WETASKIWIN, AB (July 28, 2018)- Coming off back to back top five finishes DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team looked to wrap up the western Canada races for the NASCAR Pinty’s series with another solid result in round number seven at Edmonton International Raceway this past Saturday night. Kennington and crew accomplished just that and have now leapt to fourth in the overall championship chase.
After only a handful of practice laps in the afternoon Kennington was extremely pleased with the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge. He decided he’d make one more run to confirm the race set up but discovered a potentially serious issue.
“The engine just felt a little flat,” he stated. “So I thought, we’re not taking any chances, we’ll swap it out for a new motor”.
He and the rest of the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team made the switch and had the car ready in time for qualifying. Kennington would qualify for the 300-lap feature in the sixth starting position.
“What a great job by all the guys to get that job done. Just fantastic, and we ran two good laps, I really felt we were in a good position” stated the driver.
When the race began Kennington smartly moved the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge forward in the field and before lap 100 was running in fifth position. A competition caution allowing teams to add fuel and change tires came just after lap 150.
“The car was good but we knew it could be better so we made some small changes” explained Kennington.
When the race resumed Kennington continued to move the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge ahead and ran as high third in the field. As the laps wound down the car’s handling again began to deteriorate and Kennington would claim his third consecutive fifth place finish in the race. Not as high as he’d hoped, but still positive for the team.
“To come out here and run three points races in four days and come out with top five finishes in all of them is no easy task. And having that curve thrown at us today, you just can’t say enough about this team and how hard they dig in every week. We’re heading into the second half of the season looking for more” said Kennington.
After seven events DJ Kennington is tied for fourth position in the overall championship,
The #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team return to action August 12that the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres.
Race fans are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest team news during the off-season in several ways. Race fans should bookmark the team website www.djkracing.caand follow them on twitter, @djkracing and Instagram. Fans should also “like” the DJK Racing Fan Page on Facebook. Also follow @CastrolCanada on twitter and Facebook.
Prepared by Todd Lewis and TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com(239) 961-2618
Discussion about this post