McColm Runs Strong on Mosport Oval

(Toronto, Ontario) – Joey McColm and his Team ATTO / Lang Michener / Performance Racing News Dodge Charger traveled to Mosport Speedway last Saturday, August 11th, for the Full Throttle 200 on the ½-mile speedway. The race was event number seven of the 12-race schedule for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Racing Series Presented by Sirius, and Joey was looking forward to his second race at the tricky speedway.

The weekend started with practice, and McColm was able to run the 10th quickest time of the session. “We were quick,’ explained Joey. “Then, near the end of practice we broke a panhard bar bracket. We had to find a welder, and missed the qualifying session while we were fixing it.”

Missing qualifying would force McColm to start the 200-lap event from 20th on the grid, but he would climb towards the front as soon as they dropped the green. “We were picking them off one by one, and by lap 50 we were in fifth. I managed to get through an early incident, and we were in good shape, but shortly after that, the brakes started to fade.”

McColm lost a lap during a pit stop, but couldn’t overcome the brake problems during the remainder of the feature. He wound up with a 16th-place finish. “It was a little disappointing after the way we ran. I passed Kerry Micks, and Jason Hathaway and those guys finished in the top-five.”

Don Thomson Jr. started third, took the lead on lap 10, and led all but 19 laps the rest of the way, in recording his second feature victory of the season. Mark Dilley and Kerry Micks rounded out the podium.

1. Thomson, 2. Dilley, 3. Micks, 4. Jason Hathaway, 5. Derek Lynch, 16. Joey McColm.

The next event for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be this weekend as part of the Grand Prix of Three Rivers.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Racing Series is the most prestigious stock car circuit in Canada. The nationwide tour races 12 times during the season, with all the events televised on TSN.

(Montreal, Quebec) – Joey McColm and his Team ATTO / Lang Michener / Performance Racing News Dodge Charger headed to Montreal for the Civic Holiday weekend. The Napa Autopro 100 was round six of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius, and the undercard to the inaugural NASCAR Busch Grand National Series event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The weekend started with practice for McColm and he was 13th fastest in the first session, turning a lap of one minute, 50.223 seconds, just over three seconds off the pace. During the second session later on Friday morning he knocked two-tenths of a second off his time, and was 14th on the speed chart. “We worked on the car, and I was able to learn the track better with every lap. We ran our best times late in both sessions, and were in the top-ten at some point during both sessions.”

Saturday would finish with a timed qualifying session, but before the session could roll off, the track would have to be repaired. The hairpin corner at the West end of the course was the most affected, as the heavy Canadian Tire, and Busch Series cars were tearing up the asphalt. Following a lengthy repair, the qualifying session would be cut short so the day could remain on schedule. It would put McColm behind the eight ball, as he would be limited by both track time, and the amount of cars on the track as all the cars rolled out together. McColm would put down a best lap of one minute, 51.811 seconds, which was the 19th quickest time of the session. As the field rattled off the laps, a hose came loose in the cooling system of the #50 machine, and Joey looped the car coming into turn one. He climbed from the car and started to look underneath it. “The upper thermostat housing broke, and it smelt like we had an electrical fire. That’s what it smelled like.” As for the run, Joey explained, “Our car was much better in practice on old tires, and as soon as we put on new tires the times dropped off. I think we’ll be better in the race now that the tires have a cycle on them.”

Saturday’s conditions were muggy as the field lined up for their 23-lap feature, with McColm taking the green from the inside of row 10. When the green was unfurled, he immediately started to pick his way forward, and by the events second yellow on lap seven, he had climbed to 16th in the running order. McColm followed Peter Gibbons for some time, staying close, and looking like a road course veteran. “The more laps I got the better off we are. I’m getting more comfortable all the time, and getting behind a guy like Peter Gibbons and learning from him even if it’s just for a couple of corners is so important.”

Joey continued forward over the second half of the event, and was able to record a solid 13th-place finish. “On Saturday we struggled in qualifying, because we put new tires on the car and it didn’t seem to like it. As the race wore on, the car picked up. We ran our best time on the 14th-lap of the race. It was a lot different than the other road tracks, and while there are some spots you can go two wide, most of the places are only made for one car. We had a good weekend and think we’ll be in good shape for Three Rivers.”

J.R. Fitzpatrick and Andrew Ranger continued their rivalry, as the pair put their cars on the front row for the Napa Autopro 100, but it was second row starter Kerry Micks that was on the early charge. He passed Fitzpatrick on the second lap to take the lead. J.R. would end his day early with a broken motor, while Ranger, who missed a shift on the start and got shuffled back it the field climbed back to second. He took the lead from Micks with three laps to go, but on the last lap, Micks came back to challenge. The pair made contact a number of times during the last dash to the finish as they ran side-by-side under the flagstand, with Micks winning the photo finish.

