Montreal: JR Motorsports preview

Ron Fellows No. 88 Canadian Tire Chevrolet

What makes Montreal such a good destination for NASCAR? "Montreal is a great event, not only for the Quebec-based fans, but for the teams too. It's such a change of pace from what we typically deal with. Most of the tracks we visit in the states aren't in the middle of the city like Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. So it's definitely a unique weekend. My family always enjoys going to Montreal, especially all the great restaurants."

Are there any secrets to getting around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve? "As far as the track goes, you need the best of both worlds. You need good brakes and a lot of power. The track has some very long straightaways followed by high braking corners. Our Canadian Tire Chevrolet will need a lot of horsepower to get off the corners and onto the straights with speed, but we'll have to have a good brake package in order to get slowed down enough to make those sharp corners. It's a fast, fun track and you get to do a lot of shifting."

J.R. Fitzpatrick No. 7 Schick Hydro Chevrolet

What has it been like working with JRM this season? "It's been a good experience for me to work with Tony Eury Jr. and all the guys on this Schick Hydro team at JRM. We've had one top-10 effort in my two races with the team, but now I want to go out there and get a top-five run at Montreal. I know we're a good enough team to do it. We just need to stay focused and stay out of trouble, which at Montreal can be a tough thing to do. Sometimes trouble just seems to find you there."

You have a busy weekend running both the Nationwide Series race and the Canadian Tire Series race, what are your thoughts on that? "I think running the Canadian Tire Series race on Sunday morning before the Nationwide race is a good thing. Not only have we been running great in that series, but as a driver any time you can get more laps at a track you're going to take advantage of it. Plus, we're running fulltime in that series and have the championship points lead right now. It's a thrill to have the potential to win that race and the Nationwide Series race. I'm really looking forward to that chance."

-source: jrm