BOWMANVILLE, ON- Road course veteran Russ Bond earned an 18th place finish in his first career NCATS start, turning in an impressive performance in the Pinty’s presents the Clarington 200 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
“That was absolutely awesome”, exclaimed Bond post-race. “I’ve never had more fun than that. What a phenomenal weekend. I’ve made the rounds here at CTMP in my fair share of racecars, but none were as fun to drive as this one”
The Uxbridge, ON driver qualified 23rd in his Door Doctor-sponsored Ford, and wasted little time jumping to the top-20 at the drop of the green.
“I can’t say enough about the entire Micks Motorsports team”, said Bond. “These guys gave me an awesome car, and Mark [Busse] made some great adjustments throughout the day”
Bond was forced from the lead lap after his No. 9 lost power exiting the pit area following a fuel stop. Once re-fired, the ‘2 Minute Test Drive’ on Motoring TV host worked diligently to retake positions under green.
After narrowly surviving a front-stretch melee at the Green-White-Checkered finish, Bond registered a respectable 18th place finish.
“Oh to be 20 years younger”, smiled Bond when asked if this could lead to another appearance with Canada’s premiere Stock Car Series. “This was just supposed to be something to mark off my bucket list, but after today, I would absolutely love to do another race if the circumstances allow”
The Motoring TV crew was present with Bond throughout the weekend, gathering special behind-the-scenes footage of the event for use in an upcoming episode.
Russ Bond’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series debut was made possible thanks to DoorDoctor.com and Motoring 2014 on TSN.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)