St-Eustache race report

Beauchamp leads a second consecutive Dodge CASCAR Super Series sweep

MONTREAL, QC -- On Saturday night at Montreal's Autodrome St-Eustache, Ron Beauchamp Jr. won his fifth career CASCAR Super Series race following a dominant performance in the 200-lap feature race around the flat, 4/10-mile oval.

Beauchamp started fourth in the 17-car Super Series field and guided his MOPAR Dodge Charger into the lead on lap 66 when he passed polesitter Kerry Micks, who had led from the initial green flag. From there, the Windsor, ON racer was able to pull away from the pack on long runs.

With two laps to go, the race's seventh and final caution flag came out, setting up a two-lap dash for the win. Beauchamp was able to defend his position and came home a quarter of a second ahead of runner-up DJ Kennington (Castrol Dodge).

"It feels awesome," said Beauchamp, in victory lane. "We thought the MOPAR Dodge was pretty good when we unloaded it. And by the time we were into the race, I knew we had a good car. After I got out front, I just tried to 'baby' my tires and brakes so we could make it the whole race, and we made it. We didn't even have to make a pit stop. The longer the green flag runs, the better the car got."

For the second race in a row, Mark Dilley (Dodge-sponsored Charger) took the checkered flag in third place. The St-Eustache 200 was the second consecutive race to produce an 'all-Dodge Charger' podium.

Super Series points leader J.R. Fitzpatrick enhanced his championship hopes at St-Eustache with a fourth-place effort in his Milwaukee Tools Chevy. The 18-year-old finished better than his two closest points rivals to increase his lead with just one race remaining on the 2006 Super Series schedule. Kerry Micks was ninth, while Dave Whitlock did not finish and was scored 15th in the final results.

Open-wheel racing star Andrew Ranger got his first taste of asphalt stock car racing on Saturday night, behind the wheel of Dave Jacombs' Lou's / CPS Ford. The Granby, QC racer started 15th and came home 13th, finishing all but two laps in his impressive CASCAR debut.

Other notable finishers included Peter Gibbons, in fifth, in his Canadian Tire Chevy. Super Series rookie standout Jason Hathaway backed up his fifth-place showing last weekend at Cayuga Int'l Speedway with a sixth-place result in the St-Eustache 200.

The CASCAR Super Series season wraps up next weekend at Kawartha Speedway.

-credit: cascar