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Ranger Scores Comeback Victory
Rebounds For Third Straight Trois-Rivieres WinTROIS-RIVIERES, Quebec, Canada — Defending NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 champion Andrew Ranger showed why you never give up in a road-course race.
After being involved in an incident on the race’s second lap with JR Fitzpatrick racing for the lead, which sent Ranger into a barrier near Turn 6 and dropping back to the eighth position, the Roxton Pond, Que., native rebounded to pick up his third consecutive win at Circuit de Trois-Rivieres winning the GP3R 100 Sunday.
“It’s really great to win here in Trois-Rivieres,” said Ranger. “The fans here are fantastic.”
Under the long green-flag run after the contact with Fitzpatrick, Ranger went on a charge to the front. On Lap 18, he was able to move past both DJ Kennington and Scott Steckly into third place before the caution flag came out on Lap 25 for debris in Turn 5.
On the subsequent restart Ranger, starting on the inside just behind the leader, dove to the inside and made it a three-wide battle into the nearly 90-degree Turn 1. He was able to complete the daring pass before the three cars rolled though the famed Trois-Rivieres arch in Turn 3.
“When the caution came out, I thought I might have a chance, but I wasn’t sure,” said Ranger. “I don’t know if (Fitzpatrick) missed a shift or what but I was able to pass both at the same time.”
Ranger enjoyed a comfortable lead until Maryeve Dufault spun on Lap 38 to set up a green-white-checkered finish. Ranger was able to stay out front, though, and keep Micks behind him for his second NCATS victory of the year and fourth road-course win of 2010.
Micks, who edged Ranger in the 2007 Trois-Rivieres event, led 10 laps and was happy with the performance of his car.
“The Dickies/Beyond Digital Imaging Ford was a great car all weekend,” said Micks. “It really handled well. I really think I had a better driving car than Ranger, but he seemed to have a little more horsepower.”
Fitzpatrick, who finished in a, what he felt, disappointing third, was not at all happy with his car.
“We’ve battled a braking problem since we got here and the car had no brakes from the beginning,” he said. “We need to get that fixed for Montreal, but everything else with the Schick Hydro Chevy was great, though.”
DJ Kennington and Jeff Lapcevich crossed the finish line in the fourth and fifth positions, respectivey.
Scott Steckly, Trois-Rivieres native J.F. Dumoulin, Jason Hathaway, Peter Klutt and Mark Dilley rounded out the top 10.
Both Ranger and Fitzpatrick led a race-high 16 laps resulting in both drivers earning the 10 bonus points for leading the most laps which caused a change atop the championship point standings. Kennington, who brought a 14-point lead into the event, now trails Fitzpatrick by a single point. Fitzpatrick and Kennington have volleyed the points lead back and forth all season.
Ranger has also recorded wins this season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series with triumphs at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., and his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victory in Toronto on July 17.
With this win in Trois-Rivieres, Ranger has 10 wins and 17 podium finishes in his 18 road-course starts in NASCAR including his third-place effort last season in Montreal’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event.
The race was slowed due to caution just three times for eight laps and the race lead changed hands five times among three drivers.
Television coverage of the GP3R 100 will air on TSN and TSN HD on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 4 p.m. ET
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 returns to oval-track racing in its next outing on Saturday, Aug. 21 at Mosport Speedway near Bowmanville, Ont., for the Dickies 200.
LAP-BY-LAP RECAP | RACE RESULTS | ANDREW RANGER POST-RACE AUDIO | KERRY MICKS POST-RACE AUDIO | JR FITZPATRICK POST-RACE AUDIO
Andrew Ranger (27), showing the effects of an early race encounter, works his way into Turn 1 at Circuit de Trois-Rivieres en route to his second series victory this season. Matthew Murnaghan/NASCAR
