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In September 2006, NASCAR announced the purchase of Canada’s premier stock car series - CASCAR.
They also revealed a long-term sponsorship agreement with the Canadian Tire Corporation.
This signaled a new era for professional stock car racing in Canada.
The series debuted in late May at Cayuga Speedway. The opening round was followed by races at Mosport International Raceway and Barrie Speedway. The teams then traveled west competing at SunValley Speedway in British Columbia and the Edmonton City Center Airport. In August, the series made its first visit to Quebec with an event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Round seven was another weekend at Mosport but this time it was on the oval which was followed by Circuit Trois Rivieres, Quebec. The championship returned to Cayuga and Barrie in early September. The penultimate round was at Riverside Speedway in Nova Scotia with the finale being held at Kawartha Speedway. There was a total of twelve race weekends in five different provinces. The first season included many of the teams that had previously participated in the CASCAR series and some new faces. The switch to NASCAR also meant changes to event procedures, technical inspections and the cars. The series cars are a constructed using a steel tube frame design covered with a fiberglass body and are required to weigh no less than 3000-lbs with the driver. Eligible body styles are the 2005-2007 Dodge (Avenger and Charger), Ford (Fusion and Taurus), Pontiac (Grand Prix) and Chevrolet (Monte Carlo SS). Engine displacement which can range from 350-360-cu.in. is dictated by the make and model of the vehicle. The carbureted eight-cylinder motors produce approximately 550-horsepower at 6,500-rpm and depending on gearing can achieve a speed of 160-mph. Round nine of the 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series was contested at Cayuga International Speedway. Teams would compete in the Subway 200 presented by Sicard Holiday Campers for 200-laps around the 5/8-mile oval.
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The grid for round nine of the 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Twenty-three competitors line-up on the front straight at Cayuga International Raceway. On the pole is the No. 4 Chevrolet Monte Carlo of Don Thomson, Jr. – this was his second pole position of the season. Sharing the front row with Thomson is his teammate, J.R. Fitzpatrick in another Monte Carlo. Behind the front row are D.J. Kennington and Peter Gibbons. |
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When ‘opportunity knocked,’ Derek Lynch was there to grab it and took his first victory in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. To date, Lynch’s best results were a pair of fifths (round one at Cayuga and the Mosport oval). Entering the final lap, he was in third place driving the No. 77 Dodge Charger. When Peter Gibbons and Jim Lapcevich made contact, Lynch slipped by for the win - all from the sixteenth starting position. |
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Andrew Ranger demonstrated his talent on the road courses by winning round two at Mosport. This victory coupled with respectable finishes at other events gave Ranger the points lead in the title chase. At Cayuga, he and was one of the beneficiaries of the Gibbons / Lapcevich incident and finished third. And, as luck would have it, Ranger main challengers – Thomson and Fitzpatrick were well behind him at the checker. |
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On lap-8, Don Thomson’s opportunity for a second victory at Cayuga International Speedway ended. Entering turn-three, Kerry Micks hit Thomson’s Chevrolet and caused a multi-car accident. In addition to Thomson, his teammate, J.R. Fitzpatrick and Doug Brown were also involved in the incident. He and Brown were unable to continue. Repairs were made to Fitzpatrick’s Monte Carlo which allowed him to return to the race. |
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On lap-199 it appeared as though Jim Lapcevich was going to score his best result of the season. Lapcevich qualified eighth in the EMCEA Transport/Tim Hortons Chevrolet Monte Carlo. During the race, he moved to the front and traded first place with Peter Gibbons. Coming out of the final on the last lap the two drivers made contact and spun out of contention. Lapcevich regrouped and finished in eighth place. |
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The other half of the last lap turn four excitement was Peter Gibbons in the Canadian Tire-sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Gibbons started fourth and quickly moved into contention. He and Jim Lapcevich exchanged the lead five-times during the final thirty-seven-laps of the race. Unfortunately, contact between the two took them out of the running for the victory. Gibbons would finish seventh. |
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The winner of round three at Barrie Speedway was D.J. Kennington. Kennington drove the No. 17 Dodge Charger with backing from Castrol. He was gridded third for the Subway 200 and stayed among the leaders all evening. The incident between Lapcevich and Gibbons allowed Kennington to collect the third-place trophy. More importantly, he moved from fifth to third in the point standings. |
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J.R. Fitzpatrick entered round nine at Cayuga third in the standings. The driver of the Milwaukee Tools sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo started the 200-lap race on the outside of the front row. In the three previous events, Fitzpatrick had qualified on the pole. Unfortunately, his chance to catch the points leader ended on lap-8 when was involved in a multi-car incident. Fitzpatrick finished twentieth – 85-laps behind the winner. |
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The top-three finishers for the Subway 200 at Cayuga International Raceway. In the center is Derek Lynch who captured his first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victory driving the Allied Steel Buildings Dodge Charger. To Lynch’s left is the runner-up and point’s leader, Andrew Ranger. And, rounding out the top-three is the driver of the No. 17 Castrol Dodge Charger, D.J. Kennington. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVERS | SPONSOR / CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Derek Lynch | Allied Steel / Dodge Charger | 200 | - |
| 2 | 6 | Andrew Ranger | WAL-MART / Ford Fusion | 200 | - |
| 3 | 3 | D.J. Kennington | Castrol / Dodge Charger | 200 | - |
| 4 | 5 | Kerry Micks | Beyond Digital / Ford Taurus | 200 | - |
| 5 | 15 | Brad Graham | Full Throttle / Dodge Charger | 200 | - |
| 6 | 19 | Jeff Lapcevich | Tim Hortons / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 200 | - |
| 7 | 4 | Peter Gibbons | Canadian Tire / Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | 200 | - |
| 8 | 13 | Jim Lapcevich | Tim Hortons / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 200 | - |
| 9 | 12 | Jason Hathaway | Snap-on / Dodge Charger | 200 | - |
| 10 | 11 | Randy MacDonald | Castrol / Dodge Charger | 200 | - |
| 11 | 17 | Dave Whitlock | Dickies / Dodge Charger | 200 | - |
| 12 | 23 | Bob Merrifield | Brimar Homes / Dodge Avenger | 197 | - |
| 13 | 18 | Pierre Bourque | Driving.ca / Dodge Charger | 196 | - |
| 14 | 9 | Ron Beauchamp, Jr. | Mopar / Dodge Avenger | 189 | - |
| 15 | 7 | Mark Dilley | Leland Industries / Dodge Avenger | 183 | - |
| 16 | 14 | Scott Steckly | Erb Group / Dodge Charger | 161 | - |
| 17 | 20 | John Gaunt | Centennial Chrysler / Dodge Avenger | 150 | Suspension |
| 18 | 21 | Nik Lapcevich | Hal-Nor Plumbing / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 150 | Accident |
| 19 | 22 | Kent Nuhn | Fuel Genie / Pontiac Grand Prix | 143 | Electrical |
| 20 | 2 | J.R. Fitzpatrick | Milwaukee Tools / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 115 | - |
| 21 | 8 | Ron Van Es | Tailgate Headquarters / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 16 | Oil Leak |
| 22 | 1 | Don Thomson, Jr. | Home Hardware / Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 7 | Accident |
| 23 | 10 | Doug Brown | Haldex / Dodge Charger | 7 | Accident |
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