Busch North To
SpeedReading
By DAVE
MOODY
Two decades ago, NASCAR’s
northern series was more than 50-percent Canadian. Run by modern-day ACT
President Tom Curley, the NASCAR North Tour sanctioned a series of Canadian
events from Nova Scotia to western Ontario, and attracted a strong contingent of
Canadian drivers, as well.
Today, NASCAR is looking north
of the border once again, prompting talk that its current Busch North Series
might one day return to the great white north.
Quebec’s Autodrome Ste.
Eustache and Ontario’s Delaware Speedway both signed-on as members of the
NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series in 2004, giving NASCAR its first-ever foreign
members. Now, the Daytona Beach sanctioning body has its eye on Canada’s
largest racing series, in an effort to further expand its boundaries. Tony
Novotny, founder of the Ontario-based CASCAR Super Series, confirmed this week
that he has been involved in a series of negotiations to sell his series to
NASCAR. Initial talks took place as much as five years ago, with more serious
negotiations beginning in February of this year. No sale is said to be imminent
at this time, but if it eventually goes through, sources say NASCAR may attempt
to combine CASCAR with the Busch North and NASCAR West Series to create a new
Northern Tour.
The logistics of implementing
such a plan are almost too colossal to imagine.
NASCAR’s new “Northern
Tour” would reach – quite literally – from coast to coast, with events
from Maine to California. Last year, NASCAR’s Busch North teams made a single
trip to the left coast for the inaugural “Toyota All-Star Showdown” at
California’s Irwindale Speedway. When it was over, virtually everyone involved
said the trip was too long and too expensive to happen on anything more than a
once-a-year basis. Hauling coast-to-coast is difficult enough for multi-million
dollar Nextel Cup teams. It's downright unthinkable for regional Touring Series
teams, which operate on a very small fraction of a Nextel Cup budget.
In addition, CASCAR race cars
have very little in common with a Busch North or NASCAR West machine. In fact,
comparing the three is like comparing apples to oranges. NASCAR racers utilize
full tubular steel chassis, while CASCAR entries are based on stock, Camaro-type
front ends. There are also major differences in engine and body rules. There is
virtually no way for CASCAR racers like former ACT stars Dave Whitlock and Peter
Gibbons to make their CASCAR machinery NASCAR legal, other than to save the
seat, steering wheel and fuel cell, then throw the rest away.
In short, if NASCAR is indeed
thinking of merging the three divisions, they would be wise to think again.
More likely, the
powers-that-be in Daytona Beach are looking at CASCAR not for its cars, but for
it races. Each year, the Ontario-based series runs a pair of road course races
as part of the Toronto and Montreal “Molson Indy” Champ Car weekends. More
than 200,000 fans attend each Molson Indy weekend, numbers that would extremely
good on a NASCAR marketing analysis. In addition, NASCAR is already negotiating
to take its Busch and/or Craftsman Truck Series to Monterrey, Mexico, within the
next year or so, to compete on another road course currently hosting the open
wheeled Champ Cars.
It makes no sense to build
racecars (or trucks) for a single road race, so NASCAR has seized on a potential
opportunity to expand its borders to both the north and south; to Canada and
Mexico.
Will NASCAR take its Touring
Series back to Canada one day? Quite possibly. Will that series be Busch North?
Don’t bet on it.
rrr
Joey Laquerre had a pretty
good week last week, recording a runner-up finish in Thunder Road’s Thursday
Night series opener, before claiming back-to-back third-place showings in ACT
New England Dodge Tour action at White Mountain Motorsports Park, and in the
track’s companion weekly Late Model feature.
Laquerre’s “White Mountain
double” was doubly impressive, in that he ran both races in the same car. The
East Montpelier veteran arrived at WMMP with two cars; one designated for the
ACT race, and another for the companion, 75-lap local feature. When ignition
problems sidelined his designated White Mountain ride, Laquerre elected to
gamble, running both races in the same car.
Had he gotten torn-up in the
White Mountain feature, Laquerre would have been unable to start the
more-important ACT Dodge Tour event. But the former Thunder Road champion, who
has been known to travel as far as northern Quebec in search of an extra race to
run, wasted little time making the decision.
“I started out (the White
Mountain feature) running pretty conservative,” said Laquerre afterward. “I
started last, dodged a couple of early wrecks, and was just running on the
bottom staying out of trouble. But after 30 or 40 laps, everyone was running
single-file, and the outside lane was wide open. I said, `What the heck?” and
started passing cars.”
