EDMONTON, Alta. -- D.J. Kennington charged into the lead in a wild scramble at the finish of the Edmonton 100 at the Edmonton City Centre Airport on Sunday to score a record fourth consecutive victory in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1.

He gained the lead when the first and second-place cars of Scott Steckly and J.R. Fitzpatrick came together on a restart as the field headed for a green-white-checkered finish.

“That was a gift,” said Kennington, driver of the No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge. “Scott and J.R. got together there and there just isn’t room for that many cars there. It opened up in the middle and I pointed the car there and somehow made it through. Honestly, I closed my eyes and was waiting to get hit. Just really fortunate to get this one.”

Kennington - the 2010 series champion from of St. Thomas, Ontario - led the final two laps for his 15th career series win, which puts him in a tie with Andrew Ranger for the most career series wins.

Steckly, who established a track record in qualifying on Saturday, had dominated the event and it appeared the two-time series champion might gain his first career win on a road course. He maintained a considerable margin for much of the race over Fitzpatrick, leading by more than four seconds at times. That margin was erased, however, when the caution flew in the closing stages of the event.

“We didn’t need those cautions, that’s for sure,” Steckly said after the disappointing fourth-place finish. “On that restart J.R. got a run on me and we were going to go two wide in the tight section. I was up against the wall and he squeezed me. After that, I was along for the ride.”

Jason Hathaway, like Kennington, benefited from the late-race fireworks to continue his hot streak. He recorded his second consecutive runner-up finish and his fourth straight top-five finish.

“We ran great today. I think we were pretty much in the top five all day and it got a little hairy there (at the end),” said the pilot of the No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Rockstar/Vortex Dodge. “It just shows that if you race hard, you never know what’s going to happen at the end.”

Trevor Seibert came home in third place in just his second start of the season after a slow start in the race.

“It turned out well,” Seibert said. “I did lose some ground at the beginning, but I’ve been like that my whole career. I start slow and finish fast. It worked out today, but in these sprint races you usually have to get going right away.”

Rookie Martin Roy finished a series career-best fifth. Kerry Micks, Andrew Ranger, Ron Beauchamp Jr., Jarred Whissell and Ryley Seibert rounded out the top 10. Fitzpatrick was unable to limp his car back around after the incident and finished 17th, two laps down.

An incident involving Ranger on a Lap 26 restart led to the final caution and the subsequent restart when Steckly and Fitzpatrick came together going through the technical Turn 2 area. There were just two caution periods in the race covering four laps.

It marked the first race for the series on the 2.256-mile, 13-turn Edmonton course. Previous series events from 2007 to 2010 were staged on a 1.96-mile layout at the airport.

In the championship point standings, Kennington extended his lead to 35 points over Scott Steckly, who moved into the second position. Ranger remains in third place – 37 points in back of the leader – while Fitzpatrick fell to fourth.

The Edmonton 100 will premiere on TSN2 on Saturday, July 28 at 3 p.m. ET and on RDS2 on Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 10 p.m. ET.

The Edmonton event, the third of five road course races this year, was part of a three-race swing by the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series through Western Canada that concludes with the Velocity Prairie Thunder presented by Bayer Crop Science at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, Sask., on Wednesday, July 25.

RESULTS

NASCAR CANDADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by MOBIL 1 Edmonton 100 UNOFFICIAL Results
Sunday
At Edmonton City Centre Airport
Edmonton, Alberta
Lap length: 2.256 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (6) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 31 laps, 70.268 mph.
2. (8) Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont., Dodge, 31.
3. (10) Trevor Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Dodge, 31.
4. (1) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 31.
5. (13) Martin Roy, Napierville, Que, Dodge, 31.
6. (7) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont., Ford, 31.
7. (2) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Dodge, 31.
8. (9) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 31.
9. (11) Jarrad Whissell, Calgary, Alta., Ford, 31.
10. (12) Ryley Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Dodge, 31.
11. (17) Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta., Dodge, 31.
12. (5) Robin Buck, Campbellville, Ont., Dodge, 31.
13. (18) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ont., Dodge, 31.
14. (15) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Dodge, 31.
15. (14) Kevin Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta., Dodge, 31.
16. (21) Mike Scholz, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Chevrolet, 30.
17. (3) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ont., Chevrolet, 29, accident.
18. (20) Todd Nichol, St. Albert, Alta., Chevrolet, 14, suspension.
19. (16) James Van Domselaar, Ft. Saskatchewan, Alta., Chevrolet, 14, suspension.
20. (4) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 3, engine.
21. (19) Kelly Admiraal, Edmonton, Alta., Chevrolet, 3, off track.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 59 minutes 43 seconds
Margin of Victory: .312 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: S.Steckly (85.003 mph, 95.545 seconds)
Caution Flags: 2 for 4 laps.
Lead Changes: 1 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: S. Steckly 1-29; D. Kennington 30-31.
Standings: 1. D. Kennington, 274; 2. S. Steckly, 239; 3. A. Ranger, 237; 4. J. Fitzpatrick, 231; 5. J. Hathaway, 223; 6. R. Beauchamp,Jr., 211; 7. L. Dumoulin, 205; 8. J. White, 203; 9. M. Roy, 194; 10. N. Dowler, 180.