Chris Fontaine took home a second place finish in the final AACS 125 of 2003 at Desoto Superspeedway on Nov. 29.  The second place run brings Chris' 2003 race record up to 16 top 10's and 11 top 5's out of 35 races.

In the 2003 AACS points race, Chris ends the season in 9th place, even after missing a double points race at the beginning of the year.

In the 2003 FASCAR Sunbelt Super Series points race, Chris finished 13th, even though he did not compete in all the events.

Chris qualified nineth to start the final race of the year, but a lap one wreck between two of the leaders put him up to seventh. Chris quickly passed the damaged #75 to take the sixth spot.

On lap 13 Chris got underneath the #34 of Jeff Dufresne to take the fifth spot.

For the next 27 laps, and through three cautions, Chris followed closely behind the #28 of Bill Bigley, until the caution came out again on lap 40 for the fourth place #31.  On the restart, Chris was in the fourth spot.

For the next 10 laps, Chris closed in on Bigley, then passed him on the outside in turn one, and cleared him in turn two to take the third spot.

It only took Chris six more laps to close the gap on the second place #61 of Jimmy Cope, and within two laps Chris passed him on the outside to take the second spot.

For the rest of the race, from lap 61 on, Chris proceeded to run down the leading #2 of Scott Walters, but each time Chris would get within striking distance, the yellow would come out again.

During his post-race interview on the frontstretch, Chris said,"I would like to thank Advance Auto Parts and BDH Construction, my Crewchief, Kevin Ingram, and my team, and my family for coming out each week.  And, I can't wait to get started on next season."

"I didn't qualify as well as I wanted to, but we know we can advance from any position there.  We have the race setup pretty down pat," Chris said, continuing," Things fell our way, and we passed four cars and got up to second. Then the cautions didn't fall in our favor for the way our car was setup, and we came up one spot short. It was our best race yet, and a good way to end the season. I am looking forward to a good beginning next year and getting that first win. We will just keep doing what we are doing and it will payoff."

Chris Fontaine took the checkered flag at Desoto Super Speedway Nov. 15 in fourth place. Chris had qualified fourth to start the race, but an inversion of positions started him fifth.

 The fourth place finish brings Chris’ 2003 race record up to 15 top 10’s and 10 top 5’s out of 35 races.

 On lap one, Jeff Scofield got into the rear of Chris, spinning him out in turn four, and causing a complete restart.

 On the restart, a wreck between two of the leaders in turn two once again caused a complete restart.  Chris was moved up to the outside pole for the restart.

 On the first lap, Chris got caught on the outside and the third and fourth place cars got by Chris putting him in fourth spot.

 “I made a mistake on the restart, and it cost us, but we gained it back,” Chris said.

 Chris ran a strong fourth all the way to the first caution on lap 50, despite having engine problems.

 “We’re not sure what the problem was, but 30 laps into the race the motor started acting different, and we just had to deal with it,” Chris said.

 On the restart , the #18 followed by the #10 got by Chris after some good side by side racing, putting him in sixth spot.

 Chris began closing in on the #10 on lap 81, and by the next caution on lap 93, he had closed the gap to three car lengths. 

 On the restart, Chris raced the #10 hard for the next 36 laps before overtaking him to take the fifth spot on lap 117.

  One of the leaders was disqualified in the post-race inspection, and Chris was awarded a fourth place finish.

 The week before, Chris started 19^th and finished 15^th in the second leg of the Florida Governor’s Cup Triple Crown at Inverness Speedway.

Chris Fontaine drove the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 to a third place finish in the first leg of the three race series for the Florida Governor's Cup Triple Crown at Bronson Motor Speedway on Nov.1.

Chris had qualified in the nineth spot to start the race. The top three finish gives Chris 14 top 10's and 9 top 5's out of 33 races this year.

Chris ran a smooth, clean race from the start, and by the first caution on lap 23 was in eighth spot.

By the next caution on lap 38, Chris was up to sixth.

