Whether you like stock car races or not, you have to admit that François Dumontier and the Octane Group did a tremendous job turning the Nationwide series race at Montreal's Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve into a highly-popular event.
Nationwide is NASCAR's version of a minor league system and managing to create such a huge success with second-tier cars is truly amazing. You had to see the thousands of die-hard spectators still sitting in the bleachers despite heavy rain to understand how Quebecers are crazy about the sport.
You won't find as much excitement for a Nationwide race anywhere else in North America. Same thing for the Grand-Am Rolex race that leads up to the main event and takes place in front of thousands.
With that in mind, it's hard to figure out why governments refuse to support race organizers with a ''tiny'' million dollars, supposedly because Octane did not provide ''satisfying evidence'' of a profitable investment.
Oddly enough, these same governments did not hesitate to spend $15 million annually to bring back the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula 1.
We can only assume that our politicians don't view the NASCAR race in Montreal as a world-class event generating major economic repercussions. What a shame...
Losing NASCAR would be a big blow to local drivers who take part in the race, including Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier and Andrew Ranger, not to mention all of the amateurs who fight in the undercard. Basically, their respective careers would end.
Also, what worries me is the slow but steady emergence of an anti-car movement in Quebec – call it autophobia if you will – much like in France. The country no longer has a Grand Prix, a race team or even drivers.
The eventual loss of the NASCAR race would definitely be celebrated by these ayatollahs. We've seen them protesting during the Grand Prix in June and we can only expect their voice to become louder in future years and, even worse, find a receptive ear in cash-strapped governments. Subsidies to sports and culture would then melt like snow under July's sun.
So who wants to kill the NASCAR race in Montreal? Most certainly people who never enjoyed the thrills of watching their country's star athletes take on the best in the world, be it at a race track, the Olympics or any other international competition. Again, what a shame…
Nationwide is NASCAR's version of a minor league system and managing to create such a huge success with second-tier cars is truly amazing. You had to see the thousands of die-hard spectators still sitting in the bleachers despite heavy rain to understand how Quebecers are crazy about the sport.
You won't find as much excitement for a Nationwide race anywhere else in North America. Same thing for the Grand-Am Rolex race that leads up to the main event and takes place in front of thousands.
With that in mind, it's hard to figure out why governments refuse to support race organizers with a ''tiny'' million dollars, supposedly because Octane did not provide ''satisfying evidence'' of a profitable investment.
Oddly enough, these same governments did not hesitate to spend $15 million annually to bring back the Canadian Grand Prix of Formula 1.
We can only assume that our politicians don't view the NASCAR race in Montreal as a world-class event generating major economic repercussions. What a shame...
Losing NASCAR would be a big blow to local drivers who take part in the race, including Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier and Andrew Ranger, not to mention all of the amateurs who fight in the undercard. Basically, their respective careers would end.
Also, what worries me is the slow but steady emergence of an anti-car movement in Quebec – call it autophobia if you will – much like in France. The country no longer has a Grand Prix, a race team or even drivers.
The eventual loss of the NASCAR race would definitely be celebrated by these ayatollahs. We've seen them protesting during the Grand Prix in June and we can only expect their voice to become louder in future years and, even worse, find a receptive ear in cash-strapped governments. Subsidies to sports and culture would then melt like snow under July's sun.
So who wants to kill the NASCAR race in Montreal? Most certainly people who never enjoyed the thrills of watching their country's star athletes take on the best in the world, be it at a race track, the Olympics or any other international competition. Again, what a shame…