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Broken wheel mars strong run in Kawartha finale
Dodge driver looks ahead to 2006 after season of highs & lows
PETERBOROUGH, ON – Sunday’s ‘RAM Tough 250 presented by
the Dodge Dealers of Ontario’ included all of the elements of Mark
Dilley’s up and down 2005 CASCAR Super Series season.
The Dodge / PowerWater / Mobil 1 / Exide Dodge Charger
driver qualified sixth-fastest for the season-ending race at Kawartha
Speedway and ran in the top four for a good portion of the first
two-thirds of the race before a runaway wheel spoiled his run.
Picture by Greg MacPherson // Inside Track Communications
While cruising in fourth, at lap 176, the left-rear
tire flew off his car after several of the studs that hold the wheel in
place were sheared off. The result was a spectacular show as the
bright-red Dodge spun wildly down the high-speed front-straight of the
3/8-mile oval.
Dilley somehow managed to keep from hitting anything
and quickly headed to the pits. The Barrie, ON racer returned to the track
several laps later and went on to finish the race in 20th place.
Describing the incident, Dilley said, “It sheared the
studs off. I felt the vibration for a few laps before it broke loose.
That’s the third time this season we’ve had a problem with wheels coming
loose or off during the race. It’s taken us out of a lot of races this
year, so that’s something we’re looking to figure out during the
off-season.
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“It was a wild ride doing donuts like that on the front
straight, but hadn’t intended to put on a show like that for the fans. I
don’t know how I didn’t hit anything; I just put the brake down and kept
turning the wheel. Hopefully, the Dodge Dealers of Ontario had a good time
today and we’re looking forward to 2006.”
In the final 2005 Super Series point standings, the
Dodge / PowerWater / Mobil 1 / Exide Dodge Charger was eighth. The high
point of Dilley’s season was his victory in the July 3 race at Barrie
Speedway.
Nonetheless, several solid runs were cut short by bad
luck, and Dilley knows there’s room for improvement. “We’ve been a
top-five car at every event, but we just had some bad luck at bad times.”
Looking ahead to next season, Dilley is excited about
the prospect that CASCAR is about to take a major step forward.
“Everyone’s waiting on the big NASCAR news before making their decisions
for next year, but we’re really feeling good about the way things are
heading. It’s really looking like NASCAR is going to get involved and that
will mean great things for everyone involved.”
RACE NOTES:
Dodge driver DJ Kennington put on a dominant
performance on Sunday afternoon at Kawartha Speedway. CASCAR’s ‘Ironman’
lapped almost the entire field in the RAM Tough 250 presented by the Dodge
Dealers of Ontario.
Dave Whitlock was the runner-up at Kawartha, guiding
his Whitlock Motorsports-prepared Avenue / NMT Dodge Charger to its second
consecutive podium finish. Peter Gibbons battled to a third-place result.
Don Thomson’s fourth-place finish in the CASCAR Super
Series season finale was enough to comfortably clinch his fifth
consecutive CASCAR National Championship.
Mark Dilley would like to offer his congratulations to
Thomson and the entire Fitzpatrick Motorsports team on their incredible
achievement. Dilley and his team would also like to applaud all of racers,
officials, sponsors, crew and family members that make CASCAR the fun and
exciting series that it is. Results |
