September 14, 2004
- Banner Season for Van Domselaar Motorsports
Vernon, BC: The #14 team of Van Domselaar
Motorsports celebrated the conclusion of their best year ever
in the CASCAR EMCO Western Super Series Tour at the season finale
this past weekend at Sun Valley Speedway. The team raced their
SouthFort Chevrolet Monte Carlo to a 5th place overall finish
in the championship points standings this year, a position they
share with fellow competitors from the #6 team of Todd Nichol.
The team came into this weekend’s event 4th in the points,
only two points out of 3rd place. But the team’s rapid rise
in the standings came to a halt during Saturday’s caution-filled
Lordco Auto Parts/AC Delco 200.
The team’s last showing in July at Vernon’s ½
mile D-oval was impressive, with James Jr. taking home second
place, less than a car-length out of the lead. The VMS team had
high hopes for a similar finish this weekend, and Jr.’s
4th place qualifying effort meant that goal was well within reach.
Starting 5th in the inverted field of the “Fast Eight”
heat race, Jr. was well positioned to make up a few more championship
bonus points. But while going for the inside pass on #09 car of
3rd-place points contender Trevor Seibert, James Jr. was forced
down onto the debris-laden apron of the racetrack. With the laps
counting down quickly in the 10-lap sprint, Jr. was only able
to work his way back up to 6th spot in the heat race.
Prior to the feature event, Sun Valley hosted a pit stop competition
for the top twelve teams in the CASCAR EMCO Western Series. Sponsored
by Lordco and AC Delco, the total purse for the contest was a
generous $3000. Two teams at a time made their pit stops in front
of the large crowd of fans. The teams’ elapsed times were
left unannounced until the end of the contest. When the winning
teams were revealed, the VMS team had logged the 3rd fastest pit
stop of the evening, taking home a prize of $500.
By the time the feature event got underway, drivers and teams
were anxious to do battle on the track. The combination of adrenalin
and a field of 23 competitors yielded an action-packed event,
in between the nine caution periods. Jr. got off to a good start
but with four cautions in the first fifty laps, drivers had difficulty
getting into a racing groove. On one of the restarts it appeared
that a yellow flag was thrown instead of the expected green, and
numerous cars bumped into each other as the field settled back
down to caution-lap speed. Jr. had to come into the pits to dislodge
the right front fender from the tire, and he was sent to the back
of the longest line of cars for yet another restart.
A period of green flag racing followed during which Jr. made
his way back through traffic. By the time the next caution came
out on lap 94, Jr. came in with the leaders for a right rear tire
change. The VMS teams’ tire-changing skill came to the fore
once again, with the #14 car being the sixth car to enter the
pits, but the third car to return to the track. Jr. was now back
up to 9th place, and with new rubber set his sights on joining
the lead pack.
The next caution came out on lap 111, and the team opted to keep
the #14 car on the track and gain valuable track position while
other teams pitted. When green flag conditions resumed, Jr. was
in 3rd place on the racetrack. Teams who had now taken two tires
eventually passed those who had so far taken only one, and Jr.
settled into a rhythm holding down 6th position. The #14 car was
gaining on the #09 car lap after lap, and at lap 169 Jr. was in
a position to pass the #09 car for 5th place in the race, and
potentially for 3rd place in the points standings. While they
were side-by-side and both passing a slower lap car, the #09 car
turned down early on the #14 going into Turn 1, just like in the
heat race earlier in the day. This time the move caused the #14
to spin into the infield and while sliding to a halt the #14 machine
was hit again by another spinning car.
Jr. brought the injured Monte Carlo back to the pits where the
team assessed the damage. Several of the rear end components of
the car had been seriously damaged, but working diligently the
team got the #14 car back out on the track again on lap 192. Jr.
nursed his ride low around the track for the remaining laps of
the race, avoiding a DNF. When the results were posted, the #14
team had logged a 16th place finish in the event.
Current points standings have the VMS team tied for 5th place
overall. This is the VMS team’s best championship points
result to date, and caps off what has been a banner year for the
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta-based, family-owned-and-operated team.
The team would like to thank all of its dedicated fans and its
sponsors, who enable the team to be competitive in a series of
this calibre.
