Joey McColm, of Ajax, Ontario took to Mosport last weekend, an hour northeast of Toronto for the Dickie’s 200 presented by Canadian Shield. McColm, the driver of the Team ATTO / Lang Michener / Performance Racing News Dodge Avenger, would be competing in the second event of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Racing Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio, and it would also mark his first ever start on a road course.
The 10-turn track that twists and turns through the hills just north of Bowmanville is known as one of the most demanding in the world, and a challenging place to make your first career start on a road course.
McColm got his feet wet early in practice as he stayed on the course, and improved with every lap. “Halfway through the first practice session, we were 16th of the 29 cars there. We kept improving, but really got hurt in the second practice. There were a number of cautions for problems on the track, and we only got a couple of good laps in between yellows. ”
During qualifying, McColm had a tough time finding drafting partners up the backstretch, but still knocked down a best lap of one minute, 32.6 seconds. “I was really looking forward to Sunday. We gained so much during the day on Saturday, and for my first start I was confident about the feature. ”
The 200 km main event rolled off on Father’s Day, with McColm climbing the scoring chart quickly. “The car was amazing, and I was able to reel them in and pick them off. We were getting one or two a lap, and I was having a lot of fun. ”
Joey climbed to 13th when the leaders started to cycle through regularly scheduled pit stops. As they dropped to pit road, McColm’s number finally appeared in the top-five, and shuffling as high as third before he brought his # 50 in for service. When Joey got to his pit stall he had to back the car up, and when he did that, the transmission locked itself up. “It was so hot that it just welded it first and second gear. ” McColm was disappointed, especially considering the 25th-place result that was in no way indicative of the way the team preformed, “I’m heartbroken - more upset than anything. I’d never been on a road course before and we ran great. We were looking at a top-ten, maybe a seventh or an eighth. We received a lot of positive comments after the race, and I think we impressed some people. I know we’ll be a lot more confident heading to Edmonton for the next road course event. ”
Andrew Ranger grabbed the Bud Pole for the event, but jumped the start and was penalized to the back of the field. J.R. Fitzpatrick took command, and led 36 of the first 42 laps. Ranger, who had fought his way through from the back of the pack, took the lead from Fitzpatrick on lap 43, and held on to win by just over a second and a half, with J. R. second, and Ron Beauchamp Jr. rounding out the podium.
1. Ranger, 2. Fitzpatrick, 3. Beauchamp, 4. Peter Gibbons, 5. D. J. Kennington, 25. Joey McColm.
The next event for Team ATTO will be Canada Day weekend at Barrie Speedway, Sunday July 1st, for the MOPAR 300. For McColm, it will be a homecoming of sorts, as he returns to the track he cut his Late Model teeth on. “I’ve been there since they redid the layout a few years ago. It’s a great track, and we’re really excited about going there. We made some changes to the car since Cayuga, and I think we’re going to have a good Canada Day weekend. ”
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Racing Series is the most prestigious stock car circuit in Canada.
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