D.J. Kennington
Finishes 2004 Season with Top-Ten in Points
(Kawartha, Ontario) – D.J. Kennington and
his Castrol Dodge rolled into Kawartha Downs Speedway for
the season finale for the 2004 CASCAR Super Series. After a
weak start to the season, Kennington has picked it up in the
second half of the year, and had moved into the top-ten in
the standings heading into the final race.
Kennington’s weekend started with practice
and D.J. was able to turn the 11th-fastest lap of
the session, with a fast lap of 18.392 seconds. “Our car
was a little loose in practice, so we made a sway bar
adjustment before qualifying.”
The qualifying session was next and
Kennington was unable to back up his practice time as he
lost a tenth and a half with a fast lap of 18.542, good
enough for 18th-position in the time trial
order. “We missed a bit in time qualifying, but I think our
car will be good on long runs, and that is what we’re going
to get in the race.”
When the green dropped Kennington’s Dodge
rolled from the outside of row nine, and he was able to
advance two positions before the races first yellow flag
flew. Kennington would continue to pedal forward and was
running 13th when the races fifth yellow flew on
lap 75. D.J. used the opportunity to come to pit road for a
new right rear tire and returned to action in 23rd.
On the races next yellow, the Castrol Crew was called into
action again as then changed the right front tire on the #
17 machine and returning it to action in 25th.
The strategy of pitting early looked like it
would pay off as Kennington as all the other leaders pitted
on lap 131, other then Kennington and Kenny Forth. D.J.
lined up second behind Forth on the restart, but Kenny spun
in turn one shortly after the green reappeared and
Kennington was able to pick up four bonus championship
points for leading a lap. “We planned on pitting early and
getting the track position. We were in good shape. There
were faster cars, but we knew we still had a top-five car.”
Kennington was still running third with just
over 30 laps to go when the day took a turn for the worse.
“We got dumped. Scott Steckly got me, and we had to restart
at the back of the pack with just a few laps left to go.”
After restarting 17th, Kennington
was still able to make a late charge and brought his car
home with a 10th-place finish. “It was a little
disappointing to finish like that after we ran so well.”
The finish left Kennington ninth in the point standings.
“After the way the season started, and the amount of DNF’s
we had, we’ll take it. We picked up a little steam at the
halfway point and were able to find the podium and mix in a
few top-fives. I really wanted to win a race this year, and
if we could’ve finished more races we would have had a
shot. I’m still pleased with the way the guys stuck with me
all year and we still had a lot of fun at the track, and
were always competitive.”
Championship
leader Don Thomson Jr. captured his eighth pole position in
12 attempts during the season, with title rival Peter
Gibbons qualifying on the outside of the front row. Thomson
led early before David Whitlock took over and led until a
round of pit stops just after the halfway point. Kenny
Forth and D.J. Kennington both served short stints out front
before Whitlock made his way back to the front. Thomson took
the lead away on lap 185, but in the closing stages it was
Kerry Micks that had the fastest car. Micks took the lead
with just five laps to go, beating Jim Lapcevich by 1.448
seconds, while Thomson faded to third. The finish was
enough to give Thomson his fourth consecutive National
championship by 52 points, as Gibbons wound up 15th.
1.
Micks, 2. Jim Lapcevich, 3. Thomson, 4. Mark Dilley, 5. Ron
Sheridan, 10. D.J. Kennington
Final
Championship Points Standings – 1. Thomson (2047), 2.
Gibbons (1995), 3. Whitlock (1964), 4. Jeff Lapcevich
(1847), 5. Micks (1820), 9. D.J. Kennington (1691)
For more
information on D.J.K. Racing, CASCAR, or Kawartha Speedway,
please visit
www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca, or
www.kawarthadowns.com. Or contact Maudsley Motorsports
at (519) 670-3278, or
maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca.
D.J. Kennington Fourth in Delaware Labour Day Classic
(Delaware, Ontario) – D.J. Kennington and his Castrol Dodge
arrived at Delaware Speedway for the second-to-last round of
the 2004 CASCAR Super Series season. The APC / CANUSA Great
Canadian 300 is a Labour Day tradition and Kennington was
looking to keep up his streak of two consecutive top-five
finishes, including a podium result at Mosport. Kenning also
had his eye on a top-five position in the point standings,
reachable over the final two races.
The weekend started with an afternoon practice session and
Kennington was able to turn the fourth-quickest lap of the
session, stopping the watches at 19.754 seconds.
In time trials, Kennington picked it up a notch ripping off
a lap of 19.679 second, but it was only good enough for the
sixth-quickest lap of the time trial session. “What can you
do?” Kennington said, as he shrugged his shoulders. “We went
almost a tenth of a second faster then we did in practice, but
a couple of guys picked up more then that. It’s still a good
starting spot for tomorrow.”
When the green flag came out for the 300-lap tour around
Delaware, Kennington rolled from the outside of the third row.
He ran sixth until lap 70 when he visited the ‘Castrol Crew’
for the first time, as they changed a right rear tire and
returned D.J. to action. He would quickly climb back towards
the front before pitting again for a right front tire. At the
halfway mark D.J. would come to pit road again for a new left
rear tire, and returned to the track, racing in tenth. “Our
car was good all day. We made some air pressure adjustments on
our stops, to fine tune out handling, and we got the car
better over the course of the race.”
