Music: {allcanada} News & Notes: Steckly As Ready As Ever

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The championship season of 2011 is a thing of the past. Now, it's time for Scott Steckly to start over again with higher expectations and a bigger target painted on his rear deck lid as the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season is finally set to begin.

The new season kicks off at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, formerly Mosport International Raceway, with the Vortex Brake Pads 200 on Sunday, May 20.

Steckly, who's No. 22 Dodge also bears the Canadian Tire logo, feels he is as ready as ever.

"The offseason is definitely long, but, I think, this year we're in pretty good shape," said the two-time series champion from Milverton, Ont. "In years past it always seemed no matter how much time we had, we were behind from where we wanted or needed to be. I feel we're ready to go this year. We've already tested four times on road courses."

Road-course performance is a point of emphasis for the Steckly camp in 2012. It's not as if they were shabby a year ago, though. In five road-racing outings, he compiled an average finish of 3.8 including runner-up performances at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Que., and Toronto Exhibition Place.

Like in 2011, five of the 12-scheduled races are on road courses with the only difference being an event at the reconfigured Edmonton (Alberta) City Centre Airport takes the place of Toronto on the slate. Not having a handle on the road-course program definitely can undermine title dreams.

"We've finished second a number of times over the past several years and I would like to win one," Steckly explained. "But more importantly, we just need to be ready for that part of the schedule. Most of those races are a little shorter and the margin for error is not terribly high."

As a two-time series champion, Steckly understands the pressures that come with that, but his reputation on the track does help mitigate some of the overly aggressive challenges that come from fellow competitors.

"I'd definitely say that winning the second (championship) was harder than the first," he said. "With the first one we didn't know if we could even do it, but the second had pressure from within our team, as well as from the other teams."

Being fair and generally polite on the track helps Steckly diffuse any retaliation and the feuds that often shift the focus from what it should be for some drivers and teams. Steckly's slate is virtually clean.

"I've been around many of these guys since I was a kid and I can't remember anyone saying, 'I'm going to get that Steckly,' " J.R. Fitzpatrick once said. "He races everybody clean, so you try and do the same in return."

Since his first title in 2007 Steckly predominately has been a top-five competitor each time out and the 22 Racing Team has not shown any willingness to take their foot off the gas pedal. Could this season be one that Steckly becomes the first three-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion and become its first repeat title winner?

Race	Vortex Brake Pads 200
Place	Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, Ont.
Date	Sunday, May 20
Time	1:30 p.m. ET
TV Schedule	TSN, Sun., May 27, 4:30 p.m. ET, RDS, Wed., June 13, 10 p.m. ET
Track Layout	2.459-mile road course
2011 Winner	D.J. Kennington
2011 Polesitter	None (weather)
Event Schedule	Sat., May 19: Practice 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.; Final Practice 12:45 – 1:15 p.m.; Qualifying 4 p.m.; Sun., May 20: Driver Autograph Session 11:15 a.m.; Opening Ceremonies 1 p.m.
Track Contact	Ryan Chalmers, (905) 983-9141, ryan@mosport.com
Twitter	@CTMPOfficial
NASCAR IMC Contact	Shon Sbarra, (704) 309-5493 or ssbarra@nascar.com, Twitter: @ShonSbarra

EVENT SCHEDULE | ENTRY LIST

FAST FACTS
The Race: This is the opening event of the 2012 season for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the first of five road-course events on the schedule. This is the series' sixth time to the track.

The Procedure: The starting field is 32 cars, including provisionals. The first 27 cars will qualify through NASCAR road-race style (group) qualifying. The groups will be determined by practice times. The remaining five spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 51 laps covering 200 kilometers (125.4 miles).

The Track: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, formerly known as Mosport International Raceway, is Canada's largest motorsports complex. The 750-acre, multi-track facility is located within the Greater Toronto Area, north of Bowmanville, Ont. CTMP features the 2.459-mile road course; a half-mile, paved oval (The Speedway at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park); a 2.4-kilometer advanced driver and race driver training facility and a 1.4-kilometer kart track. The facility opened in 1961 and has hosted stock car, Formula 1 and IndyCar events over the years. The road-course track was resurfaced in 2000 and widened to 40 feet. Canadian Tire acquired the naming rights to the facility earlier this year.

The Records: The single-lap qualifying record is held by Andrew Ranger and was set on June 13, 2010 at 105.334 mph (84.401 seconds). Ranger also holds the race record. On June 17, 2007, he completed the event in 1 hour, 26 minutes, 39 seconds for an average speed of 86.838 mph.

The History: In the previous five NASCAR Canadian Tire Series events on the road course at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, both J.R. Fitzpatrick (2008, 2010) and Andrew Ranger (2007, 2009) have picked up a pair of wins each. Last season, D.J. Kennington claimed his first series road-course victory as he prevailed over Fitzpatrick in a dramatic late-race battle. Ranger leads with three starts from the pole position.

RACE NOTES
For Openers: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is the fifth different track to host the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season opener in six seasons. Only the former Cayuga Motor Speedway in 2007 and 2008 has played home to two season icebreakers. Last season opened on the same grounds as this year's, but it was down the hill at The Speedway at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Road Tough: Despite having several viable contenders along the way, Andrew Ranger has been fairly dominating on the series' road courses. Since 2007, the driver out of Roxton Pond, Que., has participated in 20 road-course events while winning a remarkable 11 times. Last season, he picked up victories at Toronto's Exhibition Place and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

High Five: Five drivers – Ron Beauchamp Jr., Jason Hathaway, D.J. Kennington, Kerry Micks and Scott Steckly – on the preliminary entry list for the Vortex Brake Pads 200 have participated in all 63 races in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series history. The five have combined for 26 race victories with Kennington and Steckly having 11 each.

New Math: Over the offseason, NASCAR's regional touring series adopted the points program previously instituted at the national series level in 2011, the 43-to-1 system. The same bonus system also applies – one point for leading a lap, one additional point for leading the most laps and three points for a win. Therefore, the maximum point total that can be collected at each event is 48 compared to 190 in the more complex old system.

Full Weekend: This is the first time for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series to be a part of the annual Victoria Day SpeedFest presented by Castrol Edge at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Also competing over the weekend is the Canadian Touring Car Championship, F-1000 Series, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin and Trans-Am Series. Tickets for the action-packed weekend are still available at www.canadiantiremotorsportpark.com.

A 2012 Preview
The 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season gets underway this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park with the Vortex Brake Pads 200 as part of the Victoria Day SpeedFest Weekend presented by Castrol Edge.

The series has been known for its tight competition in its brief history and this year is going to be no exception. In five seasons three different drivers – D.J. Kennington (2010), Andrew Ranger (2007, 2009) and Scott Steckly (2008, 2011) – have claimed the championship and all three are looking to add another to their racing résumé.

After winning the title in 2009 Andrew Ranger, out of Roxton Pond, Que., was just a part-time competitor in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series while also gaining starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. He also made a few NASCAR Nationwide Series outings and, last August at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, became the first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series regular to gain a start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

In February GC Motorsports International, formerly Go Canada Racing, announced an alliance with Dave Jacombs Racing resulting in GC Motorsports Canada. As part of this venture, Ranger will anchor a two-car team for a full round of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.

Ranger is the all-time series leader in wins with 14 and is tied for the all-time lead in pole positions at 11 with Don Thomson Jr. Of those 14 victories, 11 have come on road courses and the 2012 slate of races has five road-course events. With his prowess in road racing Ranger is an automatic contender for the series crown.

Defending champion Scott Steckly, meanwhile, has proven to be a more than capable road racer over the years. Despite not having won a road-course race in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series action, there are a number of top-five finishes on his scorecard. In each of his championship seasons that has proven to be enough as he is always a threat to win on the ovals. With 11 series career wins, Steckly has more oval track wins than any other driver in series history. With three victories a season ago Steckly was able to outdistance Kennington by 79 points for his second series championship.

After finally breaking the ice in 2010, Kennington vowed a return to the top spot. Ten of his 11 series wins have come on ovals, but the veteran out of St. Thomas, Ont., notched his first road-course win a year ago at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

At the Night of Champions Touring Series Awards Gala last December in Charlotte, N.C., Kennington told Steckly to enjoy the night as much as possible because when the clock strikes midnight, the series crown is back up for grabs.

Last season's third-place finisher in the point standings J.R. Fitzpatrick has yet to win a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series crown, and desperately wants to. Just a part-time competitor in 2009, Fitzpatrick returned to a full schedule and finished as the runner-up to Kennington in 2010 to go along with his showing last year.

New for Fitzpatrick this season is the man atop the pit box calling the shots. Five-time CASCAR Super Series champion and perennial top-five NASCAR Canadian Tire Series competitor Don Thomson Jr. will be calling the shots for No. 84 Chevrolet. Many viewed the move as a retirement, but Thomson stated in an offseason interview that it was more of, "a break."

While history has shown that these four drivers have the ability to claim to the coveted championship ring from NASCAR, it is not beyond the realm that another driver could surprise everyone and take home the prize.

Jason Hathaway has been to Victory Lane in the series, and spent last season alongside Thomson as a teammate, always competes strongly on both ovals and road courses. The 2011 season was entirely forgettable for Hathaway as he battled a wrist injury suffered at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park last June.

Ron Beauchamp Jr. is still searching for his first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victory, but is always in the thick of things in the point standings come season's end. It may just take getting that first win out of the way to open the door for a string of strong performances.

Competing on a full-time basis in 2012 for the first time in the NASCAR era is Jeff Lapcevich, who could be another sleeper. Like Hathaway, Lapcevich performs equally well on ovals and road courses. Over the last couple of seasons, he has been nearly a top-five driver in the events in which he has participated.

NEXT TIME OUT: Lucas Oil Grand Prix presented by Budweiser
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series makes the first of its three trips in 2012 to Quebec and its second to compete on the 2.113-mile road course at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, Que., on June 2-3. It's the second of five road-course races in 2012. In last year's inaugural event, Robin Buck claimed his first series win followed by Scott Steckly and Don Thomson Jr. in a race that saw late-race contact between race leaders and fellow Quebecers Alex Tagliani and Andrew Ranger which knocked both out of contention for the victory.