Wednesday, January 19, 2011

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series coming to the Canadian Motorsports Expo

(TORONTO, ON // January 19, 2011) This weekend in Toronto, the biggest name in the world of motorsports will have a presence at Canada’s top racing show. The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be on-site for all three days of the 5th Annual Canadian Motorsports Expo. The show runs Friday, Jan. 21 through Sunday, Jan. 23 at the International Centre, adjacent to Toronto’s Pearson Airport.

The main NASCAR display will feature the same massive hauler that is the hive of activity at every NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race. Series Director Brad Moran and more than two dozen race and technical officials will be on hand at the CME to give showgoers a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in a real NASCAR ‘tech lane’ and working garage. A total of three Canadian Tire Series stock cars will also be part of the display.

“We’re very excited about participating in the Canadian Motorsports Expo, one of the top, if not the top, racing shows in Canada,” said Moran. “The show is a great showcase for Canadian racing and we’re looking forward to giving the fans a close look at what takes place, each race weekend, in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series’ ‘tech lane’ and garage. We’re going to be offering some limited tours through the series hauler on Saturday and Sunday, so the fans can experience something that can’t happen on raceday when everybody is busy getting ready for the event.”

The show will also prominently feature a strong contingent of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racers, many of whom will be participating in the Canadian Tire Series Driver Autograph Session, live on the Keystone Light Stage, starting Saturday at 4:45 p.m. While signing autographs for the fans, the drivers will also be participating in a casual, Q&A session, talking about their individual racing programs. So far, reigning NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champ DJ Kennington, Don Thomson Jr., Mark Dilley, Jason Hathaway, Jason White, Robin Buck, Dexter Stacey and Caitlin Johnston are confirmed.

Later that evening, two of these NCATS drivers will also be receiving Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards, live on the Keystone Light Stage. Be sure to be there Saturday at 7:15 p.m. to find out which two will receive these coveted awards, as voted by the readers of Inside Track Motorsport News.

Also on hand at the NASCAR display, throughout the weekend, will be Chris Davy, co-owner of Robert Yates Racing Engines. The company was recently announced as the new exclusive SPEC engine supplier to all of NASCAR’s touring series. Davy will there to talk with current and prospective NASCAR racers about the new SPEC engine program. Similarly, Moran and his team of race officials will be available to discuss general issues, rules and procedures pertaining to the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. They will also be prepared to provide paperwork for racers and teams to start the registration process for the upcoming season.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fans attending the CME will also be in for a special treat as Canadian Motor Speedway is presenting Jeff Gordon’s newly-unveiled #24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet Impala showcar. NASCAR Canada, another longtime supporter of the CME, is presenting Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #88 AMP Energy Chevrolet Sprint Cup showcar.

Current NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Brad Keselowski will be on hand Sunday at the CME to participate in an on-stage Fan Q&A / Autograph Session. For 2011, he will be driving Roger Penske’s legendary #2 Miller Lite Dodge in Sprint Cup.

As well, popular racer ‘Mad’ Max Papis – who will be competing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011 – will be at the CME on Saturday to meet the fans and sign autographs. Papis finished second to Boris Said in the thrilling NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last August, and will be competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, one week after the CME.

“We really have to offer a huge thanks to Brad Moran and the people at NASCAR and NASCAR Canada for their support of the Canadian Motorsports Expo,” said the CME’s Greg MacPherson. “NASCAR is the pinnacle of the sport and to have them coming to the show to connect with the fans and racers – in such a big way – means a lot. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this unique opportunity.”

ABOUT THE CME: The Canadian Motorsports Expo is a three-day celebration of Canadian racing that runs January 21, 22 and 23, 2011 at the International Centre (6900 Airport Road in Mississauga). The show is powered by Inside Track Motorsport News. In addition to booths and racing vehicles representing the entire spectrum of Canadian motorsports, the show is loaded with seminars and forums to entertain and inform racers and fans alike. Star drivers, including reigning IndyCar Series Champion and Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, rising NASCAR Sprint Cup star Brad Keselowski, Canadian racing champions Ron Fellows, Junior Hanley, DJ Kennington and many others, will be at the CME to sign autographs and meet the fans. Please check the show’s website regularly for updates and changes.

For more information about the Canadian Motorsports Expo, visit www.canadianmotorsportsexpo.com. You can reach co-promoters Glenn Butt at (905) 721-1762 or Inside Track at (416) 962-7223 or email info@canadianmotorsportsexpo.com.