Steckly seeks fourth series title
Pinty’s 250 at Kawartha Speedway on Saturday wraps up NASCAP Canadian Tire Series
Never in the nine years the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series finale has been at Kawartha Speedway has the race to crown a champion been as close as this year.
Three drivers are within nine points of each other for the series championship and a fourth has a chance of winning when the green flag drops for Saturday’s Pinty’s 250 at the Fraserville track.
Scott Steckly, looking for a series record fourth title, enters with a nine-point lead on twotime winner Andrew Ranger and Jason Hathaway who is looking for his first championship. L.P. Dumoulin, the 2014 champion, sits 23 points out of first. A field of 24 cars is expected to line up for the main event at 5 p.m. to conclude a day of racing which starts at noon.
For Steckly, of Milverton, Ont., it represents a chance to further his legacy. He already has a record three championships and a fourth would double the second closest drivers on that list, Ranger and D.J. Kennington.
A fourth would place him in elite company in NASCAR’s regional touring divisions. He would become just the eighth driver – and second active competitor – to attain that many titles among the eight NASCAR divisions. Steckly can guarantee a fourth title with a top-five finish.
“Anything can happen in racing,” Steckly said. “We’re going there to win the race and hopefully get another Canadian Tire championship. I don’t think there is going to be any laying back. With Jason, Andrew, L.P., D.J. (Kennington) there are so many good cars we have to run up front and lead laps. We’re definitely going for the win.”
While Steckly trailed Kennington by five points heading into 2013’s finale, this is the first time four drivers have a shot to win.
This represents Hathaway’s best championship opportunity. The points leader following four mid-season events, the St. Thomas, Ont., native’s best previous finish was third in 2013.
“I’m looking forward to this weekend,” Hathaway said. “Everyone has worked really hard to get down to this last race to decide a championship. I know our team, like everybody else, is putting in a lot of extra effort and really looking forward to getting on the track and putting on a show for the fans.”
Ranger is trying to tie Steckly for the most titles in NCATS history. The Roxton Pond, Que., racer won the series’ inaugural season crown in 2007 and added a second in 2009.
“It’s going to be a stressful race,” said Ranger. “It’s going to be a fun race. It’s a fun track and hopefully we do a great show for the fans and we can win a third championship. I’m going to put all my energy into it.”
Dumoulin enters as the long shot contender. Still alive mathematically, he faces tall odds. A championship performance would be historic for the TroisRivieres, Que., native as no driver in series history has won back-toback crowns.
“We’ve been around racing a long time and we’ve seen a lot of magical stuff out there so you never know,” Dumoulin said. “There are going to be a lot of drivers out there so I’m looking forward to the race. The championship, well, you never know. It could come but I just want to have fun and play hard to win.”