Series returns to Montreal in 2012 with new promoter

NASCAR Returns to Montréal August 17-18, 2012
OCTANE MANAGEMENT is the new promoter of the event

2012 Start: Jacques Villeneuve, Penske Racing Dodge leads the field

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

Montréal, Wednesday October 19, 2011 - François Dumontier, President of Octane Management, is pleased to announce that his company will become the new promoter of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, presented by Dodge on August 17-18, 2012 at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montréal. NASCAR has confirmed today that Montréal has been included in the 2012 Nationwide Series schedule. From 2009 to 2011, Octane Management acted as the delegated promoter of the event under the mandate of Stock-Car Montreal. With SCM no longer involved with the event, Octane Management is taking over the sanctioning rights with the approval of NASCAR.

"We are very pleased with the fact that NASCAR has entrusted our team with the sanctioning and promotional rights for the Nationwide Series race at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve," said François Dumontier, President of Octane Management. "Ever since the introduction of NASCAR in Montréal in 2007, our team has worked very hard to promote this motorsports event in order to make Montréal, Québec and Canada proud of our efforts. We are happy to see that we have contributed to making this an essential event in the minds of NASCAR, one of the "crown jewel" of the series. Several times over the years, the sanctioning body has expressed its satisfaction about coming to our city for its only major series race held outside of the United States.

We cannot forget the fact that we owe our stock car fans the fine reputation that our event has acquired over the past five years. In the minds of series officials, team owners and members and the drivers, as well as the media attending our NASCAR event, Montréal is a major stop on the tour. We want to thank everyone for their support, and we want to assure them that we will be hard at work to make this event more interesting and more spectacular. We also want to mention that the support of our business partners, UAP-NAPA and Dodge, in this venture is of the utmost importance. It enables us to foresee with confidence a bright future," concluded the President of Octane Management.

"UAP and it NAPA brand are proud to have been the major sponsor of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, presented by Dodge for the first five years of competition. Beside offering a unique window for our brand and our products, the event has attracted the best drivers in the series and thousands of motorsports fans to Montréal," said Robert Hattem, President, and Chief Operating Officer, UAP Inc. "We look forward to a new agreement with Octane Management, with whom we have been partners these past years. We are also proud to say that all together, we have been able to make the NAPA Auto Parts 200, presented by Dodge one of the most popular sporting events in Eastern Canada, and of course one of the best attended event here in Montréal."

In order to stage the NAPA Auto Parts 200, presented by Dodge on August 17 and 18, 2012, the new promoter of the event has also entered into an agreement with La Société du parc Jean-Drapeau for the rental of Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

"As President of the Board of Administration of La Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, I have spent a lot of time and energy to ensure the presentation of a NASCAR race in Montréal for 2012. I am very happy that today's announcement guarantees the coming of a second international motorsports event on Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve," commented Mr. Normand Legault.

Octane Management Inc, a Canadian company established in Montréal, is the new promoter of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, presented by Dodge. Octane Racing Group Inc is the promoter of the FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA by virtue of an agreement made with Formula One Administration Limited and Formula 1 World Championship Limited (together the holder of commercialization rights to F1), and Octane Motorsports Events Inc is the promoter of the Edmonton Indy. We are the only company in the world to promote events from FOM, NASCAR and IndyCar.