CASCAR: Teams ready for action at Edmonton's City Centre Airport
13 August 1999
EDMONTON, AB - The CASCAR Castrol Super Series holds the second round of its four-race National Championship series this weekend on the tarmac of Edmonton's City Centre Airport. The event is the second major CASCAR race in Alberta in as many weekends and the first of two National championship road racing events. Heading into the race, several Super Series drivers can be considered favourites. The defending champion of the Bumper to Bumper Motorsport Classic 250 km is Ford Quality Care Taurus racer Kevin Dowler. The Edmontonian won this race in front of his hometown fans in 1998 and made history in the process. Dowler's victory was the first ever by a western-based CASCAR regular in a National Super Series race. Dowler recently suffered a broken shoulder blade during practice for a Western tour event in Prince George, BC, but doesn't believe that the injury will hamper his efforts to defend his championship in the Edmonton race. "The shoulder held up well in the 300 lap race at Calgary last weekend, so I don't think it will be an issue," said Dowler, 33, who started racing go-karts at the age of eight. "Winning last year was the biggest moment of my 25 year racing career and I'd like to feel it again." Dowler comes from a road racing background, but is also a veteran of the CASCAR stock car series and knows that there are several other drivers who have honed their road course skills and will be more than competitive in this Sunday's 250 km feature race. "The CASCAR racer of today is no longer a guy who can race on ovals only," continued Dowler. "These guys do it enough that they're pretty good at it. We raced at the Toronto Indy a few weeks ago and the level of competition was unbelievable. The fans at Edmonton this weekend are going to see one helluva race." In terms of strategy, Dowler believes the key to success this weekend will be to protect his car until late in the race to be in a good position to challenge for the win. "I want to have a good car under me with 10 laps to go and that's the time I'll turn it to 'kill'." Another westerner to watch in this weekend's CASCAR races will be Calgary's Wade Lee. Like Dowler, the three-time Western Super Series champion has an extensive road racing background and will no doubt be a contender in Edmonton. Robin Buck of Oakville, ON is heading to the Bumper to Bumper Motorsport Classic 250 km as the winner of CASCAR's most recent road course event. The Pontiac Grand Prix driver won the inaugural CASCAR race at the Toronto Molson Indy and could be the driver to catch this weekend. Buck has some pretty lofty goals. "We want to duplicate what we did in Toronto, which is to get the pole, win our heat on Saturday, post fastest lap of the race and win it all. The race on the tarmac of the runways presents certain challenges, as opposed to the narrow, walled track in Toronto. There are places to pass on the Edmonton track, but when you use a variety of racing lines, the opportunity to sneak up on someone's blind spot without them knowing you're there is also greater." Buck knows this can happen because he experienced it last year. The talented road racer was leading late in last summer's Bumper to Bumper race in Edmonton but was knocked off pace by a slower car and finished second. Therefore, Buck views winning this race as unfinished business. "It was unfortunate last year what happened to us and we're going to do everything we can to avoid that situation happening again. Ideally, a solid lead will help to keep us from getting collected in someone else's mishap." *** The Bumper to Bumper Motorsport Classic 250 km is the centerpiece of three days of racing at the Edmonton City Centre Airport (Aug. 13-15), which will also include sports car, vintage car and exotic car races. Spectators are welcome on all three days. Gates open to the public on Friday at noon for CASCAR's first practice sessions of the weekend. On Saturday, spectator gates open at 8:30 a.m. and the on-track program begins at 9:15. Qualifying time trials for the Bumper to Bumper Motorsport Classic 250 km will start at 11:50 a.m., with the heat races scheduled for 3:20 in the afternoon. The track will open to the public on Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m.. A full morning of support class activity will conclude at 1:00 p.m. and the CASCAR portion of the schedule will commence. The driver autograph session will start at that time and the Bumper to Bumper Motorsport Classic 250 km will take the green flag at 2:30 p.m.
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