Kennington continued to stay out of trouble, knowing that
merely finishing the Great Canadian 300 is a tremendous feat.
He kept the car clean and moved through traffic again, setting
himself up with decent track position for the final put stop
of the day under yellow on lap 248. Kennington changed both
right side tires and returned to action 11th. That was when he
started his charge. D.J. was picking his way through traffic,
and picked up five spots in the first 10 laps of green flag
racing. He continued pressing forward and took fourth spot
away from Jim Lapcevich with just 25 laps to go, before racing
to a fourth-place finish. “It was another good run for us. We
picked up some more points, and we’re not far out of fifth. We
might need a little help, but we’re in a pretty tight battle
for positions at the banquet.”
Don Thomson Jr. and David Whitlock made up the front row
for the feature, with Thomson taking his seventh pole of the
season. Thomson was spun on lap one, allowing Whitlock to take
the lead. Kerry Micks, Ron Sheridan, and Jim Lapcevich all
took a turn at the lead, until Thomson led on a restart with
just over 45 laps to go. Whitlock and Gibbons would both get
by Thomson with Gibbons moving all the way to the front, and
leading the final 45 laps for the feature win. Whitlock
finished second, with Thomson third. Thomson’s point lead now
sits at 17-markers over Gibbons heading into the final race of
the season.
1. Gibbons, 2. Whitlock, 3. Thomson, 4. D.J. Kennington, 5.
Ron Beauchamp Jr.
Unofficial Point Standings (after 11 of 12 races) – 1.
Thomson (1886 points), 2. Gibbons (1869), 3. Whitlock (1819),
4. Jeff Lapcevich (1706), 5. Micks (1654), 8. D.J. Kennington
(1631).
The final event of the 2004 CASCAR Super Series season will
take place Sunday, September 19th as the tour makes its’
return to Kawartha Downs Speedway. Kennington is looking
forward to making the return to the 3/8th-mile facility for
the season finale. “The first two times we went to Kawartha we
ran well. It’s a fast, smooth, wide racetrack. There are a lot
of guys that are still looking for their first win of the
season, and I think we have a good shot at getting ours.”
For more information on D.J.K. Racing, CASCAR, Delaware
Speedway, or Kawartha Speedway, please visit www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca, www.delawarespeedway.com, or
www.kawarthadowns.com. Or contact Maudsley Motorsports at
(519) 670-3278, or maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca.
D.J. Kennington Finishes Fourth at
Peterborough – Moves Up in Points
(Peterborough,
Ontario) – D.J. Kennington and his Castrol Dodge arrived at
Peterborough Speedway last Saturday night for the Power Water
200. For Kennington it was another trip to the site of his
2002 victory and he was looking to build on his first oval
track podium finish from Mosport the week before.
The event started
with a Saturday afternoon practice session and Kennington laid
down the ninth-fastest lap of the session. “We’re
ninth-fastest,” explained D.J. “But, we’re about 2/10ths of a
second off the best time of the day. That’s just how
competitive this place is.”
Qualifying was
next and Kennington turned a lap of 15.521 seconds, good
enough for the 13th-fastest circuit of time
trials. “Our time for qualifying was almost the exact same as
our fastest practice lap. Once again, it was really the same
story. If we picked up 2/10ths it would have put us fourth.
This field was separated from first to 25th by less
then 7/10ths of a second. That’s close.”
Kennington took
the green from the inside of row seven and immediately started
to pick his way forward on the tight bullring, cracking the
top-ten before there were even 50 laps on the board. D.J.
continued to work his way towards the front, and after a few
of the leaders pitted, found himself inside the top-five with
just 70 laps on the board. Kennington would move as high as
third by the halfway mark, but on lap 122 Don Thomson Jr.
moved by the # 17 car with fresh right side tires. “In the
first race of the season at Peterborough we saw just how
important fresh tires were, but we were saving ours for later
in the race.”
The opportunity
to pit would come just after a lap 124 yellow flag, the fifth
of the evening, and D.J. brought his Dodge to the attention of
the ‘Castrol Crew’ for new right side tires, returning to the
track as the last car on the lead lap in ninth.
On lap 150 D.J.
was shown in seventh position, and on the move against a
number of drivers that had older tires. He would claim sixth
with just over 40 laps to go, and moved to fifth on lap 167.
“The fresh tires made such a difference. It’s so tight at
Peterborough, that if you can get some fresh tires and can
work the outside you are so much better off. You can make
some moves out in the high lane.”
Second-place Peter Gibbons was
holding up a number of cars, including Brad Graham, Kerry
Micks, and Kennington, who was running fifth. “I was waiting
for someone to get Gibbons in the high lane, and there was a
number of guys that would have been able to freight train him,
because he was on old tires, but no one could get underneath
him.” Graham would blow up with 10 laps to go, and Kennington
would chase Micks to the line for a solid fourth-place
finish. “It was just a typical Peterborough race. It was
very tight, and the guys up front were very close. After the
season we’ve had, we’ll take this top-five and move on.”
