@Tagliani • @NASCARHomeTrack • @CTMPOfficial • @NASCAR_Trucks • Montreal, QC (August 30, 2015) - On the heels of race leader Erik Jones