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Ron Fellows, one of Canada's most storied race car drivers, is trading his helmet for a promoter's hat this weekend when NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series makes its' debut at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on Sunday.
And, according to the Ontario native it might be a more difficult task.
“It was a lot easier just being a driver,” Fellows said with a laugh.” No, it's been a great opportunity. The Canadian Tire Motorsports Park is probably the most important international raceway. It's a track I grew up not only learning how to race on, but a big part of my life was spent there as a kid watching races, and to be part of the ownership with Carlo Fidani has been a privilege, and it's been a great learning experience, as well. We've made a lot of progress in a short amount of time, and yeah, hopefully the weather stays great. On the promotion side of it now, I find myself looking at the weather way more, especially this week.”
Still once a racer, always a racer and Fellows is not on the entry list.
“Yeah, I thought about entering -- there were a few opportunities to race, but I just didn't feel like it's the right thing to do. I've got more races behind me than in front of me, and it seemed like that inside the weekend I'd probably be thinking more about things relative to the promoter side of it rather than the racer side of it, so that was a relatively easy decision to make.”
Looking ahead to Sunday's inaugural NASCAR race at the track, outside of Toronto, which used to alternate as the home of the Canadian Grand Prix Fellows explained what to expect.
“Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, like most Grand Prix courses, long, fast corners, more elevation than Watkins Glen, probably just a little bit faster at cornering, but very, very similar. Two tracks that were built in a similar era, and that's probably the closest comparison for sure would be Watkins Glen.
I think that it'll make for a great race. There are opportunities to pass because with these long, sweeping corners, you can capitalize on small mistakes, and that's what you want to have. I think the long Andretti straight up the hill into Turn 8 will be a great place to watch in terms of passing opportunities. Turn 3 -- I can't think of a bad one.”
Much work has gone on in the venerable facility once known as Mosport, but, Fellows says there's more to do.
“We've made a lot of improvements, but I think we'll all rest a lot easier when we get to Sunday night and hopefully it's a great weekend, we get great attendance, and I think that's when we'll relax. Yes, we've come a long way when you look at the facility, but we want to continue to grow and move forward.”
And, according to the Ontario native it might be a more difficult task.
“It was a lot easier just being a driver,” Fellows said with a laugh.” No, it's been a great opportunity. The Canadian Tire Motorsports Park is probably the most important international raceway. It's a track I grew up not only learning how to race on, but a big part of my life was spent there as a kid watching races, and to be part of the ownership with Carlo Fidani has been a privilege, and it's been a great learning experience, as well. We've made a lot of progress in a short amount of time, and yeah, hopefully the weather stays great. On the promotion side of it now, I find myself looking at the weather way more, especially this week.”
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| Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR |
Still once a racer, always a racer and Fellows is not on the entry list.
“Yeah, I thought about entering -- there were a few opportunities to race, but I just didn't feel like it's the right thing to do. I've got more races behind me than in front of me, and it seemed like that inside the weekend I'd probably be thinking more about things relative to the promoter side of it rather than the racer side of it, so that was a relatively easy decision to make.”
Looking ahead to Sunday's inaugural NASCAR race at the track, outside of Toronto, which used to alternate as the home of the Canadian Grand Prix Fellows explained what to expect.
“Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, like most Grand Prix courses, long, fast corners, more elevation than Watkins Glen, probably just a little bit faster at cornering, but very, very similar. Two tracks that were built in a similar era, and that's probably the closest comparison for sure would be Watkins Glen.
I think that it'll make for a great race. There are opportunities to pass because with these long, sweeping corners, you can capitalize on small mistakes, and that's what you want to have. I think the long Andretti straight up the hill into Turn 8 will be a great place to watch in terms of passing opportunities. Turn 3 -- I can't think of a bad one.”
Much work has gone on in the venerable facility once known as Mosport, but, Fellows says there's more to do.
“We've made a lot of improvements, but I think we'll all rest a lot easier when we get to Sunday night and hopefully it's a great weekend, we get great attendance, and I think that's when we'll relax. Yes, we've come a long way when you look at the facility, but we want to continue to grow and move forward.”