DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 9, 2012) – Competing in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 at Motoplex Speedway and Event Park is a double-edged sword for Ryley Seibert.It will be just the second series start for the 20-year-old out of Williams Lake, B.C., having made his debut last season at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, Sask. As a British Columbia native, Seibert claims Motoplex, a half-mile tri-oval in Vernon, B.C., as his home track and competes there regularly in his Late Model.
“I’m certainly comfortable there and know the track very well,” said Seibert. “But there is some pressure that comes with it. I’ll have a lot of friends and family at the race and they are going to expect me to protect my home turf.”
While managing the expectations of his fans is out of his control, Seibert enters the A&W Cruisin’ The Dub 300 set for Saturday, July 14 with his goals clearly in mind and in focus.
“This will be just the second time I’ve raced against these guys and they’re Canada’s best,” said the pilot of the No. 09 Lake Excavating Dodge, who intends on competing in four more Canadian Tire Series events in 2012. “I’m just looking to get in a good 300 laps and let the chips fall where they may.”
Seibert is a second-generation driver following in the footsteps of his father, Trevor, who also competes in the Canadian Tire Series and formerly in the Firestone Indy Lights Series. The elder Seibert has three top-five finishes to his credit in 22 series starts.
There will be a race within the race for the Seiberts at Vernon.
“When I was younger, my dad was my hero,” said Ryley Seibert. “Now that I’m 20 and share the race track with him, I just want to beat him. He beat me not too long ago in his Late Model, so I need to get a little payback.”
Rivals on the track are partners in the shop, though.
“He doesn’t make it to the shop as much as he would like due to his business stuff,” said the son of his father. “But he is a great resource and has helped me out in every way possible. There is a lot involved in racing and he’s always there for me.”
While his equipment might not be the newest and most advanced on the track, Ryley Seibert is ready to hit the track.
“We’ve done some testing and it has gone well,” he said. “I’m very excited about this race. It’s at home and against the best. It will be a great measuring stick for us moving forward.”
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MOBIL 1 RETURNS AS PRESENTING SPONSOR
A presenting sponsor for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Mobil 1 – a long-time NASCAR partner – returns to the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in the same capacity thus the series is now officially titled the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1.
Additionally, Mobil 1, the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, awards the highest-finishing eligible driver as the Mobil 1 Driver of the Race.
RACE: A&W Cruisin’ The Dub 300
PLACE: Motoplex Speedway & Event Park
DATE: Saturday, July 14
TIME: 8:15 p.m. PT
TV SCHEDULE: TSN, Sun., July 22, 5 p.m. ET; RDS2, Sat., Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT: Half-mile, banked asphalt tri-oval
2011 WINNER: Scott Steckly
2011 POLESITTER: Scott Steckly
EVENT SCHEDULE: Practice 1:30-2:30 p.m.; Qualifying 5:15 p.m.; Autograph Session 7 p.m.; Pre-Race Ceremonies 7:50 p.m.
TRACK CONTACT: Bob Newcombe, (250) 542-9090 or bob@motoplexspeedway.com
EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG: #a&w300
NASCAR IMC CONTACT: Kevin W. Green, (386) 566-8543 or kgreen@nascar.com, Twitter: @KevinW_Green
If photographs or graphics are needed for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, please contact Shon Sbarra at ssbarra@nascar.com or (704) 309-5493.
FAST FACTS
The Race: This is the fifth event of the 2012 season for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 and the third of seven oval-track events on the schedule. This is the series’ sixth visit to the track.
The Procedure: The starting field is 24 cars, including provisionals. The first 21 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining three spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 300 laps covering 150 miles.
The Track: The Motoplex Speedway half-mile banked tri-oval is 55 feet wide on the front and back straights, and 60 feet wide in the turns. Banking in Turns 1 and 2 is 11 degrees, while Turns 3 and 4 are banked at 14 degrees. The facility has seating for 7,500 spectators, including corporate hospitality facilities and VIP suites. The track’s first event took place on August 12, 2000. The track was known as SunValley Speedway through the 2009 season.
The Records: The one-lap qualifying record for the Canadian Tire Series at the track is 18.168 seconds (99.075 mph), set by D.J. Kennington on July 31, 2010. The 300-lap race record was established on July 18, 2009 by Andrew Ranger at 1 hour, 52 minutes, 29 seconds for an average speed of 81.612 mph.
The History: Motoplex Speedway and Event Park has been an annual stop for the series since its inception in 2007. Scott Steckly has the track’s number with a current streak of two wins. J.R. Fitzpatrick (2007) and Andrew Ranger (2009) are former race winners still competing in the series.
VERNON RACE NOTES
Favorites: If Motoplex Speedway is not Scott Steckly’s (No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge) favorite track, it should be and he ought to be atop any list of potential contenders for the win in the A&W Cruisin’ The Dub 300. Steckly has won the last two editions of the race and prior to that he posted three consecutive runner-up performances at the half-mile track.
National Appeal: Drivers from six provinces – Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan – are entered into the British Columbia event. Ontario leads the way with seven entrants while Alberta has five followed by four from the home province.
Empty Feeling: With Steckly’s Motoplex dominance, D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge) has yet to reach Victory Lane at the track leaving it as the only oval on the 2012 slate that Kennington at which has yet to win. Despite not earning the top prize, he has gone five-for-five in top-five finishes in British Columbia.
New Ground: Eight drivers – Bob De Lorme, Kevin Dowler, L.P. Dumoulin, Jason Hankewich, Nick Jewell, Martin Roy, Mike Scholz and Ryley Seibert – will be making their track debut in the A&W Cruisin’ The Dub 300. De Lorme and Hankewich are making their Canadian Tire Series debuts, as well.
Family Affair: Kevin and Noel Dowler along with Trevor and Ryley Seibert are father-son duo competing at Motoplex Speedway while Jason and Jim White are brothers in arms.
Come On Out: Joining the Canadian Tire Series at the British Columbia half-mile tri-oval will be the A&W Street Stocks. Ticket information for the event can be found at www.motoplexspeedway.com.
LAST TIME OUT: Delaware
Back-To-Back: By collecting his third victory in four starts at his home track of Delaware (Ont.) Speedway D.J. Kennington won for the second straight time in 2012. It was also his 13th series career triumph as he chases Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Dodge/GC Motorsports Dodge), who sits atop the all-time list with 15 victories.
Heating Up: After struggling through much of last season with an injured wrist, Jason Hathaway (No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Rockstar/Vortex Dodge) is finding the groove early in 2012. He followed up a fifth-place finish at the Speedway at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with a third-place performance in the EMCO 200 at Delaware. It was his third top 10 in four starts this season.
Back In The Swing: Having competed almost exclusively on the road courses since 2009, Ranger scored his first top-five finish on an oval since winning at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, N.S., in September 2009 as he closed in on his second series championship.
New Lows: This year’s EMCO 200 was slowed due to caution just four times for 34 laps. Both of those numbers are below the series’ previous bests – five cautions and 36 laps in 2011 – at the track.
NEXT TIME OUT: Edmonton
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 takes on the newly configured 2.256-mile road course at Edmonton (Alberta) City Centre Airport for the second of its three-race swing through Western Canada. The series has not been a part of the Edmonton Indy since 2010 at which J.R. Fitzpatrick dominated the event and collected the wire-to-wire win. Fitzpatrick is a two-time Edmonton winner while Andrew Ranger took the checkered flag in 2009.
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