NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson takes the pole for Miami finale

Jimmie Johnson Wins the Pole for Season Final Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway...

Homestead, FL - Jimmie Johnson started the final weekend of the season and his quest for a fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) off right by putting his No. 48 Lowe's Impala SS on the pole for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS).

It is Johnson's fourth pole of the year; his second at HMS and the 23rd of his career.

Six Team Chevy drivers scored top-10 starting positions in the 43-car field for Sunday's race.

Mark Martin, No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Impala SS, will start fourth with Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Impala SS, in the fifth starting spot.

From GM

Mosport's 50th Opens With SPEED World Challenge

BOWMANVILLE, ON (Nov. 20, 2009) – Mosport will drop the green flag on its 50th anniversary season of racing with an SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge doubleheader, as part of the Victoria Day SpeedFest Weekend, May 21-23, 2010.

The World Challenge is North America’s top production car-based series, consisting of two separate categories (GT and Touring Car). Races run just under an hour in length, feature standing starts and cars from the world’s leading manufacturers and brands, including Acura, BMW, Chevrolet Corvette, Honda, Mazda, Ford Mustang and Porsche.

 “The World Challenge has become a fixture on Mosport’s schedule,” Mosport International Raceway President and General Manager Myles Brandt said. “In fact, we’ve hosted 19 World Challenge events, more than any other track. The series always puts on a great show and our fans will be pleased to hear that Mosport is set to host a doubleheader weekend in 2010.”

More races will be added to the SpeedFest weekend and announced in the near future.

For Further Info Please Contact: Jerry Priddle // jerry@mosport.com // (Office)  1-800-866-1072 // (Cell)  905-260-1711

KARTING: Pserra Racing heads to SKUSA Supernationals

Birel team to hit the Las Vegas strip with strong lineup of drivers in four different classes

Stouffville, Ontario – Pserra Racing heads to the warm welcoming weather of the sunny southwestern United States and the bright lights of Las Vegas for the thirteenth running of the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals. The biggest race on the North American Karting calendar will see over 400 entries take to the fast and technical temporary circuit at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino. The Pserra Racing team will see action with four drivers running in four separate classes as the Birel backed team continue to build on their successful 2009 season.

“It’s exciting to be going to Las Vegas for the first time with the Birel chassis,” comments Peter Serravalle, owner of Pserra Racing. “We had some great results this season here at home, and we are looking to make our mark on the national stage.”

Leading the team will be the 2008 eKartingNews.com Driver of the Year Michael Vincec running in the SuperPro class. Vincec will face 42 of the world’s best shifter kart drivers including several world karting and formula car champions. Vincec is no stranger to the SuperNationals, having competed on several occasions in several different classes. Vincec enjoyed immediate success upon joining Pserra Racing in early 2009, taking podiums throughout the regional series. The Pserra Racing engine department has been working overtime to maximize the power from the TM power plant that Vincec will pilot.

In the ultra competitive KF2 class, Federico Montoya, brother of NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya, will look to score well in his Birel debut at the SuperNats. Christopher Ernst will take his first ride on the Red Rocket and look to make something happen in the 80-kart TaG Senior field. Ernst will run a Pserra Racing prepared Rotax power plant. Ontario junior standout Spencer Todd will also see his first taste of action aboard the potent Birel chassis as he takes on the a tough in TaG Junior field. Todd scored well all season in Ontario and will look to make an impact in his SuperNationals debut.

“The Pserra Racing engines department performed well in 2009 and we know our stuff is good,” comments Serravalle. “All Pserra Racing engines are built in house, prepped and then dyno tuned for quality and performance.”

Pserra Racing are putting the final touches on the their 2010 programs and plan to use the SuperNationals to promote their exciting range of Arrive and Drive opportunities. Drivers will get an opportunity to see the complete Birel line of products. Pserra Racing looks to grow their national racing programs and will be talking to several drivers over the coming weeks. Also the team is currently putting the final touches on their Florida Winter Tour program and interested drivers from across North America are encouraged to contact Pserra Racing for more details.

