August 15, 2010. After claiming victory at the previous NASCAR Canadian Tire series event DJ Kennington, driver of the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge was looking to continue his strong season in round number eight at the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres in Quebec this past weekend. When the race concluded Kennington had picked up his seventh top-ten finish in eight series races.
It was a routine practice session for the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge team as they ran just enough laps to ensure the car was performing at peak performance. The qualifying session would be quite another story.
As DJ Kennington was getting the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge up to speed for a qualifying lap he entered turn one and the car began to slide wide. Kennington was correcting the slide when the car reached a concrete portion of the race track and contacted the outside wall causing significant damage. “I made a big mistake and pushed it too hard” said Kennington. “I wanted to get everything I could out of that lap and I couldn’t correct it before we hit the concrete and we were into the wall pretty hard” he added.
The #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge team assessed the damage and began repairs immediately. As the garage opened on Sunday morning the team hustled to complete the job and make sure the car was ready to race. “These guys worked their tails off to get the car fixed and get through technical inspection” praised Kennington.
When the green flag waved Kennington began the race from the seventh position and immediately began to move the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge forward. “Not only did the guys complete the repairs, they fixed it right. The car was really good right from the beginning” said the driver.
Knowing he had a strong car Kennington proceeded through the event with some caution. “The guys up front were pushing each other pretty hard” said DJ. “You could see they were bumping around so I maintained my position and stayed close to take advantage if anything happened further up”.
On at two separate occasions Kennington was able to gain position in the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge and move closer to the front of the field. With laps winding down and a green, white checker finish ahead the plan remained the same.
In the final two laps Kennington would again be the beneficiary of other competitor’s actions. “We managed to get another spot right at the end and to come out of this weekend with a fourth place finish in the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge is great” said the driver. “This finish was a real team effort and I really have to thank my guys” he said.
The series resumes action this coming Saturday night August 21st at Mosport Speedway near Bowmanville, Ontario. Follow the progress of the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge all season on the newly redesigned website www.djkracing.ca plus you can follow their daily activities at www.twitter.com/djkracing. You’re also invited to join the Facebook Group DJK Racing.
Photo: DJ Kennington with the #17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors/Hitachi Tools Dodge
Photos Credit: Sue Chisholm and www.racetimeradio.com
