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JR Motorsports Trio Heads North
By: Steve Blevins on August 17, 2011 | 3:41 P.M. EST
Danica Patrick makes her first NNS road course attempt in Montreal this weekend. (Photo; Getty Images)
PrintEmail ShareWhen it comes to road and street course racing, most people would think it’s nothing new for Danica Patrick. But when she takes the wheel of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet this weekend in Montreal, it will mark another first.
Patrick has spent six seasons in the IZOD IndyCar Series, but that tour never raced at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. She has also never competed on a road course in a stock car.
“This will be a new experience for me, running a road course (in a stock car) this weekend,” Patrick said. “It’s going to be an interesting weekend. Fortunately, I was able to test with the Go Daddy team at Road Atlanta in preparation for the Montreal race. I’m grateful for that. Ron (Fellows) was there, and he offered a lot of insight for me."
Patrick will pilot the same car in Saturday’s race that Fellows drove to a runner-up finish at Road America in June. Jimmie Johnson took another second place finish in the No. 7 last weekend at Watkins Glen. Although Patrick is continuing to ride the NNS learning curve, she’s hoping to continue JR Motorsports’ string of road course successes.
“The (No.) 7 team has had some strong runs at the previous road races this year,” Patrick says. “We’d like nothing more than to continue that this weekend. But realistically, I think if we keep our nose clean and keep all four wheels on the racetrack, we can come out of this one with a decent finish.”
Fellows not only coached Patrick at the Road Atlanta test, but will serve as her teammate this weekend. Fellows will drive the No. 5 Canadian Tire Chevrolet that finished seventh at Watkins Glen. After becoming the first Canadian to win a major NASCAR event on Canadian soil in 2008, Fellows has good reason to look forward to Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200.
“Heading back to Montreal is going to be a lot of fun,” the Ontario native says. “It’s a challenging course, and it’s always an exciting event for fans and competitors alike, just an all-around great venue. With 50 cars on the entry list, it should make things even more interesting this weekend.
“JR Motorsports has done an amazing job preparing these road-course cars. It showed when we unloaded so well at Road America and Watkins Glen. (Crew chief) Tony (Eury) Jr. and the guys should be proud of what they’ve been able to do. We’ve only had to make minor adjustments off the truck. Their cars have been solid.”
Although many eyes will be on Patrick and Fellows, the third member of the JRM Montreal contingent shouldn’t be forgotten. Lately, Aric Almirola has been “Mr. Consistency,” piloting his No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet to six top-10 finishes in the last seven races. His top 10 at Watkins Glen last weekend was a career-best on a road course.
Almirola goes to Montreal standing fourth in the Nationwide Series point standings, and says his recent string of consistent performances is helping make up some lost ground.
“Our GT Vodka team keeps getting better every weekend,” Almirola says. “Everybody at JRM is working really hard and getting our stuff better. We didn’t come out of the gate the way we needed to back in February. But lately we’ve been on a roll here with top-fives and top-10s, and we gained some points in the championship hunt. We’ve run well, and we want to get to victory lane. If we continue to do what we are doing, the points will take care of themselves.”
Motor Racing Network will have live coverage of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal beginning at 2:15 p.m. (ET) on its nationwide network of affiliate radio stations.
By: Steve Blevins on August 17, 2011 | 3:41 P.M. EST
Danica Patrick makes her first NNS road course attempt in Montreal this weekend. (Photo; Getty Images)
PrintEmail ShareWhen it comes to road and street course racing, most people would think it’s nothing new for Danica Patrick. But when she takes the wheel of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet this weekend in Montreal, it will mark another first.
Patrick has spent six seasons in the IZOD IndyCar Series, but that tour never raced at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. She has also never competed on a road course in a stock car.
“This will be a new experience for me, running a road course (in a stock car) this weekend,” Patrick said. “It’s going to be an interesting weekend. Fortunately, I was able to test with the Go Daddy team at Road Atlanta in preparation for the Montreal race. I’m grateful for that. Ron (Fellows) was there, and he offered a lot of insight for me."
Patrick will pilot the same car in Saturday’s race that Fellows drove to a runner-up finish at Road America in June. Jimmie Johnson took another second place finish in the No. 7 last weekend at Watkins Glen. Although Patrick is continuing to ride the NNS learning curve, she’s hoping to continue JR Motorsports’ string of road course successes.
“The (No.) 7 team has had some strong runs at the previous road races this year,” Patrick says. “We’d like nothing more than to continue that this weekend. But realistically, I think if we keep our nose clean and keep all four wheels on the racetrack, we can come out of this one with a decent finish.”
Fellows not only coached Patrick at the Road Atlanta test, but will serve as her teammate this weekend. Fellows will drive the No. 5 Canadian Tire Chevrolet that finished seventh at Watkins Glen. After becoming the first Canadian to win a major NASCAR event on Canadian soil in 2008, Fellows has good reason to look forward to Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200.
“Heading back to Montreal is going to be a lot of fun,” the Ontario native says. “It’s a challenging course, and it’s always an exciting event for fans and competitors alike, just an all-around great venue. With 50 cars on the entry list, it should make things even more interesting this weekend.
“JR Motorsports has done an amazing job preparing these road-course cars. It showed when we unloaded so well at Road America and Watkins Glen. (Crew chief) Tony (Eury) Jr. and the guys should be proud of what they’ve been able to do. We’ve only had to make minor adjustments off the truck. Their cars have been solid.”
Although many eyes will be on Patrick and Fellows, the third member of the JRM Montreal contingent shouldn’t be forgotten. Lately, Aric Almirola has been “Mr. Consistency,” piloting his No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet to six top-10 finishes in the last seven races. His top 10 at Watkins Glen last weekend was a career-best on a road course.
Almirola goes to Montreal standing fourth in the Nationwide Series point standings, and says his recent string of consistent performances is helping make up some lost ground.
“Our GT Vodka team keeps getting better every weekend,” Almirola says. “Everybody at JRM is working really hard and getting our stuff better. We didn’t come out of the gate the way we needed to back in February. But lately we’ve been on a roll here with top-fives and top-10s, and we gained some points in the championship hunt. We’ve run well, and we want to get to victory lane. If we continue to do what we are doing, the points will take care of themselves.”
Motor Racing Network will have live coverage of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal beginning at 2:15 p.m. (ET) on its nationwide network of affiliate radio stations.
