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[/media-credit]The Nationwide Series (NNS) heads to one of its most exciting stops of the season this weekend as the stars of the series tackle the 14 turn Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. The NNS has been going to Montreal since 2007 and has provided some of the very best racing of the year in the NNS. Kevin Harvick went to victory lane in the inaugural race in 2007 but not without some controversy. Robby Gordon believes that he was the winner of the race but was penalized by NASCAR for lining up improperly on a restart.
The 2008 race at Montreal saw history be made as it was the first official NASCAR points paying race to utilize rain tires and windshield wipers on the cars. Canadian Ron Fellows went to victory lane after the race was shortened to only 48 of the 74 scheduled laps. Carl Edwards,Boris Said, and Marcos Ambrose have also put their names on the winners trophy at the end of 200 miles in Montreal.
What kind of race can you expect on Saturday? If recent years are any indication you can expect a wild and spectacular finish. I like to think of it as having the technical difficulty of Sonoma mixed with the short track beating and banging of Martinsville plus having the added variable of fuel mileage playing a huge role by race end especially if there is a green,white,checker finish.
As for possible race winners there are a lot of them. Will Kyle Busch carry the banner for the stars of the Sprint Cup Series who have won three of the five races run at Montreal? Or will one of the NNS regulars like Elliott Sadler extend his points lead by capturing his 5th win of the season? Or will it be Sam Hornish Jr. picking up his first win of the season and continuing his streak of top-3 finishes while closing in on the points lead? Might this be the year for one of the home country heroes to go to victory lane. Ron Fellows and Jacques Villenueve have already shown their strength this weekend by finishing in the top 5 in opening practice. What a story and celebration it would be if Alex Tagliani picked up the victory in his home city of Montreal. Another native son Patrick Carpentier figures to be very strong this weekend as well.
As for who is going to win this race, experience will win out this weekend. Hard to ignore Ron Fellows as a potential race winner as well as Jacques Villeneuve. But this race could very well present a lot of surprises as well as a surprise winner. As a race fan this is one race I have marked on my calendar every season and hopefully one day the Sprint Cup Series makes the trek North of the border. The great racing and awesome fan support the fans of Montreal gives the NNS should make for a memorable weekend.
