CASCAR - MOPAR Parts 500 Preview - Calgary
Micks heads to the MOPAR Parts 500 Race Weekend atop the Super Series point standings CALGARY, AB - CASCAR Super Series racer Kerry Micks is heading to this weekend's MOPAR Parts 500 Race Weekend, at Calgary's Race City Motorsport Park, as the leader of the championship points chase. The UFCW Taurus driver moved into the top spot on the strength of his sixth-place finish in last Saturday's event at the Toronto Indy. Ironically, according to Micks, it was his finish in the 2001 Toronto street race that knocked him from first place. Prior to that event, he'd led the points since winning the Delaware opener, in May 2001. "I carried the lead, in 2001, right from the first race until we came here [Toronto Indy]. So now, it's reversed. We came here in second place and we're leaving in the lead." The Mt. Albert, ON racer started 24th in Toronto, and his plan to be aggressive in the early going paid off. After just four laps, Micks was up to 11th place and charging fast. "Before I started the race, I told the team I was going to go hard for about 10 laps. Hopefully, we'd get a caution at that point and I could pace myself until the end, if we were near the top 10 by then. But it went 'green' a lot longer than we thought. The car started going away a bit at the end, but making it up to sixth was a really good result considering where we started." Heading into this weekend's MOPAR Parts 500 Weekend, in Calgary the race that will mark the halfway point of the 2003 Super Series campaign Micks has a win to his credit (at Peterborough Speedway) and a 39-point lead over two-time and defending series champion Don Thomson. Jim Lapcevich is the defending winner of the MOPAR Parts 300. The Fastline Chevy driver emerged victorious, in 2002, following a tough late-race battle with Kerry Micks. It was Lapcevich's first CASCAR feature win in several seasons. Two-time National champion Peter Gibbons has three career MOPAR Parts 300 wins to his credit, while three-time CASCAR champ Dave Whitlock has two. The high-banked half-mile speedway at Race City Motorsport Park is a favourite oval track of many of the Super Series drivers. Race City has hosted a CASCAR National event since 1993. EVENT SCHEDULE MOPAR PARTS 500 RACE WEEKEND / RACE CITY MOTORSPORT PARK: THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2003 6:00 p.m. Official Press Conference: Schanks Athletic Club at 9627 MacLeod Trail S. FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2003 1:30 3:45 p.m. Practice 6:00 p.m. CASCAR Super Series Time Trials 7:00 p.m. Twin 100 Qualifying Sprint Races SATURDAY, July 19, 2003 3:00 3:30 p.m. CASCAR Practice 4:15 4:45 p.m. CASCAR Practice 7:00 p.m. Final Qualifier Race for the MOPAR Parts 300 // IMCA, Super Truck, and Street Stock racing to follow SUNDAY, July 20, 2003 11:15 noon CASCAR Driver Autograph Session 12:30 p.m. Driver Introductions 1:00 p.m. START: MOPAR Parts 300 CASCAR NOTEBOOK: The CASCAR CARQUEST Sportsman Series will be back in action this weekend at Autodrome Old Milwaukee St-Eustache., near Montreal. It will be the second consecutive 100-lap CARQUEST Series event at the flat, 4/10-mile oval in as many weeks. Last Saturday (July 12), three-time series champion Steve Robblee finished ahead of two other Delaware 'regulars', Rob Graham