Laquerre completed his
late-race surge with a final-lap pass of Kendell Legendre for third place, then
passed-up Victory Lane ceremonies in favor of a quick trip through tech
inspection, a frantic four-tire change to ACT-legal rubber, and a return to the
track for driver introductions. In the Dodge Tour main event, he ran among the
top five from start to finish, collecting his second third-place trophy of the
night and putting a major smile on his face.
“I was a little worried
about changing tires between races,” he admitted. “The car was handling good
in the first race, but you never know what it’s going to do on a different
kind of rubber. I guess it was a little bit of a gamble, but it paid off in the
end.”
By the way, Laquerre’s
successful week got even better Monday, when Thunder Road officials announced
that he had been declared the winner of Thursday’s T-Road event, after
apparent winner Cris Michaud failed a post-race technical inspection.
Michaud’s carburetor was taken for further examination Thursday night, and was
ruled illegal Monday, dropping the former Thunder Road track champion to last
place in the finishing order. Mike Olsen and Chad Wheeler inherit the second and
third positions.
rrr
…Until recently, it had been a long time since anyone from the
northeast had gotten serious consideration for a ride at the upper levels of
NASCAR. MartinTruex, Jr., changed all that, strapping into Dale Earnhardt,
Jr’s Chance2 Motorsports Chevrolets this season and taking the NASCAR Busch
Series by storm, winning four times in 14 starts, and running second in the
championship points battle, just 13 behind leader Kyle Busch.
Now, our sources in the NASCAR
garage say another northeast youngster may be getting a look from the Earnhardts.
Second-generation Busch North Series driver Ryan Moore is rumored to be
in the running for a spot in the DEI/Chance2 driver development pipeline, with a
chance to go Busch Series racing as soon as next year. Moore, son of former
Busch North Series champion Kelly Moore, has climbed the racing ladder the right
way; beginning his career in the Late Model Stock division at Maine’s Oxford
Plains Speedway, then winning Rookie of the Year honors on the ACT Dodge Tour
before moving to Busch North.
With Truex now one of the hottest properties in NASCAR, it’s only a
matter of time before he gets the call to join his boss, Dale Junior, in the
Nextel Cup ranks. While Earnhardt said recently that he would like to see the
Mayetta, N.J. driver spend another season honing his craft on the Busch Series,
Michael Waltrip’s sub-par season could create a Cup vacancy at DEI at the end
of this year. Anticipating that, our sources say that Chance2 has signed Moore
for seven Busch Series races in 2005, and a full-time effort in 2006.
…ACT officials pulled the engines of winner
Jean-Paul Cyr and runnerup Patrick Laperle following Saturday night’s White
Mountain race. Tuesday, both powerplants received a clean bill of health. ACT
delivers its spec engines to competitors sealed, but periodic teardowns are
conducted to ensure that the motors have not been tampered with in any way. Cyr,
the defending ACT champion, now leads Laperle by 36 points -- 578-542 -- after
five of 14 events.
…This weekend’s racing schedule begins (as always) at Thunder Road,
where it’s “Casella Waste Management Night.” Gates open early at 4 p.m.
for kids’ racecar rides from 4:00 -5:00, with the green flagwaving at 6:00.
The Canaan Fair (NH) Speedway
dirt track returns to action tomorrow night, with a full card of weekly division
racing, plus 358 Modified Twin State Series event sponsored by NAPA of Lebanon.
Racing starts at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday night, Plattsburgh’s Airborne Raceway
kicks off its 50th anniversary season with “Tuner’s Speed and Sound
Night,” with an early post time of 5:30 p.m. Three rained-put features from
Opening Day will run at the top of the card, along with the "Run What You
Brung" spectator drags and a full slate of Tiger-Sportsman, Renegade and
Junkyard Warrior events. The NASCAR Busch North Series Tour makes its annual
stop at the Seekonk (MA) Speedway Saturday night, with the action set to begin
at 7 p.m. Also Saturday, Bradford’s Bear Ridge Speedway hosts “Bradford
Pratt’s Petroleum Night,” featuring the 358 Modifieds, Sportsman Coupes, Pro
Streets, Fast Fours and a V-8 Enduro, starting at 6:30. On the Canaan Fair
Speedway asphalt, all the weekly divisions are ready to roll Saturday night,
along with the New England Antique Racers on “Rowell Power Equipment Night”
beginning at 6 p.m.