MIRABEL, QC – JUNE 3, 2012 – Mother Nature was the top villain at this weekend’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series ICAR Grand Prix, where Ron Beauchamp Jr. and his #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge crew had to adjust to inconsistent weather conditions to snag a top ten finish at Circuit ICAR.
On Saturday, the team had limited ability to practice due to the rain, but felt the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge was right on par despite only running a few laps. The crew tightened up the vehicle to prepare for drier weather the next day, adjusting a few items and changing shocks on the Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge. Scattered showers over the track cancelled qualifying, and racers were given starting positions according to the NASCAR rule book. Beauchamp was assigned the fifth starting position for Sunday’s race.
Sunday, the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge started off the race with unexpected difficulties, as his crew went a bit too far in tightening the vehicle during practice. Early on in the race, Beauchamp had difficulties turning the Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge. As he fought through the tighter handling on the vehicle, Beauchamp slipped back in the field and outside the top ten.
“The changes we made to the car were in the right direction, we just went too far,” Beauchamp said after the race. ”In the second half of the race, I was able to muscle the car a little better and managed to run better lap times.”
A late race incident slowed the field and setup a green-white-checker dash to the finish. On the restart several cars collided and #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge was the beneficiary of their misfortune, picking up a few spots. Beauchamp finished the race ninth overall. “We caught a little break at the end and we’ll take the top ten finish,” said the driver. “I’m looking forward to getting to the first oval race in a couple of weeks,” he added.
Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team return to action June 16th at the oval track at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park near Bowmanville, ON. For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on to www.beauchampmotorsports.com and www.mopar.ca.
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