Norris McDonald's Auto Racing Blog

Some good news about Canadian racers

Here’s some good news about Canadians in stock cars, karting and European Formula 3.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will close out its season with the Pinty’s 250 presented by Dodge at Kawartha Speedway near Peterborough Saturday evening and the national championship will be won by either D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas, Ont., or J.R. Fitzpatrick of Cambridge.

I hesitate to say that all Kennington has to do is fire up his motor and take the green flag because, well, anything can happen. But for Fitzpatrick to win the title, he will have to win the race and lead the most laps to score maximum points while Kennington will have to finish worse than 19th. That would give them both the same points total but Kennington would win because he won more races — six to Fitzpatrick’s one.

When Kennington won the Canadian Tire race at Riverside Speedway in Nova Scotia last weekend, he tied the record for most wins in one year that was set in 2009 by ex-Indy car star Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond, Que. Kennington can make the record his own on Saturday if he wins at Kawartha, where he finished first in 2009 and again last year.

“It’s been a phenomenal year,” he said. “I’ve got the best race team out there and they’ve worked tirelessly to make this a possibility. We’ve got one race to go, though, and nothing is clinched yet.”

The Pinty’s 250 will get the green flag at 5 p.m. Saturday.

You’ll recall that in August, I wrote a feature for Toronto Star Wheels on 12-year-old Gianfranco Mazzaferro of Montreal, who is one of Canada’s finest young karters.

I asked Paul Cooke, vice-president of competition and director of karting for ASN Canada FIA, to keep me informed as to Gianfranco’s progress.

Wrote Cooke the other day: “After your article, Gianfranco proceeded to win:

“1. The Eastern Canada Karting Championship;

“2. The Quebec Karting Championship;

“3. And his main goal, the ASN Canada FIA Canadian Karting Championship.”

As a result, Cooke continued, “Gianfranco will be part of Team Canada going to the Rotax World Finals in Portugal at the end of November. He will be an intern, however; there to observe, as he is not yet age-eligible to compete.”

Wow. Way to go “GF,” as his friends call him.

That kid’s going to be World Champion one day. You watch.

Meantime, Ben Cooper, SRA Karting Team Member from Mont-Tremblant, Que., took the top position at the final event of the Rotax European Series DD2 kart class at the Salbris circuit in France last weekend.

And Nicholas Latifi, Sofina Driver Development Program team member from Markham, won the F3 Italia race at Vallelunga, Italy.

Speaking of F3, Gianmarco Raimondo of St. Catharines is leading the 2012 European F3 Open series (a.k.a. Spanish F3) by winning four of the 11 races to date, including one at the Hungaroring two weeks ago. He’s got five second-place finishes and never finished worse than fifth.

Congratulations to all these outstanding young Canadian drivers.

There was an outpouring of support following the feature by Matthew Strader, published in Toronto Star Wheels last weekend, about 13-year-old karter Austin Riley of Uxbridge, who suffers from autism. To inquire about sponsoring Austin, please email his dad, Jason Riley, at jriley@utech.ca.

And Remember When - The Early Years of Stock Car Racing in Southern Ontario, is now available online. The author, Rick Sharples, grew up around the sport and recently published a fascinating book with stories about the early years at Oakwood Stadium, CNE Stadium, Pinecrest and more. There are profiles of more than 20 drivers with almost 200 illustrations. Remember When is available online at yesterdaysspeedways.com. The price is $28.50 (including shipping and handling); delivery in 4 - 6 weeks.

Hunter-Reay wins IndyCar title in nail-biter

Last year’s IZOD IndyCar Series finale ended in tragedy with the death of Dan Wheldon. This year’s finish was triumphant, with a dramatic, down-to-the-wire, championship won by Ryan Hunter-Reay and an exciting, final laps pass for the victory by Ed Carpenter.

For the third year in a row, Penske Racing driver Will Power was poised to capture the title but yet again it was not to be. Going into the MAVTV 500 at California Speedway, all the Australian had to do was keep it between the walls. Once again, his inability to race on ovals did him in when he lost control and crashed on Lap 55 of the scheduled 250.

Although crew members from all three Penske Racing entries – a total of 20 from Power’s team as well as helpers from Ryan Briscoe’s and Helio Castroneves’s – literally rebuilt the car in the garage and sent it back out for Power to finish 24th and score enough points to force Hunter-Reay to finish fifth or better, it was for naught as Hunter-Reay made it through to the end of the race uninterrupted, ending up fourth to win the championship by three points.

Ironically, Power nearly collected Hunter-Reay when he crashed, the eventual champion passing him on the high side as he spun out of control. As the new champ collected his thoughts afterward, he made mention of Power jokingly suggesting that he might crash his opponent in order to win.

Hunter-Reay’s first words upon exiting his car, however, had nothing to do with Power. "Oh, my God," he said as he stood up in the cockpit.

"We were struggling all week," he told a television reporter a short time later. "We were really in the woods. It hasn’t sunk in yet. I just drove 500 miles like it was for my life. I can’t believe we are IndyCar champions. My dream has come true."

To his credit, Power congratulated the new champion. "He’s a deserving champion," he said. "He’s a fighter."

And he owned up to his own shortcoming. "Obviously, it’s ovals where I lack."

Dario Franchitti, who was champion the last three years, finished second in the race behind Carpenter. He’d been leading but had to check up as they came upon a slower car and Carpenter went by him on the high side for the lead and the victory.

Scott Dixon finished third, Hunter-Reay (who signed to continue driving for Michael Andretti before the race) was fourth, Castroneves was fifth, Graham Rahal finished sixth, Takuma Sato (he crashed on the white-flag lap, just as he did at the Indianapolis 500 in May) still finished seventh, pole-sitter Marco Andretti was eighth, Katherine Legge was ninth and drove the best race of her IndyCar career in so doing, and Charlie Kimball was tenth.

Canadian Alex Tagliani of Montreal looked for awhile as if he might win the race but lost his engine in the late going. He eventually was classified 20^th and finished the season 17^th in points.

James Hinchcliffe of Oakville did not have a good race. He was assessed a drive-through penalty for jumping a restart and eventually finished three laps off the pace in 13^th place. He finished the season in eighth position.

