Fitzpatrick Wins NASCAR Canadian Tire Series 2012 Season Opener

A 51-lap around the 2.46-mile road course now known as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park kicks off the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season. Formerly known as Mosport International Raceway, the prestigious venue dropped the green flag for the Vortex Brake Pads 200 on Sunday afternoon becoming the first time the series would open a season on a road course.

Taking pole on Saturday, Reigning NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion Scott Steckly driving hte #22 Canadian Tire Dodge recorded a speed of 105.484 miles per hour to take the preferred starting spot from a hungry, young JR Fitzpatrick. Taking green during a very hot but dry noon, the #84 Chevrolet of Fitzpatrick immediately set out on a mission to control the Vortex Brake Pads 200. JR Fitzpatrick was followed by Scott Steckly, Andrew Ranger, DJ Kennington and Rob Beauchamp Jr on the opening lap of the road course event that would quickly present troubles for some competitors. The #29 Dodge of Ray Courtemanche Jr was into the turn 2 wall on the second lap while the #50 Dodge of Joey McColm  trailed off the race track to draw the race's first caution on lap 4.

Going back to green flag green, Scott Steckly battled hard with JR Fitzpatrick's #84 Chevrolet. So hard fighting was Steckly that he acquired battle-scarring to the nose of his #22 Dodge early. While Steckly made a scheduled pit stop on lap 15, Andrew Ranger in the #27 GC Motorsports Dodge battled Fitzpatrick. Ranger would find a way around the #84 in turn 9 just before both race contenders darted to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park pit lane for their service. A full caution yellow on lap 18 would come out as Ron Beauchamp Jr and Jason Hathaway were leading the Vortex Brake Pad 200 field.

Robin Buck and Peter Klutt would stay out on the race day to lead the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series cars back to green on lap 22. Battling after the restart, Andrew Ranger fight with Kerry Micks resulted with both cars spinning in turn 8. At the front, JR Fitzpatrick reeled-in and Robin Buck and retook the lead on lap 24. JR Fitzpatrick's #84 Chevrolet would progressively pull away from second-place Buck in the following laps building a 3-second cushion by lap 30. A caution on lap 33 would erase the leading interval and give all competitors a breather.

For what would be an important race restart that would settle the outcome of the Vortex Brake Pads 200, 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion DJ Kennington sailed past the #84 car while Fitzpatrick and Steckly once again fought for position at the road course. Regathering himself with 6 laps remaining in the event, Fitzpatrick took back the lead in a decisive fashion.

Winning the Vortex Brake Pads 200 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, JR Fitzpatrick ends a winless drought stretching back to the Edmonton City Center Airport circuit race in 2010. Rounding out the top-5 for the Vortex Brake Pads 200 is DJ Kennington, Scott Steckly, Andrew Ranger and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin.

The next race for the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will take place on June 3rd at Circuit iCAR.



2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
Vortex Brake Pad 200
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Race Results

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/Car Make
2	84	JR Fitzpatrick	Equipment Express Chevrolet
4	17	DJ Kennington	Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge
1	22	Scott Steckly	Canadian Tire Dodge
3	27	Andrew Ranger	Dodge/GC Motorsports Dodge
10	47	Louis-Philippe Dumoulin	WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge
6	3	Jason Hathaway	Snap-on Tools/Vortex Brake Pads Dodge
7	2	Kerry Micks	Leland/BDI/PartSource Ford
9	23	Jeff Lapcevich	Tim Hortons Dodge
11	66	Robin Buck	Quaker State Dodge
8	42	Peter Klutt	Legendary Motorcar Chevrolet
5	60	Ron Beauchamp, Jr.	Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge
13	21	Jason White	A&W/Bower & Wilkins Dodge
17	56	Howie Scannell Jr.	Trailers by Jim Bray Dodge
22	10	Derek White	Burger Barn Chevrolet
23	94	Dave Coursol	Carquest Canada Dodge
20	81	Larry Jackson	B&B Decals/Speedy Auto Service Dodge
26	67	David Thorndyke	Thorsons EVT Chevrolet
16	90	Martin Roy	Veloce/Gamache Truck Center Dodge
14	44	Jarrad Whissell	SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford
18	15	Steven Mathews	Bill Mathews Motors Ford
19	7	Isabelle Tremblay	Frank Lyman Design Dodge
12	99	Steve Cote	White Motorsports Chevrolet
27	97	Hugo Vannini	Vannini Motorsports Ford
24	11	Michael Scholz	Jiffy Car Wash/Watchfinder.ca Chevrolet
25	50	Joey McColm	@JoeyMcColm Dodge
15	5	Noel Dowler	EMCO-Kohler/Rheem Dodge
21	29	Ray Courtemanche Jr.	Construction Danam Bonzai Dodge

