June 6 - Cayuga Speedway - Perfect weather conditions greeted the faithful CASCAR Super Series fans for this seasons first trip to the famed Cayuga high banks.

Don Thompson (4) snagged the pole position for the second week in a row with DJ Kennington (17) on the outside. Dave Whitlock lined the Avenue Motor Works NMT Dodge up on the inside of the 3'rd row with Mark Dilley's NTN Bearings Dodge right behind him in 7'th. Dave's prowess at this track was underscored when the track announcer picked Dave as the favorite to win and the crowd applauded in agreement.

Thompson and Gibbons got off to a good start and distanced themselves quickly from Kennington in 3'rd and Whitlock who jumped to 4'th when the green waved. Dilley stuck to the bottom on Whitlock's bumber and moved to 5'th. Gibbons meanwhile started early on his vow that they are not coming to the track to run 2'nd, getting into Thompson at both ends of the track on the first lap in an attempt to loosen him up and grab the point. Thompson held his ground.

Lap 15 saw Dilley get under Whitlock as Dave began to let his car drift high off of 4 to save the right rear tire. Choosing this conservative course early in the race would work to Dave's advantage later in the going when some of the more aggressive drivers began to pay the price.

Thompson pulled away to an easy lead for the first 30 laps or so when Gibbons again caught him, tapping his rear bumper and dropping to the grass off 4 two laps in a row in an attempt to grab the lead. The running order up front did not change much in the first 40 laps or so but deep in the field Kerry Micks (02) was making a steady charge to the front.

The caution flew around lap 40 when Pete Shepherd (50) and John Fitzpatrick Jr. (84) went around on the front straight. Aside from Shepherd and  Fitzpatrick Jr., Ron Beauchamp (60), Jim Lapcevich (25), Jeff Lapcevich (23), Rob Graham (55) and Ted McIntyre (82) all elected to pit.

The restart found only 23 cars on the lead lap. Dilley was 4'th with Whitlock still on his bumper in 5'th. Shepherd had to drop to pit road again under green and lost 2 laps. It was a shame as when he returned to the track he ran with the leaders the balance of the day but was never able to make up the lost laps.

Another caution followed quickly as Fitzpatrick Jr. again went around, this time with an assist from Micks' front bumper. Seven cars, off the lead lap chose to pit this time. Micks had moved to 8'th and stayed out.

On the restart Gibbons had a look under Thompson off of 4 but did not have the power off the corner to get the job done. Whitlock meanwhile drove to the high side of Kennington to grab 3'rd. On lap 72, a hard charging Shepherd spun again to bring out another caution. This time Whitlock chose to pit along with Kennington, Micks & Scott Steckly (22). Several cars from the tail end of the lead lap pitted also. Everyone took two right side tires. Thompson, Gibbons and Dilley stayed out. Beauchamp, who had pitted earlier moved to 5'th.

The green flew again on lap 80 with Dilley 3'rd and Whitlock in 12'th. Whitlock, with his fresh right side tires moved to 8'th in short order and was clearly the fastest car on the track. He moved to the outside of Jim Lapcevich off of 4 and into 7'th place but had to give the spot back when the caution flew again for Ron Van Es's spin in turn 4.

Whitlock was fast again on the restart at lap 94, moving to 4'th place by lap 102. Steckly spun in turn 3 though, bringing out yet another yellow flag and setting the stage for the remainder of the race when all of the leaders, including Dilley and Whitlock, dove to pit road for what would be their last stop. Some controversy ensued with Gibbons and Thompson passed the pace truck on the way to pit road, however, no action was take by CASCAR. Beauchamp, Jim Lapcevich and Micks stayed out and were the top 3 when the green flew on lap 115. TOP

Again Whitlock's Avenue NMT Dodge was a rocket ship on the restart. Within 4 laps he had moved from 8'th to 4'th and was closing fast on Micks in 3'rd place. Lapcevich faded at this point leaving Beachamp, Micks, Kennington and Whitlock to fight it out at the front of the field.

Micks was all over Beauchamp for the lead, repeatedly trying to loosen him up in the corners and finally succeeding on lap 122. Whitlock quickly closed on the battle and moved to second around the outside of Beauchamp. As he caught Micks off of 4 on lap 123, Micks appeared to wave the much faster Dodge by on the high side. Whitlock moved high and drew along side but Micks then moved high forcing Whitlock to lift. Again on the back straight Micks waved Whitlock by on the high side but when Whitlock got outside of him Micks again pinched him off and ran him into the outside wall. Whitlock, obviously infuriated, could not believe it. "There is no call for that kind of tactic. It's not like I was beating on his bumper - I caught him, he waved me by and then slammed me into the wall." The impact, while relatively minor in that there was no caution, seriously affected the car. With two bent rims and the toe altered Whitlock said "I drove the wheels off the thing to stay up front the rest of the race." With the impact and lost momentum Beauchamp regained 2'nd with Whitlock slipping to 3'rd. Whitlock charged hard though passing Beachamp on lap 135 only to lose the position again to yet another ill-timed caution flag when Dave Jacombs (88) looped it on lap 135.

Whitlock got back past Beauchamp by lap 148 and set his sites on Micks but by now, with Whitlocks car damaged, Peter Gibbons was the fastest car on the track. Catching Whitlock in slow traffic he used it to his advantage to take second. Dilley had moved to 4'th and was alos closing fast but broke the rear end on lap 152 and dropped out of the race. Jim Lapcevich's Chevy went around on lap 162, a victim of a cut left rear tire.

The restart on lap 170 had 13 cars remaining on the lead lap. Micks led Gibbons, Whitlock, Thompson and Brad Graham who had quietly moved through the field at a steady pace. Whitlock appeared to have a good restart but the lapped car of DJ Kennington held him high in turn 1 allowing Gibbons and Micks to break away. Cautions breed cautions on short tracks and the final one of the day flew on lap 172 when the 3 car spun in the third turn.

Kennington drove hard under Micks into 1 on the restart, desperately trying to get one of his laps back. Micks opted to let the lapped car go  as Whitlock was closing fast. Whitlock got his nose under Micks on the back straight on lap 189 only to have Micks close the door on him yet again. With Thompson literally beating on his back bumper Whitlock tried Micks again and again getting under him only to have Micks slam the door -even forcing him off the track onto the grass on lap 197. Finally on lap 198 Whitlock tried the old fashioned chrome horn on Micks, loosening him up only to get trapped by a lapped car before he could complete the pass. On the last two laps Gibbons pulled away as Whitlock tried the high side again on every turn but did not have enough tires left to get past Micks and finished 3'rd. His first podium of the year moves him into sole position of 2'nd in the standings, 57 behind Gibbons and a scant 3 points ahead of Thompson.

Whitlock closed the book on the Power Water 200 with this thought, "The car ran strong all day and was clearly the car to beat. We leave here 2'nd in the standings which is a lot better than where we were after 2 races last year." (Bart Garner, NTech)