J.R. Fitzpatrick and Go Canada Racing Part Ways

CAMBRIDGE, ON (September 1, 2011) – Effective immediately J.R. Fitzpatrick has announced today he is no longer driving for the Go Canada Racing Team.

The Cambridge, Ontario, Canada native will continue to compete in both the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series for Fitzpatrick Motorsports and will also be back behind the wheel in the NASCAR Nationwide Series before the season is over.

“First I want to thank all the guys at the shop in Nashville for all their hard work. It’s not easy being part of a Start-up operation and they were a passionate group and a lot of fun to be around. Second, I want all of my fans to be assured that I will be making some really cool announcements about the continued development of my NASCAR career and that I can’t wait to jump behind the wheel of a Nationwide car later this season.”

Fitzpatrick is fresh off a 5th place finish in the NAPA 200 in Montreal, his 3rd top ten finish in the Nationwide series in just a handful of starts.

“I think I played a large role in helping Go Canada develop their program. We started out with disappointment at Daytona and soldiered through some rough weekends with ill-handling cars at California and Dover and a DNF at Watkins Glen but they should be in a good place moving forward. Thanks to Steve Meehan for bringing me in at the beginning to do that.”

Up next for Fitzpatrick is the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Wild Wing 300 presented by Independent Electric, September 10 at Barrie Speedway.

From Jason Sharpe // Fitzpatrick Motorsports

Go Canada Racing... ready to roll

Today in Toronto, Canadian racer J.R. Fitzpatrick (l) and new team owner Steve Meehan (r) took the wraps off their new 'Go Canada Racing' NASCAR team. Meehan is the founder of the Investment Planning Counsel and now has his sights set on building a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup team that Canadian fans can cheer for.

The team takes to the track this weekend for the NASCAR Nationwide Series stop in Nashville, TN. Go Canada Racing plans to take part in approximately 10 Nationwide Series races in 2011 and as many as three Sprint Cup races.

VIDEO: J.R. Fitzpatrick prior to Nationwide Series at Daytona

Caught up with Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick in the NASCAR Nationwide Series garage on Thursday afternoon. He discussed the new track surface, his plans for 2011, and how he came to have the #27 on his car.


Filmed on GoPro

J.R. Fitzpatrick slated for 3 Nationwide races with JR Motorsports

J.R. Fitzpatrick just posted the following on his Facebook page: "J.R Fitzpatrick is very happy to be a part of JR Motorsports and Team Schick Canada."

The NASCAR Home Tracks page has the full story here.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Rising talent J.R. Fitzpatrick was named driver of the JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet for three road-course events in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series, co-owner and general manager Kelley Earnhardt announced today. Schick Canada will serve as primary sponsor for Fitzpatrick’s three starts at Road America on June 19th, Watkins Glen International on Aug. 7th and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Aug. 29th.

“J.R. is a talented young driver, and we look forward to giving him the chance to drive some upcoming races for JR Motorsports,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “With Schick Canada sponsoring his three races, this gives J.R. the chance to showcase his abilities. We are committed to giving young drivers the chance to prove themselves in this No. 7 Chevrolet, and work with a proven crew chief in Tony Eury Jr. J.R. Fitzpatrick is someone we’ve had our eye on, and the timing is right to give him a shot.” .... see link above for full story.

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Montreal

J.R. Fitzpatrick won Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The driver of the Schick-sponsored Chevy took the lead on lap 9 of the scheduled 23-lap race around the legendary road course.

The Cambridge, ON racer wasn't seriously challenged throughout. Behind him, however, there was furious action. A late-race restart saw Fitzpatrick lead DJ Kennington, Andrew Ranger, Kerry Micks, Don Thomson and Scott Steckly to the line.

Entering turn 1, Ranger spun Kennington, who rejoined the chase creating a pack exiting turn 2. The result was contact between Thomson and Steckly, which resulted in the latter ending up on his roof and the race being ended by a red flag.

NASCAR determined that the finishing order at the moment the red flag was shown to be: Fitzpatrick, Ranger and Micks.