         

2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Entry List for Vortex Brake Pads 200

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
Vortex Brake Pads 200
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Entry List

#	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/ Car Make
1	2	Kerry Micks	BDI/Leland/PartSource Ford
2	3	Jason Hathaway	Vortex Brake Pads Dodge
3	5	Noel Dowler	EMCO/Kohler Dodge
4	7	Isabelle Tremblay	Frank Lyman Design Dodge
5	10	Derek White	Burger Barn Chevrolet
6	11	Michael Scholz	Jiffy Car Wash/watchfinder.ca Chevrolet
7	15	Steve Mathews	Bill Mathews Motors Ford
8	17	D.J. Kennington	Castrol Edge/Mahindra Dodge
9	19	Brad Graham	TBA
10	21	Jason White	A&W/Bowers&Wilkins Dodge
11	22	Scott Steckly	Canadian Tire Dodge
12	23	Jeff Lapcevich	Tim Hortons Dodge
13	27	Andrew Ranger	Dodge/GC Motorsport Dodge
14	29	Ray Courtemanche Jr.	Construction Danam Bonzai Dodge
15	42	Peter Klutt	Legendary Motorcar Chevrolet
16	44	Jarrad Whissell	SMS/Komatsu Ford
17	47	L.P. Dumoulin	WeatherTech Canada/Bellmare Dodge
18	50	Joey McColm	Give It Your Everything Dodge
19	55	Dexter Stacey	WJS Motorsports Dodge
20	56	Howie Scannell Jr.	Trailers by Jim Bray Dodge
21	60	Ron Beauchamp Jr.	Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge
22	66	Robin Buck	Quaker State Dodge
23	67	Dave Thorndyke	Thorsons EVT Chevrolet
24	81	Larry Jackson	B&B Decals/Speedy Muffler Dodge
25	84	J.R. Fitzpatrick	Equipment Express Chevrolet
26	90	Martin Roy	Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre Dodge
27	94	Dave Coursol	Carquest Canada Dodge
28	97	Hugo Vannini	Vannini Motorsports Ford
29	99	Steve Côté	White Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR Canada Set to Roll for 2011

Photo Credit: Matthew Murnaghan/NASCAR

Entry List for Dickies 200 at Mosport Speedway (19 Cars)

02 Kerry Micks Dickie's/Beyond Digital Imaging
07 Isabelle Tremblay Group Beton Brunet/ADF Diesel
3 Jason Hathaway Snap On Tools/Vortex Brake Pads
5 Pete Vanderwyst EMCO/White Mudd Mechanical
7 Peter Shepherd National Exhaust/Hy-Tech
8 Don Thomson, Jr. Farmers Feed Families
9 Mark Dilley Rheem/PartSource
15 Steven Mathews Mathews Motorsports
17 D.J. Kennington Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors
19 Brad Graham Holmar Plumbing
21 Jason White A & W
22 Scott Steckly Canadian Tire
23 Jeff Lapcevich Tim Hortons
55 Dexter Stacey Bully's Truck Stop
60 Ron Beauchamp, Jr. Mopar / Mobil 1
82 Dave Connelly Schneider's/Metro Hot Rod
84 J.R. Fitzpatrick Equipment Express
97 Hugo Vannini Vannini Motorsports
99 Derek White OCR Gaz Bar



2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Tour

Saturday, May 28
Dickies 200
Mosport Speedway (Bowmanville, Ont.)
Race Time: 7:00 pm Eastern time

Track Type: Oval
Track Distance: 0.50 mile
Race Distance: 200 laps (100 miles)
2010 Race Winner: Don Thomson Jr
Track Website: http://www.mosport.com/


Sunday, June 5
Grand Prix iCAR Presented by Continental Tire
Circuit ICAR (Montreal, Que.)
Race Time: TBA

Track Type: Permanent Road Course
Track Distance: 3 km (1.86 mile)
Race Distance: 35 laps (65.1 miles)
2010 Race Winner: New track to series
Track Website: http://www.circuiticar.com/home.html


Saturday, June 11
Keystone Light 200
Delaware Speedway (London, Ont.)
Race Time: 8:00 pm Eastern time

Track Type: Oval
Track Distance: 0.50 mile
Race Distance: 200 Laps (100 Mile)
2010 Race Winner: DJ Kennington
Track Website: http://www.delawarespeedway.com/


Sunday, June 26
Vortex Brake Pads 200
Mosport Int'l Raceway (Bowmanville, Ont.)
Race Time: TBA

Track Type: Permanent Road Course
Track Distance: 3.96 km (2.46 mile)
Race Distance: 51 Laps (125.41 miles)
2010 Race Winner: JR Fitzpatrick
Track Website: http://www.mosport.com/




Saturday, July 9
TBA
Toronto Exhibition Place (Toronto, Ont.)
Race Time: TBA

Track Type: Street Course
Track Distance: 2.84 km (1.76 mile)
Race Distance: 35 laps (61.43 miles)
2010 Race Winner: Andrew Ranger
Track Website: http://hondaindytoronto.com/




Saturday, July 23
A&W Cruisin' The Dub 300
Motoplex Speedway (Vernon, B.C.)
Race Time: 8 pm Pacific time (5 pm Eastern time)

Track Type: Oval
Track Distance: 0.50 mile
Race Distance: 300 laps (150 miles)
2010 Race Winner: Scott Steckly
Track Website: http://www.motoplexspeedway.com/




Wednesday, July 27
Velocity Prairie Thunder 250
Auto Clearing Motor Speedway (Saskatoon, Sask.)
Race Time: 7:00 pm Central time (5:00 pm Eastern time)

Track Type: Oval
Track Distance: 0.375 mile
Race Distance: 250 Laps (93.75 mile)
2010 Race Winner: DJ Kennington
Track Website: http://www.autoclearingmotorspeedway.ca/




Sunday, Aug. 7
Grand Prix Trois Rivieres
Circuit de Trois-Rivieres (Trois-Rivieres, Que.)
Race Time: TBA

Track Type: Street Course
Track Distance: 2.57 km (1.6 mile)
Race Distance: 42 Laps (67.2 mile)
2010 Race Winner: Andrew Ranger
Track Website: http://www.gp3r.com/en.html




Saturday, Aug. 20
NAPA Auto Parts 100
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Montreal, Que.)
Race time: TBA

Track Type: Street Course
Track Distance: 4.36 km (2.709 mile)
Race Distance: 23 Laps (100.3 miles)
2010 Race Winner: Andrew Ranger
Track Website: http://www.napa200.ca/montreal-nascar.html




Saturday, Sept. 10
NASCAR WILD WING 300
Barrie Speedway (Barrie, Ont.)
Race Time: 8:00 pm Eastern Time

Track Type: Oval
Track Distance: 0.333 mile
Race Distance: 300 laps (100 miles)
2010 Race Winner: DJ Kennington
Track Website: http://www.barriespeedway.com/




Saturday, Sept. 17
TBA
Riverside Int’l Speedway (Antigonish, N.S.)
Race Time: TBA

Track Type: Oval
Track Distance: 0.333 mile
Race Distance: 300 Laps (100 Mile)
2010 Race Winner: DJ Kennington
Track Website: http://www.riversidespeedway.ca/




Saturday, Sept. 24
TBA
Kawartha Speedway (Peterborough, Ont.)
Race Time: TBA

Track Type: Oval
Track Distance: 0.375 mile
Race Distance: 250 Laps (93.75 miles)
2010 Race Winner: Pete Shepherd
Track Website: http://www.kawarthadowns.com/

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