by Jay | Aug 31, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series, New England
Harrisburg, N.C. (August 31, 2009): Andy Santerre Motorsports together with driver Brett Moffitt have announced that they will compete in this weekend’s Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades 125 at Iowa Speedway, a NASCAR Camping World Series West event. Moffitt will be driving the No. 4 Chevrolet sponsored by Karl Chevrolet. This will be Moffitt’s third start at the track closest to his Grimes, Iowa hometown.
“We’re really excited to be heading back to Iowa Speedway,” said Moffitt. “The last time we were there we had a really competitive car, but we got tight in the last 20 laps or so and finished sixth. I know we can go there and run good so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll have my friends and family there, and I really think that Iowa is one of the best tracks I’ve gone to with the Camping World Series. I can’t think of a better place to give them a win!”
Moffitt is currently sixth in the NASCAR Camping World Series East point standings with one win, four top-five, and seven top-10 finishes. Only 14 points separate him from the fourth and fifth place drivers as the series comes to its final two-race stretch that kicks off at New Hampshire Motor Speedway later this month. The extra seat time at Iowa should be an advantage for the 17-year-old driver.
“Our last two races are on tracks a mile or bigger,” said Moffitt. “Iowa isn’t quite a mile, but its close enough. The seat time is what’s important. When you’re on track you get a momentum, you get better. We’re still within striking distance of the championship in the East Series so anything I can do to get closer to that, I will.”
Moffitt has cemented a reputation as a go-getter in the NASCAR Camping World Series East. He’s earned a place in the record books as the youngest driver in series history to win a pole, win a race, and lead the series point standings. But this weekend will mark his debut in a West Series stand-alone event.
“I raced with these guys back at the combination race with the East Series in May,” said Moffitt. “Everyone I raced with was clean, and I raced them clean. There are some talented drivers in the field and I look forward to racing with them again.”
The Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades 125 takes place under the lights with an 8 p.m. start time on Friday, September 4th. For more information on Brett Moffitt or Andy Santerre Motorsports, visit www.brettmoffitt.com or www.andysanterremotorsports.com.
by Jay | Aug 30, 2009 | Canada, NASCAR
MONTREAL – JR Fitzpatrick showed up to win—no question about it. He won the NAPA Autopro 100 in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 action from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in dominating fashion.
The 21-year-old out of Cambridge, Ont., took control of the race when he slipped inside of Kerry Micks in the hairpin turn on the ninth lap of the race. From there, he went on to build a lead of over five seconds before the caution flag waved on Lap 22 to set up an attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.
On the restart, the front of the field got stacked up as they entered Turn 3. As a result, the car of Scott Steckly ended up on its roof after making contact with Don Thomson Jr. Once the dust cleared, the cars were brought down pit road and the red flag was displayed which ended the event. The race was scheduled for 23 laps or 75 minutes leaving just the one opportunity to finish the race under green.
It was Fitzpatrick’s first win of the season and the fourth in his series career. He last won on June 15, 2007 at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ont.
Points leader Andrew Ranger was able to clear the incident in Turn 3 and finish second. DJ Kennington, who held down second place in the closing laps, was not as fortunate. He got turned around in the fray and blended back into the field in the fourth position which is where NASCAR officials determined his finishing position to be.
After winning the first three road-course events of the year, Ranger was foiled in his bid to win all four road-course races on the 2009 slate. A season ago in this event, Fitzpatrick led much of the race before a late-race bobble allowed Ranger to take the win.
Kerry Micks led the first eight laps of the race and closed out the race in third place. Mark Dilley finished fifth equaling his season-high finish.
Ron Beauchamp Jr., Pierre Bourque, Jeff Lapcevich, Daryl Harr and Jarrad Whissell rounded out the top 10.
The race was slowed three times due to caution for a total of six laps. The race lead changed just one time between two drivers.
In the point standings, Ranger expanded his lead on Kennington by 10 points and now has a 134-point lead heading into the final three race of the season. Beauchamp and Steckly, in third and fourth, respectively, are right on Kennington’s heels.
