JR Fitzpatrick leads all drivers with 4 wins at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. (Photo-Mike Sullivan/RaceCanada.ca)
Daytona Beach, Florida – The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 returns to Ontario and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Pinty's presents the Clarington 200 on Sunday in rural Bowmanville. Below is a statistical look at the performance of the series and selected drivers at the track:
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Race Setup:
· Season points leader L.P. Dumoulin is the defending winner of the Pinty's presents the Clarington 200. He swept both events at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2013 to become the first driver in series history to win back-to-back races at the road course.
· J.R. Fitzpatrick has a series-leading four wins at CTMP in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 action, including the 2014 season opener.
· Andrew Ranger won at CTMP in both of his championship seasons, including the series' inaugural event at the track in 2007.
· Multi-time champions D.J. Kennington and Scott Steckly will be looking to end different streaks this week. Kennington is in the midst of the second-longest winless drought of his career (12 races) while Steckly is still in search of his first career road course triumph.
At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park:
History
· Opened in 1961 as Mosport Park. The name Mosport was a contraction of motor sport.
· Has played host to the American Le Mans Series, CASCAR Super Series, Can-Am, Formula 1, IndyCar, Tudor United SportsCar and USAC Champ Car, among others, through the years.
· Welcomed the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 for the first time on June 17, 2007 in an event won by Andrew Ranger.
· Was renamed from Mosport International Raceway to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in February 2012.
· Held the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event on Sept. 1, 2013.
Notebook
· CTMP has welcomed the NCATS nine times previously, which the most events for any road course since the series began competition in 2007.
· This is the second season in a row that CTMP will have two NCATS road course events after single races there from 2007-12.
· Seven drivers have participated in all nine previous events, and all seven are expected to extend the streak this week.
· The nine previous races have produced four different winners, led by J.R. Fitzpatrick's four.
· There have been four different pole winners in eight contests, led by Andrew Ranger's four.
· There has yet to be a wire-to-wire victory at CTMP, but Ranger twice won from the pole.
· Fitzpatrick was the youngest CTMP race winner at 20 years, 1 month and 6 days.
· L.P. Dumoulin was the oldest CTMP victor at 34 years, 6 months and 11 days.
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Data
Race #: 9 of 11 overall, 2 of 2 at CTMP
Track Layout: 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course
Race Length: 51 laps (125.4 miles, 201.8 kilometers)
Telecast: TSN2 - Sat., Sept. 6, 5:30 p.m.; RDS2 - TBA
Qualifying/Race Data
2013 Race Winner: L.P. Dumoulin, 70.085 mph, 1 hr. 28 mins. 25 secs.
2013 Pole Winner: Jeff Lapcevich, Dodge, 105.227 mph, 84.087 mph
Qualifying Record: J.R. Fitzpatrick, Chevrolet, 106.289 mph, 83.286 secs., 5/18/13
Active Category Leaders at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park:
Wins
1. J.R. Fitzpatrick ... 4
2. L.P. Dumoulin ... 2
Andrew Ranger ... 2
4. D.J. Kennington ... 1
Poles
1. Andrew Ranger ... 4
2. Scott Steckly ... 2
3. J.R. Fitzpatrick ... 1
Jeff Lapcevich ... 1
Top Fives
1. J.R. Fitzpatrick ... 8
D.J. Kennington ... 8
3. Andrew Ranger ... 5
Top 10s
1. D.J. Kennington ... 9
2. J.R. Fitzpatrick ... 8
Jeff Lapcevich ... 8
Laps Led
1. J.R. Fitzpatrick ... 185
2. Andrew Ranger ... 50
3. L.P. Dumoulin ... 44
Laps Completed
1. D.J. Kennington ... 455 (all)
Jeff Lapcevich ... 455
3. Kerry Micks ... 438
Select Driver Highlights:
Robin Buck (No. 66 Robin Buck Racing Dodge)
· Has two wins, 11 top fives and 15 top 10s in 26 career NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 starts.
· Made his series debut at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2007. May's CTMP season-opener was also the location of his only previous start this year.
· Has six top 10s, an average finish of 12th and a best result of third (twice) in nine career starts at CTMP.
J.F. Dumoulin (No. 04 Bernier Crepeau Chrysler/Bellemare Dodge)
· Part-time (road course) driver has as nine top 10s in 18 career NASCAR Canadian Tire Series starts.
· Best career finish of fourth was recorded earlier this month at Circuit de Trois-Rivieres.
· Has finishes of 22nd (2011) and 15th (Sept. 2013) in two previous CTMP appearances.
L.P. Dumoulin (No. 47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge)
· The 2011 NCATS Rookie of the Year has four wins, a pole, 16 top fives and 25 top 10s in 45 career starts.
· First two career triumphs came at CTMP in a 2013 season sweep of events at the road course. He became the first back-to-back winner there in series history.
· Leads the championship standings with top-five finishes in seven of eight races, highlighted by his first career oval victory at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway and a hometown win at Trois-Rivieres.
· Has four top fives and an average finish of seventh in five CTMP starts.
J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Equipment Express/Autism Speaks Chevrolet)
· Has nine wins, shares the series record with 14 poles, has 40 top fives and 61 top 10s in 86 career starts.
· Held the points lead following the first four events and now tied for second with top 10s in all eight races.
