August 22, 2010. Winning a Championship in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series has been the goal for DJ Kennington driver of the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge team in 2010. During round number nine at Mosport Speedway this past Saturday night Kennington had to deal with a several challenges that presented themselves.
The #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge team used their normal precision during practice with Kennington scoring the fastest time and then backed it up with his fourth pole position start of the 2010 season. “Everybody works really hard to prepare these cars and give us the best opportunity to win and they showed how good they are again” said Kennington.
As Kennington led the field to the green flag his first goal was to lead a race lap and claim the five bonus points that go with it. The #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge would lead the first sixteen laps of the race. I didn’t want to race too hard with the #4 car that early and it was no trouble keeping pace so I just settled in” said Kennington.
As the laps ticked away Kennington continued to keep the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge near the front of the field, and normally you can avoid other incidents. This however was not the case. Kennington would get spun. “I really don’t know what happened” said the driver. “But the car got sideways and the real damage was inflicted as the other car drove across the front of me” he added.
From that point Kennington had his hands full. “The car was running hot after that and I had to keep pulling out of traffic to keep air going into the front of the car and cool it down” he said. “But even with that we were in good shape and got the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge back up to fourth”
With a late restart and the field bunched Kennington was still in a position to claim his fourth victory of the season. “We still had a shot at it I think” he stated. “But then the #7 car dumped us going into turn one and it’s frustrating. I mean we’re racing all season and working so hard for the point’s championship and a guy who isn’t running the full schedule is making that harder”.
Even with the adversity Kennington knows the championship fight is far from over. “It’s not the end of the world, we’re not that far back and the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge team is up for the challenge and ready to get at it again next week” he stated.
Note: Look for exciting news next week with DJ Kennington and this coming weekend’s Nationwide Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire series picks up again next weekend with the final road course event of the season on the famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, QC on Sunday August 29ht. You’ll be able to watch the race live on TSN beginning at 11:30AM Eastern Time. Follow the progress of the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge all season on the newly redesigned website www.djkracing.ca plus you can follow their daily activities at www.twitter.com/djkracing. You’re also invited to join the Facebook Group DJK Racing.
Photo: DJ Kennington in the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge at Mosport Speedway
Photos Credit: Sue Chisholm and www.racetimeradio.com
