2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200

2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200

Race details
Race 23 of 35 in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Date	August 2, 2008 (2008-08-02)
Location	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.709 mi (4.361 km)
Distance	74 laps, 200.466 mi (322.618 km)
Weather	Temperatures reaching a high of 26.6 °C (79.9 °F); wind speeds reaching a sustained high of 4.9 kilometres per hour (3.0 mph)[1]
Average speed	50.149 mph (80.707 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Scott Pruett	Chip Ganassi Racing
Time	102.569 sec
Most laps led
Driver	Marcos Ambrose	JTG Daugherty Racing
Laps	27
Winner
No. 5	Ron Fellows	JR Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	ESPN2[2]
Announcers	Marty Reid, Rusty Wallace, Randy LaJoie

The 2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge^[3] was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held on August 2, 2008, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec. The race was the 23rd of the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. The pole position was won by Scott Pruett of Chip Ganassi Racing, while the race was won by JR Motorsports' Ron Fellows. The race was the first points race in NASCAR history to be run with grooved rain tires.^[4]

Background

The race was the second running of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, with Kevin Harvick winning the inaugural event in 2007.^[2] The track, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, was one of two international tracks on the 2008 Nationwide schedule, along with Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.^[5]

Various road course ringers ran in the race, including Patrick Carpentier, Ron Fellows, Max Papis, Scott Pruett, Boris Said, and Scott Gaylord.^[2]

Qualifying

Scott Pruett of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing won the pole position with a lap time of 102.569 seconds and a speed of 95.082 miles per hour (153.020 km/h). Max Papis started second with a lap speed of 94.834 mph (152.621 km/h),^[6] followed by Marcos Ambrose, Patrick Carpentier, Jacques Villeneuve.^[7] The remaining top ten comprised Ron Fellows, Boris Said, Steve Wallace, Brad Coleman and Joey Logano. The lone driver to not qualify for the race was Kevin O'Connell.^[2]

Race

The race started at 3:30 EST,^[8] with pole-sitter Scott Pruett leading until lap 7, in which the caution flag flew for rain, followed by the red flag on the following lap.^[2] As a result, most teams added windshield wipers to the cars, while grooved rain tires were installed.^[4] Rain tires had been previously used in practice and qualifying for the 1997 NASCAR Thunder 100 exhibition race at Suzuka Circuit, and also in 1999 by the Camping World Truck Series during a practice at Watkins Glen International.^[4] The race was paused for about an hour before restarting.^[2] As a result of the rain, speeds dropped from 90 mph (140 km/h) to 75 mph (121 km/h).^[4] On lap 14, Marcos Ambrose took the lead, leading for a race high 27 laps until he was penalized for speeding in pit road.^[4] Jacques Villeneuve took the lead on lap 41, which he subsequently relinquished to Ron Fellows on the following lap.^[3] Fellows held the lead for seven laps until the race was called due to severe rain on lap 48. On the same lap, Villeneuve, who did not have a wiper installed, collided with another car's rear; Joey Logano also crashed on the lap, hitting a car without brake lights.^[4] Patrick Carpentier finished second, followed by Ambrose, Ron Hornaday, Jr., and Boris Said. The top ten was rounded out with Carl Edwards, Jason Leffler, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Steve Wallace.^[3]

Results

Standings after the race

Clint Bowyer led the points standings after the race.

References