Australian Marcos Ambrose (Camry No 47) was almost flawless at Montreal’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide race held Sunday afternoon at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
Flawless because, after starting from the pole, he led the better part of the longest ever Nationwide race even after the mandatory pit stops for rain tires only to make a mistake at the very last corner of the very last lap and let pursuer Carl Edwards (Ford No 60) by to win the race.
The race was decided in the very last corner, the chicane that leads to the start/finish line. Race leader Marcos Ambrose under intense pressure from carl Edwards, hit the kerb pretty hard, making his car jump in the air.
Edwards immediately passed him and collected victory.
The other most impressive performance was that of local racer and former NASCAR Canadian Tire champion Andrew Ranger (Camry No 11) who ended up third.
“I proved I was able to run with these guys,” said Ranger after the race. “I had a pretty good car that was still strong at the end of the race. It is a fantastic result. I hope this will lead to other races in the Nationwide series in the near future.”
Former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve (Camry No 32) finished fourth followed by Brad Keselowski (Chevy No 88).
“The two leaders (Ambrose and Edwards) were way too quick for us (Ranger and Villeneuve),” said Jacques Villeneuve. “So third and fourth is probably the best result possible.”
Quebec driver Jean-Francois Dumoulin finished a surprising and promising 7th.
Patrick Carpentier sliced through the field but he lost his engine on lap 49. “I was watching what line Villeneuve was taking at the hairpin and I selected the wrong gear. I over revved the engine and it let go moments later under acceleration,” said a dejected Carpentier.
Championship leader Kyle Busch (Camry No 18) ended up 10th but he still leads the championship with 192 points over Carl Edwards.
The next Nationwide race will be held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway next Saturday afternoon.
photo:Philippe Champoux - Auto123.com
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| Carl Edwards, the winner. |
Flawless because, after starting from the pole, he led the better part of the longest ever Nationwide race even after the mandatory pit stops for rain tires only to make a mistake at the very last corner of the very last lap and let pursuer Carl Edwards (Ford No 60) by to win the race.
The race was decided in the very last corner, the chicane that leads to the start/finish line. Race leader Marcos Ambrose under intense pressure from carl Edwards, hit the kerb pretty hard, making his car jump in the air.
Edwards immediately passed him and collected victory.
The other most impressive performance was that of local racer and former NASCAR Canadian Tire champion Andrew Ranger (Camry No 11) who ended up third.
“I proved I was able to run with these guys,” said Ranger after the race. “I had a pretty good car that was still strong at the end of the race. It is a fantastic result. I hope this will lead to other races in the Nationwide series in the near future.”
Former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve (Camry No 32) finished fourth followed by Brad Keselowski (Chevy No 88).
“The two leaders (Ambrose and Edwards) were way too quick for us (Ranger and Villeneuve),” said Jacques Villeneuve. “So third and fourth is probably the best result possible.”
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| Jacques Villeneuve |
Quebec driver Jean-Francois Dumoulin finished a surprising and promising 7th.
Patrick Carpentier sliced through the field but he lost his engine on lap 49. “I was watching what line Villeneuve was taking at the hairpin and I selected the wrong gear. I over revved the engine and it let go moments later under acceleration,” said a dejected Carpentier.
Championship leader Kyle Busch (Camry No 18) ended up 10th but he still leads the championship with 192 points over Carl Edwards.
The next Nationwide race will be held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway next Saturday afternoon.
photo:Philippe Champoux - Auto123.com
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