1. Micks, 2. Ranger, 3. Robin Buck, 4. D.J. Kennington, 5. Scott Steckly, 13. Joey McColm.

Unofficial Points (after six of 12 events) – 1. Ranger (993), 2. Kennington (919), 3. Gibbons (918), 4. Don Thomson Jr. (890), 5. Fitzpatrick (885), 16. Joey McColm (714).

The next event for Team ATTO will be this Saturday night, August 11th at Mosport Speedway for the Full Throttle Energy Drink 200. McColm got a start at Mosport last season and is counting on that experience to help him through a successful evening. “It will be nice to go back. Last year I seemed to get through turns one and two well, but struggled through three and four. We have to work hard in practice and get it good all around, but it will be good to get back to the ovals.”

(Edmonton, Alberta) – Round five of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius was run last weekend in Edmonton, Alberta, and Joey McColm, of Ajax, Ontario and his Team ATTO / Lang Michener / Performance Racing News Dodge Charger were ready for the challenge. For McColm, it would be his second career road course start, as the Late Models took to the Edmonton Airport course as part of the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton.

The weekend started with a practice session and McColm concentrated on learning the track. His times dropped as he put laps down, but with the Canadian Tire Series playing the support role, their track time was limited. McColm explained, “We were so much closer to the leaders in times than we were at Mosport. I was only a couple seconds a lap slower than Andrew Ranger, and he’s been racing on road courses all his life – this was my second time ever.”

The final practice session finished with McColm up to 12th fastest overall. That would put Joey in the fastest qualifying session.

McColm rolled out for qualifying, and with a car that was much more balanced than at Mosport, ran a number of solid laps. “Being so fast in practice, it was kind of neat, because I got to go out right behind Peter Gibbons. I tried to follow him the best I could. We were in good shape, until late when a bunch of guys put in some bonzai laps.” McColm would line up 17th for Saturday’s

The teams took to the track for the 32-lap feature with Joey rolling from the inside of the ninth row. When the green dropped, McColm went on the hunt, picking them up and laying them down as he started to move through the field. After gaining a pair of positions, he tried to put the shuffle on Peter Gibbons, but got into a chicane a little too hard, sending him into the grass, “I just got in a bit too deep, and lost a couple of spots that I had gained.”

Again Joey got up on the wheel and worked his way forward, he picked off a number of cars as the raced worked into the middle stages. Joey climbed to 11th and was going for a position on Kevin Dowler when he made his second mistake of the afternoon, kicking him out of the groove and sending him back to a respectable 16th-place showing. “We had a great run, and our finish doesn’t represent how well we ran. This was my second road course race, and the only thing that went wrong for us was the driver making a couple mistakes behind the wheel that cost us a top-ten finish. The guys had my car so much better than it was at Mosport, and I have more laps now. I just need some more experience, and the results will keep getting better on the road courses.”

For the second time in as many weeks, J.R. Fitzpatrick used a last lap pass to capture a Canadian Tire Series feature. Andrew Ranger started on the pole and led the first 31 circuits, but on the final lap, Fitzpatrick was able to avenge an earlier season road course defeat at the stock car rookie’s hand.

1. Fitzpatrick, 2. Ranger, 3. Robin Buck, 4. D.J. Kennington, 5. Don Thomson Jr., 16. Joey McColm.

The next event for Team ATTO will be Saturday, August 4th as the undercard for the NASCAR Busch Series NAPA 200 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. McColm is excited about another trip to a road course saying, “I think we can do a few things to the car before that race to make it even better. Plus, I’ll get some more experience, and that’s goal number one.”

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Racing Series is the most prestigious stock car circuit in Canada. The nationwide tour races 12 times during the season, with all the events televised on TSN.

VERNON, B.C. — The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius headed West last weekend, tackling the 1/2-mile Sunvalley Speedway for round number four of the championship series, the British Columbia Dodge Dealers Dodge Avenger 300. Joey McColm, of Ajax, Ontario and his Team ATTO / Lang Michener / Performance Racing News Dodge Charger took to the track, in Vernon, B.C. looking to back up his solid performance at Barrie Speedway on Canada Day in the first of a two-race swing to Western Canada.

The team struggled through the day during practice, as Joey felt a vibration when he was at speed, and spent the first practice session trying to locate the problem. Following a transmission change, they hit the track for session number two, but again, the vibration would continue. “We thought of everything, and continued to keep changing stuff in and out that could be the source of the problem.”

In qualifying, the problem would continue, and the #50 machine recorded a 20th-place result. “We kept working on the car to try and figure it out for the feature.”

When the green dropped on the British Columbia Dodge Dealers Dodge Avenger 300, McColm immediately began picking off cars, gaining three positions in the first four laps. He looked destined for a solid finish, but the vibration would appear again, and McColm was forced to bring the car to the pit area for service. Team ATTO leapt into action, swapping out the drive shaft, and returning the Dodge to action. “The race had stayed green, and we were down more than 50 laps when we went back out, but at least we didn’t quit. We got back out there, and as cars fell out, we picked up positions.”

