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Edmonton: Series round five preview

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series News & Notes - Edmonton Harr Has Canada On His Mind There's no place like home and Daryl Harr hopes that's not only true this weekend, but also next season and beyond. This week's NASCAR Canadian Tire Series ...

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series News & Notes - Edmonton

Harr Has Canada On His Mind

There's no place like home and Daryl Harr hopes that's not only true this weekend, but also next season and beyond.

This week's NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 race, the Canadian Tire 100, is set to take place on the grounds of Edmonton (Alberta) City Centre Airport, just a few minutes south of Harr's home base in St. Albert. And a win there would be indescribable for the Edmonton native.

"I won my first CASCAR West race at Edmonton International Raceway, a little quarter-mile track, here at home in front of all my friends, family, fans and sponsors and a win this weekend would be that feeling (multiplied by) a hundred. I think I would be speechless," Harr said.

He knows, however, that it won't be an easy task even without Andrew Ranger in the field. Harr, 28, has competed in just three Canadian Tire Series events while concentrating on his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West program.

"Even without Ranger there, JR (Fitzpatrick) is just as good," Harr said. "And all these guys have been eating, sleeping and breathing these cars for at least the last two months."

Despite not being as in tune with the equipment, Harr does look forward to using the event as a gauge.

"It will be a great measuring stick for me to see how we stack up against guys like Fitzpatrick," he said.

In Edmonton, Harr will be sponsored by BRP, a relationship he would like to extend into the future on a more permanent basis.

"As a Canadian company, BRP is a perfect fit for this series and motorsports, in general," said Harr. "I really hope we can turn this into a full-time team next year."

With rising television ratings and full grandstands, the perception of Canadian stock-car racing is on the rise.

"Since NASCAR came into Canada, the prestige of stock-car racing is higher than ever," he said.

Therefore, the time seems to be right for Harr to turn his attention to his home country.

"With where we are as a team, the condition of motorsports in Canada, the potential of our sponsorship situation for the immediate future and further down the road, the Canadian Tire Series gives us a chance to really grow," Harr added.

Harr also notes the competitiveness of the Canadian Tire Series.

"You watch these races on television and those cars run as close or closer than anywhere," he said. "It's tough competition and as a competitor, that's where you want to be."

***

Fast Facts

The Race: Canadian Tire 100
The Place: Edmonton (Alberta) City Centre Airport

The Date: Sunday, July 25
The Time: 11 a.m. MT

The Distance: 32 laps / 63 miles
Race Purse: $89,668 CAD

TV Schedule: TSN, Aug. 1, 11 a.m. ET

2009 Winner: Andrew Ranger
2009 Polesitter: Andrew Ranger

Schedule:
Friday, Practice 12:45 - 1:15 p.m.
Saturday, Practice 8:15 - 9 a.m.; Qualifying 11:30 a.m.

***

Teams Embark On Western Swing

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 teams, this week, begin their westward journey as they get this year's three-race swing through Western Canada underway in Edmonton, Alberta.

The other two stops are Motoplex Speedway in Vernon, B.C., on Saturday, July 31 and Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, in Saskatoon, Sask., on Wednesday, Aug. 4.

As a national series, teams will travel in excess of 5,200 miles (5,500 km) round trip to compete in the three events. That's roughly the equivalent of traveling from New York, N.Y., to Los Angeles, Calif., and back.

Last season the western trip was increased by one race with the addition of the race in Saskatchewan which was a popular decision as the sold-out event was a hit with teams and fans, alike.

"It's a long trip, no doubt," said series points leader DJ Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge Dodge). "But the fans and the facilities are great plus the sponsors get to do some different things outside of Ontario and Quebec."

Last season, Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Dodge Dealers of Quebec Dodge) picked up wins in Edmonton and Vernon while Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire Jumpstart Dodge) triumphed in the inaugural Saskatoon event.

***

Edmonton News & Notes

The Race: This event is the fifth of 13 races on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 schedule and the third of five road-course events on the slate in 2010. It is the second consecutive road-course race for the series and the second straight week to be partnered with the Indy Car Series. This is the series' fourth visit to Edmonton.

The Procedure: The starting field is 22 cars, including provisionals. The first 19 cars will qualify through NASCAR road race style qualifying. There will be two qualifying groups based on practice times. The remaining three spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 32 laps covering 101 kilometers (63 miles).

