KENNEDY SCORES FIRST FEATURE WIN
SWIFT CURRENT, SASK. – A first time win, controversy and choice words sums up Night #2 of the Northern Provincial Pipelines inaugural trip to Saskatchewan’s Speedy Creek Raceway. Shawn Kennedy grabbed his first ever Feature event win in the series Sunday night. Kennedy’s performance this night was in sharp contrast to Saturday night’s race. “I was too intense the first night,” says the Edson Alberta driver, “I had a chat with my dad after the first night ended and he told me a few things that I had to change. I’m glad I listened! It feels great, I wish I could have won this race under different circumstances but I sure needed a break right about now.” Kennedy has been in freefall mode in the point standings since June dropping from second to sixth. Kennedy won his heat race and led the most laps in the Feature event and looked to be headed for certain victory Sunday night when Arvid Fonstad passed him with six laps remaining. Fonstad took the checkered flag. Moments later in the tech area, his first ever Feature win in a NPP Late Model was taken away when he was handed a ‘weight infraction’. Fonstad was not amused, “My car weighed 3153lbs, the minimum weight rule is 3,000lbs. Where they ‘got’ me was that I was over-weight by ‘percentage’ on one corner of the car. What they’re saying (tech) is that I’m not allowed to set up my car this way.” Fonstad was coming off an amazing performance in his I.M.C.A Modified Sunday night finishing third in the Feature plus two second place showings in his heats. “I basically used my Modified set up on my Late Model for this track and it worked,” says a frustrated Fonstad, “I was over by about 100lbs in my Modified. I.M.C.A. does not check for weight percentage. Why should they?” adds Fonstad, “car set up is part of the race. This is ridiculous! I better stop now before I say something I will regret.” Fonstads disqualification gave Shawn Kennedy the win but it also moved Gerry Emond and Mike Tom up one position. For Emond it was the second consecutive night he placed second in the Feature event at Speedy Creek Raceway. “We were lucky to finish as high as we did tonight (Sunday). We missed the setup completely,” says the Edmonton, Alberta driver, “maybe we’ll miss the set up more often in this Western RV/No Limits sponsored car if it gets me to the front.” Mike Tom kicked off the final half of the N.P.P. Late Model season with his best weekend performance of the year. “My car was hooked up all weekend,” adds the Salmon Arm BC driver, “the car was bang on. It couldn’t have been any better.” Tom finished 6th in the Feature Saturday night and third Sunday night. “It’s too bad what happened to Arvid (DQ). It would have been interesting if we could have gotten around the #23 and been able to challenge the leaders.” Tom missed much of the first half of the 2006 season due to a vicious crash at Edmonton’s Castrol Raceway the end of May. “This race weekend in Saskatchewan is what me and my dad (Allen) needed to kick start the last half of the season. There’s no pressure on us right now but were going to start putting the pressure on everyone else.”