NASCAR Toyota Showdown Results: Ranger Out, Harr 17.

It was as much a race as it was a bumper cars at speed event. 40 cars on a half mile oval means trouble and last night was no exception. It didn't matter where you were in the field. But, this is the "Daytona 500" of short track racing and the nature of the beast.

Ranger got caught up in a wreck just before the first of two 10 minute pit breaks. His car sustained heavy damage: radiator shot and more. We are not sure at the time of writing whether it was this incident or a subsequent one that put him out of the race. Andrew Ranger was confident going into the race and had his crew Chief from NCATS, Bill Burns with him. No doubt a bitter disappointment for them and the Midgley Motorsports team.

NCATS Daryl Harr, St Albert, AB, Chevrolet, had raced this track before because it is a regular stop in the West Series. Harr managed to stay out of trouble and keep a steady pace. He drove his West Series. No. 71 WestWorld Computers Chevy to 17 position. No mean feat in a race on a track that running 3 wide through the corners is the norm.

Logano Wins NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown

Irwindale, Calif. – Joey Logano capped off his rookie season in the NASCAR Grand National Division the same way he started it: In Victory Lane.

Logano, the 17-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing development driver, picked up his biggest victory Saturday night winning the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway.

He held off fellow Busch East driver Peyton Sellers, who turned 24 Saturday, following a green-white-checkered finish to the 250-lap event that has been dubbed the ‘Daytona 500 of short-track racing.’

"I just had a great race tonight," Logano said. "My crew, they picked it up a ton. To be able to run up front all night, this team is unbelievable. ... I just have a lot of confidence. That's what you have to have to win. We came here knowing we can win and that's what we did."

Two-time West Series champion Mike Duncan finished third in a frantic finish, edging defending race winner Matt Kobyluck at the start-finish line. Eddie McDonald followed closely in fifth.

Brian Ickler over overcame a mid-race mechanical problem that put him a lap down prior to the 200-lap break to drive his way back up to sixth. Eric Holmes, Mike Olsen, John Salemi, and David Mayhew rounded out the top 10.

Logano won six times during the Grand National regular season – including his first career start in the West Series at Phoenix International Raceway in April. He became the first rookie to win a NASCAR Busch East title and set the record as series’ youngest champion.