On lap 46 Chris narrowly avoided a car that slid down the track after getting together with another car. On the restart Chris had made it onto the leaderboard in fifth place.

Chris held the position through seven more cautions all the way to lap 110 when one of the leaders fell out, putting him in the number four spot.

The third place car, #14, and second place Jimmy Cope got together with two to go.  The #14 went through the grass, and Chris passed him to take third on lap 123.

Chris Fontaine and the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 got their first Late Model win for the year in the heat race at Orlando's Speedworld on Friday, Oct. 24. Chris went on to take 2nd place in the feature event.

"It was a good weekend, a more relaxed weekend, because we weren't running a 125 lap race. We were just testing the car out and trying some new stuff to prepare for the big ones," Chris said.

Chris Fontaine drove the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 to a fifth place finish in the FASCAR Sunbelt Super Late Model Series 125 at Lakeland's USA Speedway on Oct. 18.  The finish breaks a three-year-old string of bad luck the team has had at the track.

"We qualified 10th. We were fast out of the trailer, fast all day in practice, and had our best qualifying run yet at Lakeland," Chris said.

"We hung in there through the race and stayed out of the wrecks," Chris said, adding,"we stayed in the lead pack as much as we could and when a bunch of cars got tangled up, we benefited and finished 5th. It was great to get through it. That in itself was an accomplishment for me and the team."

Chris Fontaine qualified the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 in the fourteenth spot last Saturday night to start the first of two 125 lap races in the AACS Seafest 250 at Desoto Speedway.

"We made it all the way up to 7th and then had a tire going down," Chris said.

He finished the first 125 lap race in 14th spot.

For the second 125 lap race, Chris started on the outside pole and led the race for 15 laps before Jimmy Cope in the #61 got by him.

"My car started getting loose, and it was all I could do to fight off everybody," Chris said.

Chris held on to second place all the way to lap 70, before Derrick Shellnut in the #7 with the veteran Dicky Anderson in tow in the #92, got under Chris in the corner to take second and third spot.

An altercation between the #7 and #61 on lap 100 resulted in #7 going to the back, putting Chris in the third spot.

And that was the way they finished, Anderson, Cope and Fontaine, one, two and three.

Chris was mentioned several times in articles about the race on Karnac.com and CircleTrack.com.

"We are going to keep doing what we are doing, because we are doing something right.  One of these times the checkered flag will fall while we are in the lead," Chris said.

The finish improves Chris' race record for the year to 11 top 10's and 6 top 5's out of 30 races.

This Saturday, October 18, Chris Fontaine and the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 race team will race in the Florida State Late Model Championship at Lakeland's USA Speedway.

Fontaine Leads AACS 125 From the Green Flag to Lap 81

Chris Fontaine, driving the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 started on the pole again, and lead the majority of the race again, but bad luck caught up to him again in last Saturday's AACS 125 at Desoto Superspeedway.

"We were fast out of the trailer, fast all day in practice, and then qualifying didn't go exactly the way we wanted to, but we qualified ninth, Chris said, continuing," they inverted the first five rows, so we got on the pole."

From lap one to lap 81 Chris was untouchable.  Wayne Anderson, Dick Anderson and the rest of the field could not get within four car lengths of him.

"Then the car started getting loose,"Chris said, adding,"the right rear tire went flat, so we came in and fixed it."

Chris said he had no idea what he hit to cause the tire to go flat, but by that time there were a bunch of wrecked race cars in the field that may have dropped debris on the track.

When Chris got back in the race on lap 85 he was several laps down from the leaders, but continued to fight his way back all the way to the checkered flag on lap 125. He finished in 12th place out of 23 starters.

"We are going to keep doing what we are doing, stay just as fast, and that first win is just around the corner," Chris said.

The next race for Chris Fontaine and the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 Team is Saturday, Oct. 11 at Desoto Superspeedway. The AACS series will run a 250 lap race, the longest event of the year.

Fontaine Leads AACS 75 From Green Flag to Lap 70

    Chris Fontaine drove the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 to a 16th place finish and a 17th place finish in last Saturday nights' two AACS 75 lap races at Desoto Superspeedway, despite having led 70 of the 75 laps in the second race.

