JR Fitzpatrick to Drive NASCAR Nationwide Series Road Courses with JR Motorsports

Photo Credit: NASCAR


Announced today, 21 year-old Canadian stock car driver J.R. Fitzpatick will be returning South for some NASCAR action in 2010. Cambridge, Ontario native Fitzpatrick has been named to the #7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for the 3 upcoming road course events. Wearing Schick sponsorship, J.R. Fitzpatrick will roll-off in the #7 car starting with the inaugural Nationwide Series race on the Road America 200 at Elkhart Lake on June 19th followed by the Zippo 200 at Waltkins Glen and completed with the August 29th's NAPA Auto Parts 200 in Montreal. “J.R. is a talented young driver, and we look forward to giving him the chance to drive some upcoming races for JR Motorsports,” JR Motorsports general manager Kelly Earnhardt said in the news release.

“This is a great opportunity for me, and I’m excited to drive the No. 7 Schick Canada Chevrolet,” Fitzpatrick commented. Looking forward to the ride with his second high-profile effort in the major realm of NASCAR, J.R. Fitzpatrick remains mindful and gracious for this opportunity. “As a driver, surrounding yourself with good people and good equipment is all you can really ask for, and we’ve got that with JRM. Schick Canada has been a wonderful sponsor of mine for some time, and I’m thankful to them for making this possible.”


Last season, Fitzpatrick racing situated heavily in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Starting off with TRG Motorsports' short-lived truck team, fortunes picked up for the skillful Canadian driver as he received the invitation to drive selected races for Kevin Harvick Incorporated championship truck team. Despite some respectable runs on tracks he's never even visited, J.R. Fitzpatrick was unceremoniously released from the truck ride as KHI the team was more interested in fielding Sprint Cup Series regulars than developing young stock car talent.

Though Fitzpatrick's abilities on ovals is present with his high-profile 4th place finish in the 2009 Daytona truck race, J.R. Fitzpatrick ability on the road courses has been well-documented on the road courses of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series where he's captured his past two event victories at Mosport in 2008 and last season's NAPA 100 in Montreal.

In the past two seasons, JR Motorsports has made an incredible contribution to fostering Canadian stock car racing talent. Heading into Darlington, Steve Arpin will be driving his 3rd start in the #7 Chevrolet for 2010. JR Motorsports has also acquired the services of the most accomplished Canadian road racers with Ron Fellows for the past two seasons. This partnership included a memorable victory in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. It was unclear whether there will be a Canadian pairing within the JR Motorsports team.