Big Ron, truly one of Canada’s greatest driving talents, used his talents in the wet to take the win at yesterday’s rain shortened Nationwide Series race at Montreal’s famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Running in 6th when the rain began on lap 21, Fellows stopped for rains which moved him way back to 26th on the track for the restart.
Driving Dale Jr’s GoDaddy.com car, Fellows showed his true talents when the green finally came back out when he quickly carved back through the field into the top 5. When then leader, fellow Canuck Jacques Villeneuve headed into the pits, Fellows took over the top spot and didn’t look back.
Yet another Canadian, series regular Patrick Carpentier, finished in the 2nd spot. Villeneuve was one of the unfortunate drivers whose team wasn’t prepared with a windshield wiper and JV managed to punt another driver he didn’t see under yellow. The resulting penalty put well back in the field.
In the super emotional victory lane video below, it is obvious why Ron Fellows has been a fan favorite for years and why Corvette racing built their program around him.
Regular readers know that I believe kids can and should be involved in motorsports as early as they show interest. Here in Ontario, kids can start racing karts the year they turn 8 and for those who are into two wheeled action they start riding motocross at 5. Not everyone can be a driver though. As every driver will agree, without enthusiastic crew behind them, there would be no racing. There are so many jobs in the paddock, that even the little ones can have a go, even if they are handing out sandwiches.
The young lad you see above was roughly 12 years old. He was hard at work in the Goodyear compound cleaning and marking slicks for the NASCAR Canada teams. You can pretty much guarantee that this guy will one day be earning his keep working in the big leagues.
If memory serves, the leader of Team California’s Best began his long racing career slinging tires for a funny guy’s racing team.
Thanks to our tight Father’s Day schedule, I wasn’t able to stick around to see the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series battle it out. It’s a bit of a shame, as the always unpredictable Mosport weather dropped a bunch of rain on the roundy round gang. We spent a few moments with Pierre Bourque, who was a bit disappointed with his 20th place starting position. Bourque was hoping for a top ten finish for the first weekend of a new, untested car. Fortunately, his road racing experience (doesn’t it always rain at Daytona) with The Racer’s Group paid off when the skies opened and he worked his way up to 7th by the time the checker fell. On the last lap, J.R. Fitzpatrick came from third to take the win on a wet track.
Check out our gallery of paddock shots after the break Continue reading →
The folks at Shell just love sending me cool videos that I just have to share because they are too fun to keep to myself. This time, we’ve left the Ferrari guys and going around in circles. And around, and around. Harvick looks like he’s out for a Sunday drive, but be sure to keep an eye on the guys in the back!
Next up in our NASCAR podcast series, we have Tony Stewart’s comments following his win at Darlington last week in the Nationwide Series. Stewart took the lead in his Old Spice Toyota with just 2 laps left in the race following a 6 car crash. This was the now mulletless Stewart’s 4th win of the 2008 season.
The Grand-Am Sports Car Series has become a popular diversion for disgruntled NASCAR fans. Tired of uneventful races, there has been no shortage of complaints from wary NASCAR fans. Judging by the crowds, the Grand Am Series is gaining momentum, reaching out to the NASCAR audience. Producing some of the tightest racing and a wide variety of winners, it’s no wonder many fans are making the switch to Grand Am racing. In short, the Grand Am has been a hit with its participants, while providing truly enjoyable entertainment for its audience and, like NASCAR; Grand Am racing is gender neutral which makes it a natural fit for the entire family.
NASCAR has been the target of criticism on various topics from various sources. Some critics note the significant differences between today’s NASCAR vehicles and true “stock” cars. Others frequently cite the dominance of a particular team/driver. Recently, the increased number of caution flags for debris has been hotly debated. Continue reading →
There it was, the moment D.J. Kennington and the entire MacDonald Motorsports team had anticipated all winter long. Eighty-two days after the checkered flag flew on the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series at Homestead, the series now known as the NASCAR Nationwide Series kicked things off Saturday at Daytona.
Kennington, the 30-year-old from St. Thomas, Ontario is a champion in his own right. At the young age of four, D.J. (that’s short for Douglas James) discovered that he had racing in his blood. While other youngsters his age were playing with building blocks and riding tricycles, D.J. was busy racing in go-carts on dirt. After D.J. turned 16 on July 15, 1993, he made his driving debut the following night at Delaware Speedway, winning the first race he ever entered. He was also the youngest rookie in the 1994 CASCAR Super Series, now known as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Filled with a lifelong passion for the sport, he has an incredible drive to win and a competitive spirit. Off the track, he’s admired for his great warmth, strong work ethic, and the way in which he presents himself as a positive role model. That’s why he has the many loyal fans-myself included. Canada loves him – plain and simple. Continue reading →
Pouring on the gas, searching for drafting partners around the 2.5 mile track-there’s only one thing on every drivers mind: the checkered flag! No other race of the year generates as much excitement as the season-opening Daytona 500 and drivers egos are on the line.
All 43 drivers hold their breath entering each turn, knowing that it’s only a matter of time before the ‘big one’ happens. Somewhat of a Daytona tradition, the ‘big one’ managed to skirt around the Great American Race.
After one of the most electrifying Daytona 500s to date - one that saw 42 lead changes and 16 different leaders – not to mention a new car. At Daytona, however, appearances can be deceiving. Within the first ten laps on Sunday, the worst-case scenario looked like it would play out. After a rocky start, 43 talented drivers in NASCAR did what they do best; they worked through a difficult situation, driving to the best of their ability and more or less kept their cars in one piece. There were still a few isolated incidents; fighting ill-handling race cars and tire blistering posed the biggest problems of the day. After a weekend racing with the COT for the first time at Daytona, drivers left relatively unscathed; no major crashes, no drivers injured, and no caution due to a Robby Gordon incident-now that’s a real surprise! Continue reading →
After the dreariness of the long winter months, it’s finally time to beat the winter blues with some good old NASCAR racing. For NASCAR drivers, it’s time to get back to work. Thirty-six races means thirty-six opportunities to take a trip to victory lane.
On the other end of the spectrum, fans all across the country anxiously await the end of the off season. It’s time to get the blood pumping and the mind fixated on race stats, point standings and winless streaks.
On that note, let’s can the small talk, and check out some things to look for as the 2008 season gets underway:
For those drivers outside of the top 35 in owner points, the first five races are going to be anything but stress-free. Securing enough points so that they are automatically locked into the field each week will be a challenging task. When the cars roll into Martinsville Speedway on March 30, teams that make it in the top 35 in owner points can breathe a little easier.
As the clock ticks down until the 2008 NASCAR season officially opens at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is poised to shake up the NASCAR scene and showcase his talent with consistent top-5 and top-10 finishes. After all, Jr. won’t be shut out of victory lane this season, that’s for sure!
Got a bad case of ‘NASCAR Withdrawal Syndrome’? Hang tight, there’s only 21 days left until the 50th running of the Daytona 500 and we will, once again, be talking NASCAR, arguing NASCAR & getting our general fill of everything NASCAR.
When NASCAR fans look back on the 2007 season, most often the first story that comes to mind is Dale Jr. leaving DEI. In no particular order here’s a look at some of the other moments that rounded out the 2007 NASCAR season:
Chaos in Canada as Robby Gordon & Marcos Ambrose Lock Heads Who could ever forget the chaos that was the inaugural Busch Series race in Canada? Whenever there’s controversy on the track, one of the first names that always comes to mind is Robby Gordon. Let’s face it, controversy ignites the sport of auto racing. Let’s take a moment to recap….
