CHANCE OF A LIFETIME!!!

Scott Steckley Takes Crown Jewel 200 at Caygua

By Dave Sully

(Nelles Corners, Ontario) Scott Steckly, from Milverton, Ontario, drove his un-sponsored Dodge Avenger to victory over twenty-two of his more well-heeled brethren in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series 200 lapper at the fast five-eights mile Cayuga Motor Speedway on Saturday night, May 24^th. The field included former Champ Car standout Alex Tagliani, from Lachenaie, Quiebec, making only his third start in full fendered cars, who will team with defending champion Andrew Ranger, from Roxton Pond, Quebec, in the Series this season. Steckly took the lead from seven time champion Don Thomson Jr. and led the most of the way, taking the lead for good on lap 104, then fending off challenges from Ron Beauchamp Jr. and Kerry Micks at the end to claim the win along with the $8127 winner’s check in a race slowed by ten cautions.

Thomson, from Ayr, Ontario, took the lead from the pole and withstood a stiff challenge from DJ Kennington, from St. Thomas, Ontario, who has been running on the Nationwide Tour this season. Kennington’s motor expired on lap seventeen after giving Thomson all he could handle. Steckly, who went off fifth, took over second from Micks, out of Mt. Albert, Ontario on lap twenty-six and then proceeded to run down Thomson on lap forty-three. He stalked Thomson for two laps before driving past him on the outside on lap forty-five.

While Steckly motored away, there was plenty of action behind him, as Dave Whitlock, from Petrolia, Ontario, made a charge from fifteenth to claim third on lap thirty-nine, joining Micks and Beauchamp in a futile attempt to overtake Steckly. The numerous restarts kept things close, especially with the double file restarts, which the series employs through the entire race.

Steckly was up to the task, however, with the final restart on lap 189, producing plenty of drama. Streckly, Beauchamp and Micks sparred for the lead before Steckly put some room between himself and the other two, who were reduced to battling for second. After a furious tussle, Micks edged ahead of Beachamp, from Windsor, Ontario, two laps from the end to take second. Barrie, Ontario’s Mark Dilley and Stouffville, Ontario native, Peter Gibbons, rounded out the top five.

Steckly was fairly casual in Victory Lane, declaring, “The race was pretty uneventful, really. The car was great. It was tight at the start. We made an adjustment on it halfway, put tires on it and just cruised. We had a great car all last year. There were a bunch of races we could have won. It’s just nice to able to finish one off, because it’s not easy to do.” Of the many restarts, he added, “Obviously you like to keep on going, but also we pitted plenty early, so the cautions did help us out by not wearing out our tires.”

Micks, who usually runs well, but has trouble finishing, stayed out longer than most before pitting, but was satisfied in the end, declaring, “We played the strategy, and it worked for us. We finished second.”

Beauchamp explained how the car changed during the race, saying, ”In the sun it was a bit free, and had a hard time turning, but as it cooled down, the car likes to race at night apparently. I had all the bite I needed tonight.”

NOTES: Tagliani was never a factor as he started at the rear and was plagued with ignition problems that ultimately led to led to his dropping out after 151 laps and a twenty-first place finish……..Tagliani’s teammate, and defending series champ Andrew Ranger was involved in two spins, which relegated him to a seventeenth place finish………Thomson also had a tough night after leading early. Handling problems and getting collected in a spin by Anthony Simone led to a thirteenth place finish. Before the race, Thomson mentioned that since NASCAR took over CASCAR the point fund has tripled, but he doesn’t expect more races added to the schedule because it is still very expensive to race, especially with fuel costs and the cost of the cars and their maintenance. He also noted that since NASCAR came on board, safety has increased tremendously..……….A healthy crowd estimated at 6500 was on hand on a beautiful evening in Southern Ontario.

NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO-Crown Jewel 200 UNOFFICIAL Results

Saturday At Cayuga Motor Speedway

Nelles Corners, Ont.

Lap length: 0.625 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (5) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ontario, Dodge, 200 laps, 65.436 mph, $8,127.

2. (6) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ontario, Ford, 200, $3,840.

3. (9) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $4,604.

4. (13) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $4,007.

5. (7) Peter Gibbons, Stouffville, Ontario, Chevrolet, 200, $2,406.

6. (16) Derek Lynch, Warkworth, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $3,674.

7. (15) Dave Whitlock, Petrolia, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $2,310.

8. (19) Jason White, Sun Peaks, British Columbia, Chevrolet, 200, $3,000.

9. (17) Kent Nuhn, Williamsford, Ontario, Chevrolet, 200, $1,900.

10. (8) Anthony Simone, Holland Landing, Ont., Chevrolet, 200, $1,800.

11. (4) Brad Graham, Glencoe, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $1,500.

12. (14) John Gaunt, Barrie, Ontario, Dodge, 200, $1,400.

13. (1) Don Thomson, Jr., Ayr, Ontario, Chevrolet, 200, $1,350.

14. (18) Nik Lapcevich, Hamilton, Ontario, Chevrolet, 200, $1,300.

15. (11) Jason Hathaway, Appin, Ontario, Dodge, 199, $1,200.

16. (3) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ontario, Chevrolet, 198, $1,170.

17. (10) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Quebec, Ford, 198, $1,135.

18. (20) Shawn McGlynn, Kitchener, Ont., Ford, 196, $1,087.

19. (22) Jim Lapcevich, Hamilton, Ontario, Chevrolet, 194, $1,064.

20. (23) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ontario, Dodge, 160, $1,041.

21. (21) Alex Tagliani, Lachenaie, Quebec, Ford, 151, electrical, $975.

22. (12) Doug Brown, Brantford, Ontario, Dodge, 79, drive shaft, $925.

23. (2) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ontario, Dodge, 17, motor, $900.

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 1 hour 54 minutes 37 seconds

Margin of Victory: 0.884 seconds

Fastest Qualifier: D.Thomson Jr. (107.378 mph, 20.954 seconds)

Caution Flags: 10 for 54 laps.

Lead Changes: 4 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders: D.Kennington 1; D.Thomson,Jr. 2-45; S.Steckly 46-98; K.Micks 99-103;

S.Steckly 104-200.

Standings: 1. S.Steckly, 190; 2. K.Micks, 175; 3. R.Beauchamp,Jr., 165; 4. M.Dilley, 160; 5. P.Gibbons, 155; 6. D.Lynch, 150; 7. D.Whitlock, 146; 8. J.White, 142; 9. K.Nuhn, 138; 10. A.Simone, 134.