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In September 2006, NASCAR announced the purchase of Canada’s premier stock car series - CASCAR.
They also revealed a long-term sponsorship agreement with the Canadian Tire Corporation.
This signaled a new era for professional stock car racing in Canada.
The series debuted in late May at Cayuga Speedway. The opening round was followed by races at Mosport International Raceway and Barrie Speedway. The teams then traveled west competing at SunValley Speedway in British Columbia and the Edmonton City Center Airport. In August, the series made its first visit to Quebec with an event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Round seven was another weekend at Mosport but this time it was on the oval which was followed by Circuit Trois Rivieres, Quebec. The championship returned to Cayuga and Barrie in early September. The penultimate round was at Riverside Speedway in Nova Scotia with the finale being held at Kawartha Speedway. There was a total of twelve race weekends in five different provinces. The first season included many of the teams that had previously participated in the CASCAR series and some new faces. The switch to NASCAR also meant changes to event procedures, technical inspections and the cars. The series cars are a constructed using a steel tube frame design covered with a fiberglass body and are required to weigh no less than 3000-lbs with the driver. Eligible body styles are the 2005-2007 Dodge (Avenger and Charger), Ford (Fusion and Taurus), Pontiac (Grand Prix) and Chevrolet (Monte Carlo SS). Engine displacement which can range from 350-360-cu.in. is dictated by the make and model of the vehicle. The carbureted eight-cylinder motors produce approximately 550-horsepower at 6,500-rpm and depending on gearing can achieve a speed of 160-mph. The second race of the season was held at the Mosport International Raceway. Competitors would compete in the Dickies 200 presented by Canadian Shield.
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Twenty-nine drivers line-up for fifty-one-laps around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course at Mosport. On the pole is former open-wheel race, Andrew Ranger in the No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide sponsored Ford Fusion. Sharing the front row with Ranger is the Milwaukee Electric Tools sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS driven by J.R. Fitzpatrick. The third and fourth fastest qualifiers were D.J. Kennington and Kerry Micks. |
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Prior to entering the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Andy Ranger had a successful road racing career in open-wheelers. Ranger won titles in Karting and the Fran Am Championship and participated in the Champ Car World Series. He started on the pole at Mosport, his second stock car race, and despite a ‘drive-through’ penalty, he was in contention at the end of the contest – an aggressive pass gave Ranger the victory. |
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J.R. Fitzpatrick was the last driver to win the CASCAR Super Series championship – the series was replaced by the NASCAR Canadian Tire championship. At Mosport, Fitzpatrick was gridded second and had a race long battle with Andrew Ranger. With less the ten-laps remaining, Fitzpatrick was leading but Andrew Ranger bumped his way by at Moss corner. Unable to regain the position, he finished second. |
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An accident in the first round at Cayuga took Ron Beauchamp, Jr. out of contention. Qualifying in the top-ten at Mosport would give the driver of the No. 60 Mobil 1/Mopar sponsored Dodge Charger an opportunity to redeem himself. Beauchamp, Jr. drove a steady race from the seventh starting spot and had an uneventful race. At the checkered flag, he captured the final position on the podium. |
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Peter Gibbons won the 1999 and 2000 CASCAR Super Series Champion and was victorious at the legendary road course in 1999. Gibbons finished third in the season’s first race a Cayuga International Speedway. Driving the Canadian Tire/Mastercraft Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, he qualified sixth and finished fourth. Gibbons left Mosport second in the standings – trailing the leader, Andrew Ranger by fifteen-points. |
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Don Thomson, Jr. won the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series first race driving the No. 4 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. Historically, Thomson, Jr. did not have a lot of luck at the Mosport road course. In the 2006 CASCAR event, he retired with a valve cover gasket issue. The problems this year were more serious. During the race, Thomson, Jr. lost the clutch and after thirty-laps, he retired with a blown motor. |
