NCATS (IRWINDALE) - Three Days To The Showdown: NCATS Champion Ranger Heading To Irwindale

Andrew Ranger is a special talent behind the wheel of a racecar – any racecar. And he heads to Irwindale this weekend looking to showcase that talent which earned him the 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio championship.

He came into the 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season with just one stock car race under his belt, but that wasn’t enough to deter the talented 20 year-old from Roxton Pond, Quebec. He made the move to NASCAR last winter from the ranks of the CHAMP Car World Series in which he finished 10th in points for both the 2005 and 2006 seasons. In 2005 at just 18 years of age, he became the youngest driver in series history to notch a podium finish.

That’s ancient history, though, for Ranger. His move to the heavier cars of NASCAR has been seamless. He picked up his first NASCAR win in the season’s second race of the year – his third start in a stock car. En route to his championship, he posted seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes throughout the 12-race schedule.

The NASCAR Grand National Division cars that will be used in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown are different from those used in the Canadian Tire Series, but Ranger does not foresee any difficulty in adjusting. He will be driving a car owned by fellow Canadian Dick Midgley, owner of Midgley Motorsports of Victoria, B.C.

“Andrew is the NASCAR’s Canadian national champion and with our base of operations in Canada, it seemed like a natural fit,” said Midgley.

Travis Bennett drove a Midgley car to a fourth-place finish in a NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series event at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash. this season.

“(NASCAR Grand National Division) cars are just a little heavier and have a few more horsepower,” said Ranger. “I really don’t think it will be that hard to get used to.”

On the track by himself the adjustment may be easy, but he’ll have to do it with other drivers on the speedy 1/2-mile oval, most of which have plenty of experience in their equipment, as well as, at Irwindale Speedway itself.

“I’ll be at a disadvantage having never raced these kinds of cars and not having raced at the track,” Ranger said. “That was the case all season long in the Canadian Tire Series.”

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the track and I’m sure the other competitors are very strong or they wouldn’t be there. It will be a great challenge, but I am looking forward to this race because it is a great chance to compete against top drivers and an opportunity to showcase your talent in front of a people of influence in NASCAR.”