Music: {allcanada} Statistical Advance: Velocity Prairie Thunder

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, this week, visits Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, Sask., for the Velocity Prairie Thunder presented by Bayer CropScience. This is the second of a two-race swing to Western Canada and the third straight season the series has visited the .333-mile track. Below is a statistical look at the recent performance of selected drivers at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, as well as some statistical trends:

NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES At Auto Clearing Motor Speedway
• This is the series' third visit to the track
• The race's television premier is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 6 at 1 p.m. ET on TSN
• The Velocity Prairie Thunder in 2009 was the first NASCAR-sanctioned event in the province of Saskatchewan
• The event is the only race on the 2011 schedule that is run on a weekday
• Each of the first two series events at Auto Clearing have been before sold out crowds
• In the previous two races at the track, there has been an average of 4.0 caution periods for 37.0 laps with earliest coming at Lap 15 in 2009 and the latest at Lap 233 in 2010
• In two races at Saskatoon, the average finishing position for the polesitter is 1.5 and the average starting position for the race winner is 9.5
• Scott Steckly's win in 2009 came from the back of the field due to an engine change while D.J. Kennington's win last season was from the pole position
EVENT SCHEDULE | ENTRY LIST

Auto Clearing Motor Speedway Data
Race: #7 of 12 (7/27/11)
Track Layout: .333-mile banked oval
Race Length: 250 laps (83.25 miles)

Auto Clearing Motor Speedway Records
1-Lap Qualifying: D.J. Kennington, 14.824 seconds, 80.869 mph, Aug. 4, 2010
250-Lap Race: D.J. Kennington, 1 hour, 17 minutes, 3 seconds, 64.828 mph, Aug. 4, 2010

Series Race Winners at Auto Clearing
D.J. Kennington ... 1
Scott Steckly ... 1

Series Pole Winners at Auto Clearing
D.J. Kennington ... 1
Don Thomson Jr. ... 1

Manufacturer Wins at Auto Clearing
Dodge ... 2

Lap Leaders at Auto Clearing
Don Thomson Jr. ... 278
D.J. Kennington ... 138
Scott Steckly ... 75
John Gaunt ... 9

2011 Lap Leaders
Scott Steckly ... 280
D.J. Kennington ... 196
Pete Shepherd III ... 85

2011 Laps Completed
J.R. Fitzpatrick ... 822
D.J. Kennington ... 822
Scott Steckly ... 822

Selected driver highlights:
Ron Beauchamp Jr. (No. 60 Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge)
• Posted finishes of seventh (2009) and 11th (2010) at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway
• Has started fourth in each of his two visits to Auto Clearing
• Logged his first top-five finish of the season in his last outing at Motoplex Speedway
• One of seven drivers to start all 57 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races

Mark Dilley (No. 9 Leland Industries/Rheem Dodge)
• Finished eighth last season in the Velocity Prairie Thunder
• Scored a 12th-place finish in 2009
• Has recorded back-to-back top-10 finishes in last two starts
• One of seven drivers to start all 57 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races

J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Equipment Express/Schick Chevrolet)
• Finished second last season in his only career start at the Saskatoon track
• Third in 2011 championship point standings, 155 points behind leader Scott Steckly
• Five of his six career series wins have come on road courses – Mosport (2), Edmonton (2) and Montreal including victories at Mosport and Edmonton in 2010
• Has made five NASCAR Nationwide Series starts in 2011 including a 10th-place finish on June 25 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc.

Jason Hathaway (No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Rockstar Energy Drink/Vortex Brake Pads Dodge)
• Finished fourth in the inaugural NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event at Auto Clearing
• Posted a sixth-place finish in the Velocity Prairie Thunder a season ago
• Still bothered by a wrist injury suffered at Mosport International Raceway on June 26
• One of seven drivers to start all 57 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races

D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge Dodge)
• Is the defending champion of the Velocity Prairie Thunder while leading 133 of 250 laps
• Has led a total of 196 laps at the Saskatchewan .333-mile track
• Is second in the 2011 point standings, 97 points behind leader Scott Steckly
• Has 10 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victories; tied for second on all-time list with Scott Steckly
• Won 2010 series championship
• One of seven drivers to start all 57 NCATS races

Kerry Micks (No. 02 Dickies/Beyond Digital Imaging Ford)
• Finished seventh in last season's Saskatoon event
• Logged a 10th-place finish in his track debut in 2009
• Scored a third-place finish on July 23 in Vernon, B.C. – a 2011 season-best
• Has one oval-track win (Mosport Speedway in 2008) and two road-course wins (Montreal and Trois-Rivieres in 2007) in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series action
• Is one of seven drivers to compete in all 57 NCATS races

Ryley Seibert (No. 69 Lake Excavating Dodge)
• Making his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series debut
• Was 2010 ARCA OK Tire Sportsman Series Rookie of the Year
• Is third in points this season in the ARCA OK Tire Sportsman Series

Pete Shepherd III (No. 7 HY-Tech Drilling/National Exhaust Dodge)
• Making Auto Clearing Motor Speedway debut
• Has finished inside the top five in four of his last six series starts
• Earned his first Canadian Tire Series victory in the 2010 season finale at Kawartha Speedway

Dexter Stacey (No. 55 WJS Motorsports Dodge)
• Finished 15th last season at Saskatoon after finishing 17th in 2009
• Posted a series career-best finish of seventh on June 26 at Mosport Int'l Raceway

Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire/MotoMaster Dodge)
• Won the inaugural NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event in Saskatoon in 2009
• Finished fourth last season at Auto Clearing
• Has a streak of six straight top-five finishes and nine of his last 10 starts dating back to last season
• Leader in 2011 championship point standings with a 97-point advantage over D.J. Kennington
• Earned 10th series career victory on July 23 at Motoplex Speedway
• Picked up his ninth series victory in the 2011 season opener at Mosport Speedway
• Won 2008 series championship
• One of seven drivers to start all 57 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races

Don Thomson Jr. (No. 8 Farmers Feed Families Dodge)
• Finished third last season in Saskatoon after placing second in 2009
• Has led a series-high 278 laps on the .333-mile Saskatchewan track
• Won Keystone Light Pole Awards at Auto Clearing in 2009
• Collected his seventh series win on June 11 at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway
• Had a streak of eight consecutive top-five finishes broken on June 26 at Mosport International Raceway due to an engine problem
• Holds the overall series career mark for poles with 11
• One of seven drivers to start all 57 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races

Isabelle Tremblay (No. 07 Group Beton Brunet/ADF Diesel Ford)
• Is making her Auto Clearing Speedway debut
• Posted a series career-best finish of eighth on June 26 at Mosport Int'l Raceway

Nathan Weenk (No. 48 Mid West Combustion Chevrolet)
• Finished 10th in last year's Velocity Prairie Thunder
• Scored a 13th-place finish in 2009 at Saskatoon – his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series debut
• Has scored three consecutive top-10 finishes dating back to last season.

Jarrad Whissell (No. 44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevrolet)
• Is making his Motoplex Speedway debut and first series start on an oval
• Has 15 series career starts, all on road courses
• Finished 14th on July 9 at Toronto

Jason White (No. 21 A&W Cruisin' The Dub Dodge)
• Finished 18th last season in Saskatoon
• Logged a ninth-place finish in the 2009 event in Saskatchewan
• Finished a career-best sixth on June 26 at Mosport International Raceway
• Was 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Rookie of the Year