Race No. 2: Lucas Oil Grand Prix At Circuit ICAR
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[/media-credit]Last year, Circuit ICAR hosted it’s first ever NASCAR Canadian Tire (NCAT) Series event and the event was a success with lots of Quebec fans coming out to watch. This year, the NCAT cars return as they are ready to put on another show on the 2.113 mile road course that is set-up on the grounds of Mirabel Airport.
Robin Buck put on a show last year as he was the inaugural race winner, leading two laps to score his first ever NCAT victory. He then backed it up with a second win on the season at Circuit de Trois-Riveres in the rain. With rain in forecast for the weekend, Buck could pick up his third career win. Buck is one of the drivers that comes in as a road course expert, against the guys that are looking to run the full schedule.
One of those drivers looking to run the full schedule and get his first ever NCAT championship is J.R. Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick won the first race of the season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) for the seventh win of his career. It marked his sixth win on a road course and his third at CTMP.
After his win at CTMP, Fitzpatrick said that he looked forward to carrying that momentum forward.
“We’re just going to keep on rolling, keep on getting podiums,” he said. “They don’t always have to be wins.”
He hopes a change in his attitude, for the positive, will be the difference this year. Other years, Fitzpatrick would quickly get frustrated with the situation and that would take him out of contention. However, this year, its all about a good attitude.
“I had a really bad attitude the last couple of years,” the Cambridge, Ontario native said. “That got all fine tuned over the winter with (crew chief) Donny (Thomson Jr.) being back, I think. He’s not shy; he’s put me in my place real quick.”
Another driver looking to win this weekend at Circuit ICAR is Quebec native Andrew Ranger. Last year, he started at the rear of the 27-car field after running an ARCA event the night before. He found his way to the lead on lap 28 of the 30-lap race, though made excessive contact with Alex Tagliani getting there and was given an aggressive driving penalty. He was credited with a 21st-place finish.
“Let’s just say I hope this one turns out better,” Ranger says.
Ranger is no stranger to NCAT competition as he is a two-time series champion and has won in 11 of his 20 road course starts.
“I’m really happy to be back in the Canadian Tire Series,” Ranger says. “It’s a place where I’m very comfortable.”
Ranger, Fitzpatrick and Buck will have to get past Steckly if they want to have a shot at a win. Last year’s champion is hunting for his first ever NCAT road course victory after finishing second last year at Circuit ICAR. He has three consecutive top-five finishes dating back to last season and has scored a top-10 finish in five of his last six series starts.
Steckly will have to contend with his new teammate L.P. Dumoulin, who finished fourth last year for a career best finish. Last year’s rookie of the year looks for his first top three finish to add to his streak of four straight top 10s on road courses.
Coming off a decent run at CTMP, Jeff Lapcevich is hoping to have a good shot at the win. He finished sixth last year at Circuit ICAR and has a streak going of five straight top 10s in NCAT action. Lapcevich grew up racing on road courses and feels he’s got a good shot.
“I think we have as good a chance as anybody to win,” he comments.
Last year, Jason Hathaway finished 15th, though it was the first race after breaking his arm at CTMP. Hathaway ran most of the season with the injury, not putting the season together that he wanted. However, in previous years, he’s been successful on the road courses. In 2010, he was able to score five top 10s in six road course starts.
Following ICAR, the series switches gears as they will have their first oval race of 2012.
“I know some guys are looking forward to that,” Hathaway says. “We’re ready to go. The car just got decalled the other day; it’s going to match the road course car, look the same. I know we got a lot of comments – looked sharp last weekend. Can’t wait to get started.”
The race is scheduled to take the green flag on Sunday, June 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET. The race’s television premier is scheduled for Saturday, June 16 at 12:30 p.m. ET on TSN and Wednesday, June 27 at 10 p.m. ET on RDS2.
NCAT: Scott Steckly To Start Pole After Qualifying Rained Out at Circuit ICAR
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[/media-credit]After a persistant rain throughout the day, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series made the choice to cancel qualifying for Sunday’s ICAR Lucas Oil Grand Prix presented by Budweiser at Circuit ICAR. The decision was made as due to the wet, rainy conditions, there was a possibility for unequal track conditions throughout the season.
As a result, the race lineup is set by last year’s points, as per the rule book, handing defending series champion Scott Steckly the pole. Steckly finished third last week while J.R. Fitzpatrick won with D.J. Kennington second. Kennington will start second alongside Steckly in second at Circuit ICAR while Fitzpatrick starts third. Kerry Micks and Ron Beauchamp Jr. round out the top five.
A pair of practice sessions were held earlier in the day, with rookie Elie Arsenau posting the fastest lap in the rain at 60.168mph. He will start the race 27th.
Louis-Philippe Dumoulin was second fastest at 59.957 mph followed by Micks at 59.657 mph. Andrew Ranger (59.588 mph) and Steckly (59.544 mph) completed the top five.
Defending race champion Robin Buck suffered damage in practice after hitting the turn seven tire wall, is slated to start the race from 15th after finishing practice in sixth.
The race is scheduled to take the green flag on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. ET.
NCATS ICAR 6/3/12 Race Lineup
| POS | CAR | DRIVER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROW 1 | |||
| 1 | 22 | Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont. | Canadian Tire Dodge |
| 2 | 17 | D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont. | Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge |
| ROW 2 | |||
| 3 | 84 | J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ont. | Equipment Express Chevrolet |
| 4 | 02 | Kerry Micks, Mt. Albert, Ont. | Leland/BDI/PartSource Ford |
| ROW 3 | |||
| 5 | 60 | Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont. | Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge |
| 6 | 21 | Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C. | A&W/Bower&Wilkins Dodge |
| ROW 4 | |||
| 7 | 3 | Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont. | Snap-on Tools/Vortex Brake Pads Dodge |
| 8 | 55 | Dexter Stacey, Kahnawake, Que. | WJS Motorsports Dodge |
| ROW 5 | |||
| 9 | 23 | Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont. | Tim Hortons Dodge |
| 10 | 5 | Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta. | EMCO-Kohler/Rheem Dodge |
| ROW 6 | |||
| 11 | 07 | Isabelle Tremblay, St. Hippolyte, Que. | Frank Lyman Design Dodge |
| 12 | 47 | Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que. | WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge |
| ROW 7 | |||
| 13 | 99 | Steve Cote, Ile Bizard, Que * | White Motorsports Chevrolet |
| 14 | 97 | Hugo Vannini, Repentigny, Que. | VTI Motorsports Ford |
| ROW 8 | |||
| 15 | 66 | Robin Buck, Campbellville, Ont. | Quaker State Dodge |
| 16 | 27 | Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que. | Dodge/GC Motorsports Dodge |
| ROW 9 | |||
| 17 | 56 | Howie Scannell Jr., Milton, Ont. | Trailers by Jim Bray Dodge |
| 18 | 10 | Derek White, Kahnawake, Que. | Burger Barn Chevrolet |
| ROW 10 | |||
| 19 | 94 | Dave Coursol, St. Jerome, Que. * | Carquest Canada Dodge |
| 20 | 81 | Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont. * | B&B Decals/Speedy Auto Service Dodge |
| ROW 11 | |||
| 21 | 90 | Martin Roy, Napierville, Que * | Veloce/Gamache Truck Center Dodge |
| 22 | 44 | Jarrad Whissell, Calgary, Alta. | SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford |
| ROW 12 | |||
| 23 | 11 | Mike Scholz, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. * | Jiffy Car Wash/Watchfinder.ca Chevrolet |
| 24 | 29 | Ray Courtemanche Jr., Montreal, Que. * | Construction Danam Bonzai Dodge |
| ROW 13 | |||
| 25 | 36 | Alex Labbe, St. Albert, Que. * | VR Victoriaville Dodge |
| 26 | 04 | J.F. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que. | ACASS/Bellemare/Marac Dodge |
| ROW 14 | |||
| 27 | 03 | Elie Arseneau, Laval, Que. * | Prime Racing/Circuit ICAR Chevrolet |
| 28 | 82 | Dave Connelly, Arnprior, Ont. | Schneider’s/Metro Dodge |
| ROW 15 | |||
| 29 | 85 | Michel Pilon, Blainville, Que. | Aquacoupe Technologie Chevrolet |
* Rookie of the Year contender
Landon Cassill All About Improvement
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[/media-credit]Landon Cassill, driver of the No. 83 BK Racing Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota, is all about improvement having come off his best finish of the season last week in Charlotte. The team started 18th and finished 18th, starting and finishing inside the top-20 for the first time ever.
