NASCAR Candian Tire Series: Strong finish to 2009 for Jason Hathaway, at Kawartha

     September 27, 2009- Fraserville, Ontario- Jason Hathaway and his #3 Snap-on Tools Dodge posted a strong finish to the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series this weekend at the final stop on the 13 race schedule at Kawartha Speedway.

    The weekend started out well for the #3 Snap on-Tools Dodge in practice as the car handled well and Jason was very comfortable with the set up under him.  “The car felt pretty good and I think we have the right set up to take us to the front in the race tonight.” said Hathaway as he went over the car with his Team after practice.

     The team suffered a bit of a setback when they had to qualify on a slippery and wet race track as the skies temporarily opened up with the rain that had been threatening all day.  Hathaway posted a tough 20th starting position in the field.

     As the final pre race ceremonies wrapped up before the green flag, the skies once again opened up and soaked the facility. The race was postponed and schedule for 11:30 am Sunday morning.

     With more rainy weather in the air when the green flag dropped on the 250 lap event on Sunday morning, the strategy for the race was to keep an eye on the sky and charge toward the front, making the right tire and fuel pit stop calls to keep the car in contention.

     Hathaway made some great passes on the track and by lap 83 was inside the top 10 in the running order. He had a number of great battles with his fellow competitors and worked into a rhythm and consistency in his laps.  After a set of flawless pit stops by his crew, pitting for tires on lap 138, Hathaway once again worked his way back up through the pack proving just how well his race machine was handling.  The skies opened up with rain just before the 200 lap mark and NASCAR officials elected to call the race complete on lap 200 of the event.  Hathaway finished a very well deserved 6th place.

     Hathaway summarized the Team’s race and their year. “This was a great finish for our Team to end the season on. If the rain had held off just a little longer we would have had a top 5 finish for sure.  Our Crew Chief Joel Martino did a great job on the pit stop calls and our spotter Ray kept me clean all race long.  Our crew worked awesome and got me in and out of the pits without a problem.  Our program has gotten better this season and we have improved our driver points’ standings to 6th place in 2009.  I am proud to be able to drive for our team owner Ed Hakonson and all of the great partners involved with our program. Thank you to all of them and the continued support that they have shown us.”

     Team 3 Red/EHR is partnered with Snap-on Tools, Vortex Brake Pads, Napoleon Grills & Fireplaces, Advantex Freight Forwarders, Castrol, Super 8 Motels, Fast Eddie Racewear, Dayco Belts & Hoses, Choko Motorsport Apparel, Praxair and Impact Canopies.

For more information on the Team and our partners you can visit www.team3red.com or contact Jamie Hakonson at 905-642-1010 or jamie@team3red.com. To learn more about the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series you can check out www.nascar.ca. From Jamie Hakonson // jamie@fasteddieracewear.com