Don Thomson Jr. won his sixth
pole of the season, with Brad Graham qualifying second.
Thomson took the lead at the drop of the green and led the
first 68 laps before Kerry Micks passed Thomson to take
command. Thomson pitted for fresh tires and was blitzing his
way through the field when Micks pitted under yellow as well,
turning the lead over the Gibbons. When Thomson got back to
the front he overpowered Gibbons and took the lead with 57 to
go, holding on for his second consecutive win. Gibbons held
off a late charge from Micks to finish second.
1.
Thomson, 2. Gibbons, 3. Micks, 4. D.J. Kennington, 5.
Petey Shepherd.
Points Standings (after 10 of 12
events) – 1. Thomson
(1725), 2. Gibbons (1703), 3. Whitlock (1661), 4. Micks
(1610), 5. Jeff Lapcevich (1578), 8. D.J. Kennington
(1483).
The next event for D.J. Kennington and the
D.J.K. Racing Team will be this weekend, Labour Day, at
Delaware Speedway for the APC / CANUSA Great Canadian 300.
For Kennington he will be looking for his first Delaware Super
Series victory, and the former track champion is confident
that he will be in contention on Sunday. “We always run well
at Delaware. The 300-lappers at Delaware are usually won one
of two ways. It’s either a question of survival, or having a
fast car, or sometimes even a combination of both. I think if
we can survive, we’ll be fast enough to have a shot at
winning. It’s always fun racing at Delaware, because it’s a
neat track and they always have a good crowd for the event.”
For more
information on D.J.K. Racing, CASCAR, Peterborough Speedway,
or Delaware Speedway, please visit
www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca,
www.peterboroughspeedway.com, or
www.delawarespeedway.com. Or contact Maudsley Motorsports
at (519) 670-3278, or
maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca.
D.J. Kennington – First
Oval Track Podium of Season at Mosport
Aug 23, 2004 -
(Bowmanville, Ontario) – D.J. Kennington and his Castrol Dodge
were trying to gain some momentum heading into the 2004 CASCAR
Super Series homestretch. Kennington had run well at Mosport
in the past, finishing second in 2001, and was looking forward
to racing for the win during the 200-lap affair.
The weekend
started with practice and the D.J.K. Racing Dodge was decent,
but Kennington was sure he could find more speed. “We went to
work on it and changed shocks and put some spring rubbers in,
but the car was still off.”
In qualifying
Kennington was able to rip off the 11th-fastest
time of the day, putting him on the inside of row six for the
feature. “We had a decent effort, but the car still isn’t
very good on short runs. I hope we’ll be better in the race.”
Kennington took
the green and started to slowly pick his way forward, while
keeping all the panels on the car at the same time. As the
laps wore on, it became apparent to D.J. that he had a pretty
good car. “We were just that much better on long runs. As
the laps wore on, our car got faster and faster. We were able
to make some moves and make up some spots before our pit
stop.”
That break in the
action would come at lap 101 when all the leaders came to pit
road under caution. Kennington entered pit road eighth, and
brought his machine to the attention of the ‘Castrol Crew’.
They changed right side tires, added wedge and fuel, and
returned D.J. to action in sixth position. “The guys had a
great stop and got me two positions on pit road. It always
helps when you can pick up a few spots in the pits.”
During the second
half of the race, Kennington continued to race his way forward
and during the late stages had climbed to third, and the rear
bumper of Mark Dilley. He was slowed by a pair of late
yellows and settled for a third-place result. “I didn’t need
those cautions at the end. We were going to get Dilley if it
had’ve stayed green. Our car was so much better on long runs,
but those yellows slowed us down and left us with a third.”
Kennington was still thrilled with the finish. “After the
season we’ve had, this is just what we needed. Our car is in
one piece, it still runs, and we were on the podium – almost a
perfect day.”
Don Thomson Jr., and David
Whitlock qualified on the front row for the Mosport 200, with
Thomson grabbing the lead when the green came out. Thomson
would lead until lap 96 when he pitted for tires, but re-took
command on lap 98 and paced the field for the remainder of the
event to record his first win in over two years.
1. Thomson, 2. Dilley, 3. D.J.
Kennington, 4. Whitlock, 5. Jeff Lapcevich.
Unofficial point standings (after
nine of 12 events) – 1. Thomson (1550 points), 2. Gibbons
(1527), 3. Whitlock (1527), 4. Jeff Lapcevich (1463), 5. Kerry
Micks (1450), 9. D.J. Kennington (1335).
The 10th
race of the season is Saturday, August 30th at
Peterborough Speedway, a track Kennington won at in 2002.
“We’re excited about going back to Peterborough. It’s a fast
track and we’ve had success there in the past. We would
really like to put one up in the win column before the end of
the season.”
Kennington will
also be in action Wednesday night, August 25th at
one of the Nextel Cup Series’ premiere tracks, Bristol Motor
Speedway. The lightning-fast ½-mile in Tennessee will host
their first Hooters ProCup event, and D.J. is thrilled about
getting the opportunity to compete at the same place as a lot
of his heroes. “Racing at Bristol is going to be a lot of
fun. I’ve never ran anywhere like it – heck, there isn’t
anything like it. It’s going to be an experience for our
entire team and I’m ready for the opportunity.”
