NASCAR Canada rolled into the Calabogie Motorsports Park for the biggest race weekend of the year. Nearly 30 drivers from across the country raced on the 2.8 kilometre stadium track layout for the race. The high-speed action is expecting to draw more than 3,000 people over the weekend. “They want to compete, they want to beat everyone else. That’s what’s driving them, while they’re driving, the car. It’s just knowing they beat everyone else, that they’re the number one,” said Richard Muise, overall clerk of the course for Grand Prix Du Canada. This is the second year in a row that Calabogie Motorsports is hosting the NASCAR Canada Series. Friends Danny Volpi and Mark Heyerhoff drove from Ottawa for a full day of race weekend, their first time attending the races “I’ve loved NASCAR of all my life, so we had to come here and check it out. It’s amazing. Best day ever,” said Volpi. “Phenomenal. It’s been absolutely fantastic. The cars have been great. Nice and loud,” said Heyerhoff. This race is special for racer Geoff Johnson, who spends a lot of his time at the stadium. “It’s pretty special because it’s my home track. It’s kind of fun to have a little bit of a home field advantage,” said Johnson. Johnson says he’s always had a passion for racing since he was little, and it grew as an adult. He’s been racing for about seven years and it’s his second year in a row racing in the NASCAR Canada Series. “It’s exciting. It’s the competition. Mostly, it’s fun to put your skills up against other people and kind of see where you match up,” said Johnson. A number of other races from some of Canada’s largest touring car series will also take the track, including FEL Radical Cup Canada, Super Production Challenge and the Miata Canada Cup, with 26 cars in that series. The event put on a show for motorsport fans and anyone that loves cars. “My son loves racing and race cars, so we thought this is a great time to come out and experience it,” said spectator Alex Deszcz. “We’re seeing so much stuff and getting kind of behind the scenes. It’s been amazing.” The event was supported by volunteers from the Ottawa Sports Car Club and the Motorsports Club of Ottawa.
