Canadian Tire Series News & Notes: Barrie
Shepherd Accepts, Not Embraces,
by Text-Enhance">Part-Time Role
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A
part-time schedule is not ideal, but Pete Shepherd III has gotten practically every ounce of success out of it.
In the two NASCAR Canadian
Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 starts this season, the Brampton, Ont., driver has a perfect record with June wins at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway and the half-mile oval at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park near Bowmanville, Ont. Add in the final few races of last season and the 27-year-old has three victories in his last four efforts. Despite the limited opportunities, Shepherd is not surprised at the success.
“I’m not surprised at all,” he said. “We work hard on the car and behind the scenes a lot goes on for us to stay in step with the teams that race more often.”
Five total series wins in just 22 starts is more than staying in step. The results begs the ‘what if’ question, but Shepherd doesn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on that.
“I can only do what I can do,” he said. “We try to make the most of what’s available and we’ve done pretty well with that recently.”
However, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t get frustrated at times especially when watching television.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m watching a Canadian Tire Series race or a (NASCAR) Sprint Cup Series race, it eats at me that I can’t get out there more.”
Shepherd had some opportunities in the U.S. in his younger years, but the time wasn’t right he laments in retrospect.
“I was just too young. Today, there are some young guys doing some great things, but that wasn’t really the case when I was down there,” he said. “I’ve matured so much and learned so much as a driver. So, yes, it bugs me.”
The undefeated driver comes into the Hudco Electric Supply 300 presented by G-Oil at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway as the defending champion and for as physical as the racing is on the .333-mile tri-oval Shepherd likes the fact that early trouble doesn’t necessarily spell doom.
“It’s tough racing there, that’s for sure, but you’re never out of it there,” he said. “I think last year we were down a couple laps early on. As long as you stay with it and protect your equipment as best you can, then you always have a chance there.”
Having not raced since mid-June, the driver of the National Exhaust/Diamond Material Handling Dodge is ready to get back on the track.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “The crowd at Barrie is always great and the racing is never dull. I wish the race was tomorrow.”
FAST FACTS
The Race: This is the 11th event of 12 in the 2013 season for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 and the seventh of eight oval track events on the schedule. This is the series’ ninth visit to the Barrie track.
The Procedure: The starting field is
24 cars, including provisionals. The first 21 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials while the remaining three spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 300 laps covering 99.99 miles.
The Track: Barrie Speedway opened in 1965 and has had substantial improvements made since 1999. At that time, the track was widened and lengthened from a .25-mile oval to its current unique .333-mile tri-oval configuration. The tri-oval and pit road are situated on the backstretch.
The Records: The one-lap qualifying record for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Barrie is 13.903 seconds (86.226 mph) set by Don Thomson Jr. on June 28, 2008. The 300-lap race record is held by D.J. Kennington at 1 hour, 40 minutes, 8 seconds established on Sept. 11, 2010 for an average speed of 59.860 mph.
The History: Barrie Speedway has hosted more NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 events than any other track. Kennington leads all drivers with three wins including both visits in 2007 – the series’ inaugural season. Last year, Pete Shepherd III won a typically exciting race that was delayed a day due to rain.
BARRIE RACE NOTES
Dodge Dominant:
Dodge has won seven of the eight previous Barrie Speedway events with D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge) and Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire/Sylvania Dodge) accounting for five of those. The only non-Dodge winner was the Chevrolet of Don Thomson Jr. in Sept. 2009.
Little Separation: Barrie Speedway is close quarters competition from start to finish. Kennington holds the series mark for both largest and smallest margin of victory. He outdistanced Dave Whitlock by 1.453 seconds in Sept. 2007 and Thomson by a scant .015 seconds in the 2010 event.
Long And Short Of It: The 300-lap Hudco Electric Supply-sponsored event in Barrie is one of three races scheduled for that number of laps. The Canadian Tire Series went 300 laps in July at Motoplex Speedway in Vernon, B.C., and on Aug. 17 at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, N.S. Barrie and Riverside are .333-mile tracks while Motoplex is a half-mile circuit.
Race Hudco Electric Supply 300 presented by G-Oil
Place Barrie (Ont.) Speedway
Date Saturday, Sept. 8
Time 7 p.m. ET
TV Schedule TSN, Sat. Sept. 14, 2 p.m. ET; RDS2, Fri., Oct. 4, 8 p.m. ET
Track Layout .333-mile asphalt tri-oval
2012 Winner Pete Shepherd III
2012 Pole Sitter Steve Mathews
Event Schedule
Practice 1-1:30 p.m.; Final Practice 2-2:30 p.m.; Qualifying 4:45 p.m.; On-Track Autograph Session 5:30 p.m.; Driver Introductions 6:30 p.m.
Canadian Tire Series Stat Advance: Barrie
Analyzing The Hudco Electric Supply 300 Presented By G-Oil
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 travels to Barrie (Ont.) Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 7 for the Hudco Electric Supply 300 presented by G-Oil for the 2013 season’s penultimate race. Below is a statistical look at the recent performance of the series and selected drivers at Barrie, as well as some other statistical trends:
Barrie Race Setup
• Pete Shepherd III has wins in both of his series starts this year and victories in three of his last four outings dating back to last season including Barrie a year ago.
• Points leader D.J. Kennington has three Barrie victories and seven top-10 finishes in eight starts at the track.
• Scott Steckly has two wins at Barrie and has led a series-best 768 laps on the .333-mile oval.
• Mark Dilley – 2011 Barrie winner – has four top fives at Barrie in eight outings.
• Jason Hathaway has five top-10 finishes in eight
by Text-Enhance">career Barrie starts including a runner-up finish in 2011.