For more
information on D.J.K. Racing, CASCAR, Mosport, or Peterborough
Speedway, please visit
www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca,
www.mosport.com, or
www.peterboroughspeedway.com. Or contact Maudsley
Motorsports at (519) 670-3278, or
maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca.
D.J. Kennington
Molson Indy Vancouver – Race City Speedway
(Calgary, Alberta) – D.J. Kennington and his Castrol Dodge
left Toronto with a little momentum. After a disappointing
start to the season, Kennington used his third-place result in
Toronto to move into the top-ten in points, and headed west to
kick off the second half of the 2004 CASCAR Super Series
season. The first event on the western swing would be on the
streets of Vancouver for the Molson Indy Vancouver on July
23-24, followed by a Civic holiday weekend date with Race City
Speedway in Calgary.
Kennington fought
a loose race car throughout every session leading up to the
Canadian Tire 100 on the street course in Vancouver. “We
changed springs, we changed sway bars, and we changed a lot of
other things trying to get the car to handle. It was loose
going in, and loose coming out and despite everything we did,
we couldn’t seem to tighten the car up.” Kennington would
qualify 10th for the feature.
In the main event
he was able to slowly work his Dodge through the field and
seemed on his way to a solid top-five finish, running sixth
with just 10 laps to go, but the day would go south just
before the end of the event. “We had a front tire start to go
flat. I ran it to the end, but there wasn’t much pressure
left in it, and we lost a number of spots.” Kennington just
shrugged his shoulders and added the finish to the list of
disappointing runs this season that have been caused by bad
luck. “What can you do? We had another good car and were on
our way to a top-five and we got another flat. It’s
disappointing, but there’s not much you can do about it.”
Jeff Lapcevich continued with his
road course domination as he was on the hunt for his fifth
straight road course win in the Canadian Tire 100 in
Vancouver. Lapcevich turned the fastest time in provisional
qualifying and then shattered the track record in the second
round of time trials, with Peter Gibbons joining him on the
front row. Lapcevich took control at the drop of the green
flag while Don Thomson Jr., who had started eighth worked his
way through traffic to second. Thomson and Lapcevich battled
for the lead before contact slowed Thomson and allowed
Lapcevich to streak away for the victory. Thomson finished
second, while Kerry Micks passed Gibbons for the final spot on
the podium on the last lap.
1.
Jeff Lapcevich, 2.
Thomson, 3. Micks, 4. Gibbons, 5. Kevin Dowler, 10. D.J.
Kennington.
Following a
trip through the Rockies, D.J. Kennington and the D.J.K.
Racing Team took their Castrol machine to Calgary for the
annual battle at Race City Speedway in the MOPAR 300 during
the Civic Holiday weekend. Kennington has had success at the
half-mile before, winning 100-lap qualifiers and placing on
the podium in the feature.
Kennington was
quick off the trailer and turned the fourth-quickest lap in
time trials, earning him a front row starting position for his
100-lap qualifier. When the green dropped during the second
of the twin 100’s, Kennington was able to take a slight lead
over polesitter Peter Gibbons and led the first lap by a nose,
but Gibbons was too strong on the bottom and Kennington fell
into line in second. “There’s not much I can say about the
100-lapper,” explained D.J. “We just had a second-place car.
We only had one caution to help us, but it didn’t matter,
Gibbons had us covered.” Kennington finished second.
The feature
rolled off Saturday night, and Kennington was in contention
all night long during the 300-lap trek. He ran fourth for the
longest time, and took one tire early, hoping to gain track
position when a number of the other leaders pitted. It
worked, and he was back to the front shortly after that.
Another pit stop followed, but the tire changer broke a socket
and the # 17 emerged in 11th. D.J. blitzed through
the field again and was running third with just 60 laps to
go. “I thought this was going to be the one we broke out in.
The car was a podium for sure, and we had a great shot at
winning.” That was then disaster struck again as the right
front tire started to go down. Kennington would come to pit
road for a new tire under green and lost two laps in the
process. “Just another bad luck deal. We’ve never went
through anything like this before. Hopefully we can shake it
and win a race before the end of the season. We’ve been in
positions to do it, now we just need a break.”
The weekend started with
qualifying, and Don Thomson Jr. and Peter Gibbons turned the
fastest laps, locking themselves into the front row for
Saturday’s feature. In the first 100-lap qualifier, Thomson
led the first 81 laps before getting a flat tire and turning
the lead, and eventually the win to Kerry Micks.
Saturday’s feature saw Thomson
and Gibbons swap the lead a few times before lap 204 when
Scott Steckly took over. His lead was short-lived as Micks
took the top spot on lap 234. Micks led until there were just
19 to go as Mark Dilley took over for the first time. After
several laps of side-by-side racing while trying to hold off
his teammate David Whitlock, Dilley faded to second on lap 294
and Whitlock went on to capture his fourth career Mopar 300
win, with Dilley second, and Micks third.
1.
Whitlock, 2. Dilley, 3.
Micks, 4. Thomson, 5. Steckly, 11. D.J. Kennington.
