MONTREAL, QC – Ron Beauchamp Jr. was excited to showcase his road course program improvements at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Saturday, but a recipe of cautions and contact with other drivers sidetracked him from breaking into the top ten before the end of the 100km race.
Beauchamp and his crew made changes to the gear selection of his #60 Mopar Parts/Exide Batteries/Mobil 1 Dodge following practice to improve the low-end speed of the car to help him better navigate corners. After some additional changes before qualifying, the car was notably better and #60 qualified 13th. The crew continued to work after qualifying and further changes made the vehicle in even better shape for the main event.
“Every change we made this weekend got us even better,” Beauchamp said.
Beauchamp kicked off the race feeling confident behind the wheel and moved easily up in the field during the early stages, nipping at the heels of the top ten.
As the race progressed, following a caution period, Beauchamp found himself turned in the first corner around shortly after the restart.
“I was an innocent victim,” he explained after the race. “We were all stacked up and I don’t know what the guys behind me were thinking because we couldn’t get anywhere.”
Beauchamp persevered after the incident and fought hard from deep in the field during the final laps of the race, despite another caution getting in the way.
“The longer the race stayed green the better we got,” Beauchamp said. “Those cautions in the second half hurt us.”
#60 eventually ran out of time to recover lost ground and crossed the finish line in 14th place, down one spot from his qualifying position.
“I’m really happy with how far our road course program has come this year,” he said. “And now we’re headed to ovals where I know we’ll be strong again.”
After today’s race, Beauchamp is ranked 5th overall in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series standings with 313 points.
Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team will be back in action during the NASCAR Nationwide weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 17 & 18. For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on to www.beauchampmotorsports.com and www.mopar.ca
Words and Photos by Todd Lewis / TL Sports & Entertainment
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