NASCAR: Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick joins Kevin Harvick Inc. for remainder of 2009 season

J.R. Fitzpatrick Joins Kevin Harvick Inc. for Remainder of 2009 Season...
Canadian Driver to Compete in Select Truck and Nationwide Series Races

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. (May 21, 2009) – Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) announced today that J.R. Fitzpatrick will compete for the team in selected events in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series throughout the remainder of the 2009 season.

The Cambridge, Ontario, Canada native will pilot a KHI entry in eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events, beginning with the AAA Insurance 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on May 29.

“This is a great opportunity for me and I firmly believe that I am joining the best team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,” said Fitzpatrick. “I was fortunate enough to meet Kevin Harvick last year at Phoenix and he really helped me out a lot. Since then, I have gone to him on and off the track for advice and he has been great to learn from. Ron (Hornaday) has also helped me before and now that I will be a teammate of his, it gives me more confidence going to tracks that will be new to me. I believe racing is all about confidence and I have that knowing that I am going to be in great equipment driving for Kevin Harvick Inc.”

“We’re glad to have J.R. Fitzpatrick join KHI for the remainder of the 2009 season,” said KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick. “J.R. and I both got our starts in go-karts and he has taken a path similar to mine, moving up through the stock car ranks, during his career. I feel like our equipment speaks for itself and it will be exciting to watch him attempt to take that next step in his racing career.”

In addition, Fitzpatrick will compete in two NASCAR Nationwide Series events in a KHI entry, the first being at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International Raceway August 8 and the second at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada August 30.

About Kevin Harvick Inc.: Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001, is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI houses two full-time Truck Series teams, including the 2007 series champions, the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado driven by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 KHI All-Stars Chevrolet Silverado driven by Ricky Carmichael and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala competing full-time in the Nationwide Series, with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), Hornaday and Cale Gale. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.

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From Tyler Patterson // Kevin Harvick, Inc.

NASCAR: Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick finishes 22nd in the Mammoet/TRG Motorsports Chevy iin Atlanta

Fitzpatrick Finishes the Mammoet/TRG Motorsports Chevy 22nd in Atlanta Camping World Truck Race

Atlanta, Georgia (March 7, 2009) - John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick soldiered through a wheel problem to finish the No. 7 Mammoet/TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in 22nd place in today's running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Fitzpatrick was the furthest Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate up the grid at the start thanks to a strong seventh place qualifying effort this morning. At the start Fitzpatrick was able to hold onto the lead group until lap five when he started to report a tight truck. By lap 21 the tightness turned into a vibration and the team brought him to pit road on lap 24. The culprit was a left rear wheel coming loose.

"We had a great truck at the beginning," Fitzpatrick said. "We easily had a comfortable top ten truck. The truck started to vibrate after the fifth lap and we found out the left rear wheel was loose. On that pit stop we adjusted the truck, but it was too free. We ended up going a couple of laps down as a result of the green flag stop. The truck was fast I was running top ten times. If we can put it all together I think we will be alright."

J.R. was able to keep his head in the race, keep pushing and adjusting on the truck to learn and grab every available point.

"There were a couple of miserable moments, especially when you are sitting in a much better truck than where you are running. We just had to ride it out. There were a couple of times when it got really loose on me. I am getting more and more miles under my belt and learning the limits of this truck. We will come back stronger."

TRG Motorsports team principal Kevin Buckler likes how J.R. is responding to the challenges early in the season.

"We had a fast truck for J.R. today," Buckler said. "He showed that he knows what is going on with the handling when he felt the change to the truck when the wheel was coming loose. It was tough to pit under green like that, but we are thinking full season and we need to take every green flag and every checkered flag to come out toward the front at the end of the summer."

The next round of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be the Kroger 250 at Martinsville on March 28.

Mammoet (pronounced Mamoot) is a specialist in customer-driven and tailor-made heavy lifting and transport solutions at any onshore or offshore location. The company's core activities are turnkey lifting and transport operations, factory-to-foundation heavy lifting and multimodal transport projects, maintenance lifting services and plant stops, day-to-day rental of mobile cranes, salvage and wreck removal of ships and offshore installations, and trade in new and used equipment worldwide. Additional information can be found at www.mammoet.com.

TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Currently the team fields a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry as well as a Camping World Truck Series effort and an ARCA RE/MAX Series team. The Racer's Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of sports car racing. TRG's Porsche sports car program is run out of the company's headquarters in Petaluma, California. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (three) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com.

NASCAR TRUCKS: TRG Motorsports' J.R. Fitzpatrick Ready for Atlanta Truck Race

TRG Motorsports' J.R. Fitzpatrick Ready for Atlanta Camping World Truck Race

Mooresville, North Carolina (March 3, 2009) - John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick and his No. 7 Mammoet-sponsored, TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado is headed to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200 to be run Saturday, March 7.

Fitzpatrick is running for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year. With his rookie season comes learning new tracks, Atlanta Motor Speedway will be one of those.

"I am excited to run Atlanta Motor Speedway," Fitzpatrick said. "I am getting the tapes of last year's race from Butch (Hylton, crew chief) so I will be studying them before we start practice on Thursday. We are using the same truck as we did in California. We need to get the truck to handle a little better and we can be in the top 10 for sure."

TRG Motorsports ran solidly in the top 10 at Atlanta last year.

"The team ran eighth with the truck there last year. So that is why we want to take the same piece back. In California they ran a different truck, so our notes weren't quite as good. I hear that the trucks do 190 mph around Atlanta. The speed doesn't bother me, but when you are going that fast and you have to roll out of the gas, you lose a few places. We have to get the truck handling so we can run towards the front. We are going to try and keep it really free. I was just way too tight the last race in California."

Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports team principal, knows that Fitzpatrick will have his challenges as he goes through his first full season in the Truck Series.

"We are committed to helping J.R. through all of the challenges and development of his first full season in the Truck Series," Buckler said. "We have committed Butch to the program. Butch is very good at bringing the best out of young talent as well as managing all aspects of a championship level program. Atlanta will be a big race for J.R., but with his natural talent and tremendous learning curve we all know he can do the job."

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200 will be televised live on the SPEED Channel Saturday, March 7 starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.

TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Currently the team fields a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry as well as a Camping World Truck Series effort and an ARCA RE/MAX Series team. The Racer's Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of sports car racing. TRG's Porsche sports car program is run out of the company's headquarters in Petaluma, California. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (three) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com.

From Kyle Chura / TRG Motorsports

NASCAR TRUCKS: J.R. Fitzpatrick Finishes 22nd in Truck Race at California

J.R. Fitzpatrick Finishes 22nd in Truck Race at California

Fontana, Calif. (February 21, 2009) - John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick brought the No. 7 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado home in 22nd place in today's running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series San Bernardino 200.

Fitzpatrick had muscling an ill handling truck all race. Early in the going he had a slight touch with the wall. The team had him on strategy to run long stints and with only two caution flags the crew didn't have many opportunities to adjust on the No. 7 TRG Motorsports Chevy.

"We were a little tight at the beginning," Fitzpatrick said. "I was fighting the truck pretty much the whole day. It got real tight and I kissed the wall a little bit. It didn't seem to affect the truck all that much. Somebody was spraying oil all over the track and it made me real loose. We came in for an adjustment and I called for tightening up the back of the truck. Coming with more experience I am learning what the truck needs and doesn't. I ended up speeding on pit road - live and learn. At the end the truck was pretty good, a little bit tight off, but still pretty good. We are just going to learn more and more every lap."

The 20 year old from Cambridge, Ontario Canada is taking the lessons learned to Atlanta in two weeks.

"I have to communicate the adjustments to the truck a little sooner. We were really tight off and that is what was hurting us the most. Now I know how they drive at these tri-ovals, we are not at Daytona, we just don't hold it to the floor. I am learning how to drive these tracks. At the end we were in the top 10 in lap times. When we make the right adjustments we can be fast, we just have to make them quicker."

Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports team owner, knows that J.R. will go through some ups and downs as he runs his rookie season.