Official Point Standings (after
eight of 12 events) –
1. Gibbons (1402), 2. Thomson (1376), 3. Whitlock (1375), 4.
Micks (1336), 5. Jeff Lapcevich (1319), 9. D.J. Kennington
(1187).
The next event
for the D.J.K. Racing Team will be August 21st at
Mosport Speedway. The tricky ½-mile track is one of
Kennington’s favorites and it’s shown in his results over the
past three seasons, as he finished third in 2002, and 2003,
and almost won in 2001, finishing second. “It’s one of the
best stops on the tour and you can really run side-by-side
there. It’s a little different shape, but we always seem to
get around there real well.”
For more
information on D.J.K. Racing, CASCAR, the Molson Indy
Vancouver, Race City Speedway, or Mosport, please visit
www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca,
www.molsonindy.com,
www.racecity.com, or
www.mosport.com. Or
contact Maudsley Motorsports at (519) 670-3278, or
maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca.
D.J. Kennington Finds Podium at Toronto Molson Indy
(Toronto, Ontario) – Last weekend, D.J. Kennington and his
Castrol Dodge took their show to the streets of downtown
Toronto for event number six of the 2004 CASCAR Super Series
season. At the Toronto Molson Indy, Kennington was looking to
lose the bad luck that had been plaguing him all season and
put up a solid finish and gather some momentum heading into
the season’s western swing.
The first voyage
on the track for the # 17 machine was Friday morning for
qualifying, and Kennington was able to post the sixth-fastest
lap of the session, turning the 11-turn road course in
1:20.878. “We were pretty pleased with that time out of the
box. The car had good balance to it, and we didn’t put a
wrench on it before qualifying other then a bolt check, and
the minor maintenance we do between runs.
Friday afternoon
the cars hit the track again for the first round of qualifying
and Kennington shocked the field. He knocked well over two
seconds off his practice time and clocked the fastest lap of
the day with a 1:18.419, and setting a new track record for
the CASCAR Late Models. When asked about his secret for
turning that lap, Kennington replied with just one word,
“Tires. That’s all we did was put on some new tires. We were
on old ones earlier this morning.”
Kennington’s time
on the provisional pole was short lived as he was bumped back
to second during Saturday morning’s session. “We’re still
pleased that we have a good starting spot for the feature. We
didn’t put anymore new tires on, and basically stood on our
time from Friday, and kept the car out of the wall.”
The 100 km
feature would take the combatants on a 36-lap tour around the
Exhibition Place grounds and D.J. took the green from the
outside of the front row. Pole sitter Jeff Lapcevich took the
lead entering turn one while Kennington got stuck on the high
side and saw Don Thomson Jr. sneak underneath him. The pair
rumbled up Lakeshore Boulevard side-by-side, but by the time
they got to turn three, Kennington was in third spot. He
would try to stick with Thomson, while at the same time
continued to put distance between himself and fourth-place
Peter Gibbons. That would really be the story of the day for
the Castrol Dodge, as Kennington had a fairly uneventful run
around the track. “I was by myself for almost the entire
race. I didn’t really have to worry about Gibbons, but I
didn’t have anything for the top two guys. We just had a
third-place car today.”
Kennington kept
his # 17 between the concrete barricades and out of trouble,
while taking his time with lapped traffic and keeping his nose
clean. The race would run yellow-free, and other then the
first two laps, Kennington didn’t race with anyone. “It was
actually pretty lonely out there. Other then the first lap, I
was really by myself.” D.J. was thrilled with his career best
finish at the Indy, closing the deal with a third-place
result. “We beat a lot of good cars, and a lot of good
drivers today. The car was a little better then I was, but I
was able to learn a lot about road racing today. We didn’t
turn a wrench on the car all weekend, and the setup was great
off the trailer. I really have to take my hat off to my
guys. They gave me a great car all weekend and we put up a
good result to try and get our season back on track.”
1.
Jeff Lapcevich, 2. Thomson, 3. D.J. Kennington, 4. Ron
Beauchamp Jr., 5. Mark Dilley.
Unofficial Point Standings (after
six of 12 races) – 1. Peter Gibbons (938 points), 2. Thomson
(918), 3. David Whitlock (915), 4. Jeff Lapcevich (878), 5.
Kerry Micks (868), 10. D.J. Kennington (758).
The next event
for D.J. Kennington and the D.J.K. Racing Team will be July
23-24 in Vancouver for the Vancouver Molson Indy. Kennington
is looking to back up his podium finish in Toronto with
another solid run on the West Coast. “It’s a street circuit
like Toronto, but it’s a lot more technical. Look for Jeff
Lapcevich to be strong again out there. I think we can put
together a top-five finish, and if we’re really on we can hit
the podium again. We’re halfway through the season right now,
and we’ve finally got into the top-ten in points after a
miserable start. I want to make it back to the top-five, and
win a few races as the season winds down.”
For more
information on D.J.K. Racing, CASCAR, the Toronto Molson Indy,
or the Vancouver Molson Indy, please visit
www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca, or
www.molsonindy.com.
Or contact Maudsley Motorsports at (519) 670-3278, or
maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca.
