Friday
Ron Fellows and Canadian Tire Return to NASCAR Nationwide Series Competition with JR Motorsports
Press Release“Road-Course Veteran to Drive No. 5 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen and Montreal”
Fellows finished second at Road America on June 25th for JR Motorsports. The No. 5 Canadian Tire team will give JRM three entries in both of the remaining road-course events. Aric Almirola will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet in both races. Jimmie Johnson will drive the No. 7 at Watkins Glen in a one-race deal announced Tuesday, and Danica Patrick will take over the No. 7 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Canadian Tire is the largest automotive retailer in Canada with more than 480 stores. The retailer first graced the panels of Fellows’ JR Motorsports Chevrolet at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2010.
“Canadian Tire has a long history of supporting racing and motor sports in Canada,” said Allan MacDonald, senior vice-president, automotive. “We are proud to support Canadian racing legend, Ron Fellows, both at home and across the border this summer. We wish Ron the best of luck at Watkins Glen International and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.”
Fellows, a native of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, has remarkably scored top-five finishes in four of his seven career races with JRM. In 2008 he earned the team its first road-course victory at Montreal, leading seven laps en route to an emotional win. In 19 career Nationwide Series road-course races, he has four wins, nine top-fives, 11 top-10s and two poles.
“It has been great fun driving for JRM on the road courses,” Fellows said. “I have really enjoyed working with the Eurys as well. We’re all looking forward to picking up where we left off at Road America. Having Canadian Tire on board for both Watkins Glen and Montreal is a bonus, particularly with the number of Canadian fans who make the trip to Watkins Glen.”
Just as he did at Road America, Tony Eury Jr. will serve as Fellows’ crew chief at Watkins Glen. The duo nearly won the first road-course race of the year, but a NASCAR ruling after the checkered flag correctly relegated the pair to second place.
A longtime sports car and road-racing veteran, Fellows is credited with three class championships in the American Le Mans Series, two class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and 19 overall victories in the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans-Am Series as a member of the Corvette Racing Team. His NASCAR credentials include six overall wins (two in the Camping World Truck Series), and two runner-up finishes in Sprint Cup competition.
About JR Motorsports
JR Motorsports is the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s eight-time Most Popular Driver and winner of more than 40 NASCAR-sanctioned races. JR Motorsports competes in multiple racing divisions, including the NASCAR Nationwide Series; however the Dale Jr. business model extends well beyond the race track and includes multiple business ventures. Among those entities is the full-service production company Hammerhead Entertainment (www.hammerheadent.com), JR Nation Retail Store (www.ShopJrNation.com), The Dale Jr. Foundation (www.thedalejrfoundation.org), and Whisky River (www.whiskyrivercharlotte.com), the bar and nightclub located in the uptown Charlotte Epicentre.
- JR Motorsports Press Release
Article Tags: Allan MacDonald, ALMS, American Le Mans Series, Aric Almirola, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Corvette Racing Team, Danica Patrick, Jimmie Johnson, JR Motorsports, JRM, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NNS, No. 5 Canadian Tire Chevrolet Impala, Road America (Wisc.), Tony Eury Jr, Watkins Glen International, WGI
