CASCAR: Whitlock on pole for Delaware 'National' closer, finishes 10th
9 September 1999
PETROLIA, ON - Things couldn't have been going better for Dave Whitlock on Sunday afternoon at Delaware Speedway Park. The three-time CASCAR Castrol Super Series National champion had put his Ford Quality Care Service Taurus on the pole for the CARQUEST 300 and led the first 99 laps of the 300 lap affair. With 40 laps remaining, Whitlock was running third to Peter Gibbons and Don Thomson Jr. and was in a good position to challenge for the win. But a caution on lap 261 brought his hopes for victory to an end. A spinning car, on the exit from turn 2, brought out the yellow flag. The second-running Thomson saw the caution light appear at the end of the backstraight before the Petrolia, ON racer was able to see it... and Whitlock got into the back of Thomson, who spun to the infield grass. Whitlock was assessed a 'stop and go' penalty for the unintentional contact, which sent him to the back of the lead lap pack. A subsequent flat tire and the team's efforts to get it changed put an end to their quest for an elusive checkered flag. "It just wasn't meant to be, again, today," said the '91, '97 and '98 CASCAR National champion, after the race. "Donnie [Thomson] saw the caution light come on - the light was on in turn 3 - and he got on the brakes before I saw it and I got squarely into the back of him. He turned around and that was it. I didn't do it on purpose. I was just on his bumper and didn't react until it was too late. So, I got a stop-and-go and then a flat tire." Following his mandatory stop, Whitlock's attention turned to his need for a new tire. His first trip down pit road saw him drive through because he believed another caution flag was about to come out and he didn't want to lose a lap in the pits. "I saw the pace car at the end of pit road [where the #98 Ford Quality Care Taurus was to pit] and thought it was going out, rather than coming in to park. So, I kept going, thinking he was pulling out. I went right through pit road so that I wouldn't miss a lap. But that wasn't the case and I had to go around slowly again with the flat before I could pit. I think we still would have lost one lap." In the end, Whitlock went on to finish 10th in Canada's biggest stock car race. His first pole position in almost two calendar years was a highlight of the weekend. "Yeah, winning the pole was a good thing for the team. It's been two years - minus one week - since we sat on a pole. That was in New Brunswick on the same day we won the '97 championship. But it's hard to get a break here. We ran up front all day and had a car capable of winning with 30 laps to go. We just couldn't finish it off." Whitlock's teammate Mark Dilley finished two spots behind, in 12th place, at Delaware. The NTN Bearings / Herbrand Tools racer started fifth in the CARQUEST 300 and battled throughout the race to overcome several obstacles. "We didn't have a lot of breaks at the beginning," said the Barrie, ON resident. "We just settled in and then got a flat tire and stayed out longer than I should have with the flat, trying to wait for the caution. It was almost the identical situation as what happened here in the first race of the year, in May. Then, we broke a stud on the pit stop and it was just one thing after another." In the 100 lap heat races, on the Friday before the CARQUEST 300, Whitlock and Dilley finished second and third, respectively, in their qualifying heat. Coming Up... This weekend (Sept. 11-12) at New Brunswick Int'l Speedway - and for the first time in '99 - Whitlock Motorsports will have a three-car effort for a CASCAR Castrol Super Series race. Eastern Canada's biggest stock car star - Scott Fraser - will be making his second consecutive appearance in a Ford Taurus from the Whitlock stable. Last year, the Shubenacadie, NS racer put on an incredible charge at the Fredericton, NB area oval, before mechanical troubles took him out of contention. It's a sure bet that the current IPSC points leader will be one of the drivers to watch, again this weekend. Delaware Race Summary: Peter Gibbons won the CARQUEST 300 at Delaware Speedway Park on Sept. 5, earning the CASCAR Castrol Super Series National championship for the Stouffville, ON racer, in the process. After starting third in the 35-car field, Gibbons took the lead for the second and final time on lap 258 and led by 2.5-seconds at the finish. It was the second consecutive victory in the race for Gibbons. Ford Fast Lane Taurus driver Kerry Micks finished second, ahead of Pete Vanderwyst. - 30 -
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