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Defending Champion Wins 3rd Pole Of Season
TROIS-RIVIERES, Quebec, Canada – Andrew Ranger claimed the pole position for Sunday’s GP3R 100 in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 qualifying at Circuit de Trois-Rivieres in record fashion for his first series start since July 17 in Toronto.
Ranger, 23, navigated the 1.53-mile street course in 68.291 seconds, which translates to an average speed of 80.655 mph, and bested the record of 68.374 seconds set by Alex Tagliani a year ago. It was Ranger’s third pole of the 2010 season and the eighth of his Canadian Tire Series career. The Roxton Pond, Que., driver is a two-time race winner in Trois-Rivieres, but this is his first start on the pole. Additionally, he has three road-course wins this season with NASCAR K&N Pro Series triumphs at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., and a Canadian Tire Series victory in Toronto. All told, he has seven series wins on road courses to go along with three wins on ovals.
Starting alongside Ranger on the front row is JR Fitzpatrick who posted a qualifying time of 68.533 seconds (80.370 mph). With two wins – Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ont., and Edmonton (Alberta) City Centre Airport – already in the book this season and a victory at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2009, Fitzpatrick, 22, has won three of the series’ last four road-course events. The Cambridge, Ont., driver is a two-time pole winner in Trois-Rivieres.
The second row consists of Mt. Albert, Ontario’s Kerry Micks, who registered a time of 68.681 seconds (80.197 mph) and Anthony Simone, out of Holland Landing, Ont., with a 68.719-second lap (80.153 mph).
Jason Hathaway, Don Thomson Jr., DJ Kennington, Scott Steckly, Ron Beauchamp Jr. and Trois-Rivieres’ Louis-Philippe Dumoulin are the rest of the top-10 qualifiers.
Kennington, the current points leader, made contact with an outside retaining wall during his qualifying session, but the damage appears to be relatively minimal. Fitzpatrick also spun at the end of his run, but did not hit anything.
The GP3R 100 is slated to take the green flag Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
© RIF | NCATS – Shon Sbarra