In qualifying on Saturday, Alex Tagliani picked up his second straight series pole award after winning the pole two weeks ago at Quebec’s Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. In today’s race, Tagliani was knocked out of the race after just 11 laps due to mechanical problems.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 takes a weekend off before heading to Barrie Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 12 for the Torbram Electric 300 presented by The Source.
For More Information, contact:
Shon Sbarra, NASCAR Public Relations, (704) 309-5493 or [email protected]
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by MOBIL 1-AUTOPRO 100 Unofficial Results
Sunday
At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Montreal, Quebec
Lap length: 2.73 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (5) JR Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ont., Chevrolet, 25 laps, 59.723 mph, $6,500.
2. (3) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Ford, 25, $3,200.
3. (2) Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont., Ford, 25, $2,700.
4. (8) DJ Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 25, $4,400.
5. (7) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Dodge, 25, $3,000.
6. (12) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 25, $2,300.
7. (14) Pierre Bourque, Ottawa, Ont., Dodge, 25, $1,600.
8. (13) Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont., Chevrolet, 25, $1,500.
9. (22) Daryl Harr, St. Albert, Alberta, Chevrolet, 25, $1,400.
10. (17) Jarrad Whissell, Calgary, Alberta, Ford, 25, $1,300.
11. (29) Cale Gale, Mobile, Ala., Chevrolet, 25, $2,200.
12. (15) Patrice Brisebois, West Mount, Que., Dodge, 25, $1,100.
13. (30) Jason Hathaway, Appin, Ont., Dodge, 25, $1,080.
14. (26) Patrick Laperle, St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., Dodge, 25, $1,050.
15. (23) Howie Scannell, Jr., Milton, Ont., Dodge, 25, $1,025.
16. (25) Miguel Duhamel, LaSalle, Que., Chevrolet, 25, $1,025.
17. (9) Trevor Seibert, Williams Lake, B.C., Ford, 25, $1,025.
18. (6) Don Thomson, Jr., Hamilton, Ont., Chevrolet, 24, accident, $1,025.
19. (4) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 24, accident, $1,000.
20. (28) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Chevrolet, 24, $1,000.
21. (33) David Thorndyke, Oshawa, Ont., Chevrolet, 24, $1,000.
22. (31) Dexter Stacey, Kahnawake, Que., Pontiac, 23, $1,000.
23. (11) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 21, $1,000.
24. (27) Alan Labrosse, St. Eustache, Que., Ford, 19, $1,000.
25. (34) Michel Pilon, Blainville, Que., Chevrolet, 16, transmission, $1,000.
26. (16) Dave Whitlock, Petrolia, Ont., Dodge, 12, $1,000.
27. (1) Alex Tagliani, Lachenaie, Que., Chevrolet, 11, mechanical, $1,000.
28. (19) Malcolm Strachan, Toronto, Ont., Dodge, 11, $1,000.
29. (18) Joey Hanssen, Venray, Holland, Dodge, 10, transmission, $1,000.
30. (10) Anthony Simone, Holland Landing, Ont., Chevrolet, 8, drive shaft, $1,000.
31. (21) Kent Nuhn, Williamsford, Ont., Chevrolet, 1, transmission, $700.
32. (24) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ont., Dodge, 1, mechanical, $700.
33. (32) Derek White, Kahnawake, Que., Chevrolet, 1, mechanical, $500.
34. (20) Robin Buck, Campbellville, Ont., Ford, 0, dns, $500.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 8 minutes 34 seconds
Margin of Victory: Under Caution
Fastest Qualifier: A.Tagliani (92.022 mph, 106.801 seconds)
Caution Flags: 3 for 6 laps.
Lead Changes: 1 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Micks 1-8; J. Fitzpatrick 9-25.
Standings: 1. A. Ranger, 1724; 2. D. Kennington, 1590; 3. R. Beauchamp,Jr., 1563; 4. S. Steckly, 1506; 5. K. Micks, 1466; 6. A. Simone, 1398; 7. D. Thomson,Jr., 1375; 8. J. Hathaway, 1359; 9. D. Whitlock, 1337; 10. M. Dilley, 1295
by Jay | Aug 30, 2009 | Canada, NASCAR
MONTREAL — Swear out a warrant.
