DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 20, 2008) – Coming off a very successful first season, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio is set for more exciting action in 2008. Packed grandstands and final lap heroics were the norm a year ago, while this season a spirited battle for rookie-of-the-year honors along with Andrew Ranger’s title defense will only heighten the excitement.
The 13-race schedule, which kicks off Saturday, May 24 at Cayuga International Speedway, virtually will cover Canada from coast-to-coast. Over the course of the year, the series will visit 11 tracks in five provinces culminating with the crowning of the 2008 champion on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Kawartha Speedway.
Also on the schedule is a return trip to the demanding 1.973-mile road course of Grand Prix Edmonton. Last year over 60,000 fans saw J.R. Fitzpatrick overtake Ranger, who had led the entire race, on the white flag lap for the victory.
The Canadian Tire Series will also run in conjunction with the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Grand-Am Rolex Series, and KONI Challenge in 2008.
TSN, Canada’s leading sports network, once again will provide unparalleled coverage by televising one-hour broadcasts of racing action from each event in High Definition. The broadcast schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
"The inaugural season in 2007 exceeded all expectations and quickly established the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series as the premier stock car racing series in Canada," said George Silbermann, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Operations. "The 2008 calendar builds on those successes and sets the stage for another exciting coast-to-coast championship."
Other key dates:
The 2008 schedule includes races on nine ovals: Cayuga International Speedway (2), Autodrome St-Eustache, Barrie Speedway (2), SunValley Speedway, Mosport Speedway, Riverside Speedway, and Kawartha Speedway; and four road courses: Mosport International Raceway, Grand Prix Edmonton, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres.
Autodrome St-Eustache is new to the Canadian Tire Series schedule in 2008. The track is in its third year as part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR’s North American short-track racing series.
On June 14-15, the series will run at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario at the facility’s 2.5-mile, 10-turn road course. The race is part of an eventful Father’s Day weekend along with the KONI Challenge Series.
NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES SCHEDULE
In July, the series will make its western swing, with races at SunValley Speedway in Vernon, B.C. and at the Grand Prix Edmonton in Alberta. SunValley Speedway is a 1/2-mile oval and a featured track for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
Race fans can circle August 1 and 2 on their calendar. This is the race in conjunction with the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. A season ago, over 130,000 fans made their way to Île Notre Dame over the course of the huge two-day event.
The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, slated for August 15-17, is once again a highlight on the schedule. This year, the Canadian Tire Series event will take place on Sunday afternoon.
The Sept. 20 trip to Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia is a much-anticipated date. The track is a 1/3-mile scale version of the legendary Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
2008 NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Site Location
May 24 Cayuga Int’l Speedway Hamilton, ON
May 31 Autodrome St-Eustache St-Eustache, QC
June 15 Mosport Int'l Raceway Bowmanville, ON
June 28 Barrie Speedway Barrie, ON
July 12 SunValley Speedway Vernon, BC
July 19 Grand Prix Edmonton Edmonton, AB
August 2 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Montreal, QC
August 9 Mosport Speedway Bowmanville, ON
August 17 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres Trios-Rivieres, QC
August 30 Cayuga Int’l Speedway Hamilton, ON
September 6 Barrie Speedway Barrie, ON
September 20 Riverside Int’l Speedway Antigonish, NS
September 27 Kawartha Speedway Peterborough, ON
Tentative - Subject to Change
About NASCAR: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), celebrating 60 years in 2008, is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – holding 17 of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S., and is the No. 2 rated regular-season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in more than 30 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.
NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (Fla.), NASCAR has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.), Mexico City, and Toronto.
About Canadian Tire: Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX: CTR.NV, CTR) operates more than 1,100 stores, gas bars and car washes in an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retail, financial services and petroleum. More than 50,000 Canadians work across the Canadian Tire organization from coast-to-coast. Canadian Tire Retail and its Associate Dealers together form one of Canada's best-known and most successful retailers with 473 stores in communities nationwide. Canadian Tire stores offer a unique mix of products and services through the leadership of three specialty stores under one roof - Automotive, Sports and Leisure, and Home Products. Canadian Tire also offers shopping and home delivery through www.canadiantire.ca and by phone order at 1-866-746-7287.
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