Hathaway Celebrates Victory in Milestone Race for NCATS

VALLÉE-JONCTION, Quebec – Jason Hathaway said prior to the Budweiser 300 that to win the 100th race in the history of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 would be something special.

He was able to do just that Saturday at Autodrome Chaudiere.

After race leader Scott Steckly experienced mechanical trouble battling Hathaway for the lead while leading on Lap 270, Hathaway sailed the final 30 laps to score his second consecutive win at the track and first of the season in the historic event.

The St. Thomas, Ontario, native is one of three drivers – along with DJ Kennington and Steckly – to start all 100 events in the series, which began in 2007.

Pole sitter Alex Labbe was able to close the gap on Hathaway in the final laps before settling for second. D.J. Kennington, Andrew Ranger and Alex Tagliani completing the top five.

Hathaway qualified 13th for the race. He quickly drove his No. 3 Fast Eddie/Brakeworks/HGC Chevrolet into the top five just past halfway of the race and was challenging Steckly for the lead by Lap 189.

Steckly had led a race-high 154 laps and was at the point following the race’s final restart, but his car began smoking on Lap 269. He wound up 16th.

Steckly’s issues opened the door for Hathaway to pick up his sixth career NCATS win.

Anthony Simone finished sixth, followed by Gary Klutt, Larry Jackson, Joey McColm and defending series champion L.P. Dumoulin.

Klutt and Hathaway both have 84 points after two races, two points ahead of third-place Kennington. Ranger is eight points behind the leader and Dumoulin another three points back.

The Budweiser 300 will air on TSN Saturday, June 20 at 12 p.m. ET and also on RDS2 Friday, July 3 at 10 p.m. ET.

The next race for the series will be the Leland Industries 300 pres. by Johnsonville at Sunset Speedway on June 20.

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series pres. by Mobil 1-Budweiser 300 Results

Lap length: 0.25 miles (Start position in parentheses)

1. (13) Jason Hathaway, St. Thomas, Ont., Chevrolet, 300 laps, 49.288 mph.

2. (1) Alex Labbe, Victoriaville, Que., Dodge, 300.

3. (10) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 300.

4. (14) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Dodge, 300.

5. (8) Alex Tagliani, Lachenaie, Que., Chevrolet, 300.

6. (3) Anthony Simone, Aurora, Ont., Dodge, 300.

7. (4) Gary Klutt, Halton Hills, Ont., Chevrolet, 300.

8. (9) Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont., Dodge, 300.

9. (5) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ont., Ford, 300.

10. (2) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 299.

11. (16) Marc-Antoine Camirand, Saint-Leonard-d’Aston, Que., Chevrolet, 299.

12. (17) Matthew Scannell, Rockwood, Ont., Dodge, 298.

13. (18) Erica Thiering, Sherwood Park, Alta., Ford, 298.

14. (15) J.F. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 295.

15. (12) Dwayne Baker, Barrie, Ont., Dodge, 294.

16. (6) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 272.

17. (7) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Ford, 263.

18. (11) Cayden Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont., Dodge, 229, accident.

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 1 hour 31 minutes 18 seconds

Margin of Victory: .307 seconds

Fastest Qualifier: A.Labbe (68.634 mph, 13.113 seconds)

Caution Flags: 8 for 56 laps.

Lead Changes: 7 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders: L. Dumoulin 1-2; A. Labbe 3-108; S. Steckly 109-120; A. Labbe 121-122; S. Steckly 123-179; A. Labbe 180; S. Steckly 181-265; J. Hathaway 266-300.

Standings: 1. G. Klutt, 84; 2. J. Hathaway, 84; 3. D. Kennington, 82; 4. A. Ranger, 76; 5. L. Dumoulin, 73; 6. J. Dumoulin, 71; 7. S. Steckly, 71; 8. M. Scannell, 65; 9. J. McColm, 61; 10. A. Labbe, 60.