With old tires, McColm settled into a race pace as fast as the leaders, as the team used the remainder of the event as a practice session. “The driveshaft fixed the problem, and the car was fast for the rest of the day. We tried a few different things and worked on our setup while trying to stay out of trouble.”

McColm finished 20th.

Teammates Don Thomson Jr. and J.R. Fitzpatrick started on the front row in a race that featured 13 lead changes among seven drivers. Scott Steckly led late until Fitzpatrick rallied during a green-white checkered restart, as J.R. took the win by .029 seconds over Steckly. Peter Gibbons finished third.

1. Fitzpatrick, 2. Steckly, 3. Gibbons, 4. Kerry Micks, 5. D.J. Kennington, 20. Joey McColm.

The next event for Team ATTO will be this weekend, July 20-21 at the Edmonton Airport for the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton. The feature for McColm will roll off Saturday afternoon, with qualifying on Friday. “We’re excited about the weekend. I’m going to get some in-car video footage to kind of know where I’m going, but it’s going to be a lot different from Mosport. I’ve heard there are two grooves there, and lots of room. We also ran very well at Mosport, so I’m itching to turn right and left again.”

(Bowmanville, Ontario) – Joey McColm, of Ajax, Ontario took to Mosport last weekend, an hour northeast of Toronto for the Dickie’s 200 presented by Canadian Shield. McColm, the driver of the Team ATTO / Lang Michener / Performance Racing News Dodge Avenger, would be competing in the second event of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Racing Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio, and it would also mark his first ever start on a road course.

The 10-turn track that twists and turns through the hills just north of Bowmanville is known as one of the most demanding in the world, and a challenging place to make your first career start on a road course.

McColm got his feet wet early in practice as he stayed on the course, and improved with every lap. “Halfway through the first practice session, we were 16th of the 29 cars there. We kept improving, but really got hurt in the second practice. There were a number of cautions for problems on the track, and we only got a couple of good laps in between yellows.”

During qualifying, McColm had a tough time finding drafting partners up the backstretch, but still knocked down a best lap of one minute, 32.6 seconds. “I was really looking forward to Sunday. We gained so much during the day on Saturday, and for my first start I was confident about the feature.”

The 200 km main event rolled off on Father’s Day, with McColm climbing the scoring chart quickly. “The car was amazing, and I was able to reel them in and pick them off. We were getting one or two a lap, and I was having a lot of fun.”

Joey climbed to 13th when the leaders started to cycle through regularly scheduled pit stops. As they dropped to pit road, McColm’s number finally appeared in the top-five, and shuffling as high as third before he brought his # 50 in for service. When Joey got to his pit stall he had to back the car up, and when he did that, the transmission locked itself up. “It was so hot that it just welded it first and second gear.” McColm was disappointed, especially considering the 25th-place result that was in no way indicative of the way the team preformed, “I’m heartbroken - more upset than anything. I’d never been on a road course before and we ran great. We were looking at a top-ten, maybe a seventh or an eighth. We received a lot of positive comments after the race, and I think we impressed some people. I know we’ll be a lot more confident heading to Edmonton for the next road course event.”

Andrew Ranger grabbed the Bud Pole for the event, but jumped the start and was penalized to the back of the field. J.R. Fitzpatrick took command, and led 36 of the first 42 laps. Ranger, who had fought his way through from the back of the pack, took the lead from Fitzpatrick on lap 43, and held on to win by just over a second and a half, with J.R. second, and Ron Beauchamp Jr. rounding out the podium.

1. Ranger, 2. Fitzpatrick, 3. Beauchamp, 4. Peter Gibbons, 5. D.J. Kennington, 25. Joey McColm.

The next event for Team ATTO will be Canada Day weekend at Barrie Speedway, Sunday July 1st, for the MOPAR 300. For McColm, it will be a homecoming of sorts, as he returns to the track he cut his Late Model teeth on. “I’ve been there since they redid the layout a few years ago. It’s a great track, and we’re really excited about going there. We made some changes to the car since Cayuga, and I think we’re going to have a good Canada Day weekend.”

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Racing Series is the most prestigious stock car circuit in Canada. The nationwide tour races 12 times during the season, with all the events televised on TSN.

For more information on Joey McColm, Team ATTO, Atto and Associates Insurance Brokers Inc., Mosport, Barrie Speedway, NASCAR, or the NASCAR Canadian Tire Racing Series, please contact:

Jason Lawson - Team Coordinator

Email Jason_atto@rogers.com

Phone: 1-800-263-9683 Ext. 272

Or visit:

www.nascar.com, www.nascarlocalracing.com, www.attoinsurance.com, www.mosport.com, or www.barriespeedway.com.