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  • Don Thomson Jr. To Crew Chief for J.R. Fitzpatrick in 2012

    Don Thomson Jr. To Crew Chief for J.R. Fitzpatrick in 2012

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    Fitzpatrick Motorsports announced on January 9th that Don Thomson Jr. will be crew chief for J.R. Fitzpatrick in 2011.

    Thomson Jr. hangs up his helmet as a driver for 2012 after winning seven Canadian championships and driving the EHR/Team 3 Red Dodge last year.

    “I am really excited about this next chapter in my career and glad to be back at Fitzpatrick Motorsports, the Hamilton, Ontario native said. “I am comfortable here, I know the way the system works here and John is really committed to put the best product on the track for J.R. and our sponsor partners. I have also known J.R. since he was eight years old and he has grown to become the best driver in the series so I really want to be part of whatever he does up here.”

    Before moving to EHR for 2011, Thomson had spent four years racing for Fitzpatrick so it was no surprise that shortly after the season, discussions started between J.R. Fitzpatrick, Thomson and team owner John Fitzpatrick.

    “I know Thomson well and I know what he brings to the team,” John Fitzpatrick said. “We were a pretty formidable program, winning eight championships between him and J.R. during the CASCAR days and I expect his transition to Crew Chief here to be pretty seamless.”

    The role of pit boss and adviser to Fitzpatrick isn’t a new role either as he built and crewed a late model program in the early years and was there for Fitzpatrick’s first laps behind the wheel of a CASCAR.

    “I am really pumped to get this season started,” J.R. said. “I had a lot of good runs last season and Thomson’s addition to the team will only make us stronger. The new car should be great and to have another championship caliber mind working in the shop gives me great confidence.”

    Fitzpatrick is looking for his first Canadian championship since winning the CASCAR championship 2006. Last year, Fitzpatrick finished third in points with 10 top 10s in 12 races.

    The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season gets underway May 20 on the road course at Mosport International Raceway. The Championship will be comprised of 12 races in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

  • No. 11 of Canadian Tire Series Schedule: Komatsu 300 at Riverside International Speedway

    No. 11 of Canadian Tire Series Schedule: Komatsu 300 at Riverside International Speedway

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    For race no. 11 of the 12 race schedule, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be heading to Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia for the Komatsu 300 presented by Wilson Equipment on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 4:30 p.m. AT. This marks the series’ fifth visit to the 0.333 mile oval that has been designed based upon Bristol Motor Speedway’s configuration.

    In the past, weather has been a factor as the race has been postponed a day twice in the previous four events.

    Like last week at Barrie Speedway, everybody will have their eyes on the championship battle between Scott Steckly and DJ Kennington. Steckly, who won the championship in 2008, currently leads the points, 69 points over defending series champion Kennington after the Wild Wing 300 last Saturday.

    Steckly has ran decent on the 0.333-mile oval in the past, scoring a second place finish last year. Before that, he only had one other top-10 at Riverside, which came in 2007 with a sixth place finish. He has also led a total of 182 laps at Riverside.

    In contrast, Kennington won last year’s race and finished third in his track debt in 2007. He has led a total of 194 laps, also.

    Other drivers who have won at Riverside include Mark Dilley, Andrew Ranger and Don Thomson Jr.

    Coming off his third career win at Barrie Speedway, Dilley is looking for another solid weekend to possibly crack the top five in points. He won the inaugural series race at Riverside in 2007 and has since finished fourth, third and eighth.

    Thomson Jr. won at Riverside in 2008 while finishing third last year. Thomson is looking for his eighth series win and is hoping experience from leading 53 laps at Riverside over the years will help.

    Ranger, who has been running a limited schedule this year, is not scheduled to participate in this weekend’s action.

    While everybody will have their eyes on the point standings and the lead pack, another battle going on is the Rookie of the Year battle. Currently, L.P Dumoulin leads Isabelle Tremblay by two points, John Farano by seven and Steve Mathews by 13. According to the mathimatics of the award, all of these drivers have a possibility to still win it.

    The rookie points system is a simple one. The top-finishing rookie driver earns 10 points, the next collects nine points and so on down the line to one. Should there be more than 10 rookies in the field no driver earns less than a single point.

    Originally this year, Dumoulin was only going to run the road courses, though the rookie standings have him now running the final oval events of the year.

    “(Oval racing) is really different from road courses,” the Trois-Rivieres, Quebec native. “The driving style and car setups are nothing alike, but I enjoyed it. All of the teams have been really helpful with information. That was a big help.”

    Meanwhile for Tremblay, it has been something that’s been on her mind all year.

    “That was one of our goals from the beginning,” Tremblay, who scored her best career finish of eighth at Mosport earlier this year, said. “We’re in good position to win it with a little luck.”

  • NCAT: Frustrations Take Over Barrie Speedway, Penalties Handed Down

    NCAT: Frustrations Take Over Barrie Speedway, Penalties Handed Down

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    NASCAR announced that two NASCAR Canadian Tire Series drivers and three crew members have been penalized as a result of rules violated at Barrie Speedway on September 10thafter racing was over.

    J.R. Fitzpatrick and Kerry Micks were found in violation of Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock-car racing – aggressive driving and excessive speed on pit road after the race) of the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series rule book.  They are both on probation for the final two races of schedule and remain on probation till September 28, 2011. Both drivers sped down pit road after an on-track altercation on the final lap where Micks spun out Fitzpatrick due to earlier contact.

    Matt Vanderwal, crew chief for Don Thomson Jr. was found in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock-car racing – involved in an altercation (fighting) in another competitor’s pit area) and 9-4 (the crew chief assumes responsibility for the actions of his team members). Vanderwal has been fined $500, suspended from the final two races and placed on probation until December 31, 2011.

    Josh Turner, crew member for No. 3 of Jason Hathaway, and Chad Turner, crew member for Don Thomson Jr., were both found in violation of Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock-car racing – involved in an altercation (fighting) in another competitor’s pit area). Both have been fined $500, suspended from the final two races and placed on probation until December 31, 2011.

    The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series returns to the track this weekend for the Komatsu 300 presented by Wilson Equipment at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

  • Race No. 10 of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Schedule: Wild Wing 300 at Barrie Speedway

    For race no. 10 of the 12 race schedule, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be heading to Barrie Speedway for the Wild Wing 300. This marks the seventh event for the series at the venue.

    With only three races left on the schedule, the championship battle is coming to a close as Scott Steckly leads DJ Kennington by 84 points.

    Both have had success at Barrie as the pair of them have won five of the six races so far at the 0.333 mile tri-oval in Barrie, Ontario.

    Kennington, who has won three of those five races, has led a total of 323 laps at Barrie Speedway and is the defending series champion.

    Steckly, who has won two of those five, has led a series-high total of 511 laps and picked up his 10th series victory back in July at Motoplex Speedway, to tie Kennington second on the all-time win list.

    The only other driver who has won at Barrie Speedway besides the pair of them is Don Thomson Jr., who picked up a win in 2009 while finishing second last year. Thomson Jr. is another driver to expect up front at Barrie as he has led 409 laps and has never finished outside of the top five at the track.

    While eyes will be on the guys who have done well at Barrie in the past, it marks the return of Pete Shephard III to the series. Shephard III, who is only running a select group of races in 2011, won in his most recent start in Saskatoon with a bump-and-run on Kennington.

    “He’s gotten me twice this season,” Kennington said. “In Saskatoon, I guess anything goes on the last lap, but rest assured I’ve got my eye on him.”

    “(Kennington) is a great driver probably one of the best ever from Canada,” Shepherd said. “He hasn’t won all those races that he has by just riding around in circles. If the roles had been reversed that last time, he would have done the same as I did.”

    Shephard has only competed at Barrie Speedway two times before, finishing eighth in 2008 and third last year.

    “I like racing at Barrie,” he said. “It’s close quarters, but it’s always a lot of fun to get out there with a bunch of drivers who know what they’re doing.”

  • Canadian Tire Series: Don Thomson Jr. To Run For Ed Hakonson in 2011

    Team 3 Red/Ed Hakonson Racing announced that Don Thomson Jr. would be joining their team. According to team officials, the new deal will allow for some great opportunities for Thomson with his wealth of knowledge, driving ability and experience as a seven-time Canadian stock-car champion.

    “The group at Team 3 Red/EHR is a great group of guys and I am looking forward to working with Jason and the rest of the company,” said Thomson in the team’s press release. “This move puts me in a great position, opens doors for me and I am excited to be a part of the plan for T3R/EHR in 2011.”
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    “Don has a great history of being a superb contender in racing here in Canada,” team owner Ed Hakonson said. “We are looking forward to the new opportunities that lie ahead for Don and our team in the coming season. His knowledge and ability is unmatched in the industry and we are proud to have him a part of our organization.”

    In 51 career NASCAR Canadian Tire Series starts Thomson has six wins, 27 top-five and 38 top-10 finishes. He also holds the series record with 11 career poles. Thomson spent last year at Fitzpatrick Motorsports, finishing fourth in points with one win, nine top fives and 11 top 10s in 13 starts. Thomson and Fitzpatrick Motorsports split ways at the end of the 2010 season as a result of Fitzpatrick Motorsports changing their team outlook.

    “Fitzpatrick Motorsports was originally founded for (team-owner) John to have some fun,” JR’s business partner, Jason Sharpe, told Inside Track Magazine. “When John became involved with the CASCAR Super Series, he wanted to bring the level up in shop, to turn it into a professional operation, and that’s when Don Thomson came on board.

    “The most recent objective of this team has been to develop J.R.’s career. We’ve enjoyed our time in the CASCAR and the Canadian Tire Series, but it’s time to put all of our resources behind J.R. and go to the States. We’ve developed relationships with JR Motorsports and Harvick Motorsports, we’ve put the pieces in place, now we need to make the move south.”

    “It’s the right time to go there,” Fitzpatrick told Inside Track. “I’m not saying we won’t run in the Canadian Tire Series next year, we’re not shutting down the Canadian side, but we’ve got nothing left to prove here. We’ve been in talks with a lot of different teams and we’re working hard on finalizing our sponsorship package. Nationwide is the goal for 2011.”

    “We had a great 13-year run with Fitzpatrick Motorsports,” Thomson said. “We parted on good terms, we’re just going in different directions. I’m 48 years old and been doing this a long time. I believe I can still get the job done behind the wheel, but to be successful, it requires ’24/7′ dedication.”

    Thomson’s new teammate Jason Hathaway says he looks forward to working with Thomson.

    “Donnie and I have always respected each other on and off the track so I am excited that he has joined our team,” Hathaway said. “His knowledge and our joint efforts will help our organization on a number of levels.”

    Final plans are in the works for the season and will be released shortly.