NASCAR Home Tracks

Ranger Repeats in Montreal

Third Canadian Tire Win At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

MONTREAL – Hometown favorite Andrew Ranger dominated the field Saturday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for his second checkered flag in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series starts this year with a second consecutive win in the NAPA AUTOPRO 100.

Ranger, a two-time series champion from Roxton Pond, Que., used the pole position he earned in qualifying Friday to start out front, and that’s where he stayed for the entirety of the 23-lap event. The triumph extended his Canadian Tire Series record for career wins to 14, and marked his third in five all-time events at the 2.709-mile road course.

Ranger fittingly seemed right at home all weekend long after growing up not far from the legendary Quebec track.

“It’s great to get our third win here in Montreal,” he said. “To see the fans in the stands is really awesome. They love Quebec drivers and they love NASCAR.”

The 24-year-old, who made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut a week ago, wanted to stay out front and was concerned with the competitors behind him.

“I knew there were people like Kerry Micks and Jason Bowles behind me,” Ranger said. “On the restarts I really tried to put some distance between us. They gave me a great car and it worked out.”

Of his 14 career victories, 11 have come in road-course events and seven have been earned from the pole. This is the third time Ranger won in Montreal overall - including 2008 - and he became the first driver to lead flag-to-flag since J.R. Fitzpatrick did it in Edmonton on July 25, 2009, a span of 17 races. His other win this year came in Toronto on July 9 in his No. 27 Dodge Dealers of Quebec/PNH Dodge.

Kerry Micks in the No. 02 Dickies/Beyond Digital Imaging Ford crossed the line second for his best finish in Montreal since winning the series’ inaugural event in 2007.

Despite battling oil pressure and oil temperature problems all race long and needing some good luck on how the cautions fell, Micks, out of Mt. Albert, Ont., felt under a few different circumstances, he could have had a winning car.

“The car was really good, but we did have some problems with oil pressure and temperature, but the brakes were great,” said Micks. “In the end, we caught a break with the cautions, but if we had gotten some longer runs, then I really think we could have made a charge for the win.”

On the other side of the coin, third-place finisher Jason Bowles, out of Ontario, Calif., was not as fortunate with the caution flags in the No. 11 Fuel Doctor Dodge and he was more than disappointed with the outcome of the race. However, it was Bowles’ third podium finish in five career NASCAR Canadian Tire Series starts.

“It seemed like I had to pass the same cars again and again after the cautions came out. I just don’t understand how that can be.” he said. “We didn’t come here to finish third, but it’s over now and we move on. It is unfortunate because my team worked hard and gave me a great car."

Jeff Lapcevich finished fourth followed by Alex Tagliani in the fifth position while J.R. Fitzpatrick, points leader Scott Steckly, John Farano, Jean-Francois Dumoulin and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin brought home the top 10.

In the point standings, Steckly increased his lead from 47 points to 84 over D.J. Kennington, who finished 18th, with just three races remaining on the schedule.

The NAPA AUTOPRO 100 can be seen in its entirety on TSN on Sunday, Aug. 21 at midnight and Monday, Aug. 22 at 1:30 p.m. ET. TSN2 will also show the event on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 6:30 p.m.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will return to the track on Sept. 10 at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway for the Wild Wing 300 presented by Independent Electric.

RESULTS  |  LAP-BY-LAP RECAP  |  AUDIO: RACE WINNER ANDREW RANGER  |  AUDIO: RUNNER-UP KERRY MICKS  |  AUDIO: THIRD PLACE JASON BOWLES

Andrew Ranger (27) leads Kerry Micks (02) and Alex Tagliani (12) in the NAPA AUTOPRO 100 Saturday in Montreal. Matthew Manor/NASCAR