Said wins first NASCAR race in photo finish at Montreal (NNS recap)

Boris Said celebrates his first NASCAR Nationwide Series win in 22 races in
Victory Lane at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. (Jason Smith/Getty Images)

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

MONTREAL — At long last, road-course ace Boris Said is a winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Said won Sunday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when — with the two strongest cars out of contention — the always unpredictable event ended with Said beating Max Papis in a drag race to the finish line.

After leader Robby Gordon ran out of gas on a green-white-checkered-flag finish that sent the race three laps past its scheduled distance of 74 laps, Said lost the lead to Papis at the entrance to the final two corners. But Papis’ momentum sent him wide in Turn 14, and Said drew alongside at the top of the final straightaway.

Papis lost a fraction of a second when he hit the rev limiter in second gear but still had enough to race side by side with Said all the way to the finish line.

Said’s .012-second margin of victory was the closest ever on a road course in the Nationwide Series, the fifth closest overall in series history and the closest since 1998 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The victory was more than just a first for Said, 47. It was the first Nationwide win for car owner Robby Benton and the first for the new pairing of Said and crew chief Scott Zipadelli.
“I don’t think we had the fastest car today,” Said admitted, “but we definitely had the smartest race strategy with Scott Zipadelli as the crew chief — the first time I ever worked with him. We had great communication, he called a great race, and it was really about managing the racetrack, managing your brakes.

“I’m shocked … overwhelmed. I thought I was going to cry, but I didn’t. My wife would have made fun of me. But I was pretty happy.”

Local hero Jacques Villeneuve finished third, followed by Brad Keselowski, who extended his series lead to 365 points over hard-luck 20th-place finisher Carl Edwards. Paul Menard ran fifth, with Joey Logano, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Parker Kligerman, Justin Allgaier and Trevor Bayne completing the top 10.

The race that gave polesitter Marcos Ambrose another heartbreak (he retired with an electrical problem after leading 25 laps) turned on a bad break — literally — for defending winner Edwards, who led a race-high 29 laps before breaking the track bar on his No. 60 Ford as caution flew with eight laps left in regulation.
Edwards held a lead of almost three seconds over Gordon when Michael Annett slid into the Turn 4 wall to cause the fifth caution of the race, ending a green-flag run of 42 laps.

Two more late cautions forced overtime and prolonged the race enough to empty Gordon’s fuel tank. Gordon led the field to the green flag for a restart on Lap 76 but coasted to a stop before completing the circuit. He finished 14th.

But it was the drag race to the finish between Said and Papis that had the more than 70,000 fans on their feet.
“I was ahead, I was behind, I was ahead,” said Papis, who was driving Kevin Harvick’s No. 33 Chevrolet. “At the end of the day, this was an amazing race. I had a blast. It came down to a green-white-checker, and the thing I’m the most proud of … this is maybe the first time I’ve had the chance to really sit in a car that legitimately can win, and it came down to the last corner.

“For me, I’m really proud. I know it’s a second-place finish, but it’s equal to one of my best wins.”

NAPA Auto Parts 200 results:

1. Boris Said   
2. Max Papis   
3. Jacques Villeneuve
4. Brad Keselowski   
5. Paul Menard   
6. Joey Logano   
7. J.R. Fitzpatrick
8. Parker Kligerman
9. Justin Allgaier
10. Trevor Bayne
11. D.J. Kennington
12. Brad Coleman
13. Kenny Wallace
14. Robby Gordon
15. Mike Bliss
16. Victor Gonzalez Jr.
17. Mike Wallace
18. Tomy Drissi
19. Mark Green
20. Carl Edwards
21. Jason Leffler     
22. Colin Braun
23. Tayler Malsam
24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
25. Michael Annett
26. Alex Kennedy
27. Brendan Gaughan
28. Joe Nemechek
29. Paulie Harraka
30. Ron Fellows
31. Kyle Kelley   
32. Patrick Carpentier   
33. Marcos Ambrose   
34. Tony Raines   
35. Morgan Shepherd
36. Tony Ave
37. Michael McDowell
38. Steve Wallace
39. Andrew Ranger
40. Brian Scott
41. Brett Rowe
42. Jeff Green
43. Justin Marks

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TV Schedule Aug. 27-29

The Sprint Cup Series is out of commission this week, its last off-weekend of the season. But fans still have plenty of racing action to look forward to this weekend with the Nationwide Series in Montreal and the Camping World Truck Series at Chicagoland.

