Full Throttle

What is NASCAR trying to hide? It may change prior to you reading this, but at present there is not one single word about NASCAR moving into Canada with its Busch Series in 2007.

Why does it take the Toronto Sun paper (Monday edition) to print a story that was allegedly released Sunday at MIS?

BROOKLYN, Mich. - Nascar’s premier team owner yesterday applauded the stock car racing group’s decision to hold a race in Canada in 2007.

Jack Roush, whose Roush Racing Fords have won two of the past three NASCAR Nextel Cup championships and who also fields teams in the Busch Series that will be at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal next season, said it was a decision that has been long overdue.

“I have been a proponent of holding a NASCAR event in Canada for years,” Roush told The Toronto Sun yesterday.

Roush said that although he never has been to an event at the Montreal track, he knows the whole country will get behind a race there.

“I have been to Mosport a lot where I raced sports cars,” Roush said. “And I know how passionate Canadians are about racing, no matter what kind.”

Inquiring minds what to know. (including brainless bloggers such as myself)

Its been obvious for a while that NASCAR was headed north it was only a matter of all the particulars being worked out. And there were/are a million of those to work on. There was some talk about the possibilty the Jeff Burton would be asked to test at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this past weekend.

That didn’t happen but obviously somethin’ is brewing even if NASCAR at this point is keeping it on the QT.

This may also indicate Kevin Kalkhoven’s CCWS will be the odd series out in the three way tussle between F1, NASCAR and the CCWS over the second Circuit Gilles Villeneuve race date.

Tell me that doesn’t take the shine off Kalkhoven’s, and auto racing’s, Cinderella story this weekend. (Sorry David Gilliland, A.J. stole your thunder) He sees Series driver A.J Allmendinger get fired from one team, get engaged to be married, hired by another team, then winning his first CCWS race (Grand Prix of Portland) in just over nine days. Then the CCWS loses a prime date to NASCAR in Canada.

Nice Father’s Day present for Kalkhoven. Not!

And that’s not the end of bad news. Remember all the jubilation over the Busch Series returning to Martinsville after a 12 year absence? Enjoy while you can. Current speculation has Montreal getting the Busch race on the third Saturday in July a date currently held by Martinsville. Whether that means no Busch date for Martinsville or one added to the sched remains to be seen.

UPDATE: This story seems to be getting a bit clearer… like mud clearer. The above quotes from the Toronto Sun are from a Monday article. However the Sun also posted this piece on Sunday that states “NASCAR’s managing director of events and operations told the Sun yesterday that he expects to make it official (the Busch event) within 60 days.”

The paper seems to indicate Sunday’s piece was some sort of “exclusive” given to them by NASCAR’s Steve O’Donnell during an interview. Which raises the question of how Jack in the Hat became involved.

The logical conclusion is the paper tipped the story to Jack looking for quotes, and got them. In the end I suppose it matters little, NASCAR is headed to the land of excellent bacon (emmmmm CANADIAN BACON!) and Labatt’s Blue (not too much head please!). That ain’t all bad!

UPDATE II: Foxsports has finally caught on to the story. And still 18 hours after I noted the Sun report and 11 hours after the FoxSports report, nothing from NASCAR’s site. What the hell is going on over there?

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, NASCAR, Busch Series, CCWS, F1, Canada, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle