NASCAR IN CANADA


NASCAR RACING & CANADA OVER THE YEARS


NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has held two events in Canada. The first was on July 1, 1952 in Stamford Park at Niagara Falls, Ontario. Buddy Shuman won the event in a


H


NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racers, sponsors and officials took part in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to the series’ first-ever race, on May 26, 2007 at Cayuga Speedway.


HISTORY OF THE NASCAR CANADIAN


S O O


TIRE SERIES N


ow in its fourth season, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by


Mobil 1 is coming off three highly suc- cessful seasons. Capacity crowds have been the hallmark of the young series, racing in front of 60,000 fans in both Ed- monton and Montreal. The hotly-contested competition and


Canada’s excitement for the NASCAR brand have been two of the primary rea- sons for the tremendous support. NASCAR announced in September


2006 the purchase of the CASCAR Super Series, the top stock-car racing series in Canada. At the same time, they an- nounced a long-term sponsorship agree- ment with Canadian Tire Corporation as the entitlement sponsor of the new series. A gradual implementation of both competition and safety-based modifica- tions have been made to the cars used in the CASCAR Super Series. These have in- cluded a move to a Goodyear 9.5” tire, the same size that is used in all NASCAR stock-car series, on-dash electrical and ig- nition systems, in-car fire suppression equipment and increased fuel cell pro- tection. In 2009, the option of utilizing the NASCAR spec engine program was introduced. The first race was held on May 26, 2007


at Cayuga Motor Speedway and Don Thomson Jr. won a spirited battle for the


60 • NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES PHOTO BY G. MACPHERSON


first series win. Andrew Ranger, in his first year of stock-car competition, won the second race at Mosport International Raceway. He took over the lead in the point standings after that event and never relin- quished it on his way to the first champi- onship. The first season saw no less than five races decided on the final lap. The second season, in 2008, featured


Scott Steckly and his sometimes dominat- ing run to the series crown. He won three of the first four events of the year and held a tight grip on the driver championship point standings all season long. He set a series record with four victories in all. Also, Thomson established a series record with seven poles throughout the year. In 2009, Andrew Ranger, again, took


center stage by winning his second series championship in three seasons. He completed his transition from the open-wheel racing world by incorporating his highly-skilled abilities on the road courses with equally as strong program on the oval tracks. On the season, he won a single-season series record six races; three on road courses and three on ovals. In just three seasons, five drivers have


moved up to compete in two of three NASCAR’s top series. JR Fitzpatrick, DJ Kennington, Ranger, Steckly and Thomson have competed in the NASCAR Nation- wide Series. Fitzpatrick has also raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Ranger finished third in the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series event in Montreal after having a spirited battle with eventual race winner Carl Edwards for much of the race.


Hudson Hornet. The track was a half- mile dirt track. The second race was run at the Canadian National Exhibi- tion Speedway in Toronto. Lee Petty won the race in an Oldsmobile. This race was Richard Petty’s first race in NASCAR’s premier series. Some Canadian drivers who have participated in the NASCAR races in- clude Earl Ross, the 1974 Rookie of the Year in NASCAR’s premier series, and Roy Smith, four-time NASCAR West Series champion. Dick Foley from Montreal also raced


in the premier Series and competed in the first Daytona 500. In the 1950s, Norman Schihl raced in the old NASCAR Convertible Division. Jean Guy Chartrand and Jean Paul


Cabana were stars in the NASCAR Modified Division of the 1960s and 70s. Former Autodrome St-Eustache


owner Claude Aubin is a popular rac- ing figure in Quebec and also a familiar figure in the history of NASCAR. Aubin was the NASCAR North Series champion in 1978 and raced at tradi- tional NASCAR venues including Mar- tinsville and Daytona during his driving career.


Canadian tracks held races in most NASCAR divisions (Hobby, Sportsman and Modifieds) going back to the 1950s. Tracks such as Bouvrette Speed- way in St. Jerome, Quebec, Drum- mondville Speedway and Riverside Speedway in Montreal and Fury Speed- way in Fabreville have held NASCAR sanctions in the past. The NASCAR West Series has raced


at Western Speedway in Victoria, British Columbia, Westwood Speedway in Vancouver (BC) and Langley Speed- way in Langley (BC).


istorically, NASCAR’s premier series, known today as the


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