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Ranger Wins A&W 300
First win on oval for 22-year-oldVERNON, B.C. – In the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, Andrew Ranger held off Scott Steckly on a green-white-checkered finish in a nearly caution-free race to win the A&W Cruisin’ The Dub 300 on Saturday night at SunValley Speedway.
Ranger displayed a dominant car at times, opening up a lead of nearly 10 seconds at one point. However, with the late restart, he beat Steckly to the line by .561 seconds.
In just its second race, the No. 27 Walmart/Tide Ford driven by Ranger was debuted on July 12 at his home track, Autodrome St. Eustache. The new car is powered by a NASCAR spec engine and it is the first win for a motor from that program in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. This is the first year that teams had the option to use the NASCAR spec engine program designed to provide a competitive power plant at an affordable cost.
“The car was just so strong all night,” said Ranger. “It’s just the second time we’ve raced it and it has done well both times. My crew chief, Bill Burns, along with Dave Jacombs and all of the guys do a great job all the time.”
After winning four races on road courses in his series career, the 22-year-old Ranger, out of Roxton Pond, Que., won for the first time on an oval track after flirting with it several times over the past two seasons. The 2007 series champion now has five wins and is just one behind Steckly on the all-time win list. It was Ranger’s second win of the 2009 season after winning at Mosport International Raceway in June.
“It feels great to get a win on an oval. We’ve been close before but something always seemed to happen,” said Ranger. “That is why I was a little nervous on that last restart. You just never know, but the car was that strong.”
It was Steckly’s third consecutive second-place finish at the track having finished runner-up to JR Fitzpatrick and Don Thomson Jr. in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
“Of course we want to win, but second isn’t terrible and it was a good points night for the No. 22 Canadian Tire/Tow Truck in a Box Dodge,” said Steckly.
It’s not often to notch a podium finish a lap down, but Ron Beauchamp Jr. (No. 60 Mopar/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge) found himself in that position as only Ranger and Steckly finished on the lead lap.
“It’s pretty weird, but we’ll take it,” said Beauchamp of the finish. ‘I’m keeping my nose clean this year and things are going pretty well. We just want to ride the momentum.”
DJ Kennington in the No. 17 Castrol/Mahindra Tractor Dodge finished fourth while Kerry Micks in the No. 02 Beyond Digital Imaging Ford rolled across the finish line in fifth.
Rounding out the top 10 was Anthony Simone, John Gaunt, Jason Hathaway, Don Thomson Jr. and Dave Whitlock.
The race was slowed by caution just three times for 28 laps.
Earlier in the day, Beauchamp won his first series career pole. The Windsor, Ontario-based team continues their renaissance this season after two sub-par years in 2007 and 2008.
Unofficially in the championship point standings, Ranger holds a 42-point lead on Kennington and has a 45-point lead on Beauchamp.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented Mobil 1 heads to Edmonton next Saturday, July 25, for the Canadian Tire 100 which is part of the Rexall Edmonton Indy weekend on the 1.973-mile temporary road course at Edmonton’s City Centre Airport.
UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS | LAP-BY-LAP RECAP | RIDE-ALONG WITH JASON WHITE
ANDREW RANGER POST-RACE VIDEO | SCOTT STECKLY POST-RACE VIDEO | RON BEAUCHAMP JR. POST-RACE VIDEO
ANDREW RANGER POST-RACE AUDIO | SCOTT STECKLY POST-RACE AUDIO | RON BEAUCHAMP JR. POST-RACE AUDIO