"J.R. did a good job today to take what we had and make the best of it," Buckler said. "Butch Hylton and the TRG Motorsports guys adjusted on the truck and had a plan for the end. Unfortunately radio problems and then the pass thru penalty cost us some track position. At the end we had a fast truck. J.R., like at Daytona, showed maturity to not try and push the truck beyond the handling threshold. Sometimes you just have to ride it out and bring it back with four wheels and four corners on the truck. We will go to Atlanta with more knowledge and get better."

Round three of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be run at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 7.

TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina where they run a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team as well as an ARCA RE/MAX Series effort. 2008 marked the first full season of competition for TRG in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where they recorded one win, one top-five and ten top tens overall. The team's sister company, The Racer's Group, was founded in 1993 has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since. TRG has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com.

NASCAR TRUCKS: J.R. Fitzpatrick Qualifies TRG Chevy 22nd in California

J.R. Fitzpatrick Qualifies TRG Motorsports Chevy 22nd in California

Fontana, Calif. (February 20, 2009) - John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick qualified the No. 7 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in 22nd for tomorrow's running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series San Bernardino 200.

Fitzpatrick has been busy this weekend making adjustments to his No. 7 Chevy. The 20 year old from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada posted a time of 42.768 and 168 mph that will see him start from the 11th row. Fitzpatrick is visiting the track in the valley of the San Gabriel Mountains for the first time.

"We made improvements for sure," Fitzpatrick said. "I held it to the mat all the way around, I just didn't have much grip in the front. We are improving. This is my first time here. I think the truck will be pretty decent in the race, we will see how it goes."

J.R. is getting his feet on the ground at this tricky Auto Club Speedway tri-oval. "Just trying to find the right line and get a good idea of what I need at this place is a challenge. I am still learning what the truck needs and I need to get around here fast. I think it will be alright."

The trucks had to qualify on race setup as NASCAR impounds the trucks after qualifying.

"Yesterday we were faster in race trim than we were today. Improving the truck for the qualifying run will definitely help us for the race. We will just have to go and not wreck anything and we can have a good finish."

Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports team owner, likes the way that Fitzpatrick is progressing.

"J.R. has done a good job all weekend getting up to speed at what is a new track for him," Buckler said. "Butch Hylton and the TRG Motorsports guys have a lot of experience on these tri-ovals so we have a good truck for him for the race tomorrow. If he takes the same patient approach as he did at Daytona last weekend we'll have a good day."

Fitzpatrick is coming off an excellent run at Daytona last weekend where he led the most laps with 17, was the top finishing Chevrolet Silverado driver, won the Wix Filters lap leader award and was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award winner.

The San Bernardino 200 from the Auto Club Speedway will be televised live on FOX starting at 3:00 p.m. ET.

TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina where they run a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team as well as an ARCA RE/MAX Series effort. 2008 marked the first full season of competition for TRG in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where they recorded one win, one top-five and ten top tens overall. The team's sister company, The Racer's Group, was founded in 1993 has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since. TRG has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com.

From Kyle Chura / TRG

SceneDaily: Story on J.R. Fitzpatrick

There's an interesting story on the SceneDaily website about Canadian NASCAR Truck Series rookie J.R. Fitzpatrick.

Interesting to see how much they focus on his hearing 'issue' (maybe he can get sponsorship from the Steve Austin Bionic Ear guys?).

The full story is here.

NASCAR Trucks: Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick Heads to California Truck Race Hungry

J.R. Fitzpatrick Heads to California Truck Race Hungry

Mooresville, North Carolina (February 17, 2009) - John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick and his No. 7 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado is headed to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for round two of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series San Bernardino 200 to be run Saturday, February 21.

Fitzpatrick and his No. 7 Chevy Silverado were a force at Daytona last weekend. The 20-year old Cambridge, Ontario, Canada resident led the most laps with 17, was the top finishing Chevrolet Silverado driver, won the Wix Filters lap leader award and was the Raybestos Rookie of the race award winner.