Source: NASCAR Public Relations


NASCAR TOYOTA ALL-STAR SHOWDOWN Unofficial Results

Saturday
At Irwindale Speedway
Irwindale, CA
Lap length: 0.5 miles

(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Joey Logano, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 250 laps, 61.150 mph, $33,284.
2. (9) Peyton Sellers, Danville, Va., Chevrolet, 250, $22,684.
3. (3) Mike Duncan, Bakersfield, Calif., Chevrolet, 250, $17,000.
4. (6) Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn., Chevrolet, 250, $16,184.
5. (10) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 250, $13,530.
6. (5) Brian Ickler, San Diego, Calif., Chevrolet, 250, $12,000.
7. (25) Eric Holmes, Escalon, Calif., Chevrolet, 250, $8,000.
8. (28) Mike Olsen, North Haverhill, N.H., Chevrolet, 250, $12,434.
9. (33) John Salemi, Nashua, N.H., Chevrolet, 250, $14,684.
10. (13) David Mayhew, Atascadero, Calif., Chevrolet, 250, $9,250.
11. (21) Eric Richardson, Bakersfield, Calif., Toyota, 250, $10,000.
12. (19) Jason Bowles, Ontario, Calif., Ford, 250, $9,500.
13. (16) Rogelio Lopez, Aquascaliantes, Mexico, Chevrolet, 250, $10,684.
14. (15) Mike David, Modesto, Calif., Ford, 250, $8,500.
15. (11) Johnny Borneman, Ramona, Calif., Ford, 250, $8,000.
16. (31) Jim Inglebright, Fairfield, Calif., Chevrolet, 250, $8,300.
17. (20) Daryl Harr, St Albert, AB, Chevrolet, 250, $7,700.
18. (29) Jamie Hayes, Norlina, N.C., Chevrolet, 250, $9,284.
19. (18) Ben Walker, Santa Clarita, Calif., Ford, 249, $4,550.
20. (30) Alex Haase, Las Vegas, Nev., Chevrolet, 248, $7,500.
21. (36) Greg Pursley, Newhall, Calif., Ford, 248, $5,400.
22. (27) Eric Hardin, Anaheim, Calif., Chevrolet, 247, $7,300.
23. (24) Andrew Myers, Newport Beach, Calif., Chevrolet, 243, accident, $5,250.
24. (8) Brett Thompson, Jerome, Idaho, Chevrolet, 243, accident, $7,200.
25. (7) Ryan Foster, Anderson, Calif., Chevrolet, 242, $7,150.
26. (38) Woody Pitkat, Manchester, Conn., Chevrolet, 236, $6,254.
27. (4) Marc Davis, Mitchelville, Md., Chevrolet, 231, $8,784.
28. (22) Justin Lofton, Westmorland, Calif., Ford, 214, $7,100.
29. (35) Mike Johnson, Salisbury, Mass., Ford, 212, rear end, $8,630.
30. (39) Chris Bristol, Columbus, Ohio, Chevrolet, 208, $9,784.
31. (40) Antonio Perez, Mexico City, Mexico, Dodge, 189, $9,734.
32. (12) Nick Lynch, Burley, Idaho, Dodge, 176, accident, $4,000.
33. (34) Moses Smith, Tempe, Ariz., Chevrolet, 155, accident, $7,000.
34. (23) Tim Woods, III, Chino Hills, Calif., Ford, 139, engine, $4,000.
35. (37) Ryan Philpott, Tracy, Calif., Ford, 129, suspension, $5,000.
36. (1) Sean Caisse, Pelham, N.H., Chevrolet, 74, accident, $11,684.
37. (17) Jeff Barkshire, Auburn, Wash., Dodge, 60, suspension, $4,000.
38. (14) Stephen Berry, Huddleston, Va., Chevrolet, 45, accident, $7,530.
39. (26) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Quebec, Chevrolet, 31, accident, $7,530.
40. (32) Michelle Theriault, Bristol, Conn., Chevrolet, 28, accident, $8,684.

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 2 hours 2 minutes 39 seconds
Margin of Victory:
Fastest Qualifier: S.Caisse (98.517 mph, 18.271 seconds)
Caution Flags: 13 for 61 laps.
Lead Changes: 3 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: S.Caisse 1-74; M.Duncan 75-154; B.Ickler 155-163; J.Logano 164-250.

source; NASCAR Public Relations

NASCAR Toyota Showdown Update 1 Qualifying, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champ Andrew Ranger, Darrell Midgley, Daryl Harr,

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond Quebec, Chevrolet, has qualified 26 in a 46 car field. Team mate Daryl Midgley just missed out , and NCATS Daryl Harr, St Albert, AB, Chevrolet, qualified 20.

Ranger had some test time in the car at the Midgley Motorsports headquarters in Victoria, British Columbia. Then he had 2 one hour practice sessions on Friday afternoon on the half mile high speed oval at Irwindale , California... a track he has never been on before. In practice session 1 his top speed was 92.175 mph. In practice session 2 he improved to 93.648 mph. He qualified his #09 Midgley Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo at 94.722 mph. Some info on the car:

"It is not a Grand National Division Spec motor. The car ran in about 7 NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series events this season with multiple drivers. It's best finish was fourth at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash. with Travis Bennett at the wheel."...Shon Sbarra, NASCAR Public Relations