For more information on Pserra Racing and the Birel chassis line go to www.pserraracing.com or call Peter Serravalle at 416.989.035. Pserra Racing’s full range of products including Beta Tools, MyChron, Molecule, Birel and more will be showcased at the shop.

##

From Autosports Media Group // Contact: Peter Serravalle – 416.989.0351 // Photo by: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media Group

Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards... vote now.

Voting for the Eighth Annual Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards is now underway. The polls will remain open until late on New Year's Eve. We're planning to announce the winners, on stage, at the Canadian Motorsports Expo on Friday, January 22, 2010.

The survey consists of 13 questions. Most of the categories include six nominees and space for write-in votes. The Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards celebrate Canada's top current and future racing stars, across the spectrum of motorsports, including stock cars, road racing, motorcycle racing, rallying, karting and drag racing.

New for 2009, we've added a category called "Canadian Dirt Oval Racer of the Year." We're also working closely with Bruce Biegler and his DragRaceCanada.com site on the "Drag Racer of the Year" category.

Click here to be taken to the survey site.

PHOTO GALLERY: 3M Canada plays host to Jack Roush at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

This is a 169-photo gallery from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at the John C. Munro Int'l Airport in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). These shots were taken Tuesday, Nov. 17 during an event hosted by 3M Canada, featuring NASCAR team owner Jack Roush and the Lancaster and Mitchell B-25 bombers. Thanks to Dave Franks for sharing his work. You can see Dave's website here.

Canadian Motor Speedway.... help git er done!

According to sources close to the Canadian Motor Speedway project in Ft. Erie, Ontario, it's getting close to decision time at Ft. Erie City Council, where they are receiving input from citizens and groups who are in favour of, and opposed to, the building of the facility.

Is there a chance that someone could be inconvenienced by the building of The Canadian Motor Speedway along the QEW near Ft. Erie? Of course. But if we - as a society - never built anything because a small group of people were against it.... nothing... no roads or buildings... would ever be built. The bottom line is that the CMS will create jobs and place a world-class motorsports and entertainment facility in a place that could sorely use a boost.

If you would like to add your comments of support for the project, send a note to Carolyn J. Kett, Clerk of Town Hall for Fort Erie, Ontario. email: >> CKett@town.forterie.on.ca

Rally of the Tall Pines this weekend

Just a reminder that the Rally of the Tall Pines takes place this weekend (Nov. 20-21) in Bancroft, Ontario. Click here to view the entire Official Event Program, produced by Inside Track.

Canadian Rally Championship: Rally of the Tall Pines Preview

Championship showdown set for the Rally of the Tall Pines

BANCROFT, Ontario – The premiere rally teams in North America will be fighting head-to-head for top honours at the Rally of the Tall Pines, the final round of the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru, supported by Yokohama.

Subaru Rally Team Canada’s Pat Richard (Squamish, B.C.) and co-driver Alan Ockwell (Toronto) need to win to have a hope for repeating as Canadian Rally Champion driver and co-driver. The team is also leading the points standings for the manufacturers championship in their 2008 Subaru Impreza STI.  

 “The manufacturers title is our number one priority,” said Richard. “We have to approach this just like any other rally, and win again.”

Championship rivals Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard (Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) are in a slightly more relaxed position, with a second place finish netting the driver and co-driver titles. The pair campaign the Mitsubishi/Rockstar/Concerto EVO X.

“There’s still pressure on us,” said L’Estage, who also has a chance to clinch the North American Rally Cup with a solid finish at Tall Pines. “Competition will be tough, and I like this rally, but it can be very tricky."

Brothers Frank and Dan Sprongl (Georgetown, Ont.) will be reunited in a car for the first time since 2006. Multiple Canadian and North American Champions, the two are sure to mix things up at the front of the pack. The team will be first on the road, driving a factory-backed Subaru Rally Team Canada Subaru Impreza STI.