    Chris started the first of two 75 lap AACS races on the outside pole and held the position for 20 laps before the trailing arm on the car broke. 

    When a caution came out on lap 20, Chris pitted for repairs.  The team patched the car so he could finish the race.

    Even though he had to limp around at the back of the field for the next 40 laps, he was credited with a 17th place finish out of 28 starters for the first 75 lap race.

    During the break between races, the team was able to fully repair the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47.

    The field was inverted for the start of the second 75 lap race, putting Chris on the pole.  From the drop of the green flag, Chris jumped into the lead, putting two to five car lengths on the field.

    Every time the #2 of Scot Walters and the #84 of Wayne Anderson would get close in a corner, or on a restart, Chris would jump on the gas and pull away.

    On lap 70 in turns one and two Chris got in oil that was on the track, and the car slid sideways.

    The caution came out while the track was cleaned up, but on the restart Chris had to start in the back with only 6 laps to go.

    He finished the event and was credited with a 16th place finish.

    "It was great to be that far ahead and feel that you're in control of it, but it ain't over till the fat lady sings," Chris said.

    "I want to thank Advance Auto Parts, and my team and Crewchief Kevin Ingram for giving me the chance to get up there, and we will pull together soon to get our first win," Chris said.

Fontaine and McLeod Battle For Win at Orlando

Chris Fontaine and B.J. McLeod went head to head battling for the win in the 25-lap Late Model feature at Orlando Speedworld on Sept. 12.

"When I passed for the lead I gave him a little tap, and he didn't like it so he spun me out when I passed him," Chris said.

Chris started the 25-lap feature in third place and passed for second on the third lap.

"I passed B.J. with three laps to go and he put me in the wall after I passed him," Chris said.

"I was past him, and he spun me out in the next turn and put me in the wall.", Chris continued,adding, "It is not the last time we are going to get together either."

The Chris Fontaine Racing Team has added five new Late Model race dates to their 2003 schedule.

The new dates are:

Sept. 20-Desoto Speedway-AACS Series 125

Sept. 27&28-New Symrna-FASCAR Sunbelt Super Series

Oct. 4-Desoto Speedway-AACS Series 125

Oct. 18-USA Speedway-Lakeland-FASCAR Sunbelt Super Series

Nov. 15-Desoto Speedway-AACS Series 125

Fontaine Continues His Top 10 Streak With 9th In Saturday's AACS 125

Chris Fontaine started the Advance/Discount Auto Parts late model #47 on the outside pole in the AACS 125 at Desoto Speedway on August 30.  He was 10th fastest in qualifying, but the roll of the dice inverted the top 5 rows for the start. Chris was driving the race with his cast still on from a broken wrist he got several weeks earlier during a race.

From the start of the race, Chris was hard on the charge, staying 4 or 5 car lengths ahead of the competition, except for the leading #02 who was a little faster and stayed four or five lengths ahead of Chris.  On lap eleven, they began to catch the rear of the field, slowing their pace.

Chris caught up to the leader on lap 12, and was beginning to pass him on lap 13 in turn three and four when he had to get on the brakes to avoid hitting a car braking in front of him. The #47 slid up into the #1 who was passing on the outside, causing the #47 to spin.

Chris was sent to the back of the pack in 24th spot for the restart.

By the next caution on lap 35, Chris had worked his way back up to 16th, and after the yellow came out again on lap 39, Chris was in the 14th spot.

Chris continued passing cars in heavy traffic for the next 40 laps, and on the restart on lap 79 after a caution, Chris had worked his way up to 9th place.

Chris held the 9th spot for the next 55 laps through a caution, and all the way to the checkered flag.  During the final laps of the race, he was challenging for the eighth spot, getting along side several times, but ran out of laps.

The finish improves Chris' 2003 race record to 10 top 10 and 5 top five finishes out of 23 starts.