"Hinch" will soon be off to Australia – his girlfriend’s from there – to race in the Australian V8 Supercars Championship Gold Coast race next month. His sponsor, Go Daddy, is making a big push Down Under and Hinchcliffe will be racing and promoting his sponsor’s brand.

OTHER WEEKEND RACING

– D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas won his sixth race of the season at Riverside Speedway outside Antigonish, N.S., Saturday night but it still wasn’t enough to clinch his second NASCAR Canadian Tire Series national championship.

He’ll have to wait now till next Saturday at Kawartha Speedway near Peterborough, where it’s expected he’ll wrap things up.

J.R. Fitzpatrick of Cambridge was second in the Down East contest, with Mark Dilley of Barrie third, defending champion Scott Steckly of Milverton third and Ron Beauchamp Jr. of Windsor fifth.

– At Virginia International Raceway, Muscle Milk Team Picket’s Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf won the American Le Mans Series race in their Honda Performance Development P1 car.

Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner wrapped up the GT class championship for Corvette Racing and Cooper MacNeil (wiith Leh Keen for this race) won the GT Challenge championship.

The ALMS will end its season Oct. 20 at Road Atlanta when the Petit Le Mans will be run.

– Back at California Speedway, Carlos Muniz might have won the Indy Lights race but David Ostella of Maple finished second and that is the best finish for this young Canadian racer in that series and the first time in his Indy Lights career that he’s been on the podium. Congratulations, David!

Will Mike Conway get the same sympathy as Niki Lauda?

Director Ron Howard is putting the finishing touches to his new Formula One racing movie, Rush, that dramatizes the season-long fight for the World Championship between James Hunt and Niki Lauda in 1976.

That was the year when Lauda barely escaped with his life from a horrible crash and fire at the Nurburgring during the German Grand Prix. He had not wanted to race at the ‘Ring because he was worried about safety but the other drivers voted to go ahead and he went along. Terribly burned, it was almost unbelievable when, just six weeks later, he returned to race in the Italian GP.

The championship went down to the final race in Japan with Hunt trailing Lauda by three points. The race started in a torrential downpour and Lauda called it a day after two laps, saying he considered his life too precious to risk in those conditions, thus losing the championship to Hunt by a single point.

It was called as brave a decision as the one he made to return to the cockpit so soon after his crash in Germany.

I thought of that today when the news arrived from California that Mike Conway had stepped out of the cockpit of A.J. Foyt’s car on the eve of the season-ending race of the IZOD IndyCar Series at California Speedway because he’d decided oval racing was too dangerous. He’s been replaced by Wade Cunningham.

"I'm truly sorry for putting the team and our sponsors in a difficult position, but this is the hardest decision I have ever made in my racing career," said Conway, who missed the 2010 season after being hurt in a crash at the Indianapolis 500 (left). A talented road racer who had success in British F2 and GP2 — Conway finished third in this year’s Honda Indy Toronto — he escaped injury at Indy in May when he had another bad crash.

"I've come to realize I'm not comfortable on the ovals and no longer wish to compete on them,” he said in his statement. “I want to stress that I am not finished racing and to this end, I would love to continue with Foyt Racing, but that's something we need to discuss in the future."

A.J. Foyt’s son Larry Foyt, who runs Foyt Racing, said that he respected Conway's decision.

"Mike's been a great asset to our team, and I'm disappointed that we can't finish out the season together," he said. "However, it took a lot of courage for Mike to come forward and we respect him highly for that and we certainly want to honour his decision."

I have no idea how Conway plans to continue his career, at least in the Indy car series, where oval racing is a fact of life.

And to admit to being scared is not something that goes over well with most oval-track racing fans – or with old oval racers like A.J. Foyt.

Larry Foyt might have said all the right things for public consumption, but you can bet his father was saying something else behind closed doors.

For the Indy fraternity, it’s better to own up to having reservations in advance, rather than to back out later.

Take one of the greatest car designers, builders and mechanics in Indy car racing history, A.J. Watson, who one year in the 1950s built most of the cars that were on the track at Indianapolis.

He tried driving once but never again.

How come? he was asked.

“I suffered from severe stomach problems,” said Watson.

“No guts.”

#

Conway’s departure has taken some of the wind out of the sails of the Indy car finale, in which Ryan Hunter-Reay and Will Power will fight it out for the series championship.

Instead of only running stories about the championship battle – Power leads Hunter-Reay by a mere 17 points going into the MAVTV 500 (see George’s TV Listings for Race Fans for time and channel) — the major Internet racing sites carried stories about the Foyt driver’s defection, sometimes more prominently.

Although it’s said that there are upwards of 30 different scenarios in which one or the other of Power or Hunter-Reay can win the championship, this is not last week’s NASCAR race for the Chase, in which there was potential for genuine surprise.

In short, Power will win or Hunter-Reay will win and possibly because one will get caught up in a crash or suffer some kind of mechanical difficulty.

If the past is any indicator, Power won’t win because he is not a good oval-track racer. He’s been in this situation before and he's always come out on the low end.

IndyCar’s insane engine-change rule might have an effect, as well. That’s where the driver is penalized 10 starting positions because the people who make the engines don’t do their jobs correctly and the engines just about all have to be changed.

In the case of California, more than half the starting field — 14 drivers, including the two fighting for the title and stars like our own James Hinchcliffe, Alex Tagliani and Helio Castroneves — will be handed 10-grid-position penalties for unapproved engine changes.

I mean, you want stupid? Cunningham, who doesn’t even race for Foyt but has been called in to fill Conway’s seat, will be penalized 10 grid positions because Foyt changed the car’s engine.

So he’s penalized before he even sits down in the car?

Nuts.

#

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is racing at Riverside Speedway outside Antigonish, N.S., this weekend. It’s unlikely that D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas will win the championship and the title fight will most likely be settled in the season finale next week at Kawartha Speedway outside Peterborough. . . . And unless the weather creates a problem, the eighth annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals will be held Saturday night at Ohsweken Speedway on the Six Nations Reserve outside Brantford. . . . If dirt trackin’ ain’t your style, the British Empire Motor Club’s annual Indian Summer Trophy Races will be held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park at the weekend. A highlight is the annual three-hour enduro-GT Challenge, which will go to the post later on Saturday afternoon.