STARTING LINEUP
NASCAR TOYOTA ALL-STAR SHOWDOWN
Irwindale Speedway
Qualifying Friday; Race Saturday
1. (44) Sean Caisse, Pelham N.H., Chevrolet, 98.517
2. (20) Joey Logano, Middletown Conn., Chevrolet, 98.253
3. (9) Mike Duncan, Bakersfield Calif., Chevrolet, 97.890
4. (18) Marc Davis, Mitchelville Md., Chevrolet, 97.768
5. (16) Brian Ickler, San Diego Calif., Chevrolet, 97.709
6. (40) Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville Conn., Chevrolet, 97.297
7. (65) Ryan Foster, Anderson Calif., Chevrolet, 97.098
8. (81) Brett Thompson, Jerome Idaho, Chevrolet, 97.004
9. (83) Peyton Sellers, Danville Va., Chevrolet, 96.826
10. (48) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley Mass., Chevrolet, 96.785
11. (8) Johnny Borneman, Ramona Calif., Ford, 96.759
12. (29) Nick Lynch, Burley Idaho, Dodge, 96.717
13. (21) David Mayhew, Atascadero Calif., Chevrolet, 96.701
14. (3) Stephen Berry, Huddleston Va., Chevrolet, 96.624
15. (2) Mike David, Modesto Calif., Ford, 96.603
16. (03) Rogelio Lopez, Aquascaliantes Mexico, Chevrolet, 96.489
17. (46) Jeff Barkshire, Auburn Wash., Dodge, 96.427
18. (93) Ben Walker, Santa Clarita Calif., Ford, 96.411
19. (22) Jason Bowles, Ontario Calif., Ford, 96.401
20. (71) Daryl Harr, St Albert AB, Chevrolet, 96.365
21. (50) Eric Richardson, Bakersfield Calif., Toyota, 96.288
22. (66) Justin Lofton, Westmorland Calif., Ford, 96.277
23. (54) Tim Woods, III, Chino Hills Calif., Ford, 96.241
24. (4) Andrew Myers, Newport Beach Calif., Chevrolet, 96.200
25. (62) Eric Holmes, Escalon Calif., Chevrolet, 96.185
26. (09) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond Quebec, Chevrolet, 94.722
27. (5) Eric Hardin, Anaheim Calif., Chevrolet, 94.717
28. (61) Mike Olsen, North Haverhill N.H., Chevrolet, 95.526
29. (52) Jamie Hayes, Norlina N.C., Chevrolet, 95.511
30. (88) Alex Haase, Las Vegas Nev., Chevrolet, 96.056
31. (1) Jim Inglebright, Fairfield Calif., Chevrolet, 95.836
32. (37) Michelle Theriault, Bristol Conn., Chevrolet, 96.144
33. (63) John Salemi, Nashua N.H., Chevrolet, 96.180
34. (78) Moses Smith, Tempe Ariz., Chevrolet, 95.314
35. (96) Mike Johnson, Salisbury Mass., Ford, transfer
36. (77) Greg Pursley, Newhall Calif., Ford, transfer
37. (25) Ryan Philpott, Tracy Calif., Ford, transfer
38. (6) Woody Pitkat, Manchester Conn., Chevrolet, transfer
39. (28) Chris Bristol, Columbus Ohio, Chevrolet, transfer
40. (12) Antonio Perez, Mexico City Mexico, Dodge, transfer

Last Chance Open Results
Race Friday; Top 6 transfered to race Saturday
1. (4) Mike Johnson, Salisbury Mass., Ford, 54 laps
2. (5) Greg Pursley, Newhall Calif., Ford, 54
3. (6) Ryan Philpott, Tracy Calif., Ford, 54
4. (10) Woody Pitkat, Manchester Conn., Chevrolet, 54
5. (28) Chris Bristol, Columbus Ohio, Chevrolet, 54
6. (1) Antonio Perez, Mexico City Mexico, Dodge, 54
7. (11) Todd Souza, Aromas Calif., Chevrolet, 54
8. (7) Candace Muzny, Oklahoma City Okla., Ford, 54
9. (3) Rick Wall, Irvine Calif., Ford, 54
10. (15) David Ross, Colton Calif., Chevrolet, 54
11. (14) Darrell Midgley, Victoria BC, Chevrolet, 54
12. (9) Thomas Martin, Auburn Calif., Chevrolet, 53
13. (8) Jamie Dick, Albuquerque N.M., Chevrolet, 53
14. (17) Ryan Black, Alto Loma, Calif., Ford, 53
15. (16) Jason Noll, El Mirage Ariz., Chevrolet, 19
16. (12) Scott Bouley, Thomaston Conn., Chevrolet, 18
17. (13) Jason Gilbert, Dublin Calif., Chevrolet, 16

Source: Jason Christley, NASCAR Public Relations

Andrew Ranger, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champ to Compete in NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series News: After winning the first ever NASCAR
Canadian Tire Series championship, Andrew Ranger will drive in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on the Irwindale, California half-mile oval, October 19-20.
Ranger, the 20-year-old driver from Roxton Pond, Quebec, earned a starting grid position in the Showdown by winning the Championship title in the national NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.in his No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford Fusion.