and Jason Hathaway... The MOPAR Parts 500 Race Weekend is one of two Super Series races to be held in Western Canada, on consecutive weekends. Immediately following Sunday afternoon's MOPAR Parts 300 feature event, the CASCAR caravan will head through the Canadian Rockies, en route to the series' third annual appearance at the Vancouver Molson Indy... Aside from the season-opening race at Delaware, this weekend's MOPAR Parts 500 will be the first time since the June 24, 2002 race at Mosport Speedway that Don Thomson will not be starting a Super Series event as the series' points leader. CASCAR POINT STANDINGS: CASCAR SUPER SERIES POINT STANDINGS AFTER 4 ROUNDS / TOP 25 AS OF JULY 17, 2003 (POS. CAR# DRIVER (HOMETOWN / MAKE / POINTS): 1. #02 Kerry Micks (Mt. Albert, ON / Ford / 750 points); 2. #4 Don Thomson Jr. (Ayr, ON / Chevrolet / 711); 3. #33 Neil Fair (Ancaster, ON / Intrepid / 701); 4. #22 Scott Steckly (Milverton, ON / Pontiac / 682); 5. #64 Mark Dilley (Barrie, ON / Intrepid / 674); 6. #60 Ron Beauchamp Jr. (Windsor, ON / Intrepid / 669); 7. #37 DJ Kennington (St. Thomas, ON / Intrepid / 659); 8. #1 Peter Gibbons (Stouffville, ON / Chevrolet / 654); 9. #19 Brad Graham (Glencoe, ON / Pontiac / 644); 10. #14 John Fitzpatrick (Ayr, ON / Chevrolet / 635); 11. #93 Joe Goncalves (Concord, ON / Chevrolet / 610); 12. #25 Jim Lapcevich (Hamilton, ON / Chevrolet / 596); 12. #88 Dave Jacombs (Mt. Hope, ON / Ford / 596); 14. #71 R Bryan Cathcart (Peterborough, ON / Intrepid / 584); 15. #24 Cole Pearn (Mt. Brydges, ON / Pontiac / 564); 16. #86 Kenny Forth (Lynden, ON / Ford / 552); 17. #23 Jeff Lapcevich (Caistor Centre, ON / Chevrolet / 453); 18. #41 John Tsoumaris (Toronto, ON / Chevrolet / 440); 19. #77 Pete Vanderwyst (London, ON / Pontiac / 438); 20. #00 Billy Innes (Simcoe, ON / Chevrolet / 428); 21. #39 Dave Whitlock (Petrolia, ON / Intrepid / 407); 22. #32 Mike Alguire (London, ON / Pontiac / 404); 23. #10 Doug Brown (Brantford, ON / Pontiac / 346); 24. #42 Sean Stafford (Springfield, ON / Chevrolet / 326); 25. #56 John Fletcher (Milton, ON / Chevrolet / 318) CASCAR CARQUEST SPORTSMAN SERIES POINT STANDINGS / TOP 25 AS OF JULY 17, 2003 (POS. CAR# DRIVER (HOMETOWN / POINTS): 1. # 28 Steve Robblee (Dorchester, ON / 269 points); 2. # 77 Dion Verhoeven (Kerwood, ON / 255); 3. # 55 Rob Graham (Bothwell, ON / 236); 4. # 10 Doug Brown (Brantford, ON / 23);5 5. # 74 Richard Beauchamp (Ormstown, QC / 228); 6. #3 Scott Lindsay (St. Mary's, ON / 224); 7. #52 Ron Sheridan (Strathroy, ON / 223); 7. #43 Jay Doerr (London, ON / 223); 9. # 00 Stephen Munro (Carp, ON / 222); 10. # 18 Andre Coursol (St-Antoine, QC / 221); 11. # 76 Jason Hathaway (St. Thomas, ON / 210); 12. # 42 Doug Stewart (London, ON / 206); 13. # 60 Steve Maheux (Ile Bizard, QC / 205); 14. # 00 Josh Wood (London, ON / 193); 15. # 92 Dave Riopelle (Dunrobin, ON / 189); 16. # 02 Geatan Longtin (Chateauguay, QC / 188); 17. # 19 Benoit Beauchamp (Montreal, QC / 186); 18. # 7 Jerry Marinuk (Scotland, ON / 182); 19. # 12 Mark Patrick (Delaware, ON / 179); 20. # 02 Scott O'Connor (Delaware, ON / 173); 21. # 67 Scott Mitchell (St. Catharines, ON / 171); 21. # 44 Jodi Merrifield (Windsor, ON / 171); 22. # 80 Mike Hryniuk (LaSalle, ON / 168); 24. # 5 Jay Christie (Beachville, ON / 165); 25. # 16 Paul DeJong (Pembroke, ON / 141)