SPIN News Magazine - SPORTS - White gains seven points on Tagliani




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POSTED: August 15, 2008

White gains seven points on Tagliani

Round eight of the 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series was held in Bowmanville, Ont. this past weekend, as the "Full Throttle Energy Drink 200" was rained out on Saturday afternoon and rescheduled for Sunday.

Mosports 1/2 mile oval was very unpredictable after the substantial rain, especially for Sun Peaks, B.C. driver Jason White. This was White's first visit to the very technical but super fast track.

"Once again, we show up to a place we haven't seen before and get out and start learning," remarked White. "This track has very long straightaways and tight corners, unlike anything I've seen before."

With the rain keeping the track time to a minimum, White could only hope for a lot of practice. The extra seat time was cut short due to carburetor problems and left White in the pits for much of the session.

Sunday threatened rain as well so NASCAR was forced to set the starting grid by championship points and get the race under way. White started 15th in the 21-car field, and was ready for the green to drop. "I was definitely ready to go," said White, "It's been a while since we were on an oval and I was ready for a strong finish."

When the race started, White was holding his own on the lead lap and being patient while trying to stay out of trouble. It was on lap 45 when the car just seemed to fall out from under him and a flat right rear tire brought the A&W Monte Carlo down pit road under green. White was knocked down four laps and put a solid finish out of reach.

The team soldiered trying to salvage some championship points, but on lap 165 the day got worse for White. "Going into turn three, a wreck started and I had nowhere to go," said White. "It was just typical of our luck this weekend; we want to forget about days like this." The team made some repairs on pit road and got the car back, putting White down another five laps.

The team found a silver lining in the frustrating weekend: fellow rookie of the year competitors Alex Tagliani and Anthony Simone also had problems, and White's 16th place finish was enough to finish ahead of his freshman competitors. "We had a seven-point gain today on Tagliani in the points race," remarked White. "This kept us 45 points out of the lead and essentially kept our goal realistic."

The RZ Racing team will now head to Trois-Riviers, Que. this weekend for the fourth and final road course race of the year. Then it's back to the ovals where White is more confident and more familiar with the tracks the series will visit.

Race dates and results are posted on www.NASCAR.ca

In a sport where more sponsor dollars equals more speed, the RZ Racing Team is thankful for all of their marketing partners leading into this year's NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Special thanks go out to:

A&W, Diamond Lil's Trucking, Zimmer Wheaton GMC, Powder Ventures Excavations, Douglas Lake Equipment, T.A. Lubes (Sunoco), Kal Tire, Praxair, RE/MAX (Paul Toporowski), Peaks Media Inc., RTR Performance, Zimmer Autosport, Sleemans Brewery, Mackdaddy's Nightclub, L'Cat Autographics and Thompson Valley Sand and Gravel.