Racing roundup: On Danica, Jimmie Johnson and others

Musings, ramblings and confessions after a weekend of auto racing:

– You have to laugh about everything that’s happened to poor Danica Patrick this year, her first full-time season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. She’s done just fine qualifying and the speed is there but Murphy’s Law has never been more clearly defined than when applied to her when she's road-course racing.

Earlier this year, at Road America, she was less than a half-lap from a top five finish when Jacques Villeneuve forgot to brake and knocked her off the track.

Last week at Watkins Glen, she was on the inside going into Turn One when a car that went flying past her on the grass re-entered the track right in front of her and stopped. She had nowhere to go and hit it dead-on, knocking her out of the race.

Saturday at le Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, she qualified fourth and was leading the race - leading - when somebody threw a shoe on the track and she hit it. I mean, really. She had other mechanical problems but when she hit that shoe her race went south, so the timing couldn’t have been worse.

One of these days, she will win and that will get the monkey off her back. There’s no doubt the talent’s there; she’s just got to get it all together – speed, strategy, race craft and, most important for her, luck.

Justin Allgaier won his first road-course race at Montreal and the third of his Nationwide career, with Sam Hornish Jr. second and Jacques Villeneuve third. Details here

Now, it has been suggested by some that NASCAR kept throwing yellows so that a "regular" could win the race instead of a ringer, particularly if said ringer happened to be the son of the guy the Montreal circuit’s named after.

If not for the phantom yellows that left him low on fuel, or so go the the theories, Jacques Villeneuve would have won the race.

Now, JV denied that he was running out of gas on the final lap (although he did run out on the cooldown lap) and lost the race because Allgaier ran into him. Maybe. But there’s no doubt he was worred he was going to stall out because he was running noticeably slower on the last lap than the eventual winner.

Having said that, Allgaier didn’t have any fuel problems, so if NASCAR was playing fast and loose with the yellows, it didn’t appear to hurt him.

And nobody was shedding any tears for Villeneuve anyway. The Danica punt in Wisconsin was still fresh in everybody’s mind and he turned Alex Tagliani around late in the Montreal race. The fact that he was angry after being hit by Allgaier was really very amusing. Did somebody say it was like the pot calling the kettle black?

Two other quick notes: For the last fillup, Allgaier pitted later than the others, which explains why he had more fuel when the race got down to the short strokes. And why did he do that? Because at Road America in 2011, he ran out of fuel on the last lap. He obviously learned a lesson.

Oh, and Ron Fellows, Mississauga’s most famous athlete, finished fifth a week ago at Watkins Glen and was fifth at Montreal on Saturday. He is an absolutely incredible race driver.

– NASCAR hasn’t got a clue about yellows on road courses, period, as we saw at Montreal, and they sometimes over-react on ovals, too. David Gilliland lost control early in the Michigan Sprint Cup race Sunday afternoon and went flying through the infield grass but then got straightened out and went back on the track, albeit half a lap behind.

But he didn’t hit the wall and there was no damage or debris anywhere. But as soon as he started sliding, the yellow was on and there was really no need for it.

It’s a good excuse to close up the pack, though. Isn’t it . . . ?

– In the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race at Montreal, J.R. Fitzpatrick of Cambridge won, with Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond, Que., second and Robin Buck of Campbellville third. Scott Steckly of Milverton was fourth, he’s the defending national champion, and the leader of this year’s championship chase, D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas, finished fifth. Next race is at Barrie Speedway Sept. 8.

- As NASCAR doesn’t have a clue about yellow flags on road courses, neither does it have a clue so far as passes for the lead on road courses are concerned. Their rule is that in the case of a yellow, the order of finish from the last completed lap will be the order for the restart. Fine on ovals, stinks on road courses.

Ranger had passed Fitzpatrick fair and square and was clear and away in front of him when somebody spun at the back of the pack and since they all hadn’t completed the lap, the order had to revert to the previous . . . yada, yada, yada – you know what I’m saying, eh? – and when they restarted the race J.R. was back in first and Ranger was second and that is not fair, not fair, not fair. (I sound like Jack Lemon as Prof. Fate in The Great Race. . .)

– Okay, moving right along, I apologize for making the same mistake over and over. Every time I write anything about Lewis Hamilton, I say he’s won two world championships. Of course, he’s only won one but that hasn’t seemed to penetrate my thick skull. The latest example was in a story I wrote on the weekend that appeared on wheels.ca and in Toronto Star Wheels. I could change it online but not in the paper. Sorry.

It’s like every time I go to write 1996. It always comes out 1969. Why?

– They say auto racing has the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We saw both in the Sprint Cup race at Michigan Sunday.

With nine laps to go, Jimmie Johnson took the lead in the race and the TV cameras showed his crew chief, Chad Knaus, fist-pumping with delight. Three laps later, his engine let go and Greg Biffle went blowing by him.

Biffle went on to win the race and Johnson drove straight to the garage area. He passed a dejected Knaus, who was walking in the same direction. Details here

Remember that Grand Prix of Monaco a half-dozen years ago, in 2006, when Kimi Raikkonen dropped out while in second place and he got out of his car and was so angry that he kept his helmet on while he walked around the course to his yacht in the harbour, where he disappeared below decks?

Well, Johnson got out of his car yesterday and didn’t take off his helmet. He walked from his car, between several transport trucks and through the hospitality area on the way to his motorhome.

He was obviously so upset that one of his PR aides, a woman, started to follow him and then thought better of it, staying behind in the garage area.

It's not often that you see Jimmie Johnson so browned off.

– By the way, while the Nationwide stock cars were at Montreal, the Camping World Truck Series was the support race for the Sprint Cup cars in Michigan and that race Saturday was won by Nelson Piquet Jr.

Piquet, who was forced to leave Formula One after admitting to participation in the conspiracy to fix the Singapore GP in 2008, would appear to have completed his rehabilitation. Look for him to move up to Sprint Cup before long.

– Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series race at Montreal on Saturday. Paul Tracy was third (with others). Alex Tagliani finished seventh. John Edwards and Robin Liddell won in GT. Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato driving the AIM Autosport of Woodbridge Ferrari were second in GT. Paul Dalla Lana of Toronto, who was featured in Wheels last weekend and who won the GT class at Watkins Glen a week ago, had a miserable race in Montreal and didn’t finish. There were only 21 cars in the Montreal race – and people can make as many excuses as they want but it’s the border. Americans competing in semi-professionals series like the Grand Am Rolex and the American Le Mans Series and who are field-fillers will run all the races in the U.S. and skip the ones up here. It’s a shame.