D.J. Kennington Clutch Failure
at Cayuga Costs Kennington Shot at Win
(Nelles Corners,
Ontario) – D.J. Kennington and his Castrol Dodge arrived at
Cayuga 2000 Speedway last weekend for the third annual Atto
200 Canada Day Shootout. Round five of the CASCAR Super
Series season saw the perennial title contender enter the
weekend 11th in the point standings, and looking to
turn his season around with a solid weekend. Kennington had
already had a busy weekend, as he piloted his Hooter ProCup
car to a solid 12th-place finish in Ohio on Friday
night.
Practice started
the festivities on Saturday, July third and Kennington was
fifth fastest on the speed chart with a fastest lap of 21.514
seconds. That was less then 2/10ths of a second off the
fastest time of the day, but Kennington was still confident
heading into qualifying. “The car is pretty good. We didn’t
make any major adjustments to it, and we should be quick when
we’re on the clock.”
During the
qualifying session Kennington picked it up by almost a full
tenth of a second, ripping off a lap of 21.434 seconds, a mere
.030 seconds off Petey Shepherd, the pole sitters’ time.
“That was a good solid lap. We have a front row starting spot
for tomorrow and we picked up some bonus championship points.”
When the feature
kicked off Kennington settled into line behind Shepherd, but
on lap 14 he was shuffled back to third. “I was in no hurry.
I was just biding my time and saving the car for the end of
the race. I knew early on that we had a hot rod good enough to
win.” Kennington would later fall back one more spot to fourth
before making a trip to pit road on lap 45 under yellow. The
‘Castrol Crew’ changed the right rear tire and filled the car
up with fuel before returning the # 17 to action. “There were
a lot of yellows early and a lot of cars on the lead lap, so
we decided to pit early and hoped that when the stops cycled
through we would have the track position. The guys made a
good stop. We were a bit loose, so we took some stagger out
of it, put a little wedge in, and we were good to go until the
end.”
Kennington
restarted deep in the field and was involved in a little
mix-up a few laps later coming out of turn two. “A couple of
cars wrecked and I got slowed up, but then I was hit from
behind and knocked into it.” The nose of Kennington’s car was
beat up a bit, but he was still able to continue. D.J. was
able to shrug it off, “That’s the first body panel we’ve
replace in a couple of years.”
He would
continue, and it was looking like the strategy was going to
pan out all right for Kennington, but on lap 137 his car
slowed and pulled into the pit area. “We still haven’t pulled
it apart, but I think the clutch broke. Once again, we had a
car capable of winning. This year, it seems that if it
weren’t for bad luck, we wouldn’t have any luck at all.”
Shepherd would lead the first 38
laps before point leader Peter Gibbons took over. Gibbons
would lead 100-plus green flag laps before the events final
caution flag flew with 15 laps to go. The only three cars
left on the lead lap would come to pit road. Kerry Micks took
the lead off pit road, while Gibbons was penalized for
speeding. On the restart with five laps to go David Whitlock
was able to make a pass for the lead and hold on to win his
first race of the season with Micks second, and Gibbons third.
1.
Whitlock, 2. Micks, 3.
Gibbons, 4. Don Thomson Jr., 5. Petey Shepherd,
23. D.J. Kennington.
Official Point Standings
(after five of 12 events) –
1. Gibbons (804 points), 2. Whitlock (779), 3. Thomson (759),
4. Micks (730), 5. Jeff Lapcevich (703), 13. D.J.
Kennington (603).
The D.J.K. Racing
Team will head downtown for the next event, this weekend, as
the CASCAR Super Series takes center stage on CASCAR Saturday
during the Toronto Molson Indy. Kennington is looking forward
to one of the biggest events of the season, saying, “I always
love going to Toronto. It’s a pretty neat course and we
usually put on a good show there. We’ve had a bunch of
top-tens at the track and I know we’ll have another shot at
winning next weekend.”
For more
information on D.J.K. Racing, CASCAR, Cayuga 2000 Speedway, or
The Molson Indy, please visit
www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca,
www.cayuga2000speedway.com, or
www.molsonindy.com.
Or contact Maudsley Motorsports at (519) 670-3278, or
maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca.
D.J. Kennington Qualifies Well
at Peterborough
(Peterborough, Ontario) – D.J.
Kennington and his Castrol Dodge were back in action last
weekend at Peterborough Speedway for the Dodge Dealers of
Ontario 200. Kennington was victorious at ‘Canada’s Fastest
1/3rd-mile’ in 2002, and was looking for career win
number five on June 12th at the action track. He
entered the evening’s card sitting eighth in the championship
point standings and looking to move up with a solid finish.
The day’s activities kicked off
with a two hour practice session, and the # 17 was quick off
the trailer as D.J. posted the eighth fastest lap with a fast
time of 14.524 seconds, which was just over 2/10ths off the
fastest time of the afternoon. “The car was awesome. We came
with our regular setup and we were in the ballpark.”
The only thing the crew changed
on the car before qualifying, was installing a different rear
gear to help the car drive off the corner. The Dodge
responded by turning in the sixth fastest time of the session
with a lap of 14.485 seconds, picking up from practice times.
