NASCAR Canadian Tire Series - “I felt like I was in a heavy weight fight!”

This was Racin’ Jason White’s first post-race comment after Sunday’s rain-delayed Tide 250 at the St. Eustache Autodrome.

You just knew it was going to be one of those weekends when bad weather forced the postponement of Saturday’s race start until Sunday afternoon.

Before the drivers got off their mark to start the race, Jason White knew that it was not going to be an easy race.

First of all, former Formula One Champion and Indy 500 winner, Jacques Villeneuve was in the pack. Although White relished the challenge of pitting his driving skills against the son of legendary racer Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques’ presence meant one more driver contending for the championship.

Secondly, Jason’s car experienced troubles while sitting in position to start the race. This caused a short delay in the commencement of the much-anticipated race. This rocky start was a just an omen of what lay ahead for last year’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Rookie of the Year.
But White was not the only one to experience problems at the start of the race. Villeneuve and veteran racer Don Thomson Jr. connected on the 2nd turn causing the first caution flag very early in the race. Racin’ Jason did not go unscathed at this the very first pass through Turn 2.

His tie rod was damaged when it became involved the same incident with Thomson and Villeneuve. And for the rest of the race, Jason said, “It was a battle to keep the car going”. But the great efforts of the A&W Drive-Thru crew and White’s driving skills kept the car in the race.
Turn 2 would prove to be a tough spot on the oval for Jason as well. On Lap 81, the Sun Peaks driver spun out but was to keep the car in the race.

Twenty five laps later, on Lap 106, the race’s 5th caution was signalled when once again Jason spun out on Turn 2.

On Lap 195 Jason was collected on Turn 3. This caused the 11th caution of the race. There were 13 cautions in total in this hard-fought race.

Ironically, White’s last spin-out seemed to correct a problem created on his first spin-out of the race. His tie-rod was bent back almost into correct position!
Racin’ Jason started in 17th position and despite the various problems experienced by his car he managed a 14th place finish.

The race was won by Scott Steckly. Jacques Villeneuve, in his much-anticipated return to Canadian motor racing, finished 22nd, failing to complete the first lap after his dust up with Don Thomson Jr. on that dreaded Turn 2.

In the overall standings for the season, Jason White sits 11th, a mere 12 points out of the Top Ten.

Jason is excited about the next NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race. It is the first of a three-race swing through western Canada. The flag drops next Saturday at the SunValley Speedway in Vernon, B.C. for the A&W Cruisin’ The Dub 300.

Next week’s race is extremely special for Jason. Not only is the SunValley Speedway his home course, but his main sponsor, A&W will be the sponsor of the race. White will be surrounded by friends and family at the course that he grew up on. But the race will also have another meaning for Jason and his family. White’s father, Marty White, a legendary driver in Western Canadian racing history, will be the race’s Grand Marshal.

A&W food services of Canada, is Canada's original hamburger quick service restaurant chain, and today is one of its fastest growing. The first A&W drive-in restaurant in Canada opened on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg in 1956. The combination of great tasting burgers, onion rings and frosted mugs of famous A&W Root Beer served by friendly carhops was an instant hit. Since then, A&W has continued to grow and evolve with the times, expanding into over 700 locations from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland. At the heart of that growth is the fact that, while so much of our world has changed, the simple things that made A&W so popular in its early days are the same today. We still serve A&W Root Beer in frosted mugs. Our onion rings are made fresh from whole onions every day. With a rich history behind us, we look forward to an even more exciting future ahead of us. A&W is expanding all across Canada, with particular emphasis on Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic.On your way to the next NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES race, be sure to "CRUISE " into an A&W near you!! See you at the races!!