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D.J. Kennington was also a former winner at the Mosport road course. Kennington drove the Castrol Oil sponsored Dodge Charger and was gridded third for the start of the race. During the contest, he lost a couple of positions to Peter Gibbons and Ron Beauchamp, Jr. At the checkered flag, Kennington was in fifth place. This was a big improvement over the season opener at Cayuga where he was the first driver to retire. |
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The No. 3 Dodge Avenger was driven by Jason Hathaway. Hathaway was required to start at the back of the grid after the Ed Hakonson crew decided to perform an engine change after qualifying. This was not a major concern for the team as Hathaway had qualified twenty-third in the twenty-nine car field. He moved through the field, finishing one-lap behind the leaders in fifteenth place. |
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Best described as a ‘road course ringer’, Robin Buck was always a threat to win when the series competed at any venue other than an oval. The road courses favoured Buck’s talent as his early racing experience was obtained competing in the very popular Players/General Motor series. At Mosport, he qualified the Dave Jacombs’ Ford Fusion ninth but retired after thirty-three-laps with a blown engine. |
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Miguel Duhamel a professional motorcycle racer and son of Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame member, Yvon Duhamel made his NASCAR Canadian Tire start debut at Mosport. Duhamel entered the series with an impressive resume racing motorcycles – eighty-six career American Motorcycle Association victories. At Mosport, he qualified nineteenth and a steady performance resulted in an eleventh place finish. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVERS | SPONSOR / CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Andrew Ranger | WAL-MART/Tide / Ford Fusion | 51 | - |
| 2 | 2 | J.R. Fitzpatrick | Milwaukee Tools / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 51 | - |
| 3 | 7 | Ron Beauchamp, Jr. | Mopar/Mobil 1 / Dodge Avenger | 51 | - |
| 4 | 6 | Peter Gibbons | Canadian Tire / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 51 | - |
| 5 | 3 | D.J. Kennington | Castrol / Dodge Charger | 51 | - |
| 6 | 14 | Mark Dilley | Wild Wing / Dodge Avenger | 51 | - |
| 7 | 12 | Jeff Lapcevich | Tim Hortons / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 51 | - |
| 8 | 10 | Dave Whitlock | Dickies/Hamilton Tiger Cats / Dodge Charger | 51 | - |
| 9 | 13 | Derek Lynch | Canadian Shield / Dodge Charger | 51 | - |
| 10 | 15 | Brad Graham | Full Throttle/Challenger / Dodge Charger | 51 | - |
| 11 | 19 | Miguel Duhamel | Bitumar / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 51 | - |
| 12 | 21 | John Gaunt | Centennial Chrysler / Dodge Avenger | 51 | - |
| 13 | 22 | Pierre Bourque | Driving.ca / Dodge Charger | 51 | - |
| 14 | 18 | Doug Brown | Haldex/NAPA / Dodge Charger | 51 | - |
| 15 | 23 | Jason Hathaway | Snap-on Tools / Dodge Avenger | 50 | - |
| 16 | 17 | Ron Van Es | Star Van Systems / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 50 | - |
| 17 | 20 | Trevor Seibert | Lake Excavating / Ford Fusion | 50 | - |
| 18 | 24 | David Thorndyke | Thorsons / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 50 | - |
| 19 | 27 | John Tsoumaris | John's Unique Auto Body / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 49 | - |
| 20 | 8 | Scott Steckly | Erb Transport / Dodge Charger | 48 | - |
| 21 | 4 | Kerry Micks | Beyond Digital / Ford Taurus | 47 | Suspension |
| 22 | 11 | Jim Lapcevich | Tim Hortons / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 41 | Engine |
| 23 | 9 | Robin Buck | Jacombs Racing / Ford Fusion | 33 | Engine |
| 24 | 5 | Don Thomson, Jr. | Home Hardware / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 30 | Engine |
| 25 | 26 | Joey McColm | ATTO Insurance / Dodge Avenger | 29 | Transmission |
| 26 | 29 | Kent Nuhn | Nuhn's Auto Recyclers / Pontiac Grand Prix | 18 | Transmission |
| 27 | 25 | Bryan Cathcart | Texon Tool Supply / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 14 | Brakes |
| 28 | 16 | Peter Klutt | Legendary Motors / Pontiac Grand Prix | 4 | Engine |
| 29 | 28 | Kenny Forth | Parkinson Tours / Ford Taurus | 2 | Engine |
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