BORIS SAID RECOMMENDS HIM TO NASCAR TEAM OWNER
Fantastic news today about a talented young Canadian racing driver.
Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond., Que., who won the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race at the Honda Indy Toronto several weeks ago, has signed to drive the No. 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owned bv Frank Stoddard’s Fas Lane Racing team in the Aug. 14th Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Ranger, 23, previously drove for two seasons in the Champ Car World Series following two years in Formula Atlantic. Since switching to stock cars, he’s a two-time Canadian Tire Series champion and the winner of races in other NASCAR regional racing series.
Stoddard is in his first season as a team owner and has relied on seasoned veterans like Terry Labonte, Mike Skinner, Ken Schrader, Mike Bliss and another Canadian, Patrick Carpentier, to keep his team in the top 35 in owner points.
Now he says he wants to give a young, promising driver a chance to show his stuff and has chosen Ranger.
“I’ve followed the progression of this young and exceptional driver for a few years,” Stoddard said in a release. “Then veteran Boris Said recommended Andrew as one of the top prospects in motor racing. His two NASCAR Canada championships, his wins in K&N East, K&N West and ARCA convinced me that he’s the best driver to tackle that road course for us.”
Said Ranger: “I am truly overwhelmed that Mr. Stoddard is giving me that great opportunity. It’s been five years now that I left single seater racing to undertake a challenging stock-car career. To drive in the Sprint Cup series is a dream come true and a huge step. I want to show him he made the right choice.”
Now, it’s going to be interesting to see how Ranger conducts himself in Sprint Cup competition. In the Canadian Tire Series, he has been observed – and accused by other drivers of – racing rough. He has too much talent for that nonsense but that hasn’t stopped him in the NASCAR Canada series.
It’s my bet that he won’t be trying any of that nonsense now that he’s in the big leagues. Can you imagine Kevin Harvick’s reaction if he did to him what he’s done previously to drivers like Scott Steckly and Alex Tagliani?
Let’s hope it was all just youthful exuberance and now that he’s arrived at the top of the mountain he realizes he’s going to get ahead further and faster if he races clean.
You want proof of that? Look no further than Ron Fellows.
With all this promotion of Hinchcliffe, Tagliani and Tracy its easy to forget that Ranger was CART rookie of the year once and an open wheeler at heart. NASCAR's gain is IndyCar's loss. But lack of money and sponsorship dictate a drivers career moreso these days than ever before.
How many drivers could be in IndyCar raising the talent level of that series including AJ Allmendinger, Sam Hornish and open wheelers from the (long) past like Tony Stewart or Robby Gordon?
Posted by: APP | 07/21/2011 at 06:00 AM