“We’ve got nothing to lose, so there’s no pressure,” said Frank Sprongl, “It’s our first time back together, and Dan’s jumping in with both feet.” While they are not a factor in the driver’s championship, they could play a major role in the manufacturers standings by providing Subaru with an additional top-seeded entry.

Andrew Comrie-Picard (Toronto) and Jeremy Wimpey (State College, PA) will hope to secure the North American Rally Cup in their NOS Energy Drink Mitsubishi EVO X. 

“We’ll need that delicate balance of speed, precision and reliability. Fortunately, the Evo is perfect for Pines,” said Comrie-Picard in regards to the thick competition.

More than 50 teams are on the start list for this event, including more than 20 two-wheel drive cars, and ten teams entered from the U.S. Zbigniew Szewczyk and Tomasz Karzynski (Calgary) will be pushing their Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart to the limit to secure the Group 5 Championship. They’ll have tough competition in the form of Martin Walter (North Gower, Ont.) and Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff (Ottawa) in their Nissan 240 SX. The teams are presently tied in the standings.

The storied Rally of the Tall Pines is an event that features some of the toughest driving challenges in North America, with conditions often referred to as “winter roads with summer ditches”.

The cold weather in the region at this time of year means the roads can become snow or ice covered, but drivers will not have the benefit of snow banks to keep them on the road. A small mistake can have big consequences at this event.

The Rally of the Tall Pines is one of the most spectator-friendly in the series, including a Super Special stage minutes from downtown Bancroft. The rally is held November 20-21, 2009, and includes more than 150 kilometers of competitive stages run in the Canadian Shield setting around Bancroft, Ontario.

Rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” The all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometres of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Tire Canada and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings.

For more information on the web: www.CARSrally.ca; www.tallpinesrally.com 

PHOTO 1: Frank and Dan Sprongl test their factory Subaru Impreza STI prior to the Rally of the Tall Pines. (Photo Credit: Warwick Patterson/Flatovercrest.com)

PHOTO 2: Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard in their Mitsubishi Evolution X are leading the championship race going into the final round. (Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey/Flatovercrest.com)

For 2009, NASCAR Chase points system lessens the drama

IRONY: an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.

After Matt Kenseth whooped the field in 2003, the NASCAR 'Chase' points/playoff system was created to make sure the Miami finale was a nailbiter. For 2009, it will actually lessen the drama.

Under the new/current system, Jimmie Johnson is heading to Miami with a 108-point lead over Mark Martin, needing only to crack the top 25 to take his fourth-consecutive Cup title. Stranger things have happened, but Johnson is pretty much a lock.

If they were still racing under the 'old' points system, the story would be much more interesting. Left alone, Johnson would be entering the final race just 13 points ahead of Tony Stewart - who was the unofficial 'regular season' champion. Jeff Gordon would be third, 56 markers back of JJ, while Martin would sit fourth, a whopping 361 points in arrears.

For next year, wouldn't it be the ultimate NASCARian move for them to keep both systems in play... and let fans vote, just prior to the green flag at Miami, which (new or old) will determine the champion?

WHEELS.CA: Norris McDonald reports from the CASC-OR gala

Britnell, Stewart, Rashleighs honoured at CASC-OR gala

Jamie Britnell, Brian Stewart and the Rashleighs – father and son – were honoured Saturday night for their successes and contributions to Ontario motosport during the 45^th annual Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs-Ontario Region gala awards dinner at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel.

Click on the link above for the full report.

(ed. - Shout-out to our Canadian Motorsports Expo partner Glenn Butt for being presented with the Media Award! Congrats Glenn!)

CASTROL/MAHINDRA TRACTORS DODGE DRIVER DJ KENNINGTON COLLECTS AWARDS

November 14, 2009. St. Thomas, Ontario’s DJ Kennington driver of the #17 Castrol/Mahindra Tractor Dodge was in Concord, North Carolina this past weekend to attend the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala that recognized the accomplishments of the participants in each of the NASCAR divisions. The trip south for Kennington was well worth the journey as he collected the trophy for second place in the overall series championship, along with the coveted Mopar Cup as the top finishing Mopar powered driver in the series.

In addition to the Awards Dinner Gala, NASCAR also organized other events for those attending the festivities that included driver briefings, seminars and tours of the some of the most technically advanced race shops in the vicinity. “This was quite a big deal for all of us” said DJ Kennington. “We got to really see first hand how important these series are in the business of NASCAR” he added.

Kennington was awarded the Mopar Cup on Friday morning and was proud to accept the trophy. “These Mopar powered engines are the reason we’ve been able to have such great success in the series” he stated. “The motors generate so much horsepower, they’re incredibly reliable, you have to have that to win races” he concluded.

The Castrol/Mahindra Tractors Dodge driver also accepted the trophy for finishing second overall on stage at the Concord Convention Centre on Saturday night. “I’m so proud of the whole team for the season we had” said the driver. “We had two wins this year, and finished top-ten in eleven of thirteen races, top-five in nine out of thirteen. Normally that would be good enough to win the championship but we came up a little short, but we’re hungrier than ever for next year” he stated.

Kennington and company are already at work preparing for the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season and the thirteen race schedule was released during the weekend’s events. While many of the venues are familiar to the competitors the one new event on the schedule has the series running on the streets of Exhibition Place as part of the Toronto Indy weekend. “We’ve seen how exciting these stock cars are to watch on road courses in the last few years, they’re a lot of fun to drive too and I’m really looking forward to racing in Toronto again” said Kennington.

You’ll also be able to follow the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on television in 2010 with all thirteen races broadcast on TSN, most in High Definition. Look for a newly redesigned website coming soon to follow the success of DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol/Mahindra Tractors Dodge

Photo: DJ Kennington collecting his second place overall trophy at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala in Concord, North Carolina

Photo Credit: Todd Lewis

MOPAR PARTS DODGE DRIVER RON BEAUCHAMP JR RECEIVES AWARD

November 15, 2009. Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts Dodge team gathered together with other stars of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the other NASCAR Touring Series in Concord, North Carolina this past Saturday night to be recognized for their accomplishments this past season. The Awards Gala Banquet culminated nearly a week of activities organized for the participants.

Earlier in the week tours of several nearby race shops for the Spring Cup and Nationwide Series teams were organized for those attending along with racing seminars and keynote speakers including Junior Johnson. “It was a great night for the Mopar Parts Team” said Ron Beauchamp Jr. “We all came down together and it was a nice way to thank the team for the many hours of hard work they put in this season. We had some time racing Go Karts and then this at great night here that NASCAR put on really shows how important the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the other Touring Series are for NASCAR” he added.

Beauchamp was presented with the trophy for third place in the overall Championship standings in front of the crowd of well over 500. “I accepted the trophy but this is for the whole team” said Ron Jr. “We had a really strong season with eleven top-ten finishes and eight top-five finishes. We had great reliability and the team prepared a great car for me to drive every week. We had tremendous support again from our sponsors at Mobil 1, Exide and of course Mopar. It all added up to a really positive season.

While Team Mopar enjoyed their success in 2009 the work is already underway for the next season and the 2010 race was also announced this past weekend. While much of the schedule sees competitors returning to the same great venues, there is one notable addition to the thirteen race schedule as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series joins another high profile event as the feature race on Saturday July 17th as the feature race at the Toronto Indy weekend. “It just shows how big this series is becoming” said Beauchamp. “We’re part of the major racing events in Montreal, Edmonton and back running on the streets of Toronto exposing NASCAR racing to more and more fans” he added.

Once again in 2010 you will be able to watch all thirteen events of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on TSN, Canada’s Sports Leader. Team Mopar appreciate the recognition of their accomplishments and wish to thank the race fans and sponsors for their extraordinary support.

Photo caption: Ron Beauchamp Jr. receiving his trophy on stage at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala in Concord, NC.

Photo Credit: Todd Lewis