June 5, 2010, KOMOKA, ON – Joey McColm's career-best NASCAR race in the Canadian Tire Series opener at Delaware Speedway near London, Ontario, was ruined on the last lap Saturday night. The Ajax, Ontario, driver appeared destined for a podium result when contact with another car sent him careening into the outside wall.
The UltimateDrivers.ca Dodge suffered heavy damage, and McColm was unable to finish. The official tally shows McColm 13th, but the young talent feels he deserved better. "We had a great car at the end of the race," said McColm. "It's hard to explain how disappointing that crash was.
"Our team came into this season with so much enthusiasm. We've added Ultimate Drivers and WATCH IT! as sponsors, and the cars are the best they've ever been. We'll rebound from tonight's crash, but a top-three finish would have been awesome."
McColm qualified 13th in the competitive Canadian Tire Series field, but the team remained confident they could perform. Crew chief John Fletcher joked before the race that they could make the 13th starting spot lucky.
Pending rain caused various race strategies, but McColm's pit crew worked well on pit road. In the race's closing laps McColm found himself well inside the top-10.
The final restart with just a couple laps remaining led to carnage on the fast 1/2 mile speedway. McColm dodged a first mishap in turn one, and he emerged from the melee in the top five. Race officials allowed the race to stay under a green flag condition for drivers to determine the outcome on track. With just two corners remaining, McColm made contact with another car and crashed hard into the back stretch wall..
He fell from third to 13th in the blink of an eye. The UltimateDrivers.ca Dodge was unable to complete the final 300 meters.
"We'll rebound and head to the Mosport road course for next weekend's race," said McColm. "I feel like our program is really coming along on the road courses, and I've been anxious to get to Mosport all winter. I started racing on oval tracks, but I'm starting to feel like we're more competitive on the road courses recently.
"It's exciting how fast the car was. We just need some luck to go with our speed."
For more information on Joey McColm, visit www.joeymccolm.com. Attached photo courtesy of Image Factor/Dale Calnan.
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