July 25, 2010. Derek White and the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar Race Team embarked on the western swing of the NASCAR Canadian Tire series schedule looking to build some momentum and continued improvement in their performance. At round number five of the season at the Edmonton Indy this past weekend the team did show some good speed and better lap times but a tough break didn’t allow them to gain the finish they hoped for.
During the initial practice session carburetor issued hampered the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar Chevrolet. “It was a nagging little problem with the carburetor but after the Friday practice I managed to take care of it once and for all” said White. “The rest of the weekend you could really feel the difference in the cars performance” he added.
Relegated to the slower group for qualifying Derek White managed only to place the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar Chevrolet twentieth on the grid. “With the carburetor issues we got a little behind and I still have some work to do on qualifying” said the rookie driver.
As the green flag waved on for the 100km event on Sunday afternoon White knew the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar Chevrolet was a fast race car. “I could feel the car pulling down the straightaway so well” he said. “There was lots of horsepower and the car was handling really well too” he stated.
It turned out it was almost as if the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar Chevrolet was too strong. As White was looking to continue his move forward in the field he felt something in the rear end of the car go wrong exiting a corner. “We had a little too much bite in the corner and we snapped an axle” said the driver dejectedly.
The race at Edmonton proved to be another lesson in the rookie season for the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar team. “These guys worked so to get the car ready just to make it out here, they did a great job” said White. “We’ve just got to chalk this up to learning experience. I did get some more seat time in the car, it felt great to be out there and it was a lot of fun. But knowing how good the car could have finished this one is a little bit frustrating” he added.
Derek White and the #99 DPW/OCR Gas Bar Team are scheduled to race next Saturday July 31st at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC. The team is scheduled to compete in all thirteen series races this season. As in years past all NCATS races will also be seen on TSN. You can follow the team all year long by following this link to their website and by logging onto www.nascar.ca
Attached Photo: Derek White and the #99 DPW/OCR Gaz Bar Chevrolet at the Edmonton Indy.
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