NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship: J.R. Fitzpatrick Vs. D.J. Kennington

Going into the final race of the 12-race schedule this Saturday night at Kawartha Speedway, the battle for the championship looks to be between two of the sports’ top stars: J.R. Fitzpatrick and D.J. Kennington. Both drivers have been in championship fights before and both have run races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. So, who is going to come out on top at the end?

Following a win at Riverside in Nova Scotia, D.J. Kennington now leads the points after winning, 40 points over Fitzpatrick who finished 13th. Fitzpatrick suffered the 13th place finish as result of clutch problems.

“I hate it that their car broke,” Kennington said on an article at NASCAR.com. “I’ve been there before. It’s a tough pill to swallow. I’ll tell you this, though. This thing is far from over. I know that kid too well. He’ll be chewing on the wheel at Kawartha.”

“My goal at the beginning of the season was to win the championship,” Fitzpatrick said in the same article. “And you never know what is going to happen in one of these races.”

In one race, the point standings can swing 105 points if one wins, leading the most laps, while the other finishes last without leading a lap. Kennington gained 61-points at Riverside. Going into Riverside, Fitzpatrick held a 21-point advantage over Kennington.

The only number, though, that Kennington needs to think about is sixth. If Fitzpatrick leads the most laps and wins the race, he still won’t win the championship if Kennington is sixth or higher. Then depending on where Fitzpatrick finishes will depend on where Kennington needs to finish

Kennington’s chances look good as in his past three starts at Kawartha, he has an average finish of 9.3 and so far this year, his average finish is 5.8.

Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick hasn’t had as good as a past as Kennington at Kawartha as he has an average finish of 19.3, though like Kennington, has an average finish of 5.8 so far this year.

Now if it comes to a last-lap one pass needed situation, Fitzpatrick has stated that he’ll do whatever he needs to do.

“I’ll move him,” he said. “He’ll do the same to me. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

So come Saturday night at Kawartha Speedway, be prepared for sparks (and maybe tempers) to fly as these two-hard nosed drivers look to fight it out.