CASCAR: Flat tire leaves Whitlock an unlucky 13th at Mosport
13 July 1999
PETROLIA, ON The CASCAR Castrol Super Series was back in action this past
weekend at the half-mile Mosport Speedway for the CDS Tech 200. Dave Whitlock
and Mark Dilley each spent the majority of the race on the lead lap, but a late
race incident involving both drivers knocked Whitlock out of contention.
The three-time and back-to-back CASCAR National champion eventually
finished 13th in his Ford Quality Care Service Taurus. Dilley’s Ultra
Motorsports NTN Bearings / Herbrand Tools Taurus was able to recover and went
on to take seventh. Following six Eastern Super Series races, Whitlock and
Dilley sit sixth and eighth, respectively, in the Eastern point standings.
Whitlock, of Petrolia, ON, lined up fourth for the start of the 200 lap
race and was running in fifth with 50 laps to go when a tire started to go
down. That was the start of the troubles that would drop him to 13th at the
finish.
“It wasn’t much of a day, really. The car was OK. We had maybe a third
or fourth-place car,” said Whitlock. “It was pushing badly in turns 1 and 2. We
got a flat tire with about 40 to go and the tire went flat and I spun in turn
2. I couldn’t get it hung down low and went up to the fence. Even worse, Mark
[Dilley] couldn’t get stopped and just nudged me a bit when he had nowhere to
go. It broke a steering bolt on our car and messed up his steering a bit. That
made for a pretty frustrating day.”
Dilley’s NTN Bearings Taurus was right behind Whitlock when the #98
spun with the flat tire. He had overcome a problem with his gear shifter and
was in good shape for a top finish.
“We were good at the beginning, but at lap 10, the car began
popping out of gear,” said the Barrie, ON resident. “I held it in
fourth gear going into the corners for the next 110 laps. I put a bungee cord
on it then, but then we got into Dave after he spun with his flat. We tore
the front-left wheel out of alignment, so it was just a matter of survival
after that.
“We got a seventh, which wasn’t too bad considering the way today went for us
and a bunch of the others. We’ll take that. Dave had a flat tire a racing
deal and had nowhere to go when he ended up sliding high to the wall. We
changed a gear before the race, which killed the motor. But we’ll know for next
time. I was here in ’93 and I ran second to [Steve] Robblee. We tried something
with the gear and it just didn’t work out.”
Race Summary: For the third time this season, Don Thomson Jr. made the trip to
victory lane following a CASCAR Castrol Super Series East event. The Hamilton,
ON racer is having an outstanding summer and has a commanding points lead.
Peter Gibbons was second, ahead of Pete Vanderwyst.
Next Up: The inaugural CASCAR Castrol Super Series race at the Toronto Molson
Indy takes place this weekend (July 17-18). Practice and qualifying for the
Miller Lite 100 are scheduled for Friday, with the feature event slated for
Saturday afternoon. “We’ve got our other car at home the road course car
which we’re taking to the Toronto Indy and we’re hoping that it’ll be a little
kinder to us,” smiled Whitlock following the Mosport event. “It’s going to be a
great deal,” said Dilley. “A lot of fun and good for the sponsors and CASCAR in
general. NTN is going to be co-hosting a booth with Inside Track and everyone’s
pumped up about it.
In addition to the busy on-track racing program at the Indy, Whitlock
Motorsports will be participating in several events in the days leading up to
CASCAR’s historic Molson Indy outing.
Whitlock, the three-time and back-to-back defending CASCAR National champion
will be at the Inside Track / CASCAR / Miller Lite 100 Celebration at Vinnie’s
Bar and Restaurant on Wednesday evening. His #98 Ford Quality Care Service
Taurus will be one of several vehicles on display in front of Vinnie’s. Inside,
Whitlock will be signing autographs and competing against racing fans on some
of Vinnie’s many interactive racing games. Finally, Whitlock Motorsports has
donated several items including a signed driver’s suit from one of Whitlock’s
championship winning seasons and several team collectibles for the Silent
Auction, which will see all proceeds donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation
(Toronto). Vinnie’s is located at 22 Duncan Street, at Adelaide, in the heart
of Toronto’s entertainment district. The party is open to the public. For more
information on the party at Vinnie’s, call Anne at Inside Track at (416)
962-7223.
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