In this week’s Motion Motorsport Report for InsideTrackNews.com, Dave includes the NASCAR Canada Series in Wetaskiwin, AB, the APC Late Models at Flamboro Speedway, the Ontario Sportsman Series at Delaware Speedway, the IMSA Chevrolet GP at CTMP and a host of other action around Canada and the US.
When was the last time a driver started on the pole and won both NASCAR races in the same weekend? According to Dr. Google and Jayski, it’s never happened before – until now. And what a likeable guy to do it: Shane van Gisbergen, the humble, unassuming Supercars champion from New Zealand. He made it look easy, charging through the field in both races.
Hands up if you were thrilled to see Nico Hülkenberg get a podium at Silverstone! If you raised your hand, you were part of the huge crowd that roared during the closing laps. Even Max Verstappen congratulated him. I’ll admit – I didn’t see that coming!
What are the odds that two drivers from New Zealand would win major races in America on the same weekend? Van Gisbergen did it twice in NASCAR, and Scott Dixon claimed victory in IndyCar. Outstanding.
Online chatter about the 2026 NASCAR schedule appears to exclude any mention of Canadian races. Brad Keselowski continues to lobby for a Canadian oval event and praises the strong fan base here. If only there was a banked 5/8-mile oval available for purchase by ISC!
Lots of chatter about Max Verstappen’s future plans as he was seen on the island of Sardinia this week… at the same time Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was also reportedly there. Coincidence? We’ll see.
Sixty-one years ago, two neighbours in Wheatley, ON got together to build racecars. They were Burt McColl and Brian Setterington – and that was the beginning of McColl Racing Enterprises (MRE)! Their first projects were actually drag cars, but they soon switched to building stock cars. I’ve included a recent photo of their shop (right), which I first visited in 1965 – sixty years ago. Burt’s son Mike, now running MRE, tells me he saw the old shop in April, but when he returned two weeks ago, it had been torn down. MRE now operates out of a large, state-of-the-art facility in London, Ontario.
The war of words is heating up ahead of the FIA presidential election. Challenger Tim Mayer, an American, described current president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s first term as a “reign of terror.” This campaign is going to get even more interesting.
Following Cody Ware’s second-last-lap crash in Chicago and the delayed response, NASCAR Cup Managing Director Brad Moran said, “We’re going to look at it if we go back to Chicago!” The issue? A lack of cameras in that section of the track. But that “if” says a lot!
The ongoing charter dispute continues between 23XI, Front Row Motorsports, and NASCAR, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denying the teams’ latest appeal. Translation: they’re still not considered chartered teams. Stay tuned!
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DELAWARE SPEEDWAY: This Friday and Saturday (July 18 & 19), Delaware Speedway (outside of London, Ontario) plays host to the Monster Truck Throwdown & Freestyle Motocross! Monster Truck Throwdown is motorized entertainment like no other! The speed, style and destruction of Monster Truck Throwdown assaults the senses and captivates audiences of all ages with high-flying thrills and larger-than-life fire breathing machines. Click HERE for tickets and info.
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IMSA AT CTMP
At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport), AO Racing’s Hyett/Cameron car took the P2 pole for Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix. In PRO, the Snow/Verhagen BMW (Paul Miller Racing) topped the charts. Pfaff Motorsports’ Lambo qualified sixth in class. In GTD, Vasser Sullivan’s Lexus (Hawksworth/Thompson) was fastest. The Canadian AWA Vette (Fidani/Bell) started 13th in class. Field: 12 P2s, 10 PROs, 13 GTDs.
A wild morning storm gave way to perfect afternoon weather.
At the 1:10 mark, Travis Hill hit the wall in Turn 3. Halfway: the P2 pole-sitter led overall, the Heinrich Porsche led PRO, and the Ellis Mercedes led GTD. With 30 minutes left, Mario Farnbacher stuffed his Lambo into the tires. Fifteen minutes to go: Tom Dillmann put the leading P2 car into the tires for a full-course yellow.
Finish (under caution): Hyett/Cameron won overall. Costa/Altoè took PRO in a Ferrari. Pfaff finished fifth in class. Wayne Taylor Racing’s Lambo (Formal/Hindman) won GTD. AWA Vette finished 9th.
Next race: Road America – August 3.
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NASCAR Canada Series
In qualifying at Edmonton International Raceway, “Null Null” hilariously appeared in all 10 spots on the Race Center board! (Glitch alert!) Donald Theetge took the real pole, followed by Andrew Ranger and Mathieu Kingsbury.
Clean racing early until Lap 47, when L.P. Dumoulin spun for a yellow. Unspecified cautions followed on Laps 101 and 291. Lap 124 saw a spin involving Lacroix and Ranger. Lap 299: final caution after contact between Lacroix and Camirand.
Finish: Camirand held on in NASCAR overtime, winning over Theetge and Lacroix. A total of 310 laps. Neat little track!