The CASCAR EMCO Western Super Series is the premiere stock car
racing series in Western Canada, and the #14 team is privileged
and proud to represent its sponsors on the tour: SouthFort Chevrolet
(Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Boston Pizza (Fort Saskatchewan, AB);
Quality Group (Edmonton, AB); General Auto & Ag Supply (Lamont,
AB); Hydro-Scotford (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Fort Welding &
Mechanical Contracting (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Advantage Signs
(Fort Saskatchewan, AB); RCS Sheet Metal (Fort Saskatchewan, AB);
TriStar Collision (Edmonton, AB); Camtec Inc. (Edmonton, AB);
Deciding Factor Investigations (Edmonton, AB); Sears Appliance
Outlet (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); MacMillan Photography (Fort Saskatchewan,
AB); L & W Automotive (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Aldon Auto
Salvage (Lamont, AB); Ellis-Govenlock Accounting (Edmonton, AB);
Daytona Composites (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Dewar Western, Inc.
(Edmonton, AB); and H.E.D. Liner Power Boats (Sherwood Park, AB).
August 31,
2004 - VMS Takes Pole and Podium
at Edmonton International Raceway
Wetaskiwin, AB:The #14 CASCAR EMCO Western
Series team of Van Domselaar Motorsports captured its first pole
position at this weekend’s Martin Equipment John Deere 200.
The team also earned its second podium finish of the 2004 season,
taking the checkered flag in 3rd place. The VMS team now counts
three top-5 finishes the in the last four events, and except for
the two unlucky DNF’s at the beginning of the season, the
#14 crew has not finished outside the top ten this year. This
weekend’s results will move the VMS team into 5th spot in
the overall points standings, and they are poised to challenge
for 4th position overall at the season finale in two weeks’
time.
At its previous two outings the #14 team landed the outside pole
position, but this weekend would see James Jr. set the pace and
capture the inside pole starting position. James Jr. was first
on the track for his qualifying laps, and this proved to be good
luck for the team as the last two qualifiers had to dodge a few
raindrops. Despite the brief sprinkling of rain all thirteen competitors
were able to finish their qualifying laps, and by the end of the
session James Jr.’s time remained at the top of the list.
The spotty rain showers cleared in short order and the skies
were fair by the start of the 200-lap event. From the drop of
the green flag James Jr. took control of the quarter-mile oval,
and started to pull away from the rest of the field. The first
caution came early as the #6 car began billowing smoke and leaking
fluid onto the track. Under green and with the field bunched up
once more, James Jr. again pulled away from the field. Jr. lapped
several more cars and had a quarter-lap lead built up when the
caution came out again, this time in response to the #95 car having
been spun out. A few lapped cars came in for tire changes at this
point, but with less than 100 laps on the books, the leaders chose
to stay out on the track and do battle on original rubber.
There would be no further cautions during the event. James Jr.
maintained his lead for 130 of the 200 laps, securing additional
bonus points for the most laps led. But the #14’s right
front tire eventually started to wear out, and Jr. had to fight
a tight condition at every turn. On lap 131 the #71 car of Daryl
Harr overtook Jr. for the lead, and later the #35 car would pass
Jr. as well. For the last 30 laps of the race James Jr. battled
it out with the #30 car of Derek Polack for third position. It
was through sheer grit and determination that Jr. was able to
wrestle his SouthFort Chevy Monte Carlo over the finish line to
grab the final podium position. Crew members joined Jr. in celebration
as he accepted his 3rd place trophy and commemorative John Deere
scale model tractor.
Later commenting on the car’s handling, Crew Chief James
Sr. recalled, “Jr. said before the race that the car was
a little tight. I should have loosened it a little before the
race and I'm sure the right front tire would have lasted longer,
preventing the car from fading in the last stretch of the race.
As it was, James did a marvelous job bringing the car home for
a podium finish.”
The VMS team is privileged to represent their sponsors throughout
Western Canada: SouthFort Chevrolet (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Boston
Pizza (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Quality Group (Edmonton, AB); General
Auto & Ag Supply (Lamont, AB); Hydro-Scotford (Fort Saskatchewan,
AB); Fort Welding & Mechanical Contracting (Fort Saskatchewan,
AB); Advantage Signs (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); RCS Sheet Metal
(Fort Saskatchewan, AB); TriStar Collision (Edmonton, AB); Camtec
Inc. (Edmonton, AB); Deciding Factor Investigations (Edmonton,
AB); Sears Appliance Outlet (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); MacMillan
Photography (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); L & W Automotive (Fort
Saskatchewan, AB); Aldon Auto Salvage (Lamont, AB); Ellis-Govenlock
Accounting (Edmonton, AB); Daytona Composites (Fort Saskatchewan,
AB); Dewar Western, Inc. (Edmonton, AB); and H.E.D. Liner Power
Boats (Sherwood Park, AB). For more information on the VMS racecar
and team, access their website at:
www.vandomselaarmotorsport.com. The team is now gearing up for
the CASCAR EMCO Western Series finale to be held at Vernon, BC’s
Sun Valley Speedway on Saturday, September 11th, 2004.
