2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Schedule Announced

Photo Credit: Christopher Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

Released on Wednesday, the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series shows off another balanced diet of stock car racing on ovals as well as street circuits and road courses.

Starting at the Mosport Speedway 1/2 mile oval on May 28th, the series concludes at Kawartha Speedway on September 24th. Many favourite tracks return next year including Delaware Speedway, the Honda Indy of Toronto race weekend event, a dice on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and the closing race at Kawartha Speedway. Consisting of 7 ovals and 5 road courses, the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is one of the few North American stock car series featuring such diversity.

A new addition in 2011 is a June 5th round on the 1.86 mile (3 kilometer) Circuit ICAR road course.  An ASN and FIA approved road course from an airport 20 minutes outside of Montreal in Mirabel as part of a multi-purpose motorsport complex. The Circuit ICAR has played host to the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship and Canadian Superbike championship events. This race for be the NASCAR Canadian Tires Series' inaugural run on the track.

Removed from the schedule is, of course, the event at the Edmonton City Airport. Cancelled along with the IZOD IndyCar and Firestone Indy Lights cars, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series had a long-stemming history on the temporary course dating well into the mid-1990s when the division ran under the CASCAR Super Series guise. Since the Motoplex Speedway race has been scheduled into the spot for where the Edmonton road course round was scheduled, NASCAR Canada might have been less optimistic concerning the probability a race even had a chance on the airport next year.

Also missing on the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is the Autodrome St Eustache race which was held early in the 2010 season. The ICAR Circuit road course race in Montreal appears to be a direct replacement to the former Quebec oval event.  

Running only 12 events in 2011, I have to admit I'm a little disappointed the Canadian NASCAR schedule is not giving the fine stock car talent more opportunities to slam fenders and dice for victories. Personally, I would like to see at least 15 rounds of competition for this stock car series which is enjoying an increasing acceptance in Canada. The popularity of some tracks in fact could justify a second date.



2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Schedule

May 28    Mosport Speedway (0.5-Mile) Bowmanville, Ont.

June 5      Circuit ICAR (1.86-Mile road course) Montreal, Que.
June 11    Delaware Speedway (0.5-Mile) London, Ont.
June 26    Mosport Int'l Raceway (2.459-Mile road course) Bowmanville, Ont.
July 9       Toronto Exhibition Place (1.765-Mile road course) Toronto, Ont.
July 23     Motoplex Speedway (0.5-Mile) Vernon, B. C.
July 27     Auto Clearing Motor Speedway (0.333-Mile) Saskatoon, Sask.
Aug. 7     Circuit de Trois-Rivieres (1.53-Mile road course) Trois-Rivieres, Que.
Aug. 20   Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (2.709-Mile road course) Montreal, Que.
Sept. 10   Barrie Speedway (0.333-Mile) Barrie, Ont.
Sept. 17   Riverside Int’l Speedway (0.333-Mile) Antigonish, N. S.
Sept. 24   Kawartha Speedway (0.375-Mile) Peterborough, Ont