"I learned a lot at Daytona," Fitzpatrick said. "I did some good things and made some bad decisions. The biggest thing I learned is to be patient. Some maneuvers that I did in the race probably hurt me in the end. Going forward with those mistakes, it makes you think how we could have done with just a little more experience. With the short amount of time left in the race I was told to be aggressive and I went hard. We waited until eight laps to go to get aggressive, which was about perfect. Waiting to the end to put on fresh tires was a great move. The fourth place finish made me really happy and the team as well."

Auto Club Speedway will be another challenge for J.R. who has done his homework.

"I am excited. I have already done my homework. We have awesome equipment. I have been working hard to get familiar with the tracks. I have been on the video game, and even looked at in-car video on youtube.com. I will go into practice and get behind one of the veterans and get some laps and then start to work on the truck."

"In Daytona we just made a few adjustments on the truck right off of the trailer. I hope we don't have to do too much at California as well. I definitely think that it is to my advantage that TRG Motorsports brings a lot of experience. The team ran nearly every race last year. Butch (Hylton, crew chief) and the guys have a real good handle on the truck. Having an ill handling truck would make my learning curve steeper."

Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports team owner, wants to keep Fitzpatrick upfront all season.

"We want to give J.R. every opportunity to run for a championship," Buckler said. "He showed what he is capable of at Daytona last weekend. If he can bring that level of maturity, performance and professionalism to the track every weekend there is no reason why he can't be in the running for the number one spot at the end of the season. We have the trucks and team to support him."

The San Bernardino 200 from the Auto Club Speedway will be televised live on FOX starting at 3:00 p.m. ET.

TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina where they run a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team as well as an ARCA RE/MAX Series effort. 2008 marked the first full season of competition for TRG in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where they recorded one win, one top-five and ten top tens overall. The team's sister company, The Racer's Group, was founded in 1993 has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since. TRG has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

From Kyle Chura / TRG Motorsports

A million years ago...

September 1998 at Delaware Speedway... J.R. and John Fitzpatrick prior to a CASCAR Junior race during the McKerlie Millen 300 race weekend.

photo by davefranksphotos.com

JR Fitzpatrick: Video from post-race press conference at Daytona

Following his impressive fourth-place showing in the Feb. 13 NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway, Canadian J.R Fitzpatrick (the top-finishing rookie) took part in the post-race press conference in the Infield Media Centre.

PHOTO GALLERY: J.R. Fitzpatrick finishes fourth in NASCAR Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway

This is a 200+ photo gallery from the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 13, 2009. Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick finished fourth in just his fourth-ever Truck Series outing. Thanks to Dave Franks for sharing his work. You can see Dave's website here.

Canadian JR Fitzpatrick finishes fourth in NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway

Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick exploded onto the NASCAR stage with a stunning fourth-place run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night.

The 21-year-old from Ayr, Ontario (Canada) started 14th in the Nextera Energy Resources 250 at the Daytona Beach, FL superspeedway and led 17 laps (71 through 87) before losing the lead and being forced to pit for new tires with less than 10 laps to go in the 100-lap race.

After his pit stop, Fitzpatrick's Mammoet Chevy Truck took the final restart in 13th place with seven laps to go. From there, he charged through the pack to finish fourth. Fitzpatrick was the top finishing rookie and his finish was the best for a Daytona rookie since Ricky Hendrick took second in 2001.

Fitzpatrick received several awards for his performance, including the Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award (28 places); The Raybestor Rookie of the Race Award, and the Wix Filters Lap Leader Award (17 laps).

Todd Bodine won the race for the second year in a row and was followed across the finish line by Kyle Busch and Terry Cook.

PHOTO GALLERY: ARCA Daytona Qualifying - Feb. 7, 2009 - by davefranksphotos.com

This is a photo gallery from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 7, 2009, featuring ARCA qualifying. Thanks to Dave Franks for sending them along. You can see Dave's website here.

ARCA: JR Fitzpatrick goes out 10th for qualifying

J.R. Fitzpatrick goes out 10th during today's ARCA qualifying session at DIS.

Note and photo courtesy of Jason Sharpe.