Dick Midgley, the owner of Midgley Motorsports in Victoria, B.C.,will provide the car and crew to compete in the event known as "the Daytona 500 of the
NASCAR Developmental Series."

"I'm really looking forward to this race, because it is a great chance to
see how you can do against the top drivers, and it is also an opportunity to
showcase your talent to a lot of people of influence in NASCAR racing," said
Ranger. "To be able to do this with such a well-respected team as Mr. Midgley
and his crew, I couldn't be happier with the way everything has turned out."

The 250 lap Showdown features drivers that have won a Grand National race, along with champions of the NASCAR Developmental Series. The starting field for this year's race is 40 cars.
"This is a tough competition," said Midgley, who has considerable
experience working with drivers in the All-Star Showdown. "Andrew has got
20-25 guys who are going to be real good out there. What he needs to do is get
familiar with the car and the race track, then push it in the last 50 laps.
One of the big things about a race of this sort is the exposure - a lot of
NASCAR people are watching, and that's when they pick up the best drivers of
each series."
While Midgley and his crew have never previously worked with Ranger, he
welcomed the opportunity to hook up with him for the all-star competition.
"Andrew is the Canadian champion, and Midgley Motorsports is based in
Canada, so it seemed like a natural fit," he remarked. "Andrew is pretty well
known everywhere. I haven't met him personally, but I've seen a few of his
races and I believe he is a very talented young driver."

We'll bring you more breaking news on Andrew's campaign to win this Showdown.

Nascar Canadian Tire Series Awards Banquet Photos

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius finished off its first season with its awards banquet Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Hilton Markham Convention Center in Toronto, Ontario.

Andrew Ranger, No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford Fusion, was officially celebrated as the Champion of the Nascar Canadian Tire Series. Even his car was there!

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season began May 26 at Cayuga Speedway Park in Hamilton, Ontario and finished Sept. 23 at Kawartha Speedway in Peterborough, Ontario. The 12-race schedule stretched sea to sea across the country, from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.

Back in June, George Silbermann, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Operations stated, "We look forward with great anticipation to celebrating the inaugural season of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius with the season-end awards banquet in Toronto, We also look forward to a lot of exciting racing action at racetracks across Canada between now and then." Saturday night he was a speaker whose dreams for the series had come true.

While there is no question that the success of the Series was the result of just awesome racing on the part of the drivers and their teams, there was also a tremendous effort on the part of the Series' management team. They celebrated the success of the Series right along with the award winners. In this next picture, you can see some of the movers and shakers on the business side:
From left, NASCAR Canada managing director, Randy Paul, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series director, Richard Coughlin, Series Champion, Andrew Ranger, Canadian Tire Corporation's Vice President, Automotive, Tony Kuczynski and NASCAR's Director of Touring Series, North America, Richard Buck.

While much of the attention centered on the Series Champion, Andrew Ranger, there was well earned recognition for the No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford Fusion Champion crew chief, Bill Burns. He is shown in the next picture holding his 'Champion Crew Chief' award with NASCAR Canadian Tire Series technical director Tim Ellas.

Finally, the entire Championship team was present and accounted for. Here they all are celebrating with their trophy hardware.











Many thanks to Shon Sbarra, Nascar Public Relations, who expedited getting these photos to us. Also thanks to Christopher Coughlin, photographer at the event.

ANDREW RANGER HONORED AS CHAMPION AT NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES BANQUET

TORONTO (October 13, 2007) – Racing is not easy and winning a championship is even more difficult, but the hard work paid off for Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford Fusion) Saturday night at the Hilton Toronto/Markham Conference Centre. He was honored as the 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio champion at the season-ending awards banquet.

The native of Roxton Pond, Quebec accomplished a couple of firsts by earning the title. He became the first-year Canadian Tire Series’ inaugural champion in his first year of stock car racing after having moved over from the open-wheel ranks last winter.

