A flat tire cost Pier-Luc Ouellette a podium finish at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Montreal, Quebec - Alex Tagliani's Sunday afternoon ride on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Speedway oval track was cut short during his qualifying attempt for the 100th running of the Indy 500 on May 29. The Canadian driver secured a spot on the starting grid on Saturday, but the second day of qualifying was to determine his starting position for the epic race.

During the prequalifying open test session earlier Sunday, the driver of the AJ Foyt Racing Alfe Heat Treating Special number 35 Honda was back in form, with a 20th place on the scoreboard. The previous day, he only managed a 29th place finish

However, his four-lap qualifying run came to screeching halt when he lost control of his car coming out of turn 4 during his warm-up lap, hitting the outside wall before the front end of his car smashed into the inside wall. According to the ABC announcing crew, the sound of the car when he hit the second time around did not augur well.

"Inside the cockpit, I thought I was going to be able to catch it back, but I lost rear traction on the right rear," Tagliani said. "It was really late in the corner, so that caught me. I thought I was okay exiting four to launch the lap."

"By the time I was heading to the pit lane, I knew I was going to hit," Tagliani added. "When the car wiggled, I thought I corrected it enough, but it wasn't enough. "I'm really sorry for the team. We struggled with the same characteristic yesterday. We thought we had it more under control today, but I guess this time it really caught us."

Tagliani was checked, cleared and released from the infield care centre. He will start 33rd next Sunday

Canadian James Hinchcliffe from Toronto won his first-ever Indy 500 pole ahead of Josef Newgarden. Ryan Hunter-Ray completes the front row for next weekend's 100th running of the Indy 500.

Pier-Luc Ouellette impresses at CTMP

Pier-Luc Ouellette, filling in for Alex Tagliani in the EpiPen/Riobel/CanTorque Chevrolet for the NASCAR Pinty's Series season opener at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) road course, started the weekend on a strong note when he qualified in third place Saturday.

On Sunday, the Montreal driver kept the pace with leaders, moving up to second place by lap 24 of the 51-lap affair. Following the fourth restart of the race around lap 40, he punctured the right front tire of his Chevrolet and had to go in for a tire change. Back on track near the end of the field, Ouellette was up to 18th place on lap 47. Four laps later, he crossed the finish line 11th overall.

"We had a great car today, a car to win the race," Ouellette said. "During practice, the team set up the car for the long runs and we were right there near the end, managing our tires and the engine, and making sure the car was good and ready for the last 10 laps. Unfortunately, we had a right front tire puncture at the restart around lap 40 which blew our chance to win the race.

"We were faster than Ranger (Andrew) and Hathaway (Jason) who was leading at the time, and I was waiting for the right moment. But it never came. I can't thank Tagliani Autosport enough for this opportunity. They gave me an awesome car and did a great job during the pit stops. Everyone knows now that the EpiPen car can win whether Tag or I drive it."

Andrew Ranger went on to score his 21st career win and his third at CTMP, finishing ahead of Robin Buck and DJ Kennington. The Clarington 200 will air on TSN on Sunday, May 29 at noon and re-air on Tuesday, May 31 at 4 p.m. and midnight.

The NASCAR Pinty's Series will transition to oval racing with its next event: Chaudière 300 at Quebec's Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Junction on Saturday, June 11. Alex Tagliani will be back to drive the EpiPen Chevrolet.

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Created in the Montreal suburb of Saint-Jérôme, Riobel faucets and shower systems are recognized for their design and their quality and are distributed across Canada as well as in a number of U.S. states by a vast network. Riobel has been a benchmark of excellence since 1995!