“We got in a good lap. I really wanted to be in the top-five
and nail down a bonus point or two, but we’ll take a starting
spot up front on this track anytime. This is a tough place to
pass at, so starting up front is so important.”
As the sun set in the Kawarthas
the field of Late Models rumbled out of turn four to take the
green on a 200 lap journey, with Kennington rolling from the
outside of row three. D.J. was able to tuck into line in
sixth, and seemed content to ride around and save his car for
the end of the show. “We were in good shape. We got a solid
start and I was going to save the tires and brakes for the
end. This place is tough on equipment, and I wanted to have
plenty left for the finish.”
But, on lap 49 the night would
end abruptly for Kennington. The car slowed exiting turn two
and D.J. coasted his Castrol machine into the pits. “We lost
something in the driveline. It’s a shame, because for the
third week in a row we had a great car and were a victim of
bad racing luck. I can’t say enough about my crew. They
haven’t quit at all this year, and I’m positive we’ll bounce
back from this.”
Teammates David Whitlock and Mark
Dilley sat on the front row, with Dilley jumping into the
lead. Whitlock took command on lap 77, with Don Thomson Jr.
waiting in the wings. The trio would battle among themselves
for the front three positions, but when Whitlock slipped up on
lap 147, Dilley capitalized, moving to the front. He held off
all challenges from both Whitlock and Thomson over the
remaining 53 laps to claim his first feature win since 2000.
Kerry Micks claimed third from Thomson late in the event and
joined the pair on the podium.
1.
Dilley, 2. Whitlock, 3.
Micks, 4. Scott Steckly, 5. Peter Gibbons.
Point Standings (after three of
12 events) 1. Gibbons (481 points), 2. Whitlock (474), 3.
Thomson (448), 4. Micks (430), 5. Ron Beauchamp Jr. (418),
10. D.J. Kennington (369).
D.J. Kennington and the D.J.K.
Racing Team will be back in action next weekend on one of the
world’s most challenging road courses, Mosport Raceway.
Qualifying will take place on Saturday, June 19th
with the feature taking the green on Sunday. Kennington was
victorious at the track in 2001, and is anxious to re-visit
Mosport’s victory lane. “Mosport is a very famous race track
and winning there was one of the highlights of my career. I
like road racing, and I think we’re going to have a very solid
run there next weekend. If there is anyplace we can turn our
season around it might as well be Mosport.”
The Carquest
Sportsman Series will also be in action on Saturday night at
the Mosport oval.
For more information on D.J.K.
Racing, CASCAR, Peterborough Speedway, or Mosport, please
visit
www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca,
www.peterboroughspeedway.com, or
www.mosport.com. Or
contact Maudsley Motorsports at (519) 670-3278, or
maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca.
D.J. Kennington –
Qualifies Second at Cayuga Flat Tire Ends Shot at Win
(June 7,
2004 - Nelles Corners, Ontario) – D.J. Kennington and his
Castrol Dodge took to Cayuga 2000 Speedway on June 5-6 for the
Power Water 200 at the 5/8th-mile facility.
Kennington entered the second race of the Super Series season
trying to build on a seventh-place finish in the season opener
at Delaware, and was sitting seventh in the championship point
standings, just 22 markers out of the top spot.
The
weekend kicked off with practice on Saturday June fifth, and
Kennington was able to post the fourth fastest lap of the
session, with a circuit of 21.499 seconds. “Our car was good
again today right off the trailer. About the only thing we
changed on it were the tires. We’re all set for qualifying.”
When the
time trial session started later in the afternoon, Kennington
ripped off a lap of 21.488 seconds, good enough for the second
fastest time of the day, and a trip to the front row of the
grid for Sunday’s 200 lap feature. “It always makes it a
little easier to start up front.”
Kennington lined up
for Sunday’s main event beside Don Thomson Jr., who had
grabbed the pole. “As far as the game plan on the start, I’m
going to try and get to the lead heading into turn one, but if
I can’t beat Donnie, then we’re just going to tuck into line
and ride.” Thomson got a jump on the start, and Peter
Gibbons, who rolled off third, also got by Kennington before
D.J. had a chance to get to the bottom. He rode in third
spot, following in Thomson and Gibbons’ tire tracks, before
giving up one spot to Mark Dilley just before the 50-lap
mark. “The car was in good shape, and didn’t have a mark on
it. I was just saving what I had for the run to the end.”
On lap 72 the third
yellow of the race appeared, and Kennington made a visit to
pit road and the attention of the ‘Castrol Crew’. There was a
slight problem on the stop, but D.J. was still shown in 16th
position as the field came down to the restart. As more cars
pitted, Kennington went back up the leader board, and was
showing fourth when he pitted again for a fresh right rear on
lap 138. Things were going as planned for Kennington, until
it all unraveled on lap 148. Just after taking the green
flag, Kennington zipped to pit road to replace a flat right
front tire. The crew ripped off a solid stop, but he still
returned to the track two laps down. “That cost us the race
right there. A flat tire ruined our day.”
Kennington did have
one good chance to get a lap back, but missed a shift when he
lined up beside Gibbons on a restart. He finish 19th,
two laps down. “This is disappointing. We had a great car
again today. I don’t think we had enough to beat Gibbons, but
I know we had enough to race for second.”