August 17,2004
- Fast Forward for VMS at Lordco 200
Penticton,BC:The Fort Saskatchewan-based team of Van Domselaar
Motorsports added to their growing list of accomplishments while
racing in BC’s Okanagan Valley this past weekend. The team
had looked to build on their solid qualifying and feature performances
at last week’s Saskatoon race, and they did just that. The
#14 SouthFort Chevrolet Monte Carlo took the outside pole qualifying
position once again, and the team bettered their feature finishing
position, this time taking the checkered flag in 4th position.
Temperatures neared the 40ºC mark in Penticton on race day,
making regular car preparation and practice routines taxing for
the thirteen CASCAR EMCO Western Series competitors. In the pits,
ice packs, water bottles and fans (of the electrical variety)
were the order of the day, as teams struggled to keep themselves
cool and hydrated.
Despite the heat, the VMS team made good use of the practice
sessions, trying out varying chassis setups for their first ever
competition at Penticton Speedway. The work paid off for the team,
in the form of a second consecutive outside pole qualifying result.
For the “Fast Eight” heat race, Jr. once again found
himself at the back of the pack due to the inversion. Having switched
back to practice tires for the heat race, Jr. opted not to battle
for position during the 10-lap sprint, saving both his race tires
and his energy for the 200 lap feature.
By the time the green flag waved to signal the start of the Lordco
200, the weather had cooled a few degrees giving fans and drivers
some welcome respite from the heat. Cooler temperatures also made
for faster speeds on the track and fans were treated to an action-packed
event from start to finish.
The 200-lap event started out cleanly, with 80 laps of green
flag conditions before the first yellow flag. After the first
caution the track went green for just one lap before a spin brought
out the yellow flag again. While circling the track under caution
once more, the #14 car must have picked up some debris on one
of the tires. On the restart, Jr. immediately noticed the car’s
poor handling and he had to come in under green flag conditions
to replace the right front tire. The #14 pit crew executed a speedy
tire change, but due to the track’s small size and pit road
configuration, the team lost two laps on the pit stop. Caution
would come out again just a few laps later, but too late for the
VMS team to take advantage of it, this time.
Several more caution periods would follow, as other cars succumbed
to a variety of mechanical problems and attrition mounted. James
Jr. came in for a right rear tire change, under caution this time,
on lap 149. With new right side rubber, James Jr. was able to
take off with a vengeance, working his way up through lap traffic.
Jr. was once again running with the lead pack, trying to get his
laps back, when on lap 168 the #35, 34 and 30 cars got together
in front of the #14 machine. Jr. spun into the melee ahead of
him and was unavoidably hit from behind by the #12 car. The caution
came out once again, and the #14 team counted themselves lucky
to have sustained no more than cosmetic damage in the crash. After
the restart Jr. went to work one more time, and by the end of
the race had crossed the finish line in 4th position. After the
race the team found themselves lucky yet again when it was discovered
that the right front tire had a large piece of another car’s
fiberglass crammed in between the rim and the tire itself, but
the tire was still at full pressure!
Championship point standings have been posted and the VMS team
has moved into 6th position overall. The points race is tight,
with only four points separating 5th to 7th spots. The VMS team
now has two weeks to prepare the SouthFort Chevy Monte Carlo for
their next race, to be held at Edmonton International Raceway,
in Wetaskiwin, AB on August 28th, 2004.
August 9, 2004
- Another Step on the Ladder for VMS
Saskatoon, SK: The family-owned and operated team of Van Domselaar
Motorsports reached another one of the team's goals at this weekend's
CASCAR EMCO Western Series Auto Clearing 150. The team has been
steadily working to improve their qualifying results, and the
team's efforts solidified in the form of achieving the outside
pole position for the feature event. The team missed capturing
the pole position by just 4/100ths of a second.
Thousands of fans were on hand at Saskatoon's Bridge City Speedway
this weekend for the re-scheduled Auto Clearing 150. The race
had originally been scheduled for June 12th, but had been rained
out. By Saturday evening, weather conditions were nearly perfect
for the rescheduled event, and the always-supportive Saskatoon
fans came out in droves to watch a night of street stock, late
model and CASCAR EMCO Western Super Series racing action!
