2009 Mosport - NASCAR Canadian Tire Series

In 2009, the Canadian NASCAR series was in its third season. With Canadian Tire as the primary sponsor, NASCAR had developed a successful format that attracted competitors and fans.

There were some changes to the 2009 schedule – mainly the order of the race weekends. The title chase started at Autodrome St. Eustache and was followed by a race at Delaware Speedway which replaced the event previously conducted at Cayuga Speedway. Next up was the first road course event of the year at Mosport Park. There would be an additional event held at this facility – a race on the oval track in August. After Mosport, teams made their second visit to Autodrome St. Eustache. The western swing included races at Vernon, Edmonton and Saskatoon. Saskatoon replaced the second date held by Cayuga Speedway in 2008. The crews traveled east to events in Quebec – Trois Rivieres and Montreal. Then it was back to Ontario and Barrie Speedway with the penultimate round taking place at Riverside Speedway in Nova Scotia. The championship would end in late September at Kawartha Speedway. In total, there were thirteen race weekends and the series would visit twelve different tracks in six provinces.

The cars competing in the championship are constructed to specifications and rules typical of most stock car series. The chassis is a steel tube frame design covered with a fiberglass body and is required to weigh no less than 3000-lbs. Body styles are from manufacturers such as Dodge (Avenger), Pontiac (Grand Prix), Ford (Fusion) and Chevrolet (Monte Carlo SS). Engine type and displacement are dictated by the make and model of the vehicle. The carbureted eight-cylinder motors produce approximately 650-horsepower. Depending on the gearing, these cars are estimated to have a top speed of 160-mph.

Mosport Park hosted round three, the Dickies 200, of the 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. During the event, drivers would compete in a fifty-one-lap race around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

The front row of Andrew Ranger and Scott Steckly hold their positions as they exit Mosport’s corner one. Behind the two fastest qualifiers is Kerry Micks in the Beyond Digital Image sponsored Ford Fusion. Trailing the top three is the fourth place starter Don Thomson, Jr. driving the Home Hardware Chevrolet Impala SS. There were a total of twenty-four starters with twenty competitors running at the finish.

It was a good points day for the 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion, Andrew Ranger. Ranger driving the No. 27 Ford Fusion was sixth in the standings and forty-three points behind the leader, Ron Beauchamp, Jr. heading into Mosport. At the Dickies 200 weekend, he was the quickest in the practice and qualifying sessions and led thirty-one of the fifty-one-laps. The victory catapulted Ranger to second in the title chase.

Although the season was young, Anthony Simone had already scored a top-five finish. But Mosport would allow him to showcase his road racing skills. Simone drove the No. 95 Chevrolet Impala SS and started in sixth place. In the race, he soon joined the leaders and led a total of thirteen-laps. Unfortunately, Simone, could match the pace of Ranger and finished second by 6.678-seconds – his best series result to date.

Qualifying just 0.289-seconds behind the pole-sitter, Andrew Ranger was the 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion, Scott Steckly. As the defending titleholder, his season was off to a good start with a fourth at Autodrome St. Eustache and third at Delaware Speedway. At the beginning of the Dickies 200, Steckly chased the leader Ranger but by lap-15, he fell out of contention and only completed twenty-one-laps.

The Dickies 200 marked the first NCATS race of the season for J.R. Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick missed qualifying and was required to start at the rear of the twenty-four car field. Why did he miss qualifying – he was competing in the Nascar Truck race at Michigan (he qualified eighth and finished twenty-first). At Mosport, Fitzpatrick in the No. 84 Chevrolet Impala SS drove through the field and grabbed the final spot on the podium.

Second and third place finishes in the first two rounds gave Ron Beauchamp, Jr. the points lead. The driver of the No. 60 Mopar Dodge Avenger qualified eleventh. During the race, Beauchamp moved up the order and by lap-33, he was in fifth place – his finishing position. Although this was a good result and Beauchamp still led the standings, the point’s gap between him and Andrew Ranger had shrunk to just eight markers.