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series At Barrie Speedway
• This is the series’ ninth time to compete at the track, the most of any venue.
• The Hudco Electric Supply 300 will be aired on TSN on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. ET and on RDS2 on Friday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. ET.
• Dodge has seven wins at the track while Chevrolet has one.
• Three (Sept. 2008, 2011 and 2012) of the eight Barrie races has gone beyond the scheduled distance of 300 laps.
• In the previous six races at the track, there has been an average of 11.75 caution periods for 96.88 laps with earliest coming at Lap 2 in 2009 and the latest at Lap 298 in 2011.
• At Barrie, the average finishing position for the polesitter is 7.75 and the average starting position for the race winner is 5.5.
• The lead has changed hands an average of 11.13 with a high of 17 on Sept. 6, 2008.
Barrie Data
Race: #11 of 12 (9/7/13)
Track Layout: .333-mile paved tri-oval
Race Length: 300 laps (99.99 miles)
Records
1-Lap Qualifying: Don Thomson Jr., Chevrolet, 13.903 seconds, 86.226 mph, June 28, 2008
300-Lap Race: D.J. Kennington, Chevrolet, 1 hr., 40 min., 8 sec., 59.860 mph, Sept. 11, 2010
Race by Text-Enhance">Winners
D.J. Kennington ... 3
Scott Steckly ... 2
Mark Dilley ... 1
Pete Shepherd III ... 1
Don Thomson Jr. ... 1
Pole by Text-Enhance">Winners
Don Thomson Jr. ... 2
Ron Beauchamp Jr. ... 1
Mark Dilley ... 1
Steve Mathews ... 1
Kerry Micks ... 1
Anthony Simone ... 1
Scott Steckly ... 1
Manufacturer Wins
Dodge ... 7
Chevrolet ... 1
Laps Led
Scott Steckly ... 768
Don Thomson Jr. ... 409
D.J. Kennington ... 323
Selected Driver Information:
Ron Beauchamp Jr. (No. 60 Mopar/Exide/Pennzoil Dodge)
• Finished seventh at Barrie a year ago.
• Scored track-best finish of sixth in 2007 (July) and 2010 Barrie Speedway events.
• One of just four drivers to start all 85 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.
Noel Dowler (No. 5 EMCO/Praxair/Safety Kleen Dodge)
• Recorded a series career-best finish of third a season ago at Barrie.
• Finished 17th at Barrie in his rookie season of 2011.
• Has a current streak of three top-10 finishes on oval tracks.
Louis-Philippe Dumoulin (No. 47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge)
• Finished 11th a season ago at Barrie
• Posted a 13th-place Barrie in 2011 – his first career start on an oval.
• Won both road course events this season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
• Scored his first career pole win last season at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
• Was the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Rookie of the Year.
• Made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut on Aug. 20, 2012 at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Alex Guenette (No. 39 Kawasaki/Motos Illimitées/DLGL Dodge)
• Making Barrie Speedway debut in the Hudco Electric Supply 300.
• Scored a season-best finish of second in last start on July 27 at St. Eustache, Que.
• Has a slight edge on Ryley Seibert atop the series’ rookie-of-the-year standings.
Jason Hathaway (No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge)
• Registered an eighth-place finish last season at Barrie.
• Finished a Barrie career-best second in 2011.
• Scored a fifth-place finish in 2009 Barrie race.
• Has five top-10 finishes in eight starts on the .333-mile tri-oval.
• Has led 73 laps at Barrie.
• Snapped a 59-race winless streak in last start on Aug. 17 at Riverside International Speedway for second series career win.
• One of four drivers to start all 85 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.
D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge)
• Finished 21st in last season’s Hudco 300.
• Has three Barrie victories to his credit – 2007 (2) and 2010.
• Has seven top-10 finishes in eight starts at the Ontario oval.
• Leads point standings by three over Scott Steckly.
• Tops the all-time Canadian Tire Series wins list with 19.
• Won 2010 and 2012 series championships.
• Scored a single-season series record of seven wins in 2012.
• One of four drivers to start all 85 NCATS races.
Martin Roy (No. 90 Batteries Expert/Gamache/Veloce Dodge)
• Scored an 18th-place finish last season in his track debut.
• Posted a career-best finish of second on Sept. 1 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
• Won 2012 series Rookie-of-the-Year honors.
Ryley Seibert (No. 09 Lake Excavating/Emco Waterworks Dodge)
• Making Barrie debut in the Hudco Electric Supply 300 presented by G-Oil.
• Scored a season-best finish of eighth on July 13 at his home track – Motoplex Speedway in Vernon, B.C.
• Trails Alex Guenette by a slim margin in series’ rookie-of-the-year standings.
Pete Shepherd III (No. 7 National Exhaust Dodge)
• Won last year’s Barrie Speedway race.
• Finished third in 2010 and eighth in Sept. 2008 at the Ontario oval.
• Has won both events he has entered this season.
• Has three wins in his last four Canadian Tire Series starts.
Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge)
• Recorded a ninth-place finish last year at Barrie.
• Won both 2008 visits to the Ontario oval.
• Has five top-five finishes in eight Barrie starts.
• Trails D.J. Kennington by just three points in the championship standings.
• His 14 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victories rank third on the all-time list.
• Won 2008 and 2011 series championships.
• One of four drivers to start all 85 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.
Jason White (No. 21 Bowers & Wilkins Dodge)
• Finished 17th last season in the Barrie event.
• Best Barrie finish was 13th in 2010.
• Recorded a season-best finish of fifth in July at Autodrome St. Eustache.
• Was 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Rookie of the Year.