The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series passed the halfway point in the 2012 season with the Edmonton 100 at the Edmonton Indy on Sunday and D. J. Kennington is on the verge of running away with the championship.

Kennington won f or t he fourth consecutive race upping his lead to a commanding 35 points over defending series champion Scott Steckly.

A win Wednesday at the Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon will make it almost impossible for the No. 17 Castrol Edge/ Mahindra Tractors/ Northern Provincial Pipeline Dodge team to be caught.

The Edmonton win marked the 15th time Kennington, a native of St. Thomas, Ont., has taken first pace in the NCTS loop.

He admitted he was lucky after Steckly, who was leading the race in Edmonton, and J. R. Fitzpatrick wrecked in front of him.

“I can’t believe we came t hrough t he i ncident with the No. 84 and the No. 22,” Kennington said.

“This is just so unbelievable to be on this kind of a roll. Four in a row, amazing.”

In order for Steckly to catch the No. 17 Dodge he is going to have get his own No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge in Victory Lane starting at Saskatoon.

“That ( Kennington) car has something figured out this year and we haven’t found it yet,” Steckly said. “That’s how this sport goes, though. Someone finds something and we all chase it for a while. Then, we move on to the next thing.” urine test should be known late Wednesday.

If the driver of the No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge fails the test for the second time, his career as a NASCAR driver would certainly be over.

The team has already confirmed that Sam Hornish Jr. would replace Allmendinger at the Brickyard 400 if the “B” sample also test positive.

Although there has been no confirmation what drug was found in the “A” sample, Allmendinger, 30, has said it was a stimulant, which includes a wide range of drugs under NASCAR’s substance- abuse policy.

Allmendinger was 23rd in the Cup standings when he was suspended.