Andrew Ranger Rolls to Win at Trois Rivieres

Photo Credit: Matthew Murnaghan/ NASCAR

Clinching his second NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship last season, the young Andrew Ranger heard the call of the richer stock car racing scene of the United States. Spliting his time stock car racing between the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the NASCAR K&N Racing Series for 2010, Ranger's open wheel road racing background came in extremely handy south of the 49th parallel taking victories at Infineon Raceway and Lime Rock Park. Returning as reigning champion to Canada when running a handful of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races with a #27 Dodge, the Roxton Pond, Quebec native had already accomplished a flag-to-flag victory on the Honda Indy Weekend race. By doing so, Andrew Ranger completed an unreached feat of becoming the first driver to win in the both the NASCAR K&N East and West series as well as the Canadian Tire Series in a single year.
The 8th race of the 13 date 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season, Trois Rivieres' GP3R 100 transpires on the oldest running temporary street course race in Canada. With history dating back to 1967, the 1.53 mile track played host to a Canadian whos-who of racing including Gilles Villeneuve, Alex Tagliani and Ron Fellows. Like the Toronto street course, the stock cars would be involved in a practically draining but brief 42-lap event.

Andrew Ranger returns just as the stock car racing tour concluded a two-race Western Canadian oval track stint. Apart from Ranger's appearance, the most concentrated focus has been on the tight 2010 championship fight between DJ Kennington and JR Ftzpatrick. After the Edmonton road race, the #84 Schick Hydro Chevrolet driven by Fitzpatrick held the lead in the points standings but Kennington has since launched himself into the points lead driving the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge. Qualifying 2nd, Fitzpatrick was positioned to make some serious gains on Kennington back on the road courses. In that same qualifying session, Ranger took his 3rd pole piloting the  #27 Jacobs Racing team's limited season.

Well-positioned at the beginning of the GP3R 100 on Circuit de Trois Rivieres, Andrew Ranger's attempt at a second NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victory for 2010 was hindered from the start.  Seeing opportunity immediately on lap 2, JR Fitzpatrick dived on Ranger through turn 6 allowing the #84 Chevy to grab the lead. Caught off-guard by the early race pass, Andrew Ranger slipped into the barrier. While suffering only minor damage along the drive side his #27 Dodge, Ranger lost a multitude of positions. By lap 6, Andrew Ranger was resuming the event in 6th place but was out of touch with the lead pack consisting of Fitzpatrick and the #02 Ford of Kerry Micks. The Ford/Chevrolet battle was fought valiantly at the front with leading 26 laps between the Micks and Fitzpatrick. By lap 13, the Dodge of Andrew Ranger continued his recovery emerging to 4th place chasing down Jason Hathaway seeded in 3rd place.

A caution for the stopped #77 vehicle of Isabelle Temblay allowed the teams to regroup on lap 16. With three yellow flags slowing the GP3R 100, the timing for each stop set up some priceless moments for the NSACAR Canadian Tire Series stars a golden opportunity to improve their position. Once the green flag flew following the first caution, Ranger successfully bypassed Hathaway's #3 Dodge for third.

Winding up at the halfway point, the race course challenged the mechanics of certain stock cars. Former Montreal Canadians hockey player Patrice Brisebois and Antony Simone were early race retirements. Also requiring extended service, the #4 Chevrolet of Don Thomson Jr. fell more than 12 laps off the lead. Thomson Jr. has been weathering an extremely tough 2010 season where the Home Hardware Chevrolet seems plagued with troubles.

JR Fitzpatrick led GP3R 100 event when caution fell for the second time for debris. The lap 28 restart would become the single definingmoment for the Trois Rivieres NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race. Three-wide between Fitzpatrick, Micks and Ranger, the fight prevailed in the favour of Andrew Ranger making a full recovery from his early race misadventure. Ranger's retaking of the lead position survived a the 3rd and final caution. Kerry Micks' Ford took second away from Fiztpatrick's Chevrolet.

Finishing 3rd, JR Fitzpatrick's race did not go the way the 2006 CASCAR Super Series champion would has preferred. Souring the podium effort was the knowledge that 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series title leader DJ Kennington finished one position behind Fitzpatrick's #84 car. However, gaining 15 points on Kennington, Fitzpatrick has closed the gap by a single point.

Finishing 3rd through 10th, Jeff Lapcevich, Scott Steckly, J.F. Dumoulin, Jason Hathaway, Peter Klutt and Mark Dilley crossed the Trois Rivieres finish line.



Next on the schedule for the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is the Dickies 200 at the Mosport Speedway oval this saturday.

