Photo Credit: Caitlin Patrick/CANrace
He goes by the nickname “Racin” Jason White, and on Sunday, he’ll be ‘racin’ in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, making his debut for Reaume Bros. Racing.
While this is White’s debut, the thought of running the Chevrolet Silverado 250 wasn’t just a spur of the moment thought.
“I’ve been trying to make something line up and work out for a bit, and this just happened to come about,” White told OnPitRoad.com about his debut. “So far, we’re having a good time. Got a little speed in the truck and we have some more in it for the race.”
For Canadians and fans of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, White is a household name. Americans, however, hearing his name may think of another Jason White who competed in the Truck Series for 11 years, and White admits it can cause some confusion – among fans and even competition officials.
“[Some confusion] happened with some of the NASCAR people when I was registering, but nothing too crazy,” he chuckled.
White’s teammate this weekend is another driver making his series debut, Jesse Iwuji, a member of the United States Navy. Despite both drivers making their first starts, White finds himself in a mentorship position as a driver with 11 starts at CTMP with a best finish of sixth in the Pinty’s Series.
“[Jesse and I] talked quite a bit on [Saturday], he was struggling with a few things and I gave him a couple pointers,” he said. “People like D.J. Kennington, Dave Whitlock, Scott Steckly, Trevor Seibert; they’ve taught me a lot over the years. When to be off the brake, when to be back on the throttle, when to let it roll.
“I was helping Jesse out as much as I could. He’s a great guy. He’s got a lot of potential to be an amazing race car driver and he has a great attitude. So far, our teams are getting along together and having some fun.”
White has accumulated 93 starts in the Pinty’s Series with 11 of those starts coming at CTMP. While he hones a lot of experience at the Bowmanville race track, he’s quick to admit there are some differences in the vehicles to get used to.
“One thing I noticed right away is they move a lot in the air. You suck up a lot going down the Andretti straightaway big time,” White said. “You got to almost be careful. You’ll draft up real tight, real fast. A lot faster than a Pinty’s car.
“The braking is unbelievable. Even though the truck is quite heavier, the brakes are so strong. You can really pound it if you want to in the corner. Other than that, it’s just another race car that you have to get used to.”
When the checkered flag waves on Sunday, the biggest weekend of White’s NASCAR career will have come to an end, but the experience of a lifetime will linger in his mind for a long time to come. However, the Sun Peaks, British Columbia driver is already thinking of the future.
“The race car driver in me is already thinking, ‘Hmm, maybe I should do this again,’” he said. “We’ll see how [the race] goes. We’re really looking forward to keeping the truck clean. Maybe some attrition will happen. It usually does in this race. We could get up to a top-10 or -12. That would be a win for us.”
After opting not to participate in a wet qualifying session on Saturday, White and his No. 33 Zimmer Wheaton/YourGMCTruckStore.com will start 27th. He was 18th in Saturday’s final practice session.