The two practice sessions went well for the VMS team. James Jr.
turned in much faster laps than those from last year's Saskatoon
event and the team was anticipating a solid qualifying result.
During the qualifying session, the #14 SouthFort Chevy Monte Carlo
had logged the fastest lap until about the midway point, when
the #12 entry of Ron Larson dislodged Jr.'s time from the pole
position by a mere 4/100ths of a second. The #14 team members
were nonetheless very pleased with the outside pole starting position,
the team's best ever qualifying result in their six-year history
of CASCAR competition.
Fourteen competitors took to the ¼ mile oval for the feature
event. The race got underway cleanly, with James Jr. battling
for the lead with pole sitter Ron Larson. Competition was fierce
throughout the field, and only 26 laps into the event the #14
car was tapped and spun by the #35 car. No caution was called,
and James Jr. set to the task of working his way back through
the field. As an added challenge, the team experienced radio problems
at the onset of the feature, and it was uncertain whether or not
James Jr. could hear information relayed from his spotters. Nonetheless,
Jr. was progressing well through traffic until spinning again,
unassisted this time, on lap 38. The caution flag was flown, and
during the yellow flag laps Crew Spotters Paul and Theresa were
able to determine that Jr. could receive spotting information,
but could not transmit on his radio. Once again under green flag
conditions, Jr. started the quest to get back on the lead lap.
The #14 car's setup was nearly perfect and by lap 97 James Jr.
had caught up to the leader, the #64 car of local favorite Chris
Shirley. Jr. stayed in close pursuit of the #64 car, eager to
get his lap back. On lap 118 the caution flag came out again,
and Jr. lined up beside the #64 car for the restart. Crew Spotter
Paul encouraged Jr. to make one of his "magic restarts,"
and Jr. didn't disappoint, passing and pulling away from the leader
with the restart on lap 128. Despite the increasing tire wear,
Jr. was able to maintain his reclaimed track position, and when
the checkered flag was flown Jr. crossed the line on the lead
lap, in 8th position.
After the race, driver James Jr. reflected on the results saying,
"Losing the lap was my own fault. But I'm the most proud
of getting our lap back the 'old fashioned way,' and on the same
four tires we started with." In terms of the car's handling,
Crew Chief James Sr. noted that "the car was working really
well….we qualified 7/10ths of a second faster than last
year." Pit Crew Member Paul concurred saying, "we definitely
had the fastest car on the track." The #14 team is already
well into preparations for the next CASCAR EMCO Western Series
event, to be held in Penticton, BC on Saturday, August 14th. Pictures
of the event are available on the VMS Picture Page.
The entire VMS team is proud to represent their dedicated sponsors
throughout Western Canada: SouthFort Chevrolet (Fort Saskatchewan,
AB); Deciding Factor Investigations (Edmonton, AB); Dewar Western,
Inc. (Edmonton, AB); Advantage Signs (Fort Saskatchewan, AB);
RCS Sheet Metal (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Boston Pizza (Fort Saskatchewan,
AB); Quality Group (Edmonton, AB); TriStar Collision (Edmonton,
AB); Sears Appliance Outlet (Fort Saskatchewan); MacMillan Photography
(Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Aldon Auto Salvage (Lamont, AB); Fort
Welding & Mechanical Contracting (Fort Saskatchewan, AB);
Hydro-Scotford (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); L & W Automotive (Fort
Saskatchewan, AB); Ellis-Govenlock Accounting (Edmonton, AB),
Daytona Composites (Fort Saskatchewan, AB); Fillmore Construction
Management (Edmonton, AB); H.E.D. Liner Power Boats (Sherwood
Park, AB) and General Auto & Ag Supply (Lamont, AB).
July 2-3, 2004
- VMS Celebrates Canada Day with Podium Finish in Vernon
Vernon, BC: Van Domselaar Motorsports posted their first podium
finish in the CASCAR EMCO Western Series race at Vernon's Sun
Valley Motor Speedway this past weekend. The shootout-style event,
dubbed the Canada Day 250, was part of a three-day festival featuring
several classes of racecars as well as musical entertainment.
The podium finish was a breakthrough for the family owned-and-operated
team, coming in their sixth year of competition in the CASCAR
Western Super Series.
Catching a glimpse of the potential for a strong finish at their
last race in Calgary, the team worked doggedly to get to the bottom
of the valve cover stud breakage problem that had led to DNFs
in the first two races of the year. With the subsequent rainout
of the 150-lap Saskatoon event and the postponement of the 200-lap
race in Quesnel, the #14 team had little choice but to test the
repaired engine at the grueling 250-lap event at Sun Valley this
weekend. But the 'little engine that could' held its own for the
duration.
Practice and qualifying were held on Friday, July 2nd for the
CASCAR EMCO teams. James Jr. and the rest of the VMS team were
more than happy with the results of the practice, logging the
second fastest lap time in the final practice session, and a team-best
lap time for Sun Valley. Crew Chief James Sr. commented: "We
knew we had a good car after the final practice. Now we needed
to avoid trouble during the race."
A sudden downpour after practice delayed the qualifying runs,
and also altered the track conditions. Opting not to change the
car's setup, the team posted the 8th fastest qualifying time of
the 20 competitors. The top five qualifiers then participated
in a crowd-pleasing, cash-payout pit stop competition, with James
Jr. filling the role of tire-carrier for the winning team of Carl
Harr in the #2 car. Speaking about the qualifying run later, James
Sr. noted, "It's too bad we didn't adjust the car for the
cooler track. We may have gotten into the Pit Stop contest."
For CASCAR teams, Day Two of the event consisted of the final
technical inspection, after which cars were impounded, and the
feature event. Teams used the time before tech to make any necessary
adjustments, but couldn't test these since there would be no further
practice and no heat races before the 250-lap shootout itself.
Driver James Jr. and Crew Chief James Sr. decided that a few small
changes could be made to improve the car's handling. The first
few laps of the feature would prove that the car was indeed dialed
in, and Jr. hunkered down to work his way to the front of the
pack.
For nearly the first quarter of the race James Jr. kept pace
with guest NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Geoffrey Bodine, and the two
drivers worked together to chase down the lead pack of cars until
a mechanical problem sidelined Mr. Bodine's #8 car. Jr. continued
the hunt alone. At Lap 125 a competition yellow was called by
CASCAR, allowing teams to safely stop and refuel. The extra weight
of the fuel helped tighten up Jr.'s ride and within 5 more laps
he had passed pole-sitter Ron Larson for the lead. James Jr. led
the race for the next 28 laps, relinquishing it at the next caution
to pit for new right side rubber. Back under green, Jr. was at
the tail end of the lead lap, in 7th spot. Jr. dodged two multi-car
collisions on laps 200 and 216, and with two strong re-starts
he found himself in 2nd position, once again behind the #12 car.
Kevin Dowler in the #35 passed both the #14 and #12 cars on the
last green flag run of the race, and the three competitors would
cross the finish line in that order. James Jr. challenged Ron
Larson for 2nd spot several times in the last ten laps of the
event, but the final drag race down the front straightaway would
see the #12 car remain half a car length ahead of Jr. when the
checkered flag was flown. Little did the two teams know at the
time that they were actually drag racing for the win!
After the race CASCAR revisited the timing and scoring of the
event, and several cars that were caught up in an earlier spin
were found to be a lap down, the #35 car of Kevin Dowler being
among these. Regardless of the size of the trophy, the VMS team
is overjoyed with achieving their first CASCAR EMCO Western Series
podium finish! James Jr. sums up the team's enthusiasm saying,
"The whole team has worked hard for six years and things
are really starting to come together. This podium finish has put
a smile on everyone's face and has fuelled the fire of racing
in all of us. Our first win is sure to be on its way….The
car was as perfect as its ever been and I can't say enough about
how well our team works together. We are the 'little team that
could' and I can't wait for the next race!"
Our heartfelt thanks go out to motorsports fans and to all of
our dedicated sponsors! A selection of pictures from the Canada
Day 250 can be found on the VMS Picture Page. The team looks forward
competing at the next Western Series event at Saskatoon's Bridge
City Speedway, which has been re-scheduled for August 7th 2004.
June 24, 2004
- Quesnel's Gold Pan 200 Postponed
CASCAR EMCO Western Series teams have been advised that the Gold
Pan 200, scheduled for this weekend in Quesnel, BC, has been postponed.
According to information from Bob Ennis, EMCO Western Series coordinator,
it is hoped that sponsorship for the race can be found so it can
be rescheduled for a later date. With both the Saskatoon and Quesnel
races requiring rescheduling, VMS anticipates a busy latter half
of the race season. The #14 team's next race is at Sun Valley
Motor Speedway in Vernon BC, on July 2nd and 3rd.
June 12, 2004
- Rained Out in Saskatoon
Saskatoon, SK: After remedying the engine problems that dogged
the VMS car at the first two races of the year, the team was looking
forward to a strong performance at Bridge City Speedway at the
Auto Clearing 150 set for Saturday, June 12th. Unfortunately,
the persistent rain that was a boon to area farmers was a bust
for the CASCAR EMCO series teams, who just turned their haulers
homeward and their thoughts toward Quesnel, BC. The VMS team will
make the trek to BC next weekend, for the Gold Pan 200. The team
has fared well at Gold Pan Speedway in the past, and is working
toward another top 5 finish there on June 26th! Hope to see you
there!
June 1, 2004
- Déjà vu for VMS
Calgary, AB: The Van Domselaar Motorsports team was knocking
on the door of their first CASCAR podium finish at this weekend's
Versatel 200 when a gremlin from the season opener in Vernon came
back to haunt the #14's power plant.
The Versatel 200 had originally been scheduled for Saturday evening,
but a date change to accommodate the Calgary Flames' sensational
playoff run turned out well for everyone involved - the Flames
won Saturday's hockey game and a Saturday evening race would have
been rained out. Sunday morning dawned with sunny weather, and
despite some ominous clouds in the afternoon, Calgary race fans
were treated to full race program.
The first practice session went well for the VMS team, with the
#14 SouthFort Chevrolet Monte Carlo logging the 3rd quickest lap
time of the fourteen competitors. The team turned just a few laps
in the second practice session, utilizing the time instead to
make some set-up adjustments and to scrub a set of tires. When
it came time to qualify, James Jr. turned in a sub-18 second lap,
the team's fastest lap yet at Race City. Jr.'s lap qualified the
team for the 5th place starting spot in the feature event.
The team opted not to change back to practice tires for the "Fast
Eight" heat race, using the sprint instead as another setup
test session. With the inverted start sequence, Jr. started the
10-lap race in 4th spot and finished in the 6th position. The
team gained valuable information from the run, and was feeling
confident about the potential for a good finish in the 200-lap
feature event.
Taking the green flag in 5th spot, Jr. maintained his position
with the lead group of cars but was fighting with a loose setup
condition. The #14 machine had dropped back to sixth spot when
the first caution came out on Lap 34. A lengthy green flag run
followed, during which James Jr. tamed the SouthFort Monte Carlo,
resuming his 5th place position and once again running with the
lead pack. Tire wear became a factor near the halfway point of
the race and when the yellow flag came out again on Lap 115 James
Jr. pitted for a right rear tire change and possible wedge adjustment.
Nearly all the lead-lap cars came in to pit road during the caution
period, giving fans an exciting show of the pit crews' speed and
agility. The VMS team performed a flawless tire change, gaining
another position to emerge from pit road in 4th spot. The tire
change was just what Jr. ordered, yielding improved traction and
better handling. Within a few more laps Jr. had passed the #35
car of Kevin Dowler for 3rd position, and the team's first podium
finish was in sight! But team members' hopes were dashed when
on lap 123 the #14 car was enveloped in an all too-familiar cloud
of white smoke. A caution was called at Lap 125 and Jr. headed
back into the pits to have the problem checked out. Sure enough,
the valve cover studs that had been replaced after the Vernon
opener had failed again, leaking large quantities of oil onto
the exhaust system. The pit crew began working to repair the problem,
but at Lap 143 James Jr. climbed out of the #14 machine, signaling
the crowd that the team's day was done.
After the race Crew Chief James Sr. commented, "We used
the recommended materials to repair the problem after the Vernon
event, but we still experienced a failure. We'll have to do some
serious R&D to overcome the problem because it cost us a top
ten finish in Vernon, and maybe a podium finish here in Calgary."
Despite the intense disappointment, James Jr. points to the many
things that went right for the team on Sunday: "The car was
great, the pit stop was fantastic, the spotting was great and
the driver even felt good out there….we'll figure out this
problem and get 'em next time."
The team is getting to the bottom of the valve cover stud breakage
problem and is looking forward to the close competition on the
quarter mile oval of Bridge City Speedway. The next CASCAR EMCO
Western Series race will be held in Saskatoon on Saturday, June
12th. The Van Domselaar Motorsports Team is proud to represent
all of its sponsors throughout Western Canada.
May 3, 2004
- Early Opener and Early Out for Van Domselaar Motorsports
Vernon BC:
