Calgary, Alberta’s Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team battled through some curve balls with the weather along with a few mechanical issues and put in a strong showing at their first event of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Mosport international Raceway near Bowmanville, Ontario this past weekend. Whissell scored his best ever series finish at the difficult road course with a twelfth place result.
Rain dampened the track through the first practice session on Saturday; drier conditions prevailed during the second practice. During practice the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team also worked to diagnose an engine miss. “One of the fuel lines to the carburetor wasn’t hooked up properly” explained Whissell. “We expected to be better in qualifying but never got the opportunity to try things out” he added.
Rain forced the cancellations of the qualifying session and the field was lined up according to the NASCAR rule book which meant Whissell would start the 200 km main event from the 23rd starting position.
As the race began Whissell was looking to improve his position but detected there was a problem with the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford. “The car had a pretty bad vibration right from the start of the race” said the driver. “We made a couple of pit stops and the team figured out it was a wheel bearing. Unfortunately we lost a lap while they made repairs” he stated.
Undeterred by the setback Whissell set out to accomplish all he could in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford. “The car was a handful to drive throughout the race. The power steering would come and go as the wheel was turned and post race we found a loose tie rod end. The problems however didn’t prevent Whissell from beginning to gain positions.
Luck then began to change for the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team. A caution allowed Whissell to take the free pass and get back on the lead lap, another quick caution got the field bunched up and he was once again able to race for position. “We were running good lap times and as we got near the end of the race I was in tenth spot” said the driver.
In the closing laps Whissell appeared to have an opportunity to move up further but a battle with the #56 car would prevent the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford from improving further. “I got a run on him and was looking to make the pass up the inside but he kind of pushed me onto the grass” explained the driver. “Instead spinning him out I gave way. When I tried again on the final lap he came across the nose of my car and to avoid him I spun and couple of cars got by me so we wound up finishing twelfth”.
It’s by far Whissell’s best career finish in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford at this challenging track but he’s still a little disappointed. “With all the little issues we had this week twelfth would seem like a pretty good finish, but when you’re running tenth and fighting for another spot or two it’s a bit frustrating too” he explained.
This season Jarrad Whissell will participate in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events at Mosport Raceway, the Toronto Indy, Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres and the Montreal Nationwide weekend. In addition he will also take part in the two western Canada stops at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC & Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK. Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com and race fans are invited to follow him on twitter, @jarradwhissell You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.
Attached Photo: The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford at Mosport Raceway
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