Chris Fontaine Featured in Late Model Digest Article

 Chris Fontaine made the pages of the June issue of Late Model Digest Magazine by being featured in  Editor Jim Carson’s Closer Look column. 

 The article, entitled “Desoto Success Anything But a Step Backward”, talks about the success Chris is finding this year in Super Late Models with his third place finish at Desoto, his new team, steadily improving race record, and new sponsors for 2003, Advance/Discount Auto Parts and BDH Construction.

Read the complete article in the photos page above.

Fontaine Finishes 2nd at Orlando Despite Broken Wrist

Chris Fontaine in the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 Late Model finished in 2nd place at Orlando Speedworld on Friday, August 15, despite the fact that Chris had a broken wrist from the race at New Symrna a week before. 

What Chris had thought was a sprain he received when another car hit him, turned out to be a break.

Chris started the feature race in the second spot after taking 2nd in the heat race.

He was on the charge from the start of the 25 lap event, pressuring the leader for several laps. The Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 and the leader quickly pulled away from the pack and started lapping it after seven laps.

On lap 10 a car spun through the infield bringing out the caution.

On the restart, it was a three car breakaway with Chris in the middle. 

Occupied with keeping the #78 behind him, the leader was just too fast for Chris in the Advance/Discount Auto Parts #47 to catch by the end of the race.

The second-place finish is Chris’ best for the 2003 season to date, and brings his record to 9 top 10 and 5 top 5 finishes out of 23 races.

Fontaine Gets Third Pole of 2003 at Orlando

Chris Fontaine got his third pole start of the year last Friday in the FASCAR Sunbelt 125 at Orlando Speedworld. Chris’s qualifying time was fifth quickest, but the top five drivers drew pills and he drew the first place pill.

On the first lap, the #47 Advance Discount Auto Parts car slipped up the rain soaked track in turn three, allowing other cars to get underneath Chris, pushing him out of the preferred line.

Caution came out on the third lap of the race, and Chris was lined up in the seventh spot for the restart. 

Caution flew again just two laps later and Chris was up to sixth.

Three laps after the restart, the #12 got into Chris going into turn one spinning them both out and collecting the #116 as all three slid up into the turn one wall.

The officials sent both cars to the back for the restart, but Chris quickly jumped up from 19th spot to 17th in three laps before caution came out again.

Another caution two laps later put Chris in 16th for the restart.

A spun car in turn four brought out the caution 10 laps later, putting Chris in 13th on the restart. While running under caution, the #5 car hit Chris hard enough to jerk the wheel out of his hands and sprain his right wrist.

For the next five laps Chris was racing hard for position with the #5 and the #9 until the #5 car slid up into Chris in turn one while they were running three wide, putting him into the wall hard, and tearing up the right front suspension, putting the #47 out of the race.

To date in the 2003 Late Model season, Chris has three pole starts, 8 top 10 and 4 top 5 finishes of 22 races.

The All American Challenge Series 125 race at Desoto Speedway, scheduled for August 9 was rained out.

Check chrisfontaine.com later in the week for a rescheduled date for the race.

Fontaine Has New Contract, New Car, New Paint Scheme and New Engine

Chris Fontaine started the FASCAR Sunbelt Super Series Clyde Hart Memorial 125 in 21st spot last Thursday night at New Symrna Speedway in front of approximately 2000 fans.  Many of the large crowd were in town for the July Fourth races at Daytona.

Starting the race with a new car, a new engine, a new paint scheme, and a newly signed contract with Advance Auto Parts as the primary sponsor for Chris’ 2003 Late Model season, he quickly started his charge through the field.

Despite getting spun on lap 4 in turn two, Chris worked his way up to the 16th position by lap 28.

On lap 54, coming down the front stretch, a car Chris was passing turned into him, spinning Chris into the inside wall nose first and destroying the frontend of the car.  Chris was credited with 28th in the race results.

A week earlier, Chris’ new engine threw a bearing in practice for the Florida State Late Model Championship race at Lakeland, preventing him from competing.