Nationwide heads north to our neighbor Canada for the third and final road-course race of the season at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The 2.71-mile track has 15 turns and has provided dramatic racing since it was added to the Nationwide schedule in 2007. Last year Marcos Ambrose's mistake at the final chicane allowed Carl Edwards to swoop in and capture the win. Can Ambrose overcome his bad luck to claim his first victory at Montreal?

Meanwhile the Truck Series makes a stop in the Windy City. Kyle Busch won the series' inaugural race at the 1.5-mile tri-oval in 2009. Busch made history last week by achieving the elusive trifecta of wins across all three series in a single race weekend. Can he make history again by becoming the only Truck Series driver to win at Chicagoland?

The Truck Series gets on track Friday at Chicagoland for the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 and the Nationwide Series makes a rare Sunday appearance at Montreal for the Napa Auto Parts 200.

The Sprint Cup Series returns next weekend at Atlanta, the second-to-last race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup is determined.

The following is a handy guide to track events and television coverage this weekend at Chicagoland and Montreal (all times Eastern Standard Time. Events without a channel listed will not be televised):

Friday, August 27:
11:30 a.m. NCWTS Final Practice
4:30 p.m. NCWTS Qualifying at Chicagoland, SPEED
5:00 p.m. NASCAR Now, ESPN2 (reruns at 4 a.m.)
7:00 p.m. ARCA Racing Series: Ansell Protective Gloves 150 at Chicagoland, SPEED
8:30 p.m. NCWTS SetUp, SPEED (reruns Saturday at 11:30 p.m.)
9:00 p.m. NCWTS: Chicagoland 225, SPEED. Green flag: 9:19 p.m.(reruns Sunday at 12 a.m.)

Saturday, August 28:
9 a.m. NNS Practice at Montreal
11:30 a.m. NNS Final Practice, ESPN2
5:00 p.m. NNS Qualifying, ESPN2

Sunday, August 29:
2:00 p.m. NNS Countdown at Montreal, ESPN2
2:30 p.m. NNS: NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge, ESPN2. Green flag: 2:48 p.m. (reruns at 3 a.m.)

___________
Photo: 2009 Nationwide race at Montreal. (Jason Smith/Getty Images)

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Carpentier to race for MWR in Montreal Nationwide race

CORNELIUS, N.C. (June 23, 2010) - Michael Waltrip Racing announced Wednesday that Canadian driver Patrick Carpentier will race the No. 00 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal on Aug. 29.

The Joliette (Quebec) native won the pole for this race in 2007, finished second in 2007 and 2008, and looked to be the fastest car on the track in 2009 before mechanical failure resulted in a 38th-place finish.


“Every race car driver wants to do well, but when you race in front of all your friends and family in your hometown it becomes something extra special,” said the 38-year-old Carpentier, who has led 14 laps on the 2.71-mile road course. “We’ve been so close in Montreal and last year I thought we were going to have a shot at the win. NAPA and Michael Waltrip Racing gave me a great car last year and I expect to contend for the victory again this year. Winning in Montreal would definitely be a highlight in my career.”

Carpentier owns 13 Nationwide and 33 Sprint Cup starts after winning five races in CART in a stellar open wheel career.

“Patrick was our first choice, and we are undoubtedly very happy with this agreement. Not only is he from the region but his name is synonymous with talent, perseverance and sportsmanship wherever he performs,” said Robert Hattem, president and COO of UAP Inc. “It was a natural fit for us to offer Patrick the wheel for this event and allow the public to witness his unique know-how.”

MWR fields full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup teams for Truex and David Reutimann as well as a K&N Pro Series entry for Ryan Truex. MWR along with Gary and Blake Bechtel co-own Diamond-Waltrip Racing that fields a full-time Nationwide entry for Trevor Bayne, who will also race in Montreal.

Press release courtesy of Michael Waltrip Racing

PHOTO FROM NASCAR MEDIA

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