For a minimum donation of $150 you will get 3 laps in the passenger seat of a 2 seat NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Stock car w/ NASCAR Canadian Tire Series driver Jarrad Whissell at the wheel.

Pre booking is required, so please contact Melissa Measures at 780-948-2507 or mmeasures(AT)smsequip.com

Donations are also accepted.
Contact Melissa or donate online http://www.helpmakemiracles.ca/event/racingforkids/

• Food and refreshments
• Raffle $2/ticket
• Gift bags for participants
• Donations exceeding $150 receive tax receipts

Our goal is to raise $10,000 for the Stollery Childrens’s Hospital through the Children’s Miracle Network.

All money raised for this event will go towards the goal of $10,000

The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

August 21, 2011.  Calgary, Alberta’s Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford were back in action for round number nine of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.  While the team didn’t have racing luck on their side, the team showed well with another gritty effort.

Rain greeted the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team during the practice session and Whissell once again showed his skills in the wet going as he posted the 8^th fastest time early in practice. As the track dried out at the end of practice Whissell stayed in the pits, a mistake which saw them slip to 18^th.

During the Friday qualifying session an issue with the distributor would hamper the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford.  “There was an issue with the wiring and it wasn’t firing properly so we were down on power” explained the driver.  “While it hurts in qualifying we did get it corrected for the race” he added.

Whissell would begin the 100km feature event from the 24^th position and was successful in improving his position in the early going.  “We had a good car in the beginning and were sticking with our plan and I picked up a few positions” said Whissell.

Following an early caution period fortunes for the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team changed dramatically.  “We had a restart from a caution period on lap 7” explained the driver.  “Things got a little chaotic going into the hairpin and I think the #55 car got a little loose and it was enough to send me into the outside wall and we broke a front tie rod” he stated.

Whissell would bring the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford to pitlane and the crew went to work.  “The guys worked really hard to get the car back together and I got back out to run a few more laps” said the driver.  “I was disappointed not being able to finish the race on the lead lap and compete for a top ten finish as we thought was possible.  But the car was really good and it was nice to get out and put in a few laps at the end of our final race of the year.  I think the whole crew enjoyed seeing the car go back out there as well” he added.

This was the final event on the schedule for Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team.  They would like to take this opportunity thank all of their sponsorship partners from this season.  “Once again this year we had a very supportive group of backers and I can’t thank them enough for all their help” said Whissell.  “We didn’t have all the results we’d hoped for but their backing makes our program possible” he added.

The team is also very proud to have raised $4,500 for the Children’s Miracle Network this season.  Everyone involved would like to remind all the race fans they can make donations by going to the website www.helpmakemiracles.ca and clicking on the racing for kids link.

For the latest team updates fans are encouraged to follow Jarrad Whissell on twitter, @jarradwhissell and by going to the team website www.jarradwhissell.com

Photo Credit:  Joe Hamilton

The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford at the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres

August 8, 2011.  Calgary, Alberta’s Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team returned to action this past weekend at round number eight of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres.  Whissell and the team battled all weekend long but it was an unexpected twist that upset their weekend result

Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford experienced an issue during the Saturday afternoon practice session.  “We tried some new brake parts to help with the cooling but they just didn’t work well for us” said the driver.  “The car was much better in qualifying when we went back to our regular pieces” he added

The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford would start the Sunday feature race at the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres on the inside of row ten.  Shortly before the start of the race showers soaked the track and many of the teams scrambling.  “I don’t mind racing in the rain at all” explained Whissell.  “I thought we’d really have a chance to use it to our advantage and have a really good day” he stated

As the race began the warm humid conditions caused an unexpected problem for the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford.  Despite the team installing a blower to defrost the windshield fogged up and forced Whissell to stop within the first few laps.  “It was just dangerous for me to continue so I had to make a pit stop” said Whissell.  The team re aimed the blower and it managed to keep a small hole of visibility for the driver.

Another Whissell had to endure was water coming into the car from the passenger side and being collected in his helmet blower.  This cause his visor and glasses to become fogged.  Once again the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team adjusted to the problem.

With the visibility issues accounted for Whissell was able to then be quite competitive.  “Once I had a little space to see out front I was able to run really well” said Whissell.  “We were running comparable speeds with the top five cars on the track.  It’s just unfortunate we had that problem that set us back early” he added.

Unfortunately the early repairs put the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford down a couple of laps and into a deficit from which they couldn’t recover.  “It’s a shame about the visibility” said Whissell.  “If not for that we would have had a great finish for sure” stated the driver.

Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu team will return to Quebec for their final event of the season August 19-20 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal as part of the Nationwide weekend.

This season Jarrad Whissell will participate in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events at Mosport Raceway, the Toronto Indy, Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres and the Montreal Nationwide weekend.  In addition he will also take part in the two western Canada stops at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC & Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK.  Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com  and fans can make donations by going to the website www.helpmakemiracles.ca and clicking on the racing for kids link.  Race fans are invited to follow Whissell on twitter, @jarradwhissell  You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.

Attached Photo:  The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford at the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres

Photo Credit:  Joe Hamilton

The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy during practice at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway

Prior to the afternoon practice session Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy team felt good about their prospects.  “I have to give a lot of credit to the team for working so hard to get us ready for this race” said Whissell.  “We had a pretty torn up race car and everyone worked some pretty long days to make the repairs” he added.

With the one hour practice complete Whissell remained in good spirits.  “I was pretty happy with the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy’s performance” he stated.  “We’ve got a couple of changes planned to help us during the race and I think we’ll be even better”.

Starting from the outside of row seven Whissell began the 250 lap race with the plan to be patient but look for opportunities to move the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy forward.  Immediately however he knew something was wrong.  “We were down on power right away” explained the driver “and I knew it was serious” he said.

Whissell brought the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy to pit road and the team went to work looking for the problem.  What they found ended their night.  “It appears as if the head gasket failed and it went downhill from there” shrugged the driver.  “We had to stop, if we’d gone back out the motor would have blown.  We had a lot of guests here tonight from Husky, one of our sponsors and I wish we had been able to put on a better show for them” he stated.

Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu team will return to action August 5-7 at the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres in Trois Rivieres, Quebec.

This season Jarrad Whissell will participate in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events at Mosport Raceway, the Toronto Indy, Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres and the Montreal Nationwide weekend.  In addition he will also take part in the two western Canada stops at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC & Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK.  Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com  and fans can make donations by going to the website www.helpmakemiracles.ca and clicking on the racing for kids link.  Race fans are invited to follow Whissell on twitter, @jarradwhissell  You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.

Photo Credit:  Todd Lewis

The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy during practice at Motoplex Speedway.

Calgary, Alberta’s Jarrad Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy team arrived for round number six of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Motoplex Speedway ready to tackle the challenge of their first oval track race in the series.  While Whissell was excited about the outing unfortunately their night would end sooner than expected.

During his first laps in the big heavy stock cars in the afternoon practice session Whissell looked to get comfortable and had no hesitation pushing the envelope in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy.  “I did get a little aggressive as the practice went on and at one point slid wide and had to really work to keep the car off the wall” he said.  “Overall I was really happy with practice and the times we were putting up” he added.

Qualifying however was a different story for the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy team.  “We seemed to go backwards” said Whissell.  “The changes we made to the car weren’t the right ones and of course you’re stuck with them for the race.  So we tried to make some air pressure adjustments and then continue to make changes during our pit stops to try and make the car faster” he explained.

The plan for the race was to stay as close to the lead lap as possible, run a lot of laps and learn as much as possible in the first oval race for the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy.  Those plans would come to an end early on.

With only a handful of laps completed in the 300 lap race the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy made contact with another competitor.  “I got into the back of the #55 car” said Whissell.  “I’m not sure if he checked up or not but I’m sorry we made contact.  Just as I maneuvered to clear the #55 I got contacted pretty hard from behind and broke some rear end housing mounts” said the driver.  “We tried to repair it and get some more track time but it just wasn’t possible”.

The early exit was frustrating for Whissell for a number of reasons.  “I’m really disappointed for all of our supporters who came out for the race.  We had a lot of our sponsors come out from Calgary to show their support for the team” said Whissell.  “I’m also sad we weren’t able to finish higher and collect more prize money to support the Children’s Miracle Network our charity this year” he added.

Undeterred the team will be back in action again in only a few days as the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Chevy team will race Wednesday July 27^th at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, SK.  “I have to thank the whole team for working so hard this week getting ready for the race and during the day today, they all did such a great job” said Whissell.  “And we’ll have all the repairs made, we’ve already ordered the parts we’ll need and everyone is looking forward to putting this behind us and getting on the track in Saskatoon” he concluded.

This season Jarrad Whissell will participate in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events at Mosport Raceway, the Toronto Indy, Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres and the Montreal Nationwide weekend.  In addition he will also take part in the two western Canada stops at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC & Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK.  Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com  and fans can make donations by going to the website www.helpmakemiracles.ca and clicking on the racing for kids link.  Race fans are invited to follow Whissell on twitter, @jarradwhissell  You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.

