your tickets up at the track.

'Dodge CANADA DAY SHOOTOUT presented by MOPAR'
 

SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2003
10:00 a.m. Spectator Gates Open
11:00 a.m. Support Series Practice Sessions begin
12:00 noon CARQUEST Sportsman Practice
3:00 p.m. CARUEST Sportsman Qualifying
4:00 p.m. Support Series Heats begin
6:00 p.m. CARQUEST Sportsman Autograph Session
7:00 p.m. START: CARQUEST SPORTSMAN FEATURE - 150 LAPS
8:15 p.m. Thunder Car and Canadian Vintage Modified Features Commence