June 13, 2010. Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team looked to begin their 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race schedule during round number two of the series at Mosport International Raceway this past weekend with a solid outing at Mosport to set the team in the right direction for the year, and to raise as much money as possible in their support of the MS Society. Sadly they were victims in an early incident and their day ended much sooner than expected.
The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu team had to battle through several difficulties right from the beginning of practice on Saturday. “During practice we had some brake bias issues and the car was quite loose” said Whissell. “Then in qualifying the rear end let go and we didn’t have our locker” he added.
In spite of the obstacles Whissell would qualify the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford in seventeenth position and begin the race with a much improved racecar. “Once we had our issues sorted out and got into the race the car was quite fast and we picked up a few positions in the first few laps” said the driver.
As he continued to look for opportunities to pass and improve his position in the running order Whissell would encounter serious trouble in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford. “We were running with the #3, the #69 and the #56 car” he stated. “We ended up passing the #3, got by the #69 and I was battling with the #56 and I wasn’t getting a lot of room to pass. Down in corner five he got a little loose and I made a move inside and he just came straight across into me. I guess he must not have seen me coming up the inside” Whissell concluded.
The damage incurred by the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford was significant. “I ended up spinning and hitting the wall hard in Corner Five” said Whissell. “Then it appears the brake cooling ducts caught fire and that did a lot of damage” said the disappointed driver. The damage would prove too severe to continue and Whissell was classified twenty third in the results.
The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team will have several weeks to make repairs and be ready for their next scheduled event. “The damage was quite significant” stated the driver. “Bill Burns has been working here and preparing the cars and we’ll have to do a lot of work to do. I think we’ve pretty much got to tear it right down and replace all of the wiring and just about everything else at the front of the car to get ready for the Toronto Indy” he concluded.
The five NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events are a part of some of the largest race weekends in
Attached Photo: #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford at Mosport International Raceway.
Photo Credit: Todd Lewis
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