For the first time in NASCAR history, a race was held in the rain, something almost none of the drivers in the field Saturday for the NAPA Auto Parts 200 had ever experienced.
And although the drivers and teams put up a valiant effort, the race was eventually called after 48 of the scheduled 74 laps on the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when it became clear the rain was not going to stop.
Canadian Ron Fellows overcame a wet track Saturday to win Saturday’s rain-shortened NAPA Auto Parts 200 in Montreal.
The 48-year-old Ontario driver, a four-time winner in Nationwide Series road-course events, took advantage of Marcos Ambrose’s pit-road speeding penalty to take the lead, and had a 33-second advantage over fellow Canadian Patrick Carpentier when the NAPA Auto Parts 200 was red-flagged, then called a few minutes later.
“There’s so much water that you can’t see,” Fellows said minutes before the race with called. “Now, with the heavy rain, it’s very dangerous.”
“It’s a great day for Canadians and it’s very special here at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve,” said Fellows, who three previous wins were all at Watkin’s Glen, N.Y., in 1998, 2000 and 2001. “Gilles was a hero of mine.”
“We made a little change with the rain tires and that helped,” said Fellows. “After that pit stop, we were the fastest car on the track.
“I’ll be pinching myself for a couple of hours because this is really cool.”
Fellows had worn a T-shirt from the Gilles Villeneuve museum in Berthierville, Que., for practice on Friday, but left it off for the race “out for respect for Jacques,” he said.
Fellows was driving the No. 5 GoDaddy.com car for Dale Earnhart Jr., who skips some of the few road races on the NASCAR circuit, although Earnhart is scheduled to be back in the car for the next race at Watkin’s Glen.
Joliette, Que.‘s Patrick Carpentier, who on Friday said he was looking forward to some rain on race day, made it a 1-2 Canadian finish by grabbing second spot, followed by Australia’s Marcos Ambrose.
“I wanted to finish first so bad, but I am pretty happy,” said Carpentier. “We had a great car all weekend. We wanted one position higher than last weekend, but we’ll come back and try it again.”
Ambrose finished third after leading a race-high 27 laps.
Ron Hornaday was fourth, followed by Boris Said, Carl Edwards, Jason Leffler, Greg Biffle, series leader Clint Bowyer and Scott Wimmer.
Jacques Villeneuve, the former Formula One and CART champion racing on the track named after his late father, had so much trouble seeing out of his Toyota that he ran into the back of another car during the final caution period. Running sixth at the time of the accident, he ended up 15th.
“I couldn’t see a thing,” Villeneuve said.
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