On second thought, break out the champagne.
Carl Edwards’ grand larceny Sunday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve ended with a back flip and a celebration, not a jail term.
With a pass for the lead on the final corner of the final lap of the Nationwide Series NAPA Auto Parts 200, Edwards capitalized on the only mistake Marcos Ambrose made all day to win his first road-course race in one of NASCAR’s top three divisions.
Running on rain tires after a mandatory change for the entire field on Lap 61, Edwards hounded Ambrose for both laps of a green-white-checkered-flag finish and made the winning pass after Ambrose’s car got airborne over the curbing and lost momentum in the final turn of Lap 76.
In collecting his third Nationwide Series victory of the season and the 23rd of his career, Edwards gave Roush Fenway Racing its first road-course win in the series.
“The two laps, Andrew Ranger (who finished third) and I went side by side into Turn 1 (on Lap 75),” said Edwards who trimmed the series points lead of 10th-place finisher Kyle Busch from 248 to 192. “He pinched me off into the grass—which I probably would have done if I was him, too—and I just drove into his door, and we came off of Turn 2 banging doors.
“It was wild, and I thought the whole time Marcos was going to get away with this thing. I broke away from Andrew, and I just gave it everything I had on that last lap, and Marcos just made that one mistake through the curves at the end and gave me the chance to get by.”
Former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve ran fourth to the delight of partisan Quebecers in the packed grandstands. Brad Keselowski came home fifth and tightened his hold on third place in the points standings.
Ambrose, who has finished seventh, third and second in the series’ three races at the 2.7-mile course was despondent at not closing out Edwards after leading 60 laps.
“I just made a mistake at the end there and lost the race,” Ambrose said. “Any other lap, any other corner, I would have got it straight back. It just happened to be the last corner of the race. We had a drag race coming off the hairpin. Carl got position on me, and I had to try to make sure I (outbraked) him.
“I feel pretty devastated, because I let my boys down. We came here to win, and anything less than that was a disappointment.”
Ambrose was in the lead and in control when NASCAR called the eighth caution of the afternoon after a shower hit the racetrack as the cars were working Lap 59. Two laps later, NASCAR ordered the cars to pit road and red-flagged the race while crews mounted rain tires and installed wipers and lights.
After refiring the engines, the field took the green flag double-file on Lap 64, with Ambrose in the lead and Ranger beside him on the front row. Ambrose held the top spot through three more cautions before Edwards, who led three times for three laps, made his move in the final corner.
by Jay | Aug 28, 2009 | ACT, NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) has notified the first 22 teams that have officially been invited to participate in the inaugural ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) on Saturday, September 19th.
Twenty-two teams from all six New England states and the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario have been selected in the first round, following two very successful test and tune sessions at NHMS this past week.
“We still have to fill the field with fourteen more spots and there are a lot of worthy candidates who deserve to be at the inaugural race”, said Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour on Friday. “We confirmed the fourteen qualified teams who earned their spots through wins so far this season, and added another eight teams who we feel will contribute in a positive way to the success of this event for both NHMS and ACT Late Model racing”, continued Curley.
