Hard Wreck Ends the Race Early for Dupuis

Jennerstown, PA (July 9, 2005) – A multi-car accident on Lap 21 of the Wheeler Bros 150 ended Renee Dupuis’ evening before it really had a chance to begin. The force of the impact Dupuis made with the wall caused the engine to shift in the chassis, effectively ending the race for the driver from Glastonbury, Connecticut.

On the fast, ½-mile oval, Dupuis had been following the #1 of Rick Fuller as both charged their way towards the front of the pack.

"Rick is a past champion and he’s seemingly always around at the end. I thought following Rick was the smart thing to do," reasoned Dupuis. "The car just in front of Rick got sideways coming off of four, Rick and I went to the outside but he just came back across the track and tagged me in the left rear. I ended-up backing it into the fence – hard! I’m not sure what happened to Rick, but he got turned around too.”

Dupuis had made steady progress through the field, working her way all the way up to 21st behind Fuller when the lap 21 wreck removed her from contention in the event.

“The damage was pretty much confined to the chassis and engine – not the suspension. The impact drove the driveshaft into the transmission and bent the engine plates. After that we were all done,” recalls Dupuis.

The Whelen Modified Tour has their second race in less then a week on Friday July 15th at New Hampshire International Speedway for the New England 100. Qualifying and practice for this event is on Thursday the 14th, while the race itself is scheduled to begin at approximately 1:30 PM ET on Friday.