Kerry Micks led
until just over 30 laps were left when Gibbons came to the
front. Gibbons made the pass for the lead on lap 169, and
cruised to a five second victory. Micks held on for second,
while David Whitlock finished third.
1. Gibbons, 2. Micks,
3. Whitlock, 4. Brad Graham, 5. Thomson, 19. D.J.
Kennington.
The next
event for D.J. Kennington and the D.J.K. Racing Team will be
June 12th at ‘Canada’s Fastest 1/3rd-mile’,
Peterborough Speedway. Kennington has had success at the
track, including a win in 2002. “It’s a tough track, but we
seem to run well there. It’s important to qualify up front,
because it’s a tough place to pass at.”
For
more information on D.J.K. Racing, CASCAR, Cayuga 2000
Speedway, or Peterborough Speedway, please visit
www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca,
www.cayuga2000speedway.com, or
www.peterboroughspeedway.com. Or contact Maudsley
Motorsports at (519) 670-3278, or
maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca
D.J. Kennington Loses Top-Five Finish in
Closing Laps of MOPAR 250
(June 1, Delaware, Ontario) – The 2004 CASCAR Super Series
kicked off last weekend at Delaware Speedway, and D.J.
Kennington and his Castrol Dodge were looking to take their
first steps towards the season championship. For Kennington
it would be another visit to the track he cut his stock car
racing teeth on, and a facility the former track champion
knows well.
The
first item on the agenda for the Super Series pilots on
Saturday May 22nd was practice, and Kennington was
able to turn the third quickest time of the session with a lap
of 19.697 seconds. “The car was very consistent. We didn’t
have to touch a thing all day other then working on the
stagger.”
At
6:00 qualifying began to set the grid for the MOPAR 250, and
Kennington was able to turn a time of 19.753 seconds, good
enough for the third qualifying position. “We lost less then
a tenth from practice, but almost everyone did,” explained D.J.
He added with a grin, “Everyone except Donnie.” Rival Thomson
qualified with the top time and will have the pole for
Sunday’s race, with Kennington rolling off from behind him.
Then
the rains came into the London area, scrubbing both Sunday’s
event, as well as the Monday rain date. The race was
rescheduled to Saturday, May 29th, the first Super
Series event under the lights at Delaware since the mid-90’s.
Following a mid-afternoon practice session 36 CASCAR Late
Models were lined up for a 250-lap jaunt around the ½-mile
track, and when the green dropped, Kennington rolled off from
the inside of the second row. Kennington fell into line
behind Thomson and rode around in second until Thomson had a
flat tire, handing the lead to D.J. Kennington led for 17
laps before David Whitlock got by. “I was getting beat on
from behind 50 laps into a 250 lap race. To win a race here
you have to keep the car under you for all 250 laps. I
already had my bonus points for leading, so I let Whitlock
go.”
Kennington ran in the top-three until lap 139 when, under
yellow, he and many of the leaders headed to pit road. The
‘Castrol Crew’ ripped off a nice two-tire stop and returned
D.J. to action in 14th-position. By lap 175 D.J.
had cracked the top-ten again, and was still peddling forward,
moving to eighth by lap 200. He continued to battle, and was
passing Whitlock to the inside for fifth with just 14 laps to
go when he was knocked onto the grass entering turn three.
Kennington saved the car, but dropped back to finish seventh.
“That was the end of our shot to win,” explained the pilot.
“We had a great car, and I’m not sure if we could’ve got to
the front but I had lots left at the end and was really moving
through traffic. We got hit and it knocked the toe out an two
and a half inches, and flattened the right front. It’s a real
shame to have the night end like that after we ran so
well.”
Pete Vanderwyst led
after Whitlock and paced the field until lap 163 when he
pitted, handing control to Steve Robblee. Peter Gibbons had
worked his way back to the front after flat tire problems and
was pressuring Robblee before Robblee’s battery started to
fail. Gibbons survived a number of late race restarts and
held off Jeff Lapcevich and Scott Steckly to capture his 21st
career Super Series victory.
1. Gibbons, 2. Jeff
Lapcevich, 3. Steckly, 4. Ron Beauchamp Jr., 5. Whitlock 7.
D.J. Kennington.
The
next event for D.J. Kennington and the D.J.K. Racing Team will
be June sixth at Cayuga 2000 Speedway for the Power Water 200
at the 5/8th-mile track. “We always seem to run
well at Cayuga. It’s one of my favorite tracks and we are
usually right up front there. It’s a long race and if we’re
patient we should be able to put up a good finish.“ The
weekend will kick off on Saturday June fifth with event number
one of the Carquest Sportsman Series, making it a full weekend
of action at one of Canada’s premier facilities.
For
more information on D.J.K. Racing, CASCAR, Delaware Speedway,
or Cayuga 2000 Speedway, please visit
www.geocities.com/17cascar,
www.cascar.ca,
www.delawarespeedway.com, or
www.cayuga2000speedway.com. Or contact Maudsley
Motorsports at (519) 670-3278, or
maudsleymotorsports@sympatico.ca.
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