MIRABEL, QC- NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil1 veteran Mark Dilley made a surprise appearance at Circuit ICAR on July 6th, competing in the Jiffy Lube 100 as a last minute replacement for Kerry Micks.
After turning heads in practice, and qualifying 6th in an impressive 29-car field, Micks developed a stomach ailment that kept him in the on-site care center for much of the evening. The team decided late Saturday that Dilley would fill in for Micks in Sunday’s event.
The last minute substitution would force the team to forfeit their qualifying position, dropping to the tail of the grid.
Dilley would impress early on, as he worked his way to the top-20, before mid-race contact sent his Johnsonville Sausages/Leland Industries No. 02 around in turn-1. The Barrie, ON veteran would work feverishly to recover, making his way back to the 19th position at the checkered flag.
“We had a great car today”, said Dilley post-race. “Where we ended up at the end was no indication of how strong of a piece this Micks Motorsports squad put together this weekend”
“It’s never easy coming from the back, but it’s especially tough in a race as short as this one”, continued Dilley. “We settled into a great rhythm, and were picking up spots when we ended up turned around. Once that happened, all I could do is ride and wait for a caution. Unfortunately, the rest of the race stayed green”
The 19th place effort marked Dilley’s first finish outside of the top-10 since June of 2013.
With Circuit ICAR in their rearview mirror, the Micks Motorsports team is ready for a pair of oval events at Edmonton International Raceway and Auto Clearing Motor Speedway as part of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil1’s annual Western Swing.
“Our oval program is as stout as it has ever been, so we’re really looking forward to the next two races”, explained Dilley. “Edmonton’s just been repaved, so we’re all interested to see how that’s going to work out, and Auto Clearing is a speedway that we’ve had quite a bit of success at in the past. It should be a great trip”
Mark Dilley will be back behind the wheel this Friday, July 11th at Edmonton International Raceway for the ‘Alberta Has Energy 300′.
Micks Motorsports’ 2014 campaign is made possible thanks to Leland Industries, Johnsonville Sausage, Dickies, Beyond Digital Imaging, Castrol Canada, Cathcart Trucking, Thor Motors, Sam Ester, Candy Tree Gourmet Lollipops and Seguin Marina.
About Johnsonville Sausage:
Since 1945 Johnsonville has been producing sausage with old world recipes from 19th- century Austria. Johnsonville is a proud supporter of Canadian Agriculture supporting farmers across Canada. Johnsonville produces several varieties of fresh Dinner and Breakfast sausage along with multiple flavours of Smoked Sausage available throughout Canada.
Visit Johnsonville.ca for product and recipe ideas.
About Leland Industries:
Leland Industries, a Canadian manufacturer, produces a complete offering of Bolts, Nuts, Screws for the Agricultural, Industrial and Commercial construction industry. In 2014, An addition of 50,000 sq. ft. to our Toronto manufacturing facility will bring our production capability up to ¾ X 6″ Bolts and 7/8″ Nuts. Leland services the industry through a network of eight Sales and Warehouse locations across North America. We take pride in stating, “North American steel, North American Labor”. We Do Not Import!!!
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