· Won the 2014 opener at CTMP to extend his series record for wins at the road course to four.
· Has those four wins (2008, '10, '12, May '14), a pole (May 2013), an average finish of fifth and a record 185 laps led in nine CTMP races.
Jason Hathaway (No. 3 Princess Auto/Rockstar Energy Drink Chevrolet)
· Has four wins and 57 top 10s in 95 career starts. Is one of three drivers to compete in every race in NCATS history.
· Ranks fourth in points this season, highlighted by a win at Autodrome Chaudiere and podiums in both of the western swing events.
· All four of his career wins have been earned on ovals. Best career road course finish was second at Edmonton City Centre Airport in 2012.
· Has four top 10s, an average finish of 14th and a best result of third (May 2013) across the nine CTMP events.
D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge)
· The 2010 and 2012 NCATS champion. Maintains series record for career wins (tied-19), top fives (65) and top 10s (79), and is one of three drivers to start each of the 95 all-time events. Also ranks second in series history in laps led (2,754) and fifth in poles (10).
· Is tied with Scott Steckly for the NCATS record for most career oval victories with 16, and has won at eight different circle tracks. All 10 of his career poles have been earned ovals.
· Has a streak of 58-consecutive races without at DNF. Last DNF came at Riverside International Speedway in 2007.
· Ranks fifth in points after eight events with a best result of third recorded last time out at Riverside.
· Has a win (2011), a series-best average finish of 3.7 and top 10s in all nine events at CTMP.
Jeff Lapcevich (No. 76 Tim Hortons Dodge)
· Has a pole and 37 top 10s in 57 career NCATS starts.
· Has competed in four of eight events so far this year – the three road course contests and Autodrome St-Eustache.
· Has top 10s in eight of nine CTMP starts with an average finish of sixth and a best result of second (May 2014). His lone series pole was earned in this event last year.
Kerry Micks (No. 02 Johnsonville/Leland/BDI Ford)
· Has three wins, four poles and 52 top 10s in 80 career starts.
· Has three previous starts this year, including the CTMP opener.
· Has four top 10s, an average finish of 12th and a best result of fifth (2010) in the nine previous CTMP events.
Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Mopar/Exide Dodge)
· The 2007 and 2009 champion is tied for the series all-time lead in both wins (19) and poles (14). Has 43 top fives and 60 top 10s in 69 career NCATS starts.
· Of his 19 career triumphs, 15 have come on road courses, including this year at Circuit ICAR.
· Is tied for second in points with two wins and six top 10s. The second victory came at Edmonton.
· Has two wins (2007, '09), a record four poles (2007, '09, '10, May '14), six top 10s and an average finish of fifth in seven previous CTMP appearances.
Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire/Sylvania Dodge)
· Has a series-leading three championships (2008, '11, '13) through the first seven years of NCATS competition.
· Owner of 16 wins, 13 poles, 57 top fives and 70 top 10s in 95 career starts. His top fives and top 10s totals rank second all-time while his wins and poles sit third in the record book. Is the all-time leader in laps led at 3,944.
· All 16 of his career triumphs have come on ovals. Has five career road course runner-ups.
· Ranks sixth in points after eight races with five top 10s, highlighted by a win at St-Eustache.
· Has four top fives, an average finish of 13th and a best result of third (2012) across the nine CTMP races.
Alex Tagliani (No. 18 EpiPen/Dicom Express Dodge)
· Has a win, five poles, six top fives and two additional top 10s in 22 career NCATS starts. The victory was earned at Edmonton City Centre Airport in 2008.
· Has a pair of top 10s in six starts this season. Missed the CTMP opener to compete in Indianapolis 500 qualifying as well as Riverside when he raced the Mid-Ohio Sports Car course in NASCAR Nationwide Series action.
· Finished fifth in his only previous NCATS start at CTMP in 2008.
Up To Speed:
· The 2014 season is the eighth for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1.
· The 2014 schedule features 11 races at 10 different tracks across five provinces.
· J.R. Fitzpatrick opened the campaign with a dominant victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on May 18. Andrew Ranger set the track record in qualifying.
· Steve Mathews earned his third career pole and Jason Hathaway took the checkered flag for the fourth time in his career on June 15 in the series' inaugural visit to Autodrome Chaudiere. The race was postponed one day due to rain.
· Ranger swept the weekend at Circuit ICAR with his second straight pole and third win in a row in the event on July 6.
· The western swing began on July 11 with the series' inaugural visit to Edmonton International Raceway. Alex Tagliani earned his fifth career pole and Ranger took down a second straight victory.
· L.P. Dumoulin closed out the western swing in Victory Lane at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway on July 16. Scott Steckly earned the pole.
· Steckly broke through for his first win of the year in dominant fashion when he repeated as victor at Autodrome St-Eustache on July 26.
· Dumoulin scored his first hometown win when he took the checkered flag in the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres on Aug. 10. Marc-Antoine Camirand earned his first career pole prior to the race.
· Donald Chisholm won the day as he registered his first career pole and race victory in front of a hometown crowd at Riverside International Speedway on Aug. 16.
· Following the Pinty's presents the Clarington 200, the series will head to Ontario's Barrie Speedway, for the Wahta Springs 300 on Sept. 6.