Photo Credit:  Todd Lewis

The bold move by Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team has been in the works for months. “We’re excited about it” said Whissell. “We purchased an oval car earlier this year and Bill Burns has been getting it ready for us. We wanted to be able to race in front of our western fans and with no road courses in the west this year, it’s what we had to do” he added.

The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team has battled mechanical issues in their first couple of outings this year but hopes to have put those issues behind them. “We had a locker fail in Toronto and also struggled with the brakes” said Whissell. “But we’re looking at this as a fresh start for us” he added.

The beautiful half-mile Motoplex Speedway track just outside Vernon, BC is a fun and fast race track for drivers. “Goal number one is to finish the race and get as much experience as possible” said Whissell. “We’re also scheduled to run the event in Saskatoon four days later so it’ll be important to stay out of trouble” he stated.

Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team will have plenty of supporters in the stands rooting them on in Saskatoon next week. “Husky Energy will be coming on board for us in Saskatoon and they’ve got a large group coming to the race and so does SMS Equipment” he stated.

Whissell is once again racing this season for a good cause. This season half of the prize money Whissell collects from his race events is donated to charity, this year’s cause is the Racing for Kids program which benefits the Children’s Miracle Network. “We’ve raised just under $2,000 so far” said the driver. “And we’ve had fans wanting to get involved too which is great. They can make a donation by going to the website www.helpmakemiracles.ca and clicking on the racing for kids link. We’ve been getting such tremendous support from all of our sponsors for this program and we’re happy that it’s working out so well for this great cause” he added.

This season Jarrad Whissell will participate in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events at Mosport Raceway, the Toronto Indy, Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres and the Montreal Nationwide weekend. In addition he will also take part in the two western Canada stops at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC & Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK. Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com and race fans are invited to follow him on twitter, @jarradwhissell You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN. Attached Photo: The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford Photo Credit: Gary Grant www.thegarageblog.com

During the practice session Friday afternoon Whissell had his hands full with the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford.  “It was very strange” he explained.  “First the car was loose, then it was tight and it was very difficult to get a handle on things” he stated.

With the qualifying session only a couple of hours after qualifying the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team could only make limited changes.  “Unfortunately the car still wasn’t right during qualifying we paid the price for it” said Whissell.

Following qualifying the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team went to work determined to correct the problems and give Whissell a better handling car for the 100km race.  They were not completely successful

Whissell battled some brake issues early in the race and ran into difficulty.  “I was racing with the #50 car and approaching a part of the track that gets a little wider” explained Whissell.  Unfortunately I pushed him a little bit wide before the track widened out and he hit the wall.  I’m sorry about that it was totally unintentional” he added.

Still with a loose race car Whissell did begin to make progress in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford.  “I had to just do the best I could with what I had” said Whissell.  And with a determined effort he managed to begin moving forward in the field.

In the closing laps Whissells effort had him within sight of a top ten finish.  Still with a loose handling race car he would spin late in the race and it would cost him several positions.  Still with an ill handling car he gained ten positions during the race and finished fourteenth.  “With the kind of car we had today I guess it’s not bad to go from twenty fourth to fourteenth” he said.  “We’ll be digging a little deeper into the car to determine the cause of those brake issues, nothing was immediately visible after the race” he added.

This season Jarrad Whissell will participate in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events at Mosport Raceway, the Toronto Indy, Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres and the Montreal Nationwide weekend.  In addition he will also take part in the two western Canada stops at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC & Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK.  Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com  and race fans are invited to follow him on twitter, @jarradwhissell  You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.

Photo Credit:  Gary Grant www.thegarageblog.com

Rain dampened the track through the first practice session on Saturday; drier conditions prevailed during the second practice. During practice the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team also worked to diagnose an engine miss. “One of the fuel lines to the carburetor wasn’t hooked up properly” explained Whissell. “We expected to be better in qualifying but never got the opportunity to try things out” he added.

Rain forced the cancellations of the qualifying session and the field was lined up according to the NASCAR rule book which meant Whissell would start the 200 km main event from the 23^rd starting position.

As the race began Whissell was looking to improve his position but detected there was a problem with the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford. “The car had a pretty bad vibration right from the start of the race” said the driver. “We made a couple of pit stops and the team figured out it was a wheel bearing. Unfortunately we lost a lap while they made repairs” he stated.

Undeterred by the setback Whissell set out to accomplish all he could in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford. “The car was a handful to drive throughout the race. The power steering would come and go as the wheel was turned and post race we found a loose tie rod end. The problems however didn’t prevent Whissell from beginning to gain positions.