Chris and the team now have almost a month to prepare the car and engine for the next scheduled FASCAR Sunbelt Super Series race on August first.

Fontaine Rolls Out New Car At Desoto and Rolls in Eighth Place

Chris Fontaine rolled out his new Port City Late Model race car for the AACS 125 race at Desoto Speedway on June 14, and rolled in another top ten finish with eighth place.

The finish raises Chris’ 2003 record to 8 top 10’s and 4 top fives out of 19 races.

Chris qualified the #47 sixth fastest, but the roll of the die inverted the top rows to start him eighth.

From the green flag, Chris was on the charge, working his way up to fourth before the #32 spun him in turn four.

The officials sent Chris to the back in 20th position for the restart.

Chris continued his charge to the front through the remainder of the race, passing 12 cars before the finish.

Of his new race car Chris said,”I really like it, it has a good stable feeling, and I look forward to putting it up front. With the combination of a new crew, new car and new engine, I look forward to improving on an already improved season.”

“We expect to be a contender from now on out, representing Advance Auto Parts in winning fashion,” Chris said.

The Chris Fontaine Racing team is putting a new Dan O’Connell race engine in the car in preparation for the Florida State Late Model Championship race at Lakeland this weekend, June 21.

FONTAINE FINISHES 3RD IN AACS 125 ON MAY 24

Chris Fontaine finished in third place in the AACS 125 lap race at Desoto Speedway last Saturday night. 

Chris had qualified third out of 21 cars, his best qualifying effort ever, but the roll of the dice inverted the first two rows to start the 21 car field in front of thousands of fans there for Memorial day festivities. 

Chris got a two car length jump on the pack at the start of the race and led for two laps before the #12 got underneath him in turns one and two.

On lap 29, the #5 car got underneath Chris in turn four and bumped him up causing Chris to spin.  The officials made the #5 go to the back of the pack and put Chris in 2nd place again for the restart.

Twelve laps after the restart, Chris had pulled away from the pack with a two second lead over the third place car, and was running only one second behind the leading #12.

It took the #7 car 40 laps to catch Chris and two laps to get by him to take the second spot.

Four laps later, the #5 car, who had made his way from the back and had been following Chris for at least 10 laps, finally got by him on the frontstretch.  It looked like Chris was going to the fourth spot until the #7 pulled into the infield on the same lap coming out of turn four, giving up the third spot to Chris.

At lap 100, the #18 car began getting close to Chris and nipped on his heels for the last 25 laps, but Chris held onto the third position to the checkered flag for his first visit to the front stretch since 2000. 

"I thank the crew and my family for their great support", Chris said during the front stretch interview. 

The finish gives Chris seven top 10's and four top five finishes out of 18 races in 2003.   

FONTAINE FINISHES 4TH AT ORLANDO AND 5TH AT NEW SYMRNA

Chris Fontaine pulled double-duty last weekend in the FASCAR series taking home a 4th place finish in the 25 lap Late Model feature at Orlando Speedworld Friday night, and a 5th place finish in the 25 lap Late Model feature at New Symrna Speedway on Saturday night.

Chris started 3rd in the race at Orlando, and was challenging for 2nd until a slower car got in the way four laps into the race. On lap 11 a car got by Chris putting him in the 4th spot. Two laps before the end, a slower car bunched up the leaders, putting Chris within striking distance of 2nd and 3rd spot, but he didn't have enough time to get by them before the checkered flag.

" On Saturday Chris started on the pole for the feature at New Symrna after drawing pills, and he ran third for more than half the race.  Then he got loose in the corner with two laps to go because he had a tire going down, and ended up finishing fifth," Crewchief Kevin Ingram said.

FONTAINE TAKES 16TH IN AACS 125 ON MAY 10

Chris Fontaine took 16th place in a hard-fought race, after qualifying 7th in the Desoto Speedway AACS Super Late Model 125 lap race on May 10th.

At the start, Chris took a shot in the left rear from the #5 of Joe Boyd, slightly damaging the rear of the #47, but Chris stayed in the race. On lap 4 the caution came out for a wreck, and on the restart Chris was in eighth place.