– At Road America, where 35 cars showed up for the American le Mans Series race (as compared to 26 that started the ALMS race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport in July, see?), the closest finish in the history of the series took place with the P1 Lola-Mazda entry of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith defeating Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr in their Muscle Milk HPD ARX-Honda by 0.083 seconds.

Tony Burgess of Toronto (and others) was third overall. Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier were first in P2, Tom Kimber-Smith, Jon Bennett and Alex Powpow were first in Prototype Challenge (Kyle Marcelli of Barrie, and others, who was on pole in PC, finished third in class and seventh overall), Bill Auberlen and Jorg Muller were winners in the GT class and Cooper MacNeil and Jeroen Bleekemolen were first in GT Challenge.

By the way, P2 driver Scott Tucker finished 11^th and 12^th overall in the race and third and fourth in the Prototype 2 class. How?

He teamed with Christophe Bouchut in one car – he did the first stint of driving – and with Luis Diaz in the second – he drove the final stint in the second car.

– In Canadian Touring Car Championship action at Montreal, Sasha Annis won the first race in Super Touring, with Jocelyn Hebert tops in Touring Class and Karl Wittmer in B-Spec. In the second race, Marc-Antoine Camirand was the winner in Super Touring, Damon Sharpe won Touring Class and Wittmer repeated in B-Spec.

The Touring Car championship will wrap its season over Labour Day weekend at Calabogie Motorports Park.

– Robbie Wickens of Guelph and Toronto had his best weekend in the German Touring Car Championship since he started his rookie season in the spring. He qualified ninth and finished seventh at the Nurburgring driving for Mercedes. Canadian driver Bruno Spengler won the race in a BMW.

– In World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series action, Sammy Swindell got over his disappointment at missing out on starting the Knoxville Nationals by winning the feature at Grand Forks, N.D., at the weekend.

In other sprint car news, Dustin Daggett of Grand Ledge, Mich., won the Northern Summer Nationals Championship by finishing first in the feature at Chatham-area South Buxton Speedway Saturday night.

- And two weeks out from the Budweiser Oswego Classic 200 for supermodifieds, Joe Gosek won his 42nd feature at the famous northern New York Oswego Speedway, which puts him fourth on the all-time win list behind Eddie Bellinger Jr., Bentley Warren and Jim Shampine.

And by finishing fifth in the super feature, Otto Sitterly of Canajoharie, N.Y., won his fifth Oswego Speedway track championship. I think Sitterly has one of the neatest names in all of auto racing, right up there with Parnelli Jones. I also think Otto has the talent to go to Indy. His sometimes-supermodified teammate, Davey Hamilton, could help pave the way.

Versatile Tagliani wins NASCAR pole in Montreal



You hear the question again and again: why can’t open wheel drivers make the transition to stock cars? Why can’t winners in Indy car racing, say, transition over to NASCAR and win?

The people who ask those question, of course, are primarily NASCAR reporters and fans who love sticking it to the Indy car drivers.

Although Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. haven’t exactly set the world on fire in NASCAR, and the jury is still out on Danica Patrick, they conveniently forget that Tony Stewart did it (from Indy car champion to NASCAR champion is pretty good) and they are currently overlooking another guy who’s pretty good at it too.

His name is Alex Tagliani, who’s a top-level Indy car star who’s driving in stock cars as well as sports cars this weekend in Montreal as the Nationwide Series makes its annual visit to le Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

In fact, in today’s Nationwide race, he’ll start on the pole. Horish will start beside him, with old friends Jacques Villeneuve and Danica Patrick beside him on the second row.

(An aside here: I earlier wrote that for the first time that I can remember, there is not one regular Sprint Cup driver in today’s race. At the last moment, Kyle Busch flew in from Michigan and planned to start at the back of the field.)

In any event, "Tag" is on pole and he seems to do really well every time he climbs into a stock car. In fact, years ago he saved his Indy car career when he won a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race in Edmonton and demonstrated in front of the Champ Car World Series owners that he still very much "had it."

This is not the first time that a hometown hero has won the pole in Montreal. Carpentier did it in 2007 and Villeneuve sat on it last year, but that didn’t mean Tag wasn’t overjoyed.

"I want to dedicate this pole to the fans who come and make this event so special," said Tagliani, while pointing to the grandstands. "I feel that there was still a tenth or two left in the car. I wanted to do a third flying lap with the tire pressures and temperatures at their best but my crew chief, Trent Owens, wanted me to save fuel so we have one more lap to go in our first stint in the race."

After the Nationwide race, Tagliani will have to change driving styles because he'll be driving in tonight's Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series race, also at Montreal.

All of these races - plus a tape of the Canadian Tire race which was held this morning (which was won by J.R. Fitzpatrick, after a thrilling duel with Andrew Ranger) - are on TV today. Please check George's TV listings For Race Fans  on this site for times and channels.

One last thing: unless she's winning the race, don't be surprised if Patrick delivers a little payback today to Villeneuve for the incident at Road America  several months ago where he got into the back of her car on the last lap and robbed her of a fifth-place finish.

These things happen in racing but it was his "not my fault, I don't care" response later that annoyed people, including his sponsor who went so far as to issue a statement critical of the one-time F1 world champion.

Is Dodge name in NASCAR up for sale?

Erica Enders (left) and Courtney Force each claimed victories during the NHRA O'Reilly Auto Parts Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways. (NHRA Photo)

Precede to this column:  It's official. Dodge has withdrawn from NASCAR as of the end of 2012. Click here for the official video statement. However, the premise of my analysis still stands. If a team wants to lease the name, Dodge, from Chrysler Corp., and get a leg up on the competition in advance of the company returning to NASCAR, then a deal can surely be made. Meantime . . .

It’s always interesting to scan the headlines on numrous websites following a weekend of racing:

1. Katherine Legge returns as Dragon Racing gets back to two cars for Sonoma IndyCar race.

2. Lotus sure of stronger second half.

3. Furniture Row may switch to Dodge

My reaction to those three headlines is as follows:

1. Yippee. Can hardly wait.

2. Somebody better tell those guys that this is racing, and nothing is a guarantee.

3. Huh?

So, let’s focus on No. 3.

