TORONTO, Ont — Ever since Andrew Ranger broke his 22-race winless drought last time out at Autodrome Chaudiere, he has been nothing short of dominant. He continued his strong start to the season by winning the Pinty’s Grand Prix of Toronto Saturday at Exhibition Place.
Ranger’s No.27 Mopar/Pennzoil Dodge raced nose to tail with Alex Tagliani all race long before making a bold move to take the lead during NASCAR Overtime. Ranger was able to pass Tagliani in Turn 1 on the restart, and score his third win on the 1.755-mile street course and second consecutive victory this season.
The 31-year-old driver from Roxton Pond, Quebec, also padded the margin in his all-time series wins total in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. His win on the streets of Toronto extends his win total to 24 career wins.
Polesitter Alex Tagliani lead from the drop of the green flag until being passed on Lap 36, the first lap of NASCAR Overtime. Tagliani battled hard with JF Dumoulin and wound up finishing second despite suffering heavy body damage, notching his second podium finish of 2018.
JF Dumoulin finished third, scoring his second career podium finish and first since the Clarington 200 at Canaidian Tire Motorsport Park in 2015.
Gary Klutt and LP Dumoulin completed the top five, with Marc-Antoine Camirand and Josten’s Rookie of the Year candidate James Vance finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.
D.J Kennington, Donald Theetge and Peter Shepherd III rounded out the top 10.
Last year’s winner Kevin Lacroix’s bad weekend continued after he made contact with barrier in Turn 5 on Lap 31. That brought out the caution that pushed the race to 37 laps and relegated Lacroix to a 16th-place finish.
With this win Ranger sits tied with LP Dumoulin with 167 points, with Ranger holding the edge in wins (2-1). Camirand is nine points back in third, followed by Powell and Kennington.
The Pinty’s Grand Prix of Toronto will air Saturday, July 21 on TSN at 2:30 p.m. ET and Tuesday, July 17 on RDS2 at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The NASCAR Pinty’s Series will move on to Saskatoon for the first stop on the annual west coast swing for the Velocity Prairie Thunder Twin 125s sponsored by Bayer CropScience at Wyant Group Raceway on Wednesday, July 25.
NASCAR Pinty’s Series-Pinty’s Grand Prix Of Toronto Results
Saturday
Honda Indy Toronto/ Toronto, Ontario
Lap length: 1.755 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (3) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Dodge, 37 laps, 59.226 mph.
2. (1) Alex Tagliani, Lachenaie, Que., Chevrolet, 37.
3. (8) J.F. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 37.
4. (6) Gary Klutt, Halton Hills, Ont., Dodge, 37.
5. (7) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 37.
6. (2) Marc-Antoine Camirand, Saint-Leonard-d’Aston, Que., Chevrolet, 37.
7. (18) James Vance, Stouffville, Ontario, Ford, 37.
8. (11) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 37.
9. (14) Donald Theetge, Boischatel, Que., Chevrolet, 37.
10. (19) Pete Shepherd III, Brampton, Ont., Ford, 37.
11. (16) Adam Martin, Ayr, Ont., Ford, 37.
12. (12) Cole Powell, MT. Brydges, Ontario, Chevrolet, 37.
13. (10) Peter Klutt, Halton Hills, Ont., Chevrolet, 37.
14. (13) Brett Taylor, Calgary, Alta., Dodge, 37.
15. (17) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Chevrolet, 36.
16. (4) Kevin Lacroix, Saint-Eustache, Que., Chevrolet, 30.
17. (9) Kerry Micks, Mount Albert, Ont., Ford, 16, accident.
18. (15) Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont., Dodge, 8, electrical.
19. (5) Anthony Simone, Aurora, Ont., Dodge, 7, rear axle.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 5 minutes 47 seconds
Margin of Victory: 1.148 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: A.Tagliani (82.166 mph, 76.893 seconds)
Caution Flags: 4 for 12 laps.
Lead Changes: 1 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: A. Tagliani 1-35; A. Ranger 36-37.
Standings: 1. A. Ranger, 167; 2. L. Dumoulin, 167; 3. M. Camirand, 158; 4. C. Powell, 153; 5. D. Kennington, 153; 6. A. Tagliani, 149; 7. K. Lacroix, 145; 8. D. Theetge, 135; 9. B. Taylor, 130; 10. A. Martin, 130.
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