CASCAR: Calgary MOPAR Parts 500 Preview
CASCAR Super Series PREVIEW: MOPAR Parts 500 Race Weekend Race City Motorsport Park // Calgary, Alberta CASCAR caravan heads to Calgary for the MOPAR Parts 500 Race Weekend at Race City CALGARY, AB - Following a successful outing at the Vancouver Indy, the majority of the CASCAR Super Series teams have already made the trip through the Canadian Rockies en route to Calgary, Alberta for the eighth event of the 2004 Super Series season. This weekend, Race City Motorsport Park will play host to the MOPAR Parts 500 Race Weekend, one of the top stock car oval races on the annual Canadian racing calendar. The main event of the weekend will take place Saturday night (July 31) at the high-banked, half-mile oval when Canada's top stock car drivers take to the track for the MOPAR Parts 300. In the past, the race was held on Sunday afternoons, so running 300 laps under the lights will add a new and exciting dynamic to a race already rich in history. The night before the MOPAR Parts 300, on Friday (July 30), the starting order for the feature event will be set. Time trials will lock in the front-row starters, while a pair of 100 lap qualifying sprint races, later in the evening, will determine the rest of the grid. The Twin 100s are full points CASCAR races and traditionally feature some of the most exciting racing of the entire CASCAR season as competitors have little time to waste if they want to move forward to secure a good starting spot for the MOPAR Parts 300. More than just an on-track spectacle, the MOPAR Parts 500 Race Weekend is a festival of motorsports that has been embraced by the residents of Calgary. The festivities kick off Thursday at noon in the city's Eau Claire Market with the CASCAR Pit Stop Competition, where fans can see Super Series teams compete to determine the Super Series' best pit crew. Three-time MOPAR Parts 300 race winner Dave Whitlock is the defending winner of western Canada's lone CASCAR Super Series oval event. The Dodge driver inherited the lead and the victory when his teammate, Mark Dilley, ran into traffic trouble with just a few laps to go in a race that he dominated. Current Super Series points leader Peter Gibbons has a long history of success in the MOPAR Parts 500 Race Weekend. And like Whitlock, the Canadian Tire Chevy racer also has three MOPAR 300 feature wins to his credit, as well as numerous victories in the Twin 100 qualifying sprint races. Gibbons is looking to Calgary to rebuild his once considerable points lead, which he has seen reduced to just 15 points over Don Thomson following a pair of runner-up finishes by the Home Hardware Chevy driver in the Toronto and Vancouver CASCAR Indy events. SUPER SERIES POINT STANDINGS / AFTER 7 of 12 EVENTS: 1. #1 Peter Gibbons (1090 points); 2. #4 Don Thomson Jr. (1075); 3. #23 Jeff Lapcevich (1053); 3. #39 Dave Whitlock (1053); 5. #02 Kerry Micks (1022); 6. #64 Mark Dilley (968); 7. #60 Ron Beauchamp Jr. (952); 8. #22 Scott Steckly (931); 9. #19 Brad Graham (918); 10. #17 DJ Kennington (891); 11. #50 Pete Shepherd III (860); 12. #55 Rob Graham (849); 13. #84 J.R. Fitzpatrick (832); 14. #25 Jeff Lapcevich (828); 15. #88 Dave Jacombs (804) MOPAR PARTS 500 RACE WEEKEND SCHEDULE (JULY 29-31, 2004): Race City Motorsport Park // Calgary, Alberta CASCAR Super Series // Round #8 of 12 Thursday, July 29, 2004 Noon Pit Stop Competition at the Eau Claire Market Free Admission Friday, July 30, 2004 5:00 p.m. Spectator Gates Open at Race City Motorsport Park 6:00 p.m. CASCAR Super Series Time Trials 7:00 p.m. Racing Begins: Super Trucks (2 heats) 1st CASCAR Super Series 100 Lap Qualifying Sprint Race Super Trucks (2 heats) 2nd CASCAR Super Series 100 Lap Qualifying Sprint Race Super Trucks 50 Lap Feature Race Saturday, July 31, 2004 1:00 p.m. Spectator Gates Open at Race City Motorsport Park 5:00 6:00 p.m. CASCAR Driver Autograph Session 6:30 p.m. Driver Introductions 7:00 p.m. START: MOPAR Parts 300 CASCAR 100 TORONTO INDY TELEVISION BROADCAST: The CASCAR 100 CASCAR Super Series race at the Toronto Indy will air starting Monday, Aug. 2 on SPORTSNET (ONTARIO & EAST) at 7:00 p.m. Viewers of SPORTSNET WEST & PACIFIC can catch the race starting the same night (Aug. 2) at 8 p.m. Check your local listings and http://www.cascar.ca/schedule/tv_schedule.html for subsequent airings.