General Motors, Ford and Toyota are committed to NASCAR racing in 2013. Dodge, not so much. In fact, Dodge has been sending signals for some time that it really doesn’t know what it’s going to do in NASCAR in 2013, if anything.

Just this weekend, Penske Racing’s Tim Cindric told reporters that up till a week ago, Penske and Dodge had been talking about Penske continuing to build engines for a Dodge entry in NASCAR next season, even though Penske announced months ago that the race team would be running Fords in 2013 and would get them from Roush-Yates.

But the Dodge engine option is officially gone now, Cindric said. He went on: "Relative to us, they said they’re going in a different direction. We don’t see there being any more potential on the NASCAR side with Dodge."

Now, when I say that some manufacturers are still committed, that doesn’t mean what it once did. Hundreds of millions of dollars of investment are now tens of millions – if that.

Dodge is owned by Chrysler which is owned by Fiat. The guy who runs Fiat is Sergio Marchionne and he looks at the whole, not just the parts. He’s a guy who’s very aware of every dollar and cent that’s spent anywhere in the company in the world.

He knows, for instance, that it doesn’t look good for Chrysler to ask its auto workers in one country to take a pay cut and then turn around and spend millions on a racing program in another, particularly if that racing program isn’t going to be successful.

You would think the folks at Furniture Row Racing would know that. But team general manager Joe Garone said that "if Dodge comes to us, and says here’s the right deal, then we would do it."

As I’m sure anybody would. . .

But I don’t really think that’s what’s going to happen.

As a friend of mine who’s very involved in automobile manufacturing says: "In Chrysler’s case, they want the whole deal taken off their hands and to be paid for it. In exchange, they will licence or lease out the Dodge name. If no one can do it that way, then that’s it."

(Norris note here: I would suggest that’s what Cindric was saying when he said "they are going in a different direction . . . and we don’t see there being any more potential."  Translation: they want money and we ain’t payin’ . . .)

My friend continued:

"There’s as much money out there as ever before, it’s just being pushed in different directions. There isn’t the interest in NASCAR any more. NASCAR has had its day, the ROI (return on investment) is no longer there."

That doesn’t mean the end of NASCAR, or IndyCar, or whatever car. It just means the whole auto racing industry will have to get leaner, yet again, and to live much more within its means.

And to get along without manufacturer support.

Talking about living within your means, there’s a story on the speedtv.com site about Luis Perez-Sala, the new boss of the HRT Formula One team, and how everything was in disarray when he took over.

The first thing he did, apparently, was to move the team "into plush new  headquarters" in Madrid.

The car might still stink, but the headquarters are plush and, like so much in F1 these days, that seems to be what counts.

Oh, and in the failed-drug-tests department, move over A.J., you've got company. Former F1 and IndyCar driver Thomas Enge has been banned for 18 months by the FIA for flunking a pee test. He was suspended once previously for using marijuana.

Weekend Results roundup:

– At Trois-Riveres, Que., D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas did not win the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race. That is big news, seeing as Kennington had won the five previous races in Canada’s only national racing series.

Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond, Que., who has won the Trois-Rivieres race four times out of the last six, was first again this year, with L.P. Dumoulin finishing second in front of his hometown crowd and J.R. Fitzpatrick of Cambridge coming home third. Kennington was fifth, behind Robin Buck of Campbellville.

The next outing for the NASCAR Canada series will be at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve Aug. 18 as part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the fabled circuit.

Also at Trois-Rivieres, Tristan Vautier won the Indy Lights race and Nick Wittmer of Hudson, Que.., won the new B-Spec class in the Canadian Touring Car Championship Series while Marc-Antoine Camirand won both Super Touring class races, with Paul Dargis and Alain Lauzier winning in Touring class.

– At the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race Sunday, James Hinchcliffe of Oakville drove a fine race to finish fifth (he had a poor qualifying session and went off 16^th) and improved his place in the points standings. Montreal’s Alex Tagliani had another Top Ten finish. The race was won by Scott Dixon, with Will Power second and Simon Pagenaud third.

It was the second straight IndyCar race without a caution.

– Bad weather forced the cancellation of the elimination rounds at Toronto Motorsports Park on Sunday so drag racing fans who show up at Grand Bend Motoplex this coming weekend for the Stratford Spectacular Hot August Nationals will be in for a real treat.

In addition to a full program featuring the Pro Modified Racing Association, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and the Pro Bike & Sled Series, the elimination rounds from TMP will be added.

Bruce Boland of Hamilton qualified No. 1 in the PMRA, Kevin Wicke of Stratford and James Lichty of Linwood led the Quick 32 qualifyers and Danny Staples of Ingersoll was No. 1 in the PBSS. All will be looking to extend their dominance at Grand Bend.

– Speaking of drag racing, two women made NHRA history at the weekend. Courtney Force won the Funny Car class and Erica Enders won in Pro Stock. It is the first time in the history of the NHRA that women finished first in two of the top four classes.

– The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be at Watkins Glen at the weekend for the second road race of the season (and, to my mind, there should be at least a half-dozen among the 36 races flagged off each season, instead of just two).

Bill France Jr. once told me that Watkins Glen is a "Canadian race," as are the ones at New Hampshire and Michigan. I guess that means since we’ve already got three, we won’t be getting any more anytime soon . . .

In any event, Jeff Gordon will be fresh off his "victory" at Pocono Raceway last Sunday, which was red-flagged and declared official just before the 100-lap mark because of rain. Kasey Kahne was second and Martin Truex finished third.

Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth were ahead on the restart but Johnson got sideways and pushed Kensenth up to the wall and Gordon, plus the rest, snuck past in the ensuing melee. Then the rains came.

Ron Fellows of Mississauga will be driving in the Nationwide Series race on Saturday, which will be a warmup for the Nationwide event at Montreal on Aug. 18. Of course, any time that Fellows climbs into a racing car, he’s at, or near, the front. So expect a show.

– Finally, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will be at Knoxville, Iowa, this coming weekend for the 52^nd Knoxville Nationals. No word on whether Tony Stewart will be there but I guarantee you that the series regulars are crossing their fingers he’ll be too busy at the Glen to fly out or else they’ll all be fighting for second place.

He’s raced with the Outlaws a couple of times this season and won twice, most recently a week ago at Ohsweken Speedway out near Brantford. It was no contest that time.

