JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW
No. 88 Canadian Tire Chevrolet/No. 7 Schick Hydro Chevrolet
EVENT – NAPA Auto Parts 200 (74 laps / 200 miles)
TRACK – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (2.709-mile road course)
DATE – Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010
TV / RADIO – ESPN2 (coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. EST) / MRN (broadcast begins at 2:00 p.m. EST)
Ron Fellows
No. 88 Canadian Tire Chevrolet
What makes Montreal such a good destination for NASCAR?
"Montreal is a great event, not only for the Quebec-based fans, but for the teams too. It's such a change of pace from what we typically deal with. Most of the tracks we visit in the states aren't in the middle of the city like Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. So it's definitely a unique weekend. My family always enjoys going to Montreal, especially all the great restaurants."
Are there any secrets to getting around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve?
"As far as the track goes, you need the best of both worlds. You need good brakes and a lot of power. The track has some very long straightaways followed by high braking corners. Our Canadian Tire Chevrolet will need a lot of horsepower to get off the corners and onto the straights with speed, but we'll have to have a good brake package in order to get slowed down enough to make those sharp corners. It's a fast, fun track and you get to do a lot of shifting."
J.R. Fitzpatrick
No. 7 Schick Hydro Chevrolet
What has it been like working with JRM this season?
"It's been a good experience for me to work with Tony Eury Jr. and all the guys on this Schick Hydro team at JRM. We've had one top-10 effort in my two races with the team, but now I want to go out there and get a top-five run at Montreal. I know we're a good enough team to do it. We just need to stay focused and stay out of trouble, which at Montreal can be a tough thing to do. Sometimes trouble just seems to find you there."
You have a busy weekend running both the Nationwide Series race and the Canadian Tire Series race, what are your thoughts on that?
"I think running the Canadian Tire Series race on Sunday morning before the Nationwide race is a good thing. Not only have we been running great in that series, but as a driver any time you can get more laps at a track you're going to take advantage of it. Plus, we're running fulltime in that series and have the championship points lead right now. It's a thrill to have the potential to win that race and the Nationwide Series race. I'm really looking forward to that chance."
JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK –
TEAM CANADA – For the third time this year,JR Motorsports teams will feature Canadian drivers in its race cars in Ron Fellows and J.R. Fitzpatrick. Fellows hails from Windsor, Ontario, while Fitzpatrick's hometown is Cambridge, Ontario.
WELCOME CANADIAN TIRE – Canadian Tire will join JRM as the primary sponsor of its No. 88 Chevrolet driven by Ron Fellows for the Nationwide Series event in Montreal. Canadian Tire, also the title sponsor of NASCAR's Canadian Tire Series, is one of Canada's most shopped general retailers with 480 Canadian Tire stores across the country.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – Fellows is a past winner of the Montreal event in 2008. With the win, he was part of NASCAR history, as he became the first Canadian to win a NASCAR event on Canadian soil. He qualified sixth and led seven laps en route to his fourth series victory. The win was also the first road-course victory for JRM. In three starts at the 2.71-mile road course, Fellows has one win and two top-five finishes. He has led 11 laps, earned an average finish of 13.3, and an average start of 4.0. Fellows holds the additional distinction of being the oldest winner of the race at 48 years, 10 months and five days old.
FITZPATRICK SEASON - Fitzpatrick has two starts in the Nationwide Series this season with a career-best finish of seventh at Road America driving the No. 7 Schick Hydro Chevrolet for JRM. At Montreal, the Canadian native owns two starts with a best finish of 27th.
DOUBLE DUTY DRIVER – In addition to the Nationwide Series event at Montreal, Fitzpatrick is also competing in the Canadian Tire Series race on Sunday morning. The 22-year-old is the defending race winner of that event. He has scored two wins (Bowmanville, Edmonton), six top-five, and nine top-10 finishes in nine starts this season. With an average start of 4.3, and an average finish of 3.7, Fitzpatrick is atop the season standings by 16 points over DJ Kennington. He has led at least one lap in five of the nine events this year for a total of 99 laps led.
HISTORY WITH JRM – Known for his impeccable road-course talents, Fellows owns five career starts with JRM. He earned one win (Montreal '08), three top-fives and four top-10 finishes. Fellows led seven laps in those events. He has qualified in the top 10 in three of his five starts driving for JRM.
JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES - A longtime sports car and road-racing veteran, Fellows is credited with three class championships in the American Le Mans Series, two class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and 19 overall victories in the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-Am Series as a member of the Corvette Racing Team. His NASCAR credentials include six overall wins (two in the Camping World Truck Series), and two runner-up finishes in Sprint Cup competition.
TEAM POINTS POSITION – The No. 88 Canadian Tire team are ranked seventh in the 2010 owner points after Bristol. The No. 7 Schick Hydro team is 18th in owner points.
FREE JR NATION CREW FAN CLUB – Dale Jr. and JR Motorsports are welcoming race fans to join the JR Nation Crew Fan Club for free. The exclusive fan club offers fans an online hub with chat rooms, forums, and blogs from JRM personalities. Join today for your chance to win an autographed fire suit courtesy of Hellmann's®. For more information, visit www.jrnation.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Heath White
JR Motorsports/ Public Relations
704.799.4825