ACT expects to add another six to eight Invitees after this weekend’s event at the Showdown of Champions in Chaudiere, Quebec. The 200-lap event pits the best eleven teams from the ACT US Tour and the best eleven teams from the Série ACT Castrol against each other, with over $35,000 in prize money. All but one selection to make up the 36-car starting field will be done following the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 to be held at Thunder Road Speedbowl on September 6, 2009. The final event will be at the Plattsburgh, NY newly designed ½ mile where up to 50 teams from both the ACT US and Castrol Series are expected to participate in the Fall Foliage 300. The final Invitees will be announced following that event, just prior to the September 19th ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The invited teams include:
* Multiple qualifier wins
Car# State Name Hometown Track/Series Notes
9 ON Brandon Watson Stayner, ON Kawartha Downs NHMS test & tune at large
10 NH Ben Rowe Turner, ME ACT Tour NHMS test & tune at large/PASS Champ
11 VT Jean Paul Cyr Milton, VT Thunder Road 09 TR Champion; 7x ACT Champion
11 RI Ryan Vanesse Warwick, RI Seekonk 09 Trk Champion
14 ON Sean Kennedy Dunrobin, ON Capital City Castrol Event Qualifier
14 VT Phil Scott Montpelier, VT Thunder Road ACT Champion; 3x TR Champion
17 MA Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA ACT Tour Event Qualifier
21 QC Jean-Francois Dery Quebec City, QC Castrol Serie Castrol Qualifier
26 VT John Donahue Graniteville, VT ACT Tour Event Qualifier
35 CT Bruce Thomas Groton, CT Waterford 09 Trk Champion
37* VT Brian Hoar Williston, VT ACT Tour 5x ACT Champion;TR/Airborne Champ
44 VT Dave Pembroke Montpelier, VT Thunder Road ACT Tour Event Qualifier..TR/Champ
48 QC Karl Allard Ste Felicien, QC Castrol Serie Former Castrol Series Champion
55 VT Brent Dragon Milton, VT ACT Tour Castrol Qualifier..Airborne Champ
55* NH Brad Leighton Ctr Harbor, NH ACT Tour ACT Tour Event Qualifier..ACT/Champ
71 ON Dan McHattie Cavan, ON Kawartha, Downs NHMS test & tune at large
80* QC Donald Theerge Quebec City, QC Castrol Serie Castrol Qualifier.. Castrol Champ
89 VT Scott Payea Milton, VT ACT Tour Event Qualifier
91* QC Patrick Laperle Montreal, QC Castrol Serie Castrol Qualifier..US & Castrol Champ
97* NH Joey Polewarczyk, Jr Hudson, NH ACT Tour Event Qualifier
02 NH Randy Potter Groveton, NH ACT Tour NHMS test & tune at large
04 ME TJ Watson Cundys Harbor, ME Wiscasset Event Qualifier
by Jay | Aug 25, 2009 | ACT, NASCAR, New England, Thunder Road
Unadilla, Georgia’s David Ragan will pull into Thunder Road for Thursday night’s final race of the 50th season on a high after a morale boosting victory in Bristol, Tennessee this past weekend over Carl Edwards. The 23 year old prospect for NASCAR stardom won his second Nationwide series of the season after his victory at Talladega, Alabama earlier this summer. The 100 lap main event will put the “scourge” of Georgia short tracking up against Thunder Road’s top talent. Along with his Nationwide series success, he’s been a top ten finisher in the past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 11 times, driving for John Henry (Red Sox Owner) and Jack Roush. He has already been signed for another year in their UPS car for Sprint Cup Racing.
“I am truly excited about the prospect of running at Thunder Road. Tony Stewart told me that seldom in his experience has he raced against guys that drive harder and are more respectful of each other than the guys at Thunder Road”, he said. But he cautioned that you need track time to get in the rhythm of the famed Barre high banks. “I intend to be there early and really work on what everyone tells me is as challenging a short track as one can find in the US”, he said.
Ragan will be carrying his familiar number 6 but the car bears the livery of the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. “It’s a personal thing with me but I know a bit about their burn center and have made Shriner’s my choice of cause in which I want to be involved.”
Ragan hopes with some precautions to challenge Thunder Road’s best including Cris Michaud, Jean-Paul Cyr, Hurricane Fisher, David Pembroke and Phil Scott. This week’s finale is 100 laps for 26 late model cars.
The largest fireworks show ever presented at Thunder Road will conclude the 50th annual Thursday night season leaving only the Bond Auto 250 for the Labor Day Weekend and the famed 47th Chittenden Milk Bowl Saturday, September 26th and Sunday, September 27th.
Post time for this Thursday night’s race is 6:00 p.m.