The caution came out again on lap 10, and on the restart Chris was in ninth. Five laps later a car got by Chris, putting him in 10th.  Six laps later, Bill Bigley got by Chris on the backstretch, putting him in 11th.

The caution flew on lap 31, and on the restart Chris was in 12th spot.

The caution came out for a spun car on lap 40 and on the restart Chris was in eighth.

On lap 61 the caution came out for a wreck in turn four, and on the restart on lap 64 Chris was lined up in the 8th spot. As the field went into turn one, a couple of the leaders got together causing a pileup. Chris turned down to avoid the #2 car braking in front of him, and got hit in the front left by the #02 who slid into him.

The wreck damaged the front left wheel spindle and Chris had to retire from the race with 16th place.

Of the five AACS races Chris has run this year, he has 2 top 10s. Including races in the FASCAR series, Chris has 4 top 10s and one top 5 out of 15 races.

FONTAINE NAMED TOP ROOKIE AT ORLANDO WITH 6TH PLACE FINISH

Chris Fontaine was named the top rookie in the Sunbelt Super Series race at Orlando on May 2nd.  He started in 17th position, and moved to the front of the pack to finish 6th.

The race was marred with wrecks and cautions early on, and by lap 20 Chris had moved into 10th spot.  Ten laps later Chris avoided a wreck in front of him.

Eleven laps after the restart, Chris passed on the front stretch to take the ninth spot.

A caution on lap 56 however lined Chris up in 10th for the restart. After several more cautions for wrecks and spun cars Chris had moved up to the sixth spot.

On Saturday night, Chris took 5th place in the late model race at New Smyrna Speedway, his best finish yet for 2003.

FONTAINE GETS 17TH AT DESOTO ON APRIL 19TH

Chris Fontaine took 17th in the AACS 125 at Desoto Speedway on April 19. Chris had qualified 14th of 22 to start the race.

He spun to avoid a car on the first caution one lap into the race, but was restarted in 13th.

On lap 16 the caution came out for a wreck on the front straight, and on the restart Chris was lined up 12th. Two laps later Chris made a pass to move to 11th spot.

The caution came out again on lap 28 for a spun car, and Chris restarted ninth. Two laps later Chris got by the 94 car to take 8th.  Chris was turning faster lap times than the leaders. For the next 24 laps Chris battled for position with the #70 car while being held up by the #33 of Billy Bigley, until the caution came out on lap 52.

On the restart Chris was running seventh.  On lap 65, Chris got into the back of the #70, spinning him and bringing out the caution.  Chris was sent to the back of the pack, but an accident on the restart put Chris in the 11th spot.

He quickly moved up to 10th, but had to pull to the infield three laps later when the motor broke.

"We had the fastest car on the track that night, and if the motor hadn't of broke, we would sure have had a top three spot," Crew chief Kevin Ingram said.

FONTAINE TAKES 19TH AT LAKELAND  DESPITE UNKIND TRACK

Chris Fontaine, like most race drivers, has one track he doesn't like.  Lakeland's USA Speedway has never been kind to Chris, either.

Last year during the Sunbelt Super Late Model event, it rained, and everything broke that could.  This year it started with a clutch that broke during practice, to carburetor that would not cooperate during qualifying, and ended with more problems.

Despite these challenges, Chris qualified 23rd and finished 19th, in a field of 32 that included some very experienced drivers, such as three-time NASCAR All-Pro champion Wayne Anderson.

Chris started the race charging hard, but when the first caution came out, Chris says, "I had no power steering at the start, so we came in to check the belt."

On the restart, Chris was in the 26th position and by the next caution on lap 27, Chris was in the 24th spot. Twelve laps later Chris made a pass to move to 23rd.

Caution came out again on lap 37, and Chris pitted again to try to fix the power steering. The team had put the car on jacks to remove the drive shaft to get to the steering, loosing several laps in the process.

Chris got back out again for 18 more laps and held his own, until the yoke on drive shaft let go.

