Music: {allcanada} Ranger ready to make move on home road course

The only reasonable question you can ask yourself, on the eve of the latest NASCAR event north of the border, is how -- for another year -- has this kid remained so far under the radar?

The Nationwide Series is in Montreal this weekend and, even as Carl Edwards tries to defend his 2009 race win, he'll do it against maybe the best assemblage of Nationwide road-course talent ever: Fellows, Villeneuve, Ambrose, Carpentier, Robby Gordon, Said, Papis, Canadian Tire leader J.R. Fitzpatrick -- and, oh yeah, Ranger.

But the latter may not be a footnote after this weekend.

When Andrew Ranger first appeared on most American race fans' consciousness -- a handful of years ago -- it was as a can't-miss, open-wheel up-and-comer, running at the front in Toyota Atlantic and the Champ Car World Series as a teenager. He's a former Atlantic rookie of the year and the youngest driver in CART history to score a podium finish, when he was second in his second career race, in Monterrey, Mexico.

But recent history has proven stock cars is where Ranger was meant to be -- like winning his second career start in the Canadian Tire Series, and series championships in 2007, as a rookie, and 2009.

There's no question Ranger was born to be in stock cars. His father, Robert Ranger, was a successful businessman and semi-professional weekend racer in dirt modified cars both north and south of the border.

Legend has it the Ranger hospitality area at Super Dirt Week at the Syracuse Mile in upstate New York was the place to be. Robert Ranger could only smile recently when he was asked about the biggest stage his country currently has to offer the stock-car genre, le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on the ile Notre Dame near downtown Montreal -- the site of Sunday's Nationwide race.

"All the family is going, and all Andrew's friends -- we're about 200 people, in all," Robert Ranger said. "I'm very happy Andrew's decided to be in stock cars. A lot of people who followed my career have made the connection, and now they are following Andrew."

Despite his racing success, Robert Ranger was more than satisfied with his career choices, which is not to say he's not enjoying his son's victories.

"If he's happy in a stock car, the whole family is happy," Robert said. "I never dreamed of racing in NASCAR. I was a semi-professional racer, I had my work and I was satisfied to race on the weekends. But I'm excited for Andrew, and if he's able to graduate to Nationwide or Sprint Cup, that would be fantastic."

The only question is when a NASCAR team owner is going to smarten up and see that it's Ranger's time to make a move -- or more correctly, to be given an opportunity.

All Ranger's done this season is win in NASCAR's three primary developmental levels: the K&N East and West series and his former home, the Canadian Tire Series, where he's only racing a partial schedule but has two victories -- each from the pole position, at Toronto and Trois Rivieres -- a third pole, at Mosport, and four top-10 finishes in four starts.

The ultimate irony would be if Baker Curb Racing, one of the hardest-working little teams in the Nationwide Series, were able to score Ranger's breakthrough victory this weekend. Ranger scored a third-place last season in a one-off drive for CJM Racing and he's a former winner of the Canadian Tire round at Montreal, so he's poised to do it. And Baker Curb certainly is committed.

The team normally runs all Fords -- but when it did the deal with Ranger, who has backing this weekend from the Quebec Dodge Dealers Association, it converted the chassis Brad Coleman drove to 10th place at Watkins Glen in 2008 to a Dodge Charger, maintaining the center section and replacing the front and rear clips.

There's no questioning the commitment of Baker Curb, which can get it done on road courses, as its primary road-course Ford finished fifth with the debuting Owen Kelly at Road America and seventh for Nelson Piquet Jr. at Watkins Glen.

"When you combine the success we've had on the road courses this season with Andrew's success at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, we expect to run in the top five all day and compete for the win," Baker Curb spokesman Andy Gee said.

That would be no surprise to Ranger's K&N East series team manager, Steve Hibbard, who's scrambling this week to find someone to drive owner Robert Torriere's No. 35 car at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia, while Ranger's busy "at home."

Torriere's deal with Ranger is pure old-school New England racin', as well, Hibbard said recently -- all on a handshake that includes the last couple of K&N East rounds as well as a few possible West races, such as the Phoenix finale with NASCAR's national tours in November.

Hibbard, who has a deep legacy in racing including Busch North crew chiefing as well as work in NASCAR's three national series, is appreciating the ride Ranger's giving his team, which currently sits sixth in the K&N East owners' standings.

"Somebody's gonna snatch him up, because he's just too good," Hibbard said, smiling as the sun set in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "Unfortunately, for selfish reasons, I hope it doesn't happen tomorrow -- but he's a nice guy so I hope it does happen for him.

"He's done a good job of not tearing up the car, but I would say he's 23 years old, but he's got a 30-year-old's maturity, which is great. He's committed to us, no question -- but if he came to me and said 'Jack Roush wants me to drive for him next week,' I'd be happy for him."

It has to be inevitable -- and as kids like Trevor Bayne and Austin Dillon and Parker Kligerman and Justin Allgaier have thrown bursts of sunshine onto their respective series, so it'll be when Ranger finally, completely "hits the bigs."

Again, you only wonder when the motorsports world will awaken to just how good this guy is and -- what no one knows -- how good he could be?

Hours after his long-range West series victory at Sonoma, Ranger was still near his team's transporter, which already was packed for its cross-country trip to Vermont, when a reporter came by for a follow-up interview.

Ranger literally spoke for 45 seconds when the meeting was interrupted by a nearby van blowing its horn. It was Torriere, with a van full of crewmen, and he was ready to go.

"The guys are leaving -- I gotta go," Ranger said, grinning. "You got my number -- call me any time."

The shock, whether or not he wins this weekend on ile Notre Dame, is that this kid's phone hasn't been ringing off the hook.