Reigning NASCAR Canadian Tire Champ Ranger to Run K&N Series in 2010

Photo Credit: Matthew Murnaghan/NASCAR

For the balance of 2010, Canadian stock car driver Andrew Ranger will be packing his bags South to go racing in the East division of NASCAR's K&N Pro Series. Announced Friday April 23rd, Ranger will pilot the #35 Chevrolet for NDS Motorsports. Having competed in the Toyota All-Star Showdown at California's Irvindale Speedway on January 31th this year, Andrew Ranger announced that his venture South will be extended through the remaining 8 races on the 2010 K&N Pro Series East season.

Winning the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series points title two of the past three years (2007 and 2009) tallying 9 career victories on the tour, 23-year old Roxton Pond, Quebec native Andrew Ranger has earned superstar status as a stock car driver in Canada. In 2006, Ranger chose after two seasons in the unstable Champ Car World Series to transition from agile but fragile open wheel cars to the heavier more contact-oriented sport of stock car racing. Beyond front-running efforts in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series which resulted in 9 wins, At least 2 NASCAR Nationwide Series teams trusted the young Canadian to drive a vehicle in the second-highest echelon. Last year on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve NASCAR Nationwide race in Montreal, Ranger led the race for 10 laps inside the #11 Toyota before delivering the car to a stunning 3rd place finish. Despite his podium performance, that was the only race Andrew Ranger was offered to run in the Nationwide Series for 2009.

With plans to run the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East division, Ranger hasn't ruled out possibilities to run a limited Canadian Tire Series schedule for 2010. However, a quick review comparing series calendars leaves few opportunities for Ranger to compete in his home country to race this year. With many NASCAR Canadian Tire Series events running on the same race weekends as the K&N Pro Series East races, the best chances of seeing the reigning Canadian division champion could perhaps come on the road courses. Free weekends from the K&N Pro Series includes the June 13 at Mosport International Raceway, the streets of Toronto July 17th and the Edmonton City Center Airport race on July 25th. The September 11th round on the Barrie Speedway oval is also available. Interesting to keep in mind, one conflict date for Andrew Ranger occurs on the major NASCAR weekend on Montreal in late August. Scheduled to race at Gresham Motorsports Park on August 28th, it seems unlikely that Canadian Ranger will elect to miss this opportunity to shine on home soil; particularly after the show he provided in the #11 car in last season.

Ranger's first race in the #35 Chevrolet for NDS Motorsports will come at Iowa Speedway on May 23rd.

NASCAR, the Canadian way starts this Saturday!

Following a trend that has gripped NASCAR's premier division of Sprint Cup, Andrew Ranger made the most of the slim pickings left in North American open wheeling. In his only full season in full-bodied car racing, he had become an intimidating presence as a road course expert as well as a fearless oval racer. Entering as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series' reigning champion, the 21 year old French-Canadian is also part of another movement which may soon strengthen our presence in the top tier touring divisions of stock racing down south. Previous year's champion JR Fitzpatrick, a second generation to father John Fitzpatrick, returns in the Milwaukee Electric Tools Chevrolet. At the age of 20, JR Fitzpatrick won twice last season and appears prepared to take back the championship trophy. If not, JR Fitzpatrick's teammate 5-time champ Don Thomson Jr and his #4 Home Hardware Chevrolet may also be within striking distance of another memorable season.

While Patrick Carpentier is currently striding for improvement in this NASCAR Sprint Cup ride with Gilliet/Evernham, past Players Champ Car Racing teammate Alex Tagliani was spotted testing Ranger's Canadian Tire Series car (though, this past weekend, Tag was present at Laguna Seca's Mazda raceway coaching drivers in the Atlantic Series). Also a busy Canadian driver below the 49th, series points runner-up DJ Kennington has been making inroads to the big time in NASCAR with several good runs wheeling a Nationwide series vehicle. DJ be flying back north to drive his staple Castro Dodge Avenger again to the delight of spectators and the discontent of competitors.

While the youth crowd will become a major factor for this season, longtime Canadian stock car racing mainstay of Dave Whitlock. A three-time points winner dating back through the series' original Sanctioning body of CASCAR, Dave Whitlock's return to the #39 Dickies Dodge Avenger. Two-time winner last season Kerry Micks will continue add to his series-leading record of starts fighting in the #02 Beyond Digital Ford Fusion. Another long-time series supporter Peter Gibbons seems ready to campaign at least some races without a Chevy for the first time in a decade for Canadian Stock Car Racing. Inside Track spies caught Gibbons testing a Ford Fusion bodied racer at Mosport. Some honourable mentions for the upcoming season belongs to longtime competitor Mark Dilley and Scott Steckly, a first-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series winner after the season finale race at Kawartha Speedway.

Predicting winning teams for the 2008 Nascar Canadian Tire Series may prove very difficult considering the young champions from the past two seasons. With 13 races consisting of road courses and ovals, we can at least assume the eastern and western parts of Canada will rumble as 20-plus hungry stock car drivers compete in nearly-identical fiberglass bodied race cars.

The green flag drops on second season of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series launches this Saturday (May 24rd) at the super competitive oval of Cayuga International Speedway.