Kelly Scores Improved Top 10 Result For Jack Daniel's Racing
Monday, 9 June 2008

Jack Daniel's Racing's Todd Kelly has earned his second top 10 placing of the season with eighth overall at the Midas 400 at Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne today.

It could have been an even higher overall finish for Kelly after he equalled his best qualifying effort for the season on Sunday - eighth - if not for the former Bathurst winner being turned around on the first lap of Race 1 by Ford driver Steven Richards.

Kelly put his head down after the Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Brand Commodore dropped to the rear of field, fighting his way back to 17th at race's end.

In the first of Monday's two 39 lap races, run in wet, difficult conditions, Kelly again moved forward and back to where he started the weekend in eighth - setting himself up for a strong finish.

Race 3 was a thriller with Kelly climbing to fifth and pressing Ford's Shane Van Gisbergen for the last third of the race, the Jack Daniel's Commodore riding the rear bumper of Van Gisbergen's Falcon to the chequered flag.

Team-mate Shane Price finished the weekend 20th overall, the 21 year old working away after a difficult beginning to the season. Price ran consistent through the weekend and finished all three races, racing hard with those around him.

Jamie Whincup won the round for Team Vodafone ahead of fellow Ford drivers Mark Winterbottom and James Courtney.

Winterbottom has now moved into the championship lead ahead of the Toll Holden Racing Team's Garth Tander. Kelly has moved back into the top 10 in series points, with Price 25th.

The V8 Supercar Championship Series now moves to Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin for the SKYCITY Triple Challenge on 4-6 July.

Todd Kelly, #7 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE:
"After a difficult practice on Saturday where the rollbar adjuster kept adjusting itself, so we didn't get a lap in, qualifying and the start of Race 1 on Sunday were good, but it all went pear shaped when I got turned around a couple corners later. I tried to push hard the rest of the race and thought I might have got a few more positions back, but later we hurt the tyres. When you try to pass people you can't have the car like that.

"We worked hard on the car and got the results Monday. The last race was great, I was fighting Van Gisbergen hard the whole race, but I just couldn't get him at the end. I actually bumped him on one lap and he went straight on. I could have 'had' him then, but I thought if I did I'd get a drive through so I got out of it - he drove pretty well.

"We've come a long way with this Jack Daniel's Commodore in two meetings, so hopefully we can start moving forward and get even better results."

Shane Price, #11 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE:
"While 20th isn't where any of us want to be for me the weekend was a positive and, to be honest, I'm the happiest I've been in a while. The competition is so tough and the conditions today (Monday) were especially difficult, so to finish all three races and top 20 is respectable considering the season I'd been having. We had good pace in the final and I was racing the cars in the group around me. I'm at least scoring more points than what we did last year, so that's a good feeling. We're hoping to make some changes to my Jack Daniel's Commodore before Darwin and I'll be going there confident."

2008 V8 Supercar Championship, Rd 5 - Midas 400 Race 1 (Results)

1. Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF
2. Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Ford Falcon BF
3. Craig Lowndes, Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF
4. Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE
5. Garth Tander, Toll Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VE
6. James Courtney, Jeld-Wen Ford Falcon BF
7. Rick Kelly, HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VE
8. Fabian Coulthard, Glenfords Tools Ford Falcon BF
9. Shane Van Gisbergen, SP Air Ford Falcon BF
10. Mark Skaife, Toll Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VE
17. Todd Kelly, Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE
19. Shane Price, Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE

2008 V8 Supercar Championship, Rd 5 - Midas 400 Race 2 (Results)

1. Craig Lowndes, Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF
2. Shane Van Gisbergen, SP Tools Racing Ford Falcon BF
3. Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF
4. James Courtney, Jeld-Wen Motorsport Ford Falcon BF
5. Steven Johnson, Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon BF
6. Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon BF
7. Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE
8. Todd Kelly, Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE
9. Garth Tander, Toll Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VE
10. Cameron McConville, Team WOW Holden Commodore VE
19. Shane Price, Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE

2008 V8 Supercar Championship, Rd 5 - Midas 400 Race 3 (Results)

1. Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF
2. Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon
3. James Courtney, Jeld-Wen Motorsport Ford Falcon BF
4. Shane Van Gisbergen, SP Tools Racing Ford Falcon BF
5. Todd Kelly, Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE
6. Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE
7. Will Davison, Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon BF
8. Lee Holdsworth, Valvoline Cummins Race Team Holden Commodore VE
9. Steven Richards Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon
10. Steven Johnson, Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon BF
18. Shane Price, Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE

2008 V8 Supercar Championship, Rd 5 - Midas 400 (Overall Results)

1. Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF - 286
2. Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon - 252
3. James Courtney, Jeld-Wen Motorsport Ford Falcon BF - 232
4. Shane Van Gisbergen, SP Tools Racing Ford Falcon BF - 228
5. Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore VE - 212
6. Craig Lowndes, Team Vodafone Ford Falcon BF - 186
7. Garth Tander, Toll Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VE - 176
8. Todd Kelly, Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE - 170
9. Steven Johnson, Jim Beam Racing Ford Falcon BF - 170
10. Rick Kelly, HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VE - 146
20. Shane Price, Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE - 98

2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series Points (after five of 14 rounds):
1. Winterbottom - 1124; 2. Tander - 1072; 3. Whincup - 1062; 4. R.Kelly - 1028; 5. Lowndes - 897; 6. S.Richards - 839; 7. Courtney - 811; 8. Holdsworth - 760; 9. Davison - 752; 10. T.Kelly - 726; 25. Price - 354.