Big holiday weekend of racing - in person and on TV

SYNDIE HYDE (left), KATIE WARD AND MELANIE SIMMONS

There is lots of racing appealing to every taste on tap locally and on television this weekend. Only Formula One will be MIA.

At Toronto Motorsports Park, the South Coast Community Weekend will take place on the Cayuga Dragway and action will start Friday and continue through Sunday. This is the fourth drag-racing event at the Cayuga-area facility this summer and it’s pretty much a bargain.

Complimentary spectator event tickets are available at businesses in Cayuga and the surrounding area, or by contacting some of the racing associations that will be participating — the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, the Pro Modified Racing Association or the Pro Bike & Sled Series.

General parking is $20 per carload and weekend camping is available.

Now, as is the case with most other forms of motorsport, women are seen as equal partners with men and that is certainly the case with the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts. Three of the top drivers in the series are experienced female racers who take a back seat to no man when they approach the start line.

Melanie Simmons (above, right), Katie Ward and Sydnie Hyde are all strong racers in the series and all three have increased their efforts since the series began four seasons ago.

Simmons, from Orillia, drives the Toyrific Racing Top Dragster. With a No. 1 qualifier and quarter-final finish at the IHRA National Event at the Grand Bend Motorplex several weeks ago, she is able to blast down the quarter-mile in the mid six-second range at more than 200 miles an hour.

Ward has stepped into a faster car this season. The Orangeville racer, a driver for the Hinbest Racing team, started in the Quick 32 Sportsman Series with a normally-aspirated Top Dragster but for 2012 she is co-driving the team’s other car, a supercharged Top Dragster, with Michael Hinbest. This car is one of the quickest in the series and Ward has also recorded runs in the mid-six second range.

Now in her second year of Quick 32 Sportsman Series racing, Hyde drives the Hyde Racing Top Dragster, a new car for her this year with a huge, 740-cubic inch engine. The Stratford racer has run the quarter-mile in the high-six second bracket.

Simmons and Hyde started their racing in Junior Dragsters and progressed to the faster cars. Ward started racing in 2010 in an eight-second Quick 32 Top Dragster.

All three women are dedicated ambassadors of the sport and take part in off-track promotions, media interviews and autograph sessions.

For information about Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga,  call (905) 772-0303 or visit online.

Now, talking about complimentary admission tickets, it won’t cost anybody anything to attend this weekend’s CASC-Ontario Region races at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

Just go to the CASC website and click to download tickets for Saturday and Sunday. Or click here. And you can print out as many as you like, which makes it a great way to take the family somewhere for the weekend and not have to spend an arm and a leg.

Racing in five divisions organized by BARC will start Saturday at 8:30 in the morning and Sunday at 9 a.m. Classes in action will include Vintage/Historic, G70 Limited, F1200, F1600, Formula Libre, GT Sprints and so-on.

Over at Delaware Speedway just outside London, the International Supermodified Association will be racing Friday and Saturday nights. As anybody who’s read my stuff knows, these are my guys.

The supers (left, and thanks to the Delaware website for the photo) are the fastest short-track racing cars on the planet and the ground shakes when the pack flies by. It’s a professional class, so the purse is healthy, which means admission is not free. An adult single-night ticket costs $40 but there are family passes and weekend passes available that make it more affordable. Check with the Delaware website for details. Or click here.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is back in action at Pocono Raceway this Sunday and Jimmie Johnson will be out to show everybody that his dominating performance last weekend in the Brickyard 400 was a precursor to him winning his sixth championship in seven years.

Of course, defending Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart, fresh off his World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory at Ohsweken Speedway on Tuesday night, will be out to put a stop to that, as will all the other Sprint Cup regulars.

Of special interest will be the performance in the Penske Racing No. 22 car of Sam Hornish Jr., who’s been given the ride for the rest of the season after Penske fired A.J. Allmendinger, who’d twice flunked drug tests administered by NASCAR. If Hornish can finish high consistently, he’ll be in the car in 2013. Otherwise, expect Ryan Newman to join the team to drive that car.

That race, incidentally, can be seen on TSN2 at 1 p.m.

In NASCAR Canada competition, D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas will be looking to win his sixth race in a row at Trois-Rivieres on Sunday. However, he’ll be up against Andrew Ranger, who’s either won or finished close to the front in the last four or five years there, as well as defending series champion Scott Steckly and the rest of the Canadian Tire Series regulars.

The other TV race of interest this weekend will be the IZOD IndyCar Series race from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday. It will be on ABC at 12:30 p.m. or on same-day tape-delay on TSN2 at 5 p.m., or after the NASCAR race, whichever comes first.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend, everybody. I’m going to stretch my legs, too, and will resume writing sometime on Monday.

Schumi to Ferrari? Allmendinger rumours

Friday morning musings:

1. Ferrari has let the option to pick up Felipe Massa’s contract for 2013 lapse, which means he will not be in the team next year.

By interviewing Mark Webber for the job, Ferrari tipped that it’s looking for a solid second banana rather than a young speedster who would make Fernando Alonso uncomfortable.

There’s another veteran in F1 who doesn’t have a contract for next year. He’s fast — but not fast enough to really challenge Alonso — and he has strong ties to Ferrari.

I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of possibility that Michael Schumacher could sign on for 2013 and then ride off into the sunset for the last time wearing Ferrari red.

2. A.J. Allmendinger has still not said anything about what made him flunk the NASCAR drug test. There are suggestions it had to do with emphetamines and his business people are pushing the “accidental” angle — that somehow, something he ingested legally put him over the line and it was all an accident. I’m hearing it was something else entirely. And that’s the problem: when there is no clear explanation forthcoming, the rumours start. Speak up, A.J., before it’s too late.

3. Danica Patrick told the media at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Thursday that she wants to do the “double” next U.S. Memorial Day weekend — the Indianapolis 500 as well as the Coca-Cola 600 — if the logistics can be worked out and she can get a good ride at Indy. She’ll be driving in the Sprint Cup series for Tony Stewart next year and he’s done it previously, so if she wants to try I can’t see him standing in her way. Who knows? Perhaps he’ll start laying the groundwork for the eventual establishment of an Indy car team to compliment his NASCAR team after he retires from driving. If Roger, Chip and maybe Michael can do it, why not him?