Kerry Micks’ season was off to a great start – two top-five finishes which included a second place. Although recognized for his oval prowess, Micks was always a threat on the road courses as evidenced by his victories at Montreal and Trois-Rivieres in 2007. At Mosport, he started third in the No. 02 Ford Fusion. Unfortunately, Micks fell out of contention when he had an incident with Don Thomson, Jr. on lap-15.

For the longest time, Robin Buck was acknowledged as the series ‘road course ringer.’ But oval drivers adapted as the schedule included more road circuits. With backing from Active Green+Ross and Durabody, Buck qualified the No. 66 Ford Fusion eighth quickest. During the race, he joined the leaders but on lap-32, Buck received a drive-through penalty for passing during a yellow flag – he finished sixth.

The No. 17 Castrol sponsored Dodge Avenger was driven by D.J. Kennington. Kennington lost an engine in round one at Autodrome St. Eustache but was back on form at Delaware Speedway where he took the victory. He was gridded fifth for the start of the Dickies 200 and ran as high as third. At the checkered flag, Kennington was in fourth place after a late race battle with J.R. Fitzpatrick.

Standing on the top of the rostrum for the first time in 2009 is the 2007 series champion and race winner, Andrew Ranger. To the left of Ranger, is the runner-up and driver of the Crown Modular/United Lumber sponsored Chevrolet Monte Caro SS, Anthony Simone. Completing the podium is J.R. Fitzpatrick who drove the Fitzpatrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS.

FINISH	START	DRIVERS	SPONSOR / CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	1	Andrew Ranger	WAL-MART/Tide / Ford Fusion	51	-
2	6	Anthony Simone	Crown Modular/United Lumber / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS	51	-
3	13	J.R. Fitzpatrick	Fitzpatrick Motorsports / Chevrolet Impala SS	51	-
4	5	D.J. Kennington	Mahindra Tractor/Castrol / Dodge Avenger	51	-
5	11	Ron Beauchamp, Jr.	Mopar/Mobil 1 / Dodge Avenger	51	-
6	8	Robin Buck	Active Green+Ross/Durabody / Ford Fusion	51	-
7	19	Jeff Lapcevich	Tim Hortons / Chevrolet Impala SS	51	-
8	10	Jason Hathaway	Snap-on Tools/Vortex Brake Pads / Dodge Avenger	51	-
9	14	Howie Scannell, Jr.	Lucas Oil/RC Trailers / Dodge Avenger	50	-
10	9	Mark Dilley	Dodge/Leland Industries / Dodge Avenger	50	-
11	15	Kent Nuhn	The Fuel Genie / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS	50	-
12	17	Derek Lynch	Kawartha Speedway / Dodge Avenger	50	-
13	20	Pierre Bourque	Aaron's Dream Machine / Dodge Avenger	50	-
14	12	Trevor Seibert	Lake Excavating/Avion Motorsports / Ford Fusion	50	-
15	21	Jason White	A&W/Zimmer-Wheaton GMC / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS	50	-
16	3	Kerry Micks	Beyond Digital Imaging / Ford Fusion	49	-
17	22	John Fletcher	Lucas Oil/JBM Leasing / Dodge Avenger	49	-
18	16	Jarrad Whissell	SMS Equipment/Komatsu / Ford Fusion	48	-
19	7	Dave Whitlock	Dickies/NMT / Dodge Avenger	28	-
20	2	Scott Steckly	Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box / Dodge Avenger	21	-
21	24	Dexter Stacey	WJS Motorsports / Pontiac Grand Prix	21	Transmission
22	4	Don Thomson, Jr.	Home Hardware / Chevrolet Impala SS	16	Engine
23	18	Joey Hanssen	Prime Champ / Dodge Avenger	3	Accident
24	23	David Thorndyke	Thorsons EVT/iRacing.com / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS	3	Mechanical

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