FONTAINE TAKES 11TH PLACE IN AACS 125 DESPITE SETBACKS

Chris Fontaine had his best start of 2003 March 15th when he started the AACS 125 at Desoto Speedway in the third position.  Chris had actually qualified 5th, but the roll of the dice by officials inverted the front three rows.

Chris held the spot for 27 laps until the #7 bringing the #5 with him, got by when the leaders began encountering lapped traffic. On the next lap the caution came out, and on the restart Chris was lined up in fifth.

22 laps later, going through turn two, the #1 car got underneath Chris, bumping him up and causing Chris to spin down the backstretch.  The caution came out and the officials made Chris restart at the back in the 12th spot.

By the caution on lap 92, Chris had worked his way back into the ninth spot, and by lap 111 he moved up to eighth.  Seven laps later Chris drove underneath the #31 in turn two to take the seventh spot.

On lap 118, the caution came out when the #94 and Chris got together in turn three, spinning the #94.  The officials made Chris restart at the back again, this time in 11th with only seven laps to go.

Chris maintained his position to finish the third AACS 125 of 2003 in 11th position.

FONTAINE FIGHTS BACK FOR 6TH PLACE IN AACS 125

After qualifying 12th, and having to start at the back of the field on a restart, Chris Fontaine battled his way back to finish 6th in the AACS 125 lap race at Desoto Speedway on March 15.

 Chris quickly moved up to 9th, then a car brake-checked him on lap 10.  Chris avoided hitting him, but two cars got by him. 

 On lap 40  another car drove down on Chris spinning both of them out.  Chris had to go to the rear of the pack in 18th position for the restart. Chris worked his way back through the field, and by the next caution on lap 57 he was up to 15th.

 On lap 69, Chris spun on the backstretch in oil put down by another car, bringing out the caution.  He restarted in the 12th spot, but had worked his way up to 10th by the next caution for a wreck on lap 75.

 On lap 94 Chris spun a complete loop in turns three and four without hitting anything in order to avoid a wreck in front of him. On the restart, he was up to 9th.

 Chris continued his charge to the front and gained three more spots by the finish.

FONTAINE GETS BEST FINISH TO DATE IN AACS ICEBREAKER 125 WITH NEW CREWCHIEF

Chris Fontaine had his best finish to date for the 2003 racing season with sixth place at Desoto Speedway last Sunday in the AACS series Ice Breaker 125 Late Model race.  The sixth place finish was Chris' best finish since he won at Orlando in 2000.  

Chris Fontaine, Inc. Racings' new Manager/Crew chief for the 2003 season, Kevin Ingram said," We qualified fifth, started eighth, and finished sixth.  When we started the race we fell back to 12th, then passed a few cars and got up to 10th.  Chris worked his way back up to eighth, then a few cars passed him putting him back to 10th.  Chris continued working his way back up the field, first to eighth, then to sixth by the end of the race."
Kevin said Chris tied four others for qualifying fifth place, but they were then lined up by their registration order, bumping him to eighth of 26 on the starting grid.

Chris said he attributes the improvement in his racing performance to Kevin his new Manager/Crewchief.
Kevin is a winner in his own right, having raced late models for 15 years, and being the 1992 Late Model Champion.  His father, Bill Ingram is also a racer.
Known better on the circuit as BJ Ingram, he got two Florida drag racing championships in a row during 15 years before trying stock cars and getting six late model championships in Florida.

Chris Fontaine next plans to race at DeSoto Speedway on March 15th in the AACS series 125 lap race.
 

FONTAINE BEGINS 2003 SEASON AT NEW SYMRNA

Chris Fontaine began his 2003 racing season at New Symrna Speedway during the World Series of Asphalt last week.  Chris raced 6 of 8 nights in the Super Late Models and Late Models.

This year Chris plans to run more regional late model races as well as NASCAR Elite Division Kodak Southeast Series races, and possibly some NASCAR Busch Series races.

Chris' full season schedule will be available at chrisfontaine.com in the near future.