Next race: Saskatoon – Wednesday, July 16.
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APC Late Model Series
At Flamboro, Jake Sheridan won the LRR 100 Late Model pole with a 15.164, followed by Kyle Steckly and Connor Pritiko. At halfway: Steckly led, followed by Pritiko and Sheridan.
Finish: Steckly over Sheridan and Pritiko. 100 caution-free laps in 26:17 – outstanding!
Super Stocks: Carson Nagy won the pole. Lane Zardo won the race over Justin Collison and Nic Ramsay. Nagy finished 5th.
Next race: Sauble – Saturday, August 2.
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Flamboro Speedway
Following a great show by the APC Late Models on July 12 (see above), Flamboro Speedway will be back in action this coming Saturday (July 19) with another excellent night of short track racing. Headlining the event will be the Grisdale Enterprises Pro Late Models – 50 laps, $2,000 to win (based on 12 cars).
Also in action will be the Grindstone Landscaping Canadian Vintage Modifieds, with features sponsored by Flamboro Machine Shop. And it’s Round 4 for the Southern Ontario Pro 4 Modifieds, presented by BCW Lumber of Brantford. The Klotz Auto Repair Mini Stocks and Hogan Law & McClurklin Properties of Cambridge Pure Stocks will also be part of Saturday’s show. For more info, visit the Flamboro Speedway homepage.
Edmonton International Raceway
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Ontario Sportsman Series
A strong field took on Delaware Speedway for a 100-lap race Friday night. Top qualifying times were set by Cathcart, Shepperd, and points leader Connor James (only one in the 19s).
14 cars took the green at 8:30 p.m. under threatening skies. Shawn McGlynn’s car blew up on Lap 23, fire extinguished quickly. On Lap 28, a car stopped on the front stretch. Soon after, Amber Balcaen and Doug Cathcart collided, also involving Chad McGlynn and Cooper Aubertin.
Lap 45: Aubertin spun avoiding Kaden Patrick. On Lap 47, the rain began, and the race was checkered on Lap 51.
Finish: Connor James dominated, winning over Brendan Patrick, Derek McCullough, Shepperd, and Kaden Patrick.
Next race: Full Throttle – Saturday, July 26.
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Brockville Ontario Speedway
It was a thrilling night at Brockville Ontario Speedway for round two of the Ogilvie’s Triple Crown Series. Vincent Charbonneau edged out Mike Schonauer and Nick Gauvreau in a three-wide Street Stock finish. Corey Wheeler claimed his third 358 Modifieds series win, while Josh Verne Jr. made a late pass to secure his fifth straight Crate Sprint victory. Bobby Herrington dominated the Sportsman feature, lapping much of the field en route to his 37th career Brockville win. In Novice Sportsman, Kyle Kudrinko took his second win in three weeks. Click HERE for a full report from July 12 at The BOS.
Next up at Brockville Speedway, this Saturday (July 19) is billed as the best night of the season… Driver Autographs! Come on out and enjoy the races, meet your favourite drivers, grabs some photos and maybe even treats from the drivers! Kids 16 and under Free with ID.
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CASC-OR: The Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region (CASC-OR) sanctions the RaceOntario Championships, a series or race events run from April through October at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport), Shannonville Motorsports Park, and Calabogie Motorsport Park. The series includes a variety of individual race groups. Click HERE for more info about CASC-OR Road Racing. Their next event is the BARC Canadian Touring Trophy Races, July 26-27 at CTMP. The Miata Canada Cup cars will be in action this coming weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto.
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NASCAR Cup Series
Much like the Xfinity race, no one was surprised to see Shane van Gisbergen (Chevrolet) win the pole at Sonoma Raceway, ahead of Chase Briscoe (Toyota) and points leader William Byron (Chevrolet). All 37 cars qualified: 16 Chevrolets, 12 Fords, and 9 Toyotas.
The kids played nice – mostly – with the usual bumping and swapping of paint. Ross Chastain edged SVG for the Stage 1 win. SVG responded by winning Stage 2.
The first race yellow came on Lap 62 when Ryan Blaney, with a little “help” from Chris Buescher, spun off track and got high-sided. Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin also spun – almost backing into each other.
With 15 laps to go, Cody Ware lost his right-rear wheel, which rolled a good distance. That brought out the second yellow. Lap 99 saw a multi-car incident ending with Noah Gragson stopped on track for another caution. Lap 103: Ty Gibbs punted Ricky Stenhouse Jr. into the tire barriers for yet another yellow.
SVG took the checkered flag over Briscoe and Chase Elliott. The final five laps featured epic bumping and banging, but SVG simply said, “See ya!”
Points Standings: William Byron leads by 14 over Elliott, and by 44 over Larson. Hendrick sits 1-2-3!
Next race: Dover – Sunday at 2 p.m. on TSN 5.
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LELAND INDUSTRIES: Founded in 1984 by Byron Nelson, Leland Industries is one of the largest Canadian manufacturers of fasteners, such as screws, nuts, bolts, washers, rivets, and custom products. The company has always used 100% domestic steel and labor to manufacture all products. Leland Industries is a longtime supporter of Canada’s NASCAR series and several of its racers. Click HERE for more information about this great Canadian company!
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NASCAR Xfinity Series
No surprise – SVG (Chevrolet) claimed the pole at Sonoma, followed by road course ace Connor Zilisch (Chevrolet) and Sam Mayer (Ford). Canadian Alex Labbé qualified a solid 20th. 38 cars made the field, but someone named Austin J. Hill went home. (We assume not the Austin Hill who qualified 16th and sits third in points.) The breakdown: 27 Chevrolets, 5 Fords, and 6 Toyotas.
Stage 1 ran caution-free. SVG led 15 laps, Zilisch 2, and Mayer 3, with Mayer winning the stage. Stage 2 also went smoothly, with Brandon Jones taking the win.
Even better – the final stage had no cautions! Zilisch held off SVG and William Sawalich for the win. Labbé, despite running near the front early, finished a disappointing 37th.
Points Standings: Justin Allgaier leads Mayer by 59 and Hill by 64. Labbé, with only five starts in 19 races, sits 35th in points. Someone give this guy a full-time ride!
Next race: Dover – Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on CW and USA.
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Next race: Indianapolis Raceway Park – Friday, July 25.
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Formula One
Next race: Spa – Sunday, July 25.
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IndyCar
The series ran a Saturday/Sunday doubleheader at the Rusty Wallace–designed (and very cool) Iowa Speedway.
Race 1: Josef Newgarden took pole over Conor Daly and Felix Rosenqvist. Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco started 20th.
The green flag dropped – then came yellow. Colton Herta spun off Turn 4 onto the infield. Lap 75: Jacob Aabel got high in Turn 2 and hit the wall. At halfway: Newgarden led Pato O’Ward and Daly. Lap 154: Kyle Kirkwood blew a tire and hit the wall. Lap 248: Nolan Siegel hit the wall, bringing out a yellow, then a red – right as Fox ran ten straight commercials (but hey, picture-in-picture!). The green returned with nine laps to go. Trophy dash time!
Finish: O’Ward over Newgarden and Will Power. DeFrancesco finished 19th.
Race 2: Alex Palou qualified on pole, followed by Rosenqvist and David Malukas.
Lap 1: DeFrancesco spun and collected Scott McLaughlin. Lap 50: Sting Ray Robb hit the wall hard in Turn 2. Lap 130: Marcus Ericsson tagged the wall. At halfway: Palou led Dixon and Armstrong. Lap 175: Callum Ilott spun and hit the wall. Lap 256: Colton Herta scraped the wall.
Finish: Palou over Dixon and Armstrong. DeFrancesco placed 25th.
Next race: Toronto – Sunday.
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NHRA
Next race: Pacific Raceways – this weekend.
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Track Updates:
- Delaware Speedway: Ontario Sportsman Series results above. Bone Stock Heats won by Brady Oudman, Jo Lawrence, and Charlie Verhoeven. Rain cancelled the rest. Feature to be rescheduled.
- Next up: Monster Trucks – Friday and Saturday.
- Ohsweken Speedway: Next: Gale’s Cash Blast – Friday.
- Flamboro Speedway: Next: Pro Late Models – Saturday. Hall of Fame Reunion – Saturday, August 16.
- Buxton Speedway: Next: Autograph Night – Saturday.
- Full Throttle Motor Speedway: Next: Christmas in July – Saturday.
- Sunset Speedway: Next: “Speed is Forever” (Pro Late Models) – Saturday.
- Grand Bend Speedway: Next: Jared Doxtator Memorial – Sunday.
- Grand Bend Motorplex: Next: Canadian Sports Compact Series – this weekend.
- St. Thomas Dragway: Next: Pro Street 519 – Sunday.
- Toronto Motorsport Park: Next: Canada Heads Up – this weekend.
- Can Am Stock/Super Stock: Next: Empire – July 26–27.
- Quick 32, PBSS, and 5.50 Super Series: Next: Empire Dragway – this weekend.
- 660 Sportsman Nationals: Next: Grand Bend – October 5.
- NHRA Canadian Championship (John Scotti): Next: Napierville – this weekend.
- Shannonville Drags: Next: Hi Roller Race – this weekend.
- Maritime Pro Stock Tour: Next: IWK 250 at Riverside (Antigonish, NS) – Saturday.
Comments? Contact Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or via Facebook Messenger.
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Looking for NAPA swag and merchandise, including items featuring NASCAR Canada Series racer Kevin Lacroix? Then check out the NAPA Store for a wide variety of racing and other products.
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