The Track: The 1.973-mile temporary road course is fashioned from runways, taxiways and access roads at Edmonton City Centre Airport and has 14 turns. At its narrowest point, Rexall Speedway is 50 feet wide and 75 feet at its widest. Over 80% of the track is viewable from anywhere in the grandstands, making it one of the fan-friendliest road courses in existence.

The Records: The one-lap qualifying record for the Canadian Tire Series at the track is 80.797 seconds (87.909 mph), set by Andrew Ranger on July 25, 2008. The 32-lap race record is also held by Ranger at 57 minutes, 6 seconds, which was set in last year's race on July 25 for an average speed of 66.343 mph.

A Season Ago: Ranger got the monkey off his back by winning in Edmonton after earning his third straight pole in the event. In his two previous Edmonton outings after starting on the pole, he fell victim to JR Fitzpatrick in 2007 and Alex Tagliani in 2008.

Full Weekend: Joining the Indy Car Series, Indy Lights and NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is the Northern Alberta Sports Car Club Eurasia Cup GT Invitational and the Castrol Drift Mania Canadian Championship.

Red Friday: Everyone is being asked to wear red on Friday, July 23 to show support for Canadian Armed Forces and their families.

***

NCATS Notebook: Jumpstart 100 Wrap-Up

First To 10: With the Jumpstart 100 win in Toronto, Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Dodge Dealers of Quebec Dodge) collected his 10th NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 victory and became the first series driver to reach double-figures in wins. It was his seventh series career road-course triumph.

Good Outings: With a six-place finish, Trevor Seibert (No. 69 Lake Excavating Dodge) notched his fourth career top 10 and Peter Klutt (No. 42 Legendary Motorcar Chevrolet) earned his second career top 10 with a ninth-place effort.

Another First: With just over three seasons in the books, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is still establishing series firsts. The Jumpstart 100 was the first series race to have two female drivers in the field--Caitlin Johnston (No. 01 Pizza Pizza Dodge) and Isabelle Tremblay (No. 88 Hamel Honda/Infrabec Ford). Tremblay became the third female competitor in series history following Ashley Taws and Johnston.

Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race: Ranger collected $1,500 from Mobil 1 as the Command Performance Driver of the Race award winner.

Autolite Time To Change Your Position: New to the lineup this year is the Autolite Spark Plugs Time To Change Your Position Award that goes to the driver who improves his finishing position the most over the previous event. Ranger earned the $1,500 prize by improving his finish by eight positions over his last event in St. Eustache.

Dodge-Mopar Fast Five: This program rewards the top five finishing Dodges in the race eligible for the award. In the Jumpstart 100, race winner Ranger was the top-finishing Dodge and earned $2,000. DJ Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge Dodge) placed second among the Dodges with his third-place effort and earned $1,500. Seibert grabbed the third spot and $1,000. The performance of Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire Jumpstart Dodge) ranked him fourth among the Dodge entrants and netted $750. Howie Scannell Jr. (No. 56 B&B Decals/Wigs For Kids Dodge) finished 12th overall and was the fifth highest-finishing Dodge and collected $500 in the process.

Coca-Cola Move of the Race: Improving his position the most over the course of the race was Brad Graham (No. 19 Holmar Plumbing Ford). He started from the 22nd position and finished 10th and earned the $1,000 award from Coca-Cola.

MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: The driver who compiles the most points in a specialized system involving qualifying, race finish and leading laps collects this $1,100 award. Ranger netted the most points in this event to earn the bonus.

VTech Free Pass: In another new award this season, VTech is honoring the driver who logs the highest race finish after receiving a 'free pass' during the event with a $1,000 award. Jarrad Whissell (No. 44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford) found himself down a lap in the early going in Toronto before recovering to finish 16th in the 31-car field thanks, in part, to the VTech Free Pass.

***

Up Next: Vernon

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 next heads to Motoplex Speedway to take on the speedy half-mile tri-oval in Vernon, B.C., for the A&W Cruisin' The Dub 300.

The track, formerly known as SunValley Speedway, was renamed Motoplex Speedway last winter.

The 150-mile race will be the longest of the season. And will be the second in the series' three-race swing through Western Canada.

In last year's event, Andrew Ranger thoroughly dominated the race for his first oval track victory in the series. Ron Beauchamp Jr. earned his first series start on the pole, as well.

In 2007, JR Fitzpatrick edged Scott Steckly in a photo finish while Fitzpatrick's teammate Don Thomson Jr. took the checkers in 2008.

-source: nascar

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