“It’s really big for us,” Cassill said. “To run in the top-25 is great for us, but to run in the top-20 is even better.”
“We like that, we keep trying to learn from it, and just keep doing it and being consistent.”
Cassill credits his team as the cause for the improvement as they begin to gel and understand one another. He especially credits the upswing in performance to crew chief Doug Richert.
“We’re a new team, so everybody is learning their place,” Cassill said. “The pit crew has been getting better and the cars have been getting better.”
“Doug (Richert) is knowing what to do with the car now that he is familiar with it and I’m learning my guys better,” Cassill continued. “That’s all a part of how it works.”
“We are working really well together,” Cassill said of his crew chief. “He’s got a positive attitude like I do and we seem to communicate really well on things.”
“So, I’m enjoying it,” Cassill continued. “I think that has a lot to do with our improvement and our success so far.”
Cassill also credits some of the improvement to his versatility and ability to adjust to new teams. But a big factor for improvement, according to the young driver, is his years of experience at Hendrick Motorsports.
“I’m kind of used to it lately because I haven’t had as solid of a ride,” Cassill said of his team changes. “So, it’s something I’ve been a little bit used to, but it’s my first time learning how to build at team.”
“ I’m really proud to be a part of that and really focused on hoping that people can see that I’m capable of being a progressive driver who can build things and be a positive addition to a race team.”
“I’ve also got five years of experience testing with Hendrick Motorsports and working with the 48 team,” Cassill said. “So, that’s where I’ve learned a lot about this sport.”
“I’m not anything special but I’ve absorbed what I’ve learned,” Cassill continued. “I try to apply a lot of those fundamentals to the team that I’m on and there’s a lot of experience over here that applies to that.”
“We’re all coming together.”
Cassill credits one other factor, his physical conditioning, for his improvements so far in the season and his hopeful improvements at Dover. He also credits his mental focus with the upswing in his performance.
“When I’m home, I work out and prepare for the next week and get focused for my job,” Cassill said. “We are professional athletes, so there’s an absolute requirement for strength and conditioning.”
“I don’t think for a second that you could be out of shape and do this,” Cassill continued. “I do a cross fit type training and I work out for about an hour and a half every day.”
“I’ve got a trainer from Iowa and he sends me work outs,” Cassill said. “Him and I communicate daily on the workouts.”
“I have a gym where I live and a full gym at home and I spend a lot of time there.”
“The mental training is something that I’ve dabbled in but mental strength comes naturally,” Cassill said. “It’s something that I feel really confident in, probably more than even my physical strength.”
“I’m pretty competitive so when it comes down to it, you do whatever it takes.”
Another important component of Cassill’s on track performance improvement is his relationship with his teammate Travis Kvapil.
“Travis is a great teammate,” Cassill said. “He’s a good driver and a really good guy.”
“He’s good to work with, gives good feedback and knows what he is talking about because he is familiar with these cars,” Cassill continued. “I’ve learned a lot working with him.”
“I think all four of us, both crew chiefs and both drivers, are very compatible,” Cassill said. “We all communicate very well.”
Cassill is definitely looking for improvement at Dover in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks. But he acknowledged that the mile track really can be a monster, demanding constant focus and attention.
Cassill has three Cup starts at the Monster Mile, with his best finish of 30th.
“Dover is one of the most fun race tracks,” Cassill said. “It’s a good one and I have a lot of laps here.”
“You’ve just got to be there all day and outlast the competitors,” Cassill continued. “You’ve got to race the race track for a long time.”
“I’d really like to see us running 25th or better,” Cassill said. “I think that’s a realistic expectation. Another top-20 finish would be phenomenal.”