4. JR Motorsports has launched a contest around everybody’s favourite all-‘round Canadian driver, Ron Fellows, who will be competing for them at Watkins Glen and at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in the Nationwide Series in August. Go to www.JRMracing.com or www.Fellows5.com for contest details and questions. The Grand Prize is a three-day driving experience package at Ron Fellows Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club outside Las Vegas.

5. While a lot of attention will be on Paul Tracy in the Daytona Prototype class this afternoon in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, let’s not lose track of the fact that the AIM Autosport of Woodbridge Ferrari driven by Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato is very likely going to win the GT class in that race. Segal will start the race with the best race-win record in the series as well as the GT class championship points lead. Segal and the first-year AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari program also have a series-best six GT podium finishes in the season’s first eight races, with only one result out of the top four all year.

6. I’ve been in the newspaper (and radio and TV) biz for longer than I can even remember. One of the things I was taught by my very first city editor, Jim Pauk, was to use language that people can understand. Ergo (that’s a fancy word for “therefore”), I can’t figure out why modern communication specialists (they used to be called “reporters”) have to copy down, or repeat, everything the way it’s written or spoken. This is particularly true when it comes to medical explanations. These days, you would think we are all doctors, the way things come out in the paper and on the web. Example. Charlie Kimball apparently crashed during an IndyCar test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.  All the stories are reporting that he suffered a fracture of the fifth metacarpal of his right hand. Okay, I’m not stupid. I suspect he has a broken hand. But why not just say it? What the heck if a metacarpal? Same thing with broken legs. Why not say, “broken leg?” Why say, “fracture of the femur?”

7. Chevrolet announced Thursday that its NASCAR Nationwide Series car for 2013 will be the Camaro. The Camaro, as we all know, is built in Oshawa. Wouldn’t it be neat if the Nationwide Series and the Grand Am Rolex Series raced a double-header at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park next summer? Maybe everybody employed at GM Oshawa would get a free ticket so they could cheer on “Canada’s car!”

8. Okay – so this is my scenario for 2013: Continuing student unrest in Montreal forces F1 to review the Canadian Grand Prix. Its future there could be in jeopardy. So Montreal needs a new headline event for Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. How about a NASCAR Sprint Cup race? This means the Nationwide Series event would be free to move to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The Grand Am Rolex could support both. The NASCAR trucks could double-head with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at CTMP. Add the American Le Mans Series and the Canadian motorcycle championship and Summer 2013 at the facility north of Bowmanville could be non-stop action. I’m dreaming – but it’s a nice dream. (Oh, I have a sollution to the F1 problem. Coming Monday.)

A.J. Allmendinger has to come clean - today

A.J. Allmendinger, when he was caught driving under the influence of alcohol a few years ago, did exactly the right thing when — within hours — he owned up to his mistake and told reporters it would never happen again.

It saved his career.

Now he’s in another mess and the clock is ticking. It is Thursday, and it’s been public knowledge since Tuesday that he’d officially flunked NASCAR’s drug test and the only person doing any talking is his business manager, who’s been sugar coating everything.

The question that must be answered is this:

What was in his system?

Allmendinger, it’s hoped, will call a media conference today and explain what happened. It’s not good enough that he’s entering NASCAR’s recovery program. It’s not good enough that he’s talked privately with his employers and his sponsors. He has to tell the world exactly what happened.

I’m not the only one who thinks this.

Jeff Hammond, NASCAR analyst and former Sprint Cup crew chief, said:

“He will have to step forward and make sure we all understand what substance was involved. That must come first and must be addressed by A.J. His honesty and candor, like he displayed when he handled his DUI, will directly impact whether he can get over this hurdle. A.J. must be willing to man up and come clean.”

Okay, another curiosity is the connection that the other A.J. allegedly has to this story.

Even before the results of Allmendinger’s second test were known, A.J. Foyt reportedly said he would be willing to have him on his Indy car team and this has been interpreted by some columnists and some fans as a green light for the Dinger to waltz right back into single-seaters.

There’s a whole bunch wrong with that scenario, starting with the fact that — as of this writing (Thursday morning) — I have not heard A.J. Foyt himself say any such thing.

The problem with phrases like “reportedly said” is that the words in the horse’s mouth are being interpreted by somebody who might very well have misunderstood the meaning or intent of really what was said. Or is deliberately torquing things up.

Here’s an example.

Reporter: “If A.J. Allmendinger mistakenly took an over-the-counter cold medication that contained a banned substance, and he failed a NASCAR drug test as a result, and he completed a 28-day treatment program,  and sat out the rest of the 2012 season, but then Roger Penske told him he won’t give him his job back, would you consider talking to him about maybe driving for you in the IndyCar series so long as you were confident he was clean and sober and had been for at least six months and he swore he would never do anything like that again?”

A.J. Foyt: “Sure.”

That’s how things get to be “reportedly said.”

There are not going to be any slam dunks for A.J. Allemendinger going forward.

But he can start to repair the damage today but standing up and saying just what it was he did, with what.

Meantime, can you believe it? D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas has won yet another NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race, this one on the oval at Saskatoon, Sask., on Wednesday night.

The victory at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway was his fifth straight of the 2012 season and the 16^th of his NASCAR career.

Kennington, who started fifth on the grid in his No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge, led briefly just past the midway point of the race before being passed by Jason Hathaway of Dutton, Ont. Kennington gained the lead back when Hathaway's car broke on a late-race restart.

From there he held off challenges from pole-sitter J.R. Fitzpatrick of Cambridge and Mark Dilley of Barrie. Kennington held on for the win despite contact with Dilley in Turn 3 on the last lap. Dilley took second, with Fitzpatrick crossing the line in third.

Defending series champion Scott Steckly of Milverton finished fourth, with Ron Beauchamp Jr. of Windsor in fifth. The pace of the event was slowed by six cautions covering 46 laps.

In the point standings, Kennington has opened a formidable lead of 41 points over Steckly with Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond, Que., and Fitzpatrick holding down the third and fourth positions, respectively.

The race will be telecast by TSN2 on Sat., Aug. 4, at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The next race in the 12-race series will be at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres on Aug. 5.

Elvis Stojko reveals plans to race cars

FLASH: Canada may soon have a new racing hero to cheer for.

