Rolfsracing.com - News Blog

Vortex Brake Pads 200 This Weekend At Mosport

ANDREW RANGER

Bowmanville, Ontario - Next on Mosport’s 50th anniversary season schedule is the Vortex Brake Pads 200 this weekend. Headlining the three-day weekend is Canada’s top stock car championship, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. These machines will take to Mosport’s road course for their second race of the season on Sunday June 13.

Defending Series champion Andrew Ranger, who will run a limited Canadian schedule this season while chasing the US-based NASCAR K & N title, makes his first start at Mosport. Another young Series star, JR Fitzpatrick, is also spending most of his season stateside, but will run a handful of Canadian Tire Series events including Mosport. The sparks may fly as Ranger and Fitzpatrick renew their heated Mosport rivalry of two years ago.

Both can expect stiff competiton from Series veterans such as 2008 champion Scott Steckly, DJ Kennington, Don Thompson Jr., Ron Beauchamp and Kerry Micks, along with a pack of hard-charging, rising stars like Jason Hathoway, Anthony Simone and Joey Hanssen.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla Andrew Ranger, the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 champion, will utilize his secured starting position - earned as a NASCAR Developmental Series champion - in the NASCAR Toyota All Star Showdown on Jan. 29-30 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.).

Andrew Ranger

The annual all star event attracts the top drivers from across North America to what has become the pinnacle of short track racing in the U.S. and is often referred to as the ‘Daytona 500 of short-track racing.’

The 23 year-old Ranger, out of Roxton Pond, Que., will pilot a car out of the Steve McGowen stable. McGowen fields the Chevrolet driven by David Mayhew, who won a pair of NASCAR K&N Pro Series West events in 2009. Mayhew, too, has a secure spot in the starting lineup as a NASCAR K&N Pro Series race winner.

“I’m really excited about this opportunity to race against all these talented drivers,” said Ranger.

In 2009, Ranger won his second Canadian Tire Series championship in three years on the power of a single season series record six wins and outdistanced frequent NASCAR Nationwide Series competitor DJ Kennington by 167 points for the crown. Among those six victories, three came on oval tracks while the others were a result of his tremendous prowess on road courses.

It was through his road course ability that he caught the attention of the U.S. stock car media last August in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event in Montreal. Ranger staged a race long battle with Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose before settling for a third place finish in the race.

His first stock-car victory on an oval track came last July 18 at SunValley Speedway in Vernon, B.C., where he dominated on the half mile trioval by lapping every car in the field but one. This win validated his skills behind the wheel of a NASCAR race car after making the switch from open wheel racing where he was a top-10 performer in the Champ Car World Series, which since has reunified with the Indy Car.

“That victory was huge for me,” said Ranger. “If I was going to be racing in NASCAR, then I had to be able to win on ovals. Everything clicked that night. All of the things that Dave Jacombs (car owner) and Billy Burns (crew chief) had taught me fell into place.”

This will be Ranger’s second appearance in the NASCAR Toyota All Star Showdown having competed in the event following his first Canadian Tire Series championship in 2007. That outing lasted just 31 laps, leaving him with a 39th place finish.

>>>>>Read more in our RolfsRacing.com 2010 News Page.

Team Release

TROIS-RIVIERES, Quebec - After having shown his immense talent two weeks ago in Montreal, it is now official; Andrew Ranger will finish the season and participate in seven NASCAR Nationwide Series events starting Friday August 22. The announcement was made Sunday in the media centre of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

Once again, it will be at the wheel of the No. 22 Fitz Motorsports car that Andrew Ranger will start in the Food City 250 which will take place at the legendary Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. This event will be a first for Andrew; a Nationwide Series race on an oval track.

Andrew Ranger is also confirmed to participate in the races at Richmond, Charlotte, Memphis, Texas, Phoenix and will close out the season in Homestead on November 15 during the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup season finale. All these races will be on oval race tracks. Andrew is sponsored by Tide, Wal-Mart, Supercuts, Habitations Éric Alary and Autodrome St-Eustache for his NASCAR debut in the United States. Andrew will continue and complete his season in the Canadian Series where he will attempt to win back to back championships. He is presently fourth in the standings only 134 points out of first place.

Armando Fitz, Fitz Motorsports team owner, is very confident to put a talented young driver such as Andrew at the wheel of his car. “I really loved his perseverance in Montreal. This promising driver is not afraid to mix it up. His profile is also exactly the image we want our team and sponsors to portray.”

“I am really happy and honored that Fitz Motorsports have chosen me as their driver for these races,” Ranger said. “To run in the Nationwide Series is a new challenge for me and also an excellent path for my career as a NASCAR driver. I am more than ready to take this on and I will give it everything I’ve got to position myself as a contender in this series. I want to thank all the fans that encourage me continually, their support is very important for me. I would also like to thank my sponsors who are offering me an opportunity to realize a dream. However, I want to indicate that I will continue to compete in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.”

Roxton Pond, Quebec driver Andrew Ranger, in the No. 22 Fitz Motorsports car, won the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Ranger took advantage of an error by JR Fitzpatrick, who had slipped in the Senna turn, at the very last lap of the 23 lap race to take the lead and get the victory from Scott Steckly.

“I haven’t won a race here in a long time and to do it in front of my family and fans is really nice,” said Ranger. “Last year I came close, so it’s good to win it this year.”

Series leader Scott Steckly of Milverton, Ont., came in second with last year’s winner Kerry Micks of Mt. Albert, Ont. coming in third.

Alex Tagliani of Lachenaie, Que., who won in Edmonton last week, was out of the race after seven laps with a blown engine.

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Local Montreal driver Andrew Ranger was added onto the entry list for the Nationwide NAPA Auto Parts 200 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this Saturday.

The former Champ Car driver and last years overall Champion in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be joining 2 other local drivers on the track, Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier, to get the home crowd going.

Andrew ranger will be driving the #22 Fitz Motorsports Dodge. This is the same car that Patrick Carpentier drove last year in the same race. Carpentier got pole position and finished the race in 2nd place. Lets hope Rangers does as well or better.

“We got a great opportunity,” Ranger said “NASCAR Canada helped. They said no one was available to drive the No. 22 car and they called us to see if we were interested. It’s unbelievable to have that drive. I’m so proud. I’ll do my best. To finish in the top 10 would be great for us.”

We hope that this might lead into a Nextel career for this talented driver.

Alex Tagliani won the Edmonton Canadian Tire Series 100 at Rexall Speedway by 1.404 seconds over 2nd place finisher Scott Steckly. This is Tagliani’s first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series win.
“Wow! What a thrill this is,” said Tagliani. “We’ve had some problems this year with the equipment, but all the credit goes to the crew. They gave me a great car and all I had to do was drive.”

Tagliani’s team mate Andrew Ranger came in 3rd.
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