THe CoNTeNdeRS
J.R. Fitzpatrick (84) is hungry for his first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Presented by Mobil 1 championship, while two-time champs DJ Kennington (17) and Scott Steckly (22) are both hunting for their third. It’s likely the 2013 champion will be one of these three drivers.
RiSiNg To THe CHAlleNge By J. Wally Nesbitt
With the obvious depth of talent in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Presented by Mobil 1, it would be reasonable to assume that a dart tossed at the driver roster at any event on the schedule would strike the name of a potential race winner. However, a successful championship cam- paign consists of more than an occasional race victory. Rather, there are multiple challenges and issues that must be faced and overcome before a title contender becomes a NASCAR champion. Talent, experience, hard work and prepara-
tion – plus a heaping side order of ‘racing luck’ – must be combined in perfect propor- tions in order for the recipe to turn out. But inevitably, when all the pieces fit, the reward is worth the effort.
When all of the factors are taken into ac- count, the list of championship candidates de- creases somewhat, with the legitimate likely contenders listed below.
dJ KeNNiNgToN
In the six previous race seasons, no driver has been able to score back-to-back NASCAR Canadian Tire Series titles, although reigning champion DJ Kennington certainly has the po- tential to accomplish this feat in 2013. Coming off of a dominating performance that saw the St. Thomas, Ontario resident claim seven wins in 12 starts, Kennington and his No. 17 Castrol Edge / Mahindra Dodge
22 NASCAR CANAdiAN TiRe SeRieS
team return to the series with race-proven equipment, an experienced support crew, solid financial backing from longtime support- ers Castrol and Mahindra, and a positive, de- termined attitude.
Although most ‘at home’ on the ovals – hav- ing scored 16 of his 18 career victories on cir- cle tracks – Kennington has developed into a contender on road courses as well, as evi- denced by his victory last year on the Edmon- ton City Centre Airport circuit and his accompanying four additional top five road course results.
If there is one concern that may affect the performance of the DJK Racing squad, it may be their workload and the potential distraction of preparing entries for several other drivers, although this has not proven to be a problem in the past. Few are willing to bet against Ken- nington winning his third NASCAR Canadian Tire Series title, in 2013.
SCoTT STeCKly
Another two-time Canadian Tire Series champion, Scott Steckly was surprisingly un- able to crack into the ‘win’ column last year. His runner-up result at the half-mile Delaware Speedway oval was his best in 2012. However, the driver of the No. 22 Canadian
Tire / Sylvania Dodge was always found near the front, as his record of eight top five finishes and a pair of pole positions will attest. No one would be surprised to see Steckly return to vic- tory lane and the top of the Canadian Tire Se-
Greg MacPherson
Who will leave Kawartha Speedway with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship Trophy? ries rankings in 2013.
While undoubtedly a talented road racer,
Steckly’s strength is on oval tracks where he’s earned all 11 of his career NASCAR victories. So with eight of the series’ 12 races taking place on ovals this season (there were five road course events in 2012), this change could play out in Steckly’s favour.
J.R. FiTZPATRiCK
Over the past three seasons, J.R. Fitzpatrick has not finished outside of the top three in the year-end standings. In fact, he’s coming off a runner-up overall result in 2012. With eight career victories and 46 top ten
finishes in 66 starts, Fitzpatrick has proven him- self to be a potential frontrunner. In 2012, the 25-year-old former CASCAR champion piloted his No. 84 Equipment Express / Cambridge Rig- ging Chevy to four pole positions and a pair of race victories (at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve), and will be looking to build on those statistics this year. Fiercely competitive, there will not be a driver on the tour hungrier for success. And with former NASCAR frontrunner and five- time Canadian national stock car champion Don Thomson Jr. calling the shots from the top of the pitbox again this year, the timing could be right for Fitzpatrick to claim his first NASCAR crown.
louiS-PHiliPPe duMouliN Heading into only his second full season on
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