McColm 10th in 2011 NASCAR debut; Ajax racer exceeds expectations with great run in Race Time Radio Dodge

In attached photo courtesy of Gary Grant - TheGarageBlog.com - Joey McColm leads Steven Mathews around Mosport International Raceway.

June 27, 2011, AJAX, ON – Joey McColm showed no signs of rust scoring a 10th place finish on the famed Mosport International Raceway in Sunday’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race. The Ajax native made his season debut after electing to skip the first three events.
Steady misting rain on Saturday limited practice time, and NASCAR cancelled qualifying due to wet conditions. The race was lined up according to points, and since McColm hadn’t raced yet this year he started 24th in the 26-car field.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when the race started,” said McColm. “I hadn’t turned a competitive lap since last September, but the car was amazing.
“The longer the race went the better the car felt. We never took tires, but I still had a lot of speed towards the end.”
McColm elected to pit fairly early during one of the race’s six caution periods. By taking fuel only McColm took advantage of good track position to keep his Dodge clear of most of the mishaps.
“We knew from the start we weren’t going to take on any tires during the race,” said McColm. “Our budget for this race didn’t allow for new tires, and to be honest I’m not sure it cost us much speed with the number of caution laps we ran.
“I’m very excited at how well the car is running since our next race is on the streets of Toronto. It’s a big deal to be part of the Toronto Indy. Hopefully we can have another good run and attract some marketing partners to race more this season.”
McColm is committed to running Toronto, and then he plans to race in Montreal at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, followed by two oval track events at Barrie Speedway and Kawartha Speedway. The Ryerson University civil engineering graduate has focused as much attention on his off-track activities as he has with his competitive program.
“We’re striving to become NASCAR’s first sustainable organization,” said McColm. “I have a great opportunity to use my race team to help educate the community as well as other race teams. It’s been an exciting season.”
McColm is involved in Earth Day Canada, and he is helping spread the message about environmental responsibility. To learn more about ways you can become more environmentally friendly, or to learn more about Joey McColm and his race team, e-mail jmccolm@cm2c.ca .



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