July 14, 2013- Castrol Edge Dodge driver DJ Kennington was poised to make his return to the winners circle in round number five of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series this past Saturday at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC. Running second in the late stages a flat tire would take them out of contention for the win.
The #17 Castrol Edge Dodge was quickest during the second afternoon practice session and Kennington would qualify on the inside of row two for the 300 lap feature event.
“The car felt really good and we were confident that it would be very strong as the race went on” said Kennington.
Their prediction proved correct. When the green flag waved Kennington looked to maintain a strong position up near the front of the field and settle into a comfortable pace for the many laps that lay ahead.
That continued until lap 40 when Kennington pushed the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge into the lead.
“I didn’t push the car too hard but wanted to see how it handled out front of the field.”
Kennington would stay out front through lap 113.
In the late stages Kennington was running second with his sights set on putting the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge back out front for the finish. With 50 laps remaining the car began to slow and the driver immediately knew he had a tire going down.
Forced to pit road to make the change Kennington would battle to the finish and bring the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge home with a ninth place result.
“Everything was playing out the way we wanted and then just a bit of bad luck bit us” said Kennington. “Still another top ten for us which is good but we’re anxious to get a victory. We’ll get another chance to grab a win right away when we get to Saskatoon to race their on Wednesday.”
Kennington has finished in the top ten in all five races this year and is second in the overall standings, just two points from the top spot.
DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team are back in next July 17th at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, SK.
Race fans are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest team news in several ways. Race fans should bookmark the team website www.djkracing.ca and follow them on twitter, @djkracing and fans should also “like” the DJK Racing Fan Page on Facebook.
Prepared by Todd Lewis & TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618
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