As Paul Tracy, Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve walk off into the sunset, leaving James Hinchcliffe, Robert Wickens and Alex Tagliani to carry the Canadian flag into battle, champion figure skater Elvis Stojko revealed today that he's about to launch a car racing career.

During an interview on the Fan 590 radio station in Toronto, Stojko - who'd been contacted to talk about the upcoming Summer Olympics in London (he's a three-time Olympic silver medalist in figure skating) - let it be known that he was in serious training for a season of shifter-kart racing.

There's a wonderful world-class kart facility at le Circuit-Mont Tremblant race track north of Montreal and Stojko said he was spending a week there to hone his skills as a kart racer.

"My arms hurt and my body aches but I'm having a great time," he said after telling his interviewer that the kart he's training in this week is capable of an average speed of 160 km/h.

Stojko said his wife, Mexican figure skater Gladys Orozco, used to race karts as a child and is fully supportive of his ambition.

It was then that he said his plan is to become a car racer, although he didn't reveal whether that would be in single-seaters, sedans or stock cars.

Now, if I was Francois Dumontier, president and CEO of Octane Racing, which promotes the F1 race in Montreal and the Edmonton Indy, I would be on the phone to Stojko asap to invite him to compete in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race he'll be promoting at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve next month.

That race weekend needs help - the Canadian Tire series is part of a double-header with the NASCAR Nationwide Series - and has been successful in large part because of the presence of famous Canadian racers, particularly French-Canadian racing stars.

But Carpentier had to be enticed out of retirement for this year's race and Villeneuve and Tagliani are not the draws they once were. Danica Patrick will be there but the Cup stars (other than Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose) have never embraced that race.

But Elvis Stojko? In a stock car? I betcha that would sell some tickets.

Meantime, good luck to Elvis. His participation in motorsports will draw a lot of attention from people who wouldn't normally be interested.

Figure skating has a huge fan base and if even some of them become race fans as a result, it will be a real shot in the arm for the sport.

Earlier:

Latino top drag racer; Touring cars, Porsches thrill

Although this is a few days later, here is what happened last weekend in "local" racing:

(My definition of "local" racing is racing that is not Formula One, NASCAR, American LeMans/Grand Am or IndyCar . . .)

Before we concentrate on the major Canadian races in support of the ALMS at Mosport – Canadian Touring Cars and the Porsche GT3 Challenge Canada – let’s catch up with Ontario drag racing.

At the Bend Motoplex, Eric Latino of Whitby won the Pro Modiified Racing Association headline event at the IHRA MOPAR Nitro Jam Nationals. It was his fourth victory in PMRA competition.

Driving his Team Green ‘69 Chevy Camaro, Latino – who’d qualified fourth behind PMRA points leader Bruce Boland of Hamilton – defeated Rocky Di Lecce of Mississaugua in the final round.

Latino is now in second place in the PMRA 2012 Series presented by Global Emissions Systems, Inc., behind Boland, who has a 26-point lead.

Next time out for the drag racers is the August Civic Holiday weekend at Toronto Motorsports Park. In addition to the PMRA, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA and the Pro Bike & Sled Series presented by Wiseco Performance Products will also compete at TMP.

Now, before we leave the drag racers, Melanie Simmons and her Toyrific Racing Top Dragster Team, based in Orillia, has signed a product marketing agreement with Aeroquip Performance Products and will be flying its colours at drag meets for the foreseeable future.

You know, it doesn’t matter whether it’s drag racing or circuit racing or oval racing, when you add it all up, Canadian companies and corporations are investing millions of dollars in motorsport and I urge fans everywhere to patronize the businesses and purchase the products of those companies.

Moving right along, the World of Outlaws sprint cars – the F1 and Indy cars of sprint car racing – are coming to Canada Friday for a four-speedway swing that will see them wrap up at Ohsweken Speedway on the Six Nations Reserve next Tuesday night.

At Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania last weekend, Steve Kinser received a cheque for $10,000 for leading the series at the halfway point of the season.

Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Joey Saldana, Craig Dolansky and the rest of the Outlaws will race at Autodrome Granby and Autodrome Drummondville in Quebec on Friday and Saturday nights, then move to Cornwall Speedway on Sunday before finishing off the Canadian swing at Ohsweken on Tuesday.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you have never seen an Outlaws race, you are missing one of the most incredible forms of racing in the world. They don’t come by this part of the world all that often, so don’t miss them.

Tony Stewart will be the big draw at Ohsweken. In fact, he’ll be there for a 360 sprint car race Monday night as well as Tuesday night with the Outlaws. Reserved seats are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the speedway.

Okay, last weekend at Mosport, the Canadian Touring Car Championship raced twice – on Saturday and Sunday and both at the end of the day, which meant the track was less than perfect.

In the first race Saturday, Remy Audette was the winner in Super Touring class, followed by Bob Attrell and Philip Fayer. Series leader Sasha Anis spun in fluid early in the race and crashed.

In Touring Class, Alain Lausiere was first, followed by Damon Sharpe and Jonathan Young. In B-Spec Class, Nick Wittmer was first, followed by his brother Karl. Guest media driver Russ Bond finished a wonderful third.

In the race on Sunday – the tenth round of the season – Anis recovered wonderfully from his terrible Saturday, starting 18^th and passing everybody to finish on the top step of the podium. Attrell was second again, followed by Scott Nicol. In the Touring and B-Spec Classes, the contestants finished exactly the same way they had on Saturday.

The series now goes to Trois-Rivieres, Que., the first weekend in August.

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, which is the fastest-growing single-make series in North America, also held two races.

In the first, on Saturday, Carlos de Quesada was first in Platinum class, with Perry Bortolotti second and John Ellis third. In Gold class, Chris Green was first, followed by Robert Maranda and Bruce Gregory. Finally, in Silver class, Robert Seitz was first, with Leho Poldmae second and Gavor Foti third.

In the second race on Sunday, Etienne Borgeat was first in Platinum class, with Jean-Frederick Laberge second and Bortolotti third. Green repeated as Gold class winner, with Gregory second and Peter Collins third. In Silver class, Seitz was first again, with Foti and Poldmae switching places from Saturday for second and third.

Both races were actually won by Kyle Marcelli of Barrie but, since he is a professional racing driver and the other participants are semi-pros or non-professionals (I hate the word amateur), he participated as a guest driver and his results were not counted.