As The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 heads into the third event of the 2014 season at Circuit ICAR, Mirabel Quebec, the second of four road-course events on the schedule, Alex Tagliani recalls the inaugural 2011 event very well!
The Canadian NASCAR/IndyCar and SportsCar racer, race winner and former Indianapolis 500 pole sitter from nearby Montreal scored the first series pole at ICAR on the former runways at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, just north of Montreal.
This year, Tagliani is more than ready to lead the field to green once again and to the checkered flag at the keyboard of the # 18 Team EpiPen/Dicom Express/Tagliani Autosport Dodge Challenger, in the Jiffy Lube 100 presented by La Petite Bretonne, on Sunday July 6th.
The 2.1 mile, 14-turn road course presents a very unique challenge for the NCATS pilots. The circuit on the runways is virtually flat throughout, with no banking to help cars get through the corners.
“It’s exciting to be back at Circuit ICAR to have another chance to race in front of my hometown crowd. It’s a big weekend with so many categories racing here. It’s a great location and a challenging track. The racing should be very competitive. It’s a special weekend for me as the Tagliani Foundation is also hosting a charity Karting Challenge race with celebrities on the Saturday,” Tagliani commented.
After starting that inaugural ICAR event in 2011 on the pole, “Tag” finished eighth. “Tag” has one win, four poles and six top 10 finishes in 17 career NCATS starts. He has led a total of 24 laps at ICAR.
Of the previous 89 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races, 32 were contested on road courses. That’s an exceptional percentage of road course events when compared to other NASCAR national and regional touring series. Circuit ICAR is one of six different road course facilities that have played host to the Canadian Tire Series since its inaugural 2007 season.
The NCATS Jiffy Lube 100 presented by La Petite Bretonne will be telecast on TSN on Sunday July 13th at 11 a.m. ET and on RDS on Thursday July 17th at 9:30 p.m. ET.
ICAR TRACK TWITTER: @icarxp EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG: #JiffyLube100
Fans are invited to follow Alex and The Tagliani Autosport Team on Facebook and Twitter all season long: Summeroftag.com Tagliani.com TaglianiAutosport.com
Tagliani’s NCATS entry is in partnership as brand ambassador with Pfizer Canada Inc., the Canadian distributor of The EpiPen® epinephrine auto-injector. Alex himself lives and races with a severe allergy to nuts, and carries the allergy awareness/Pfizer/EpiPen message across Canada through his NCATS racing program.
ICAR Karting Challenge for the Tagliani Foundation!
During the race weekend, The Tagliani Foundation is staging a special All-Star Kart Challenge race on Saturday July 5th at 2 PM, to raise funds for Anaphylaxis Canada, in conjunction with Circuit ICAR, that is raising funds for The St. Jerome Hospital Foundation.
The endurance challenge will feature celebrity athletes and media members racing in teams formed by sponsors.
Celebrities entered for the cause include: Dave Morissette, Michel Barette, Emily Begin, Sébastien Benoit, Olivier Dion, Marianne St-Gelais, Charles Hamelin, Mathieu Dandenault and Francisco Randez.
The karting circuit, part of the ICAR complex, was designed by former Formula One and IndyCar champion Jacques Villeneuve.
The Tagliani Foundation is a non-profit foundation dedicated to helping charitable and educational organizations by donating funds raised to aid with organized programs internationally. Our goal is to raise awareness, educate and help those in need, with emphasis placed on initiatives that affect individuals at risk of anaphylaxis.
