September 22, 2013. Sherwood Park, Alberta’s Noel Dowler and the #5 EMCO/Rheem Dodge team looked to wrap up the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racing season with a strong outing at Kawartha Speedway near Peterborough, ON. The team accomplished that mission and moved up a position in the final overall standings.
The #5 EMCO/Rheem Dodge team had a small hiccup during practice with a tire rub causing them some difficulty. That was quickly corrected and the team worked to make adjustments to improve the car for the race.
Dowler would post a strong qualifying effort with the eighth quickest time and start the 250 lap feature from the outside of row four.
“The car felt really good all day and I really concentrated on getting a good lap down” said the driver.
The #5 EMCO/Rheem Dodge ran strong in the early going and Dowler looked to maintain a steady and consistent pace. The team would also use strategy to improve their performance.
“We took a big shot at it today” explained Dowler. “We took all four tires early, with a lot of green flag runs we thought this would be a workable strategy for us”.
The strategy call appeared to be working for much of the race as Dowler was in position for a solid result. In the late stages however the #5 EMCO/Rheem Dodge began to lose positions. That’s when the team made another bold call.
“We battled and battled all day and then with 30 to go we made the decision to put the old tires back on” said Dowler.
The second bold move of the day also worked for the #5 EMCO/Rheem Dodge as they gained several more positions in the late going and would eventually cross the finish line in sixth position.
“With some of the tough luck we had this year we’ll certainly take this result” said Dowler.
After completing the 12 races on the series schedule Noel Dowler finished seventh in the overall championship and is pleased with the growth of the team this season.
“Somebody described it as us having a few teething pains with this new team but we’ve gone through them and we’re stronger now and really starting to show our capabilities. We have a few things planned for the off season and look forward to being even better next year. I want to thank EMCO, Rheem and all of our partners for all their support during the season and I’m looking forward to continuing our association.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series consists of 12 events from coast to coast in Canada. For more information about Noel Dowler and the #5 EMCO Dodge/Rheem team log onto www.apollomotorsports.ca and follow him on twitter, @noeldowler.
This release prepared by: TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618
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