Luck then began to change for the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team. A caution allowed Whissell to take the free pass and get back on the lead lap, another quick caution got the field bunched up and he was once again able to race for position. “We were running good lap times and as we got near the end of the race I was in tenth spot” said the driver.

In the closing laps Whissell appeared to have an opportunity to move up further but a battle with the #56 car would prevent the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford from improving further. “I got a run on him and was looking to make the pass up the inside but he kind of pushed me onto the grass” explained the driver. “Instead spinning him out I gave way. When I tried again on the final lap he came across the nose of my car and to avoid him I spun and couple of cars got by me so we wound up finishing twelfth”.

It’s by far Whissell’s best career finish in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford at this challenging track but he’s still a little disappointed. “With all the little issues we had this week twelfth would seem like a pretty good finish, but when you’re running tenth and fighting for another spot or two it’s a bit frustrating too” he explained.

This season Jarrad Whissell will participate in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events at Mosport Raceway, the Toronto Indy, Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres and the Montreal Nationwide weekend. In addition he will also take part in the two western Canada stops at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC & Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK. Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com and race fans are invited to follow him on twitter, @jarradwhissell You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.

Photo Credit: Gary Grant www.thegarageblog.com

This season Whissell has formed a new association with Jeff Lapcevich and Fastline Motorsports who will prepare the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford for the road course events. “Jeff is a premiere road racer and we’re fortunate to have Don Barnhardt from his group working as Crew Chief” said Whissell. “They’ve had the car for a few months and have been updating it to get ready for the season and I’m excited to get on track this weekend” he added.

The return to Mosport this weekend for the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford driver is a place where Whissell feels he is due for a change in his racing luck. “We’ve always seemed to have some trouble for some reason” explained the driver. “In 2008, my series debut we crashed out. The next year we ran well but had pit stop troubles, and then last year it was a crash a burn with the brake ducts catching fire. With the changes we made in the off season I think we’ve put all that behind us and our goal is a top-ten finish this weekend” he stated.

Over the winter the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team took delivery of their first oval track car and Whissell is excited to be competing at both NASCAR Canadian Tire series races in Western Canada. “I don’t have a lot of oval track experience” said Whissell. “But we’ve had Bill Burns preparing the car for us to race in Vernon and Saskatoon and I’m really excited about the challenge” he added.

Once again this season Whissell has chosen a charity to support through his racing efforts in the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford. This season it will be the Children’s Miracle Network. “One of our sponsorship partners, SMS has partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network as their corporate charity and I’m pleased to join them in supporting this great cause” he stated.

Practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event at Mosport Raceway will take place this Saturday June 25th. The green flag waves for the 200km main event Sunday afternoon, June 26th at 1:30PM.

This season Jarrad Whissell will participate in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events at Mosport Raceway, the Toronto Indy, Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres and the Montreal Nationwide weekend. In addition he will also take part in the two western Canada stops at Motoplex Speedway near Vernon, BC & Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK. Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.

After struggling with mechanical issues at the first two events Whissell and the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford team were running well right from the first practice session. “The whole team worked really hard after last week in Toronto to be ready for this race” said Whissell. “The #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford was really good at the start of the weekend and we were able to keep improving on it” he added.

Whissell would qualify the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford twelfth for the 100km race. “We were quickest in our qualifying group” said the driver and afterwards we made a few changes that we thought could make us even faster during the race” he explained.

When the green flag waved Sunday Whissell was in the thick of the battle with the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford right away. “We had some good battles right at the beginning of the race” he stated. “And we managed to move up a couple of places into the top-ten” said the driver.

With only one yellow flag caution period slowing the field the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford driver had to work for every position. “I had some good battles for position right through until the end of the race” stated Whissell. “The team worked really hard this week and the car performed well all weekend and we were able to achieve the kind of result we’re capable of” he added.

Whissell would complete the race scoring his first top-ten finish of the year taking the checkered flag in ninth spot. “Our goal was to finish top-ten and we were able to achieve that” said the satisfied driver. “The guys all worked so hard during the off season on the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford and through the first couple of events it’s going to be a real motivator for everyone” he added.

Joining in the post race celebration were over fifty invited guests. “This is kind of our home race, it’s only a short drive from Calgary and we have a lot of clients and employees and family members with us and it was really nice to be able to have such a good showing for everyone” said Whissell.

The five NASCAR Canadian Tire Series road course events are a part of some of the largest race weekends in Canada and also include the Toronto & Edmonton Indy’s and Montreal Nationwide race weekend. Follow the progress of the team and help support Multiple Sclerosis research through the website www.jarradwhissell.com You can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.