Series Mosport race notes

Caddell Withstands Late Restart Pressure to Win Mosport Race

Bowmanville, Ontario (15 June 2008) --Andrew Caddell survived a late-race restart charge from fellow front-row starter Pratt Cole to win the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup race at Mosport International Raceway on Sunday. Tony Buffomante converted third on the starting grid into his first Mustang Challenge podium appearance with a run to third place at the finish of the 45-minute race for round two of the 2008 championship.

Caddell, who grew his championship points lead with the race win and the pole position points he scored on Saturday, didn't get the lead at the start as Cole took the point. But Caddell showed some patience as he moved back to the front after three laps and grew the gap over the field to nearly five seconds before the only caution period of the weekend regrouped the field and set the stage for a final dash for the checkered flag.

Before the race, Cole and Caddell were talking restarts at the Fathers Day Breakfast that the Mustang Challenge hosted in Series hospitality, with Caddell admitting that they were not his strong point, while Cole was hoping that he'd get the chance to teach the youngster something new. He got exactly that opportunity with just three laps remaining, but Caddell was able to old on and take a 1.710-second win for his second Mustang Challenge win in as many races.

"I couldn't believe there was a yellow after I'd built that lead, and I was thinking this was the last thing I need!" said Caddell. "I saw that Pratt (Cole) got a good run on me on the restart but I was able to hold him off. I love racing with Pratt and I trust him and he trusts me, so it was really fun out there and I'm really happy to have my dad here to see this win on Fathers Day!"

Despite getting the lead at the start, Cole didn't expect to take it to the checkered flag up front as Caddell has shown strength all weekend.

"I got the timing just right at the start and got by him, but I was sure it was going to be a short-lived thing," said Cole. "But I bobbeled the entry of turn three and left the door open and he took it right to me. It was fun to see some open track for a few laps! On the restart, I had a great run going again and had probably 20 miles an hour on him, but it was too much and I had to hit the brakes and then he just took off."

The third place result was a big boost for Buffamonte's championship aspirations after a tough outing at Road Atlanta saw him take home a 14th place finish.

"I lost third at the start to Carlo, but I was able to get back by later on," said Buffamonte. "I was hoping he was going to leave me a little more room than he did, but I we went side by side and didn't touch, and still got through! Its great to get a podium on fathers day here this weekend, and we learned a lot here and I can't wait to race next weekend at Mid-Ohio. I have a lot of experience there so we can put these lessons learned to good use. I want to thank PureSpeed and TeamBRE, they did a great job this weekend."

The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup will return to competition again in just one week as part of the Rolex Sports Car Series EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio on June 21.

Special Post-race Awards:

In addition to the traditional podium ceremonies, three drivers earned special awards in the post-race awards.

Mike Harvison won the Barbasol "Closest Shave" Award and a check for $250 with his 8th place finish, which was just .022-seconds ahead of Joe Lee Middlebrooks

Andrew Caddell won $250 from Zantrex-3 by leading the most laps and taking the Zantrex-3 Insta-Shot Award.

Leo Capaldi netted two BFGoodrich Tires for use in his next round of Mustang Challenge competition by scoring the BFGoodrich "Take Control" Award after moving up from 12th to take seventh at the checkered flag, making more upward progress than any other racer in the field.

"I've been racing here since I was 16 years old," said Capaldi, who started the day with a $250 check from Sunoco Fuels for the Road Atlanta round. "I knew that I just needed to be patient, and that I'd be able to move forward because I saw some guys trying to make some passes where you just know its not going to work! Plus, with a race just next week at Mid-Ohio, we were a little conservative and that paid off today."

Rehagan Racing picked up the "Sunoco Setting The Standard Award" as the team stood out from the crowd with teamwork, sportsmanship, and a strong measure of both camaraderie and competitiveness thorough the Mosport Race weekend.

-credit: www.mustangchallenge.com