ROUGH RIDE FOR BROWN IN CALGARY

Lapped Car Derails Strong Run In MOPAR 300

By Ken Spencer, Marketing and Media Relations, Brown Auto Racing

July 23, 2005 - Doug Brown looked like his NAPA/Autopro Monte Carlo was on a rail at Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park on Saturday night, at least through the first half of the MOPAR 300.

But that was before a spinning lapped car crossed his path.

The veteran racer started the 300-lap event 22nd in the 29-car field but by lap 100 was steadily threading his was into the top ten.

Closing in on the halfway mark of the race he was running seventh and chasing down Pete Shepherd in a borrowed Ford for sixth when the lapped car of Stony Plains, Alberta’s Todd Nichol suddenly spun across his path, collecting Brown in the process.

After some hasty pit work to repair the badly damaged front end and bent tied rod on his machine, Doug returned to the action only to lose two more laps under green for a flat tire.

He was credited with a 23rd-place finish.

It had been a busy weekend for the Brantford-based team. During Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions they fought hard to correct handling problems on the unfamiliar half-mile oval and weren’t able to solve the problems in time for the second of two 100-lap qualifiers in which Doug wrestled the car to an 11th-place finish.

“For Saturday’s main event we elected to make some further chassis adjustments including a spring change and it obviously worked,” Doug reported. “Unfortunately, we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time when the #6 car spun. I had no time to react.”

Despite the disappointing finishing position, Brown has now moved up to fifteenth spot in the standings as the result of points garnered from the 100-lap qualifier and 300-lap main event.

During their stay-over In Calgary the team will have lots of work to do in repairing the damages to their car before moving on to Vernon, B.C for this weekend’s events at Sun Valley Speedway.

DJ Kennington of St. Thomas captured the event with his Castrol Canada sponsored Dodge passing Stouffville, Ontario’s Peter Gibbons in the Canadian Tire Monte Carlo with 15 laps to go. Dave Jacombs of Mt. Hope had an impressive outing in his Lou’s BBQ Ford Taurus by finishing third.