The 20-year-old Ranger is not a stranger to success in a race car. He finished 10th overall in the CHAMP Car World Series standings for both the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Prior to that, he won a Fran-Am championship in 2003. Ranger’s championship earned him a starting spot in next week’s NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, where he will represent the Canadian Tire Series.

The Canadian Tire Series points lead had been held by Ranger since the season’s second race which he won, but it was hotly contested all season. He held off charges from no less than five drivers to take the title. The championship came down to the last race where Ranger and D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castol Dodge Charger) entered separated by just 41 points. However, Kennington lost a motor during the event and conceded the title to the well-deserving and talented youngster.

So this night belonged to Ranger and his entire team as they officially accepted the trophy while the driver collected the coveted NASCAR championship ring.

“This is really a special night for not only me, but also my entire race team,” said Ranger. “The whole year, everything just came together.”

Not to be lost in any championship season is the crew and Ranger was quick to dish out the accolades to his including car owner Dave Jacombs and crew chief Billy Burns.

“Dave, Billy and the whole crew did a super job all season,” Ranger said. “Every race the car was good. They were definitely a big part of this championship.”

Having raced at some of the highest levels, the young driver recognized the accomplishments of his fellow competitors and the series in its first year.

“I want to congratulate the rest of the drivers and teams for a great season. Everyone worked extremely hard,” he said. “I think it was a great first season for the series, too. The races were all exciting and the crowds were awesome.”

It was also a strong season for runner-up Kennington’s team. Peter Gibbons (No. 1 Canadian Tire/Master Craft Chevrolet Monte Carlo) picked up third-place honors followed by Don Thomson Jr. (No. 4 Home Hardware Chevrolet) and Derek Lynch (No. 77 Allied Steel Buildings/Canadian Shield Dodge Charger) in fourth and fifth, respectively.

In addition to honoring the drivers in order of their finish in the championship point standings, several other special awards were bestowed upon deserving drivers.

J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Milwaukee Electric Tools Chevrolet Monte Carlo) earned the season’s Bud Pole Award by virtue of winning three poles over the course of the 12-race season. Fitzpatrick started seven races from the front row.

Fitzpatrick’s teammate, Thomson, earned the famed crystal Pegasus award from Mobil 1 for winning the most “Command Performance Driver of the Race” awards in 2007. Thomson won a series-best two races this year along with Fitzpatrick, Kennington and Kerry Micks (No. 02 Beyond Digital Imaging Ford Taurus), but was the highest-finishing driver in the point standings who participates in the Mobil 1 program which served as the tiebreaker.

The top-five finishing Dodge teams were honored and the Mopar Cup was also awarded to the top-finishing Dodge team. The fifth-highest finishing Dodge team was that of Scott Steckly (No. 22 Erb Group Dodge Charger) followed by Jason Hathaway (No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Super 8 Dodge Charger) in fourth. Mark Dilley (No. 9 Dodge/Leland Industries Dodge Avenger) was third highest while Lynch finished second among the teams driving a Dodge. Kennington took the top prize of $5,000, as well as, claiming the Mopar Cup. Dodge cars won five races in 2007 while Chevy earned four victories and Ford collected three.

Three other special awards from NASCAR were handed out, as well. Kent Nuhn (No. 09 The Fuel Genie/Nuhn’s Auto Recyclers Pontiac Grand Prix) was selected by series drivers as the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award for his work both on and off the track.

Lynch was tabbed for the Driver Achievement Award for a progressive improvement in performance throughout the season which culminated in a win on September 1 at Cayuga Speedway Park.

Fitzpatrick collected Most Popular Driver honors in balloting done online at www.nascarmembers.com. The 19 year-old always received a big cheer from the crowd regardless of the venue.

It was a special night for Canadian Tire Series drivers, teams, car owners, sponsors, officials and all their
families. The event was emceed by Vic Rauter from TSN, Canada’s home for NASCAR.

Source: Nascar Public Relations, Shon Sbarra

Awards Banquet Tonight!

We'll have photos and coverage of this event. Please check back tomorrow.
Thanks for dropping by.