St-Eustache II: Ron Beauchamp Jr race report

LATE RACE PENALTY DENIES BEAUCHAMP OF ANOTHER SOLID FINISH

July 13, 2009. Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts Dodge Avenger team were running at the front of the field for much of round four of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at the Autodrome St. Eustache on Sunday afternoon. However as Beauchamp was battling inside the top-five a NASCAR penalty would severely impact their finishing position.

The #60 Mopar Team worked diligently through practice and had a very quick race car but a slip up by the driver would hurt them in qualifying. "I made a mistake and drove in a bit soft in corner one and I tried to make it up in the next one and it cost us" said Beauchamp. Beauchamp would begin the 250 lap main event from the eleventh starting position, but wouldn't be there for long.

As the green flag waved Beauchamp maneuvered the #60 Mopar Avenger forward and was soon inside the top-five. "The Mopar Dodge always races well, I was just trying to be patient and I was able to move forward" he stated. Ron Jr. would continue his push toward the front and would eventually take the lead on lap 181. "I definitely wanted to get out front and lead some laps and get those five bonus points and we were able to do that' said Beauchamp.

Team Mopar would make scheduled stops for tires and fuel along with some minor handling adjustments and as the competitors cycled through stops Beauchamp would again be up front challenging the leaders. "As the laps ticked away Beauchamp was bumped aggressively from behind by the #02 car and lost a position. Beauchamp would subsequently return the favour to retake the position. However his retaliation would cause NASCAR to penalize him one lap for aggressive driving. "I don't agree with the call" said Beauchamp. "I almost got wrecked between corner one and two and I came back and just tried to give him a little taste of his own medicine. It looked like he might have slowed up a bit in the corner and he went spinning. I don't understand why I got the penalty, shouldn't it go back to the original incident" he wondered.

Beauchamp would charge the #60 Mopar Parts Dodge as best he could in the closing laps but his fate was sealed. He would finish outside the top-five for the first time this season and wind up twelfth. With the disappointing finish Beauchamp would fall to third in the overall championship standings.

The 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racing season resumes this coming Saturday with a 300 lap event at Sun Valley Speedway near Vernon, BC. It is the first of three events in western Canada. Team Mopar will participate in all thirteen events that take place on ovals, road courses and temporary street circuits. You can follow the action all year long with the television broadcasts on TSN.

-credit: mopar