Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards: Stock Car Racer of the Year Nominees

STOCK CAR RACER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

Every Inside Track Readers’ Choice Award nominee was a champ in 2007

TORONTO, ON – Six talented stock car racers from across Canada have been nominated in the ‘Stock Car Racer of the Year’ category for this year’s Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards presented by Castrol. Canadian racing enthusiasts can cast their votes online at http://www.insidetracknews.com/ until midnight on Friday, March 14 to help determine the overall winners in this and 11 other categories.

“As always, we have a very strong group of nominees in the Stock Car Racer of the Year category,” said Inside Track editor Greg MacPherson. “Every one of these racers are champions of their respective series and they represent all regions of the country.”

Calgary, AB’s Barry Bischoff rode a string of safe, consistent finishes to the NEWALTA Late Model Series championship in 2007. The 48-year-old is a two-time Race City Super Late Model champion and in 2004 claimed the Western Racing league title.

“We weren’t able to win this year; I think our best result was a third,” recalls Bischoff. “We ran strong but had some bad luck. My crew kept me in the running, and we managed to run consistently enough to come away with the championship. It’s flattering to be nominated for this award, it’s nice to be recognized for all of our efforts.”

Quebec-based DIRTcar 358 Modified racer Mario Clair earned two championships in ’07 to secure his nomination. The 35-year-old from St. Edmond, QC captured not only the 358 DIRT Modified championship crown at his home track of Autodrome Drummond, but also earned the coveted title of Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified champion.

Clair scored but a single victory at his home venue, but coupled this result with five, second-place finishes to outlast (by 81 points) the series’ runner-up, Dave Hebert. Clair garnered four small block feature wins on the road. Adding those to his other consistent finishes on the traveling Mr. DIRTcar 358 circuit, he became that tour’s first-ever French-speaking champion.

Another Quebecker, Patrick Laperle, is also nominated in the Stock Car Racer of the Year category. Laperle’s American-Canadian Tour (ACT) season got off to an “ugly start” as the 31-year-old battled some severe health problems. But once back on track, his luck turned dramatically and he went on a hot streak winning races at St. Eustache, Ste. Croix and a ‘combined’ ACT event at Vermont’s Thunder Road.

In the end, Laperle recorded 11 top-10 finishes in 12 events – including four runner-up results – to capture the ACT Castrol Series championship. “I was not in top shape early in the season but things really turned around,” said the St. Denis, Que. resident. “There was lots of competition and lots of cars; we had to work hard. This championship and now this nomination made the struggles worthwhile.”

Just prior to the 2007 season Andrew Ranger ended his open-wheel career and committed to racing stock cars in the new NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. The Roxton Pond, Que. racer won the second race on the schedule (at Mosport Int’l Raceway) and led the points the rest of the way. In 12 races, Ranger scored 10 top-10 finishes and was in contention to win the road course races at Edmonton, Trois-Rivières and Montreal until the final moments, before taking second in each.

“It was definitely a tough learning curve this year, learning the tracks and learning the car,” said Ranger. “[Team owner] Dave Jacombs, the team and I all learned and grew together this year. I wasn’t used to dodging 25 other drivers in the corners on every lap and getting sideways all of the time. But I had fun. It’s very special to be racing back home in Canada.”

Like Ranger, Newmarket, Ont. racer Derrick Tiemersma was technically a ‘rookie’ in his series in 2007; the OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model tour. But that didn’t stop the former CASCAR and ALSTAR series competitor from rolling up three feature wins – including the coveted Don Biederman Memorial – on his way to becoming the ‘07 OSCAAR series champ.

“This was definitely a satisfying season,” said Tiemersma. “The competition was strong; any one of a dozen guys could have won on any given night. Considering the competition in this category, it really is a privilege just to be nominated for a Readers’ Choice Award.”

The sixth and final nominee in the Short Track Racer of the Year category is Shawn Tucker, the 2007 CARQUEST Maritime Pro Stock Tour champion. The 38-year-old Fredericton, NB resident was also nominated in 2004.

“It’s a great feeling to be nominated again, and kind of amazing considering the season we had,” noted Tucker. “We only won one race [out of ten starts] but we were able to score seven, top-five finishes. It was our consistency that really paid off this year.”

To date, more than 2,500 Canadian racing fans have gone to http://www.insidetracknews.com/ to register their votes for the Inside Track Readers Choice Awards presented by Castrol. Voting remains open until Friday, March 14, 2008. Results will appear in print and online shortly thereafter.

Inside Track Communications fast facts: Inside Track Communications is the industry leader in motorsports publications. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Inside Track Communications publishes Inside Track Motorsport News (http://www.insidetracknews.com/), Inside Motorcycles (http://www.insidemotorcycles.com/), and Inside Motocross (http://www.insidemotocross.com/).

For more information about the Readers’ Choice Awards, contact David Weber at (519) 869-4969 or by e-mail at mailto:david@insidetracknews.com