September 1, 2010. Caitlin Johnston of Orangeville, Ontario returned to action in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series in the #01 Pizza Pizza Dodge this past weekend for round number ten at Montreal’s famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. And with each session the team improved upon their performance.
Following the morning practice session on Saturday the #01 Pizza Pizza Dodge didn’t quite have the speed Johnston was hoping for, but the team’s hard work paid off during qualifying. “The set-up was bang on for qualifying. From practice to qualifying we picked up 4 seconds” said Johnston. “We gained six spots from practice and started the race 25th” she added.
With an improved set up on the #01 Pizza Pizza Dodge Johnston looked to gain as much experience as possible during the 100km feature race. “I had high expectations for the race. Finish-wise, my goal was to place around 15th. The car set-up was great, and the team did an awesome job preparing the car” she stated.
As the green flag waved to begin the race every driver in the field was jockeying for position and starting mid pack in the #01 Pizza Pizza Dodge made the task even tougher for Johnston. With all of the bumping and pushing for position Caitlin was sent off course and the damage to the car so severe she was unable to continue.
Though her race finish was a terrible disappointment Johnston and the entire #01 Pizza Pizza Dodge team gained valuable experience. “It’s unfortunate we weren’t able to achieve our goals that we set out for the weekend“she stated. “But with the practice and qualifying I got some good experience running the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. I also raced the Formula ford 1600 event and got even more track time so we’ll definitely be better for our next outing”.
Caitlin Johnston wishes to acknowledge the backing and encouragement she has received. I want to thank everyone that has supported me this year and in past years. Pizza Pizza, Xtreme Tire Garage, Warp 9 Sports as well as Derek and Dave Lynch, the whole 01 crew and DJK Racing. I couldn’t ask for a better group to work with. I’m already anxious to get going on our next race together”.
The 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season consists of thirteen events from coast to coast All races will be televised on TSN. You can learn more about
Attached Photo: Caitlin Johnston’s #01 Pizza Pizza Dodge in Montreal.
Photo Credit: Sue Chisholm and www.racetimeradio.com
