With seven races remaining on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule, the battle for the championship is as tight as ever with no clear-cut advantage for any of the contenders.
JR Fitzpatrick (Chevrolet) and DJ Kennington (Dodge) are emerging are the clear contenders but Scott Steckly (Dodge), Don Thomson Jr. (Chevrolet) and Kerry Micks (Ford) are lurking well within striking distance.
Up to now, Kennington seems to be the strongest on the ovals while Fitzpatrick seems to be the king of the road with a pair of wins on road courses.
Two of the next three races come on road courses, tilting the balance in favour of Fitzpatrick while the final three events of the season come on oval tracks, which seemingly give Kennington the edge.
But a competitor could well make it hard for both drivers in the coming races as two-time champion Andrew Ranger will be back for the next two road-course events.
With a runner-up finish at Mosport International Raceway in June and a win in Toronto in July, Ranger missed the road-course event in Edmonton on July 25, but he returns to the series to defend his Trois-Rivieres race victory.
In his last nine NASCAR road-course events, Ranger has six wins, two runner-up finishes and a third-place finish.
Points standings:
1.DJ Kennington, 1178 points
2.JR Fitzpatrick, 1164
3.Scott Steckly, 1095
4.Don Thomson Jr, 1049
5.Kerry Micks, 1036
etc.
JR Fitzpatrick (Chevrolet) and DJ Kennington (Dodge) are emerging are the clear contenders but Scott Steckly (Dodge), Don Thomson Jr. (Chevrolet) and Kerry Micks (Ford) are lurking well within striking distance.
Up to now, Kennington seems to be the strongest on the ovals while Fitzpatrick seems to be the king of the road with a pair of wins on road courses.
Two of the next three races come on road courses, tilting the balance in favour of Fitzpatrick while the final three events of the season come on oval tracks, which seemingly give Kennington the edge.
But a competitor could well make it hard for both drivers in the coming races as two-time champion Andrew Ranger will be back for the next two road-course events.
With a runner-up finish at Mosport International Raceway in June and a win in Toronto in July, Ranger missed the road-course event in Edmonton on July 25, but he returns to the series to defend his Trois-Rivieres race victory.
In his last nine NASCAR road-course events, Ranger has six wins, two runner-up finishes and a third-place finish.
Points standings:
1.DJ Kennington, 1178 points
2.JR Fitzpatrick, 1164
3.Scott Steckly, 1095
4.Don Thomson Jr, 1049
5.Kerry Micks, 1036
etc.