DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Mar. 1, 2012) — A ground-breaking Canadian road course opens a new chapter in international NASCAR Whelen All-American Series history in May. Circuit ICAR, a revolutionary multifaceted motorsports facility in Mirabel, Quebec will host night-time NASCAR road-course racing.
The Circuit ICAR complex is located 20 minutes north of Montreal, and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing is scheduled for Friday nights on a bi-weekly basis starting May 18.
“The addition of Circuit ICAR’s road course is a historic stride in the 31-year history of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president, regional and touring series. “Marc Arseneau has created a facility and events that make Circuit ICAR a frequent destination for competitors and fans alike.”
International Center of Advanced Racing (ICAR) began motorsports operations on the site in 2007. The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series made its inaugural appearance at Circuit ICAR last year. Robin Buck of Campbellville, Ont., won the 30-lap, 63.67-mile event. The series and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series will share a weekend double header at the track June 2-3.
“Circuit ICAR is proud to be the host of this new series in 2012,” said Marc Arseneau, Circuit ICAR president. “We are always looking for innovative ways to promote the world of motor racing in Quebec. This is an opportunity for Circuit ICAR to not only be the first to host the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series on a road course, but to hold the races at night on a lit track; that’s a first in North America. We fully intend to redefine the spectators’ overall experience with the help of our new high end infrastructure.”
The track’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division I are Sportsman cars that will compete on the facility’s lighted 3.4-kilometer (2.113-mile), 15-turn road course. The Sportsman cars are marketed by Circuit ICAR and are similar to pavement Late Models found throughout North America. Eligible body styles include the 2012 Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger. Other NASCAR divisions include Outlaw, Challenge Four Plus and Challenge Four.
Club International Sport Automotive (CISA) provides a ringing endorsement of the new Sportsman race cars. CISA is an affiliate of the Auto Sports Quebec (ASQ), a provincial motorsports governing body.
“As a managing body of this new series, we believe that this will offer an incredible opportunity to young drivers who wish to purchase a low cost race car and be part of a sport that is so often considered too expensive,” said Buddy Ford, CISA series manager. “The cars in this series are not only affordable but accessible to the general public. You can have a race track ready car for less than $40,000. This series offers fierce competition and a chance to be part of a renowned series and for the spectators, a fantastic show. This series is a real breath of fresh air for the motorsports fans.”
The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is NASCAR’s national championship for weekly short-track auto racing. The series encompasses more that 50 speedways across the United States and Canada. Other Canadian NASCAR tracks in the series include Barrie Speedway, a .333-mile paved oval in Ontario and Edmonton International Raceway, a .250-mile paved oval in Alberta.
NASCAR-licensed Division I drivers are eligible to compete for NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championships and point fund awards at the track, province, state and national levels. Province and state champions also receive customized helmets and racing uniforms from series sponsor Whelen Engineering.
NASCAR-licensed drivers in each track’s NASCAR-sanctioned support divisions compete for points in the NASCAR Finalist program. The program brings added recognition to drivers in NASCAR Divisions II-V. Points are kept separately for asphalt and dirt tracks.
Circuit ICAR’s track website is www.circuiticar.com. NASCAR Whelen All-American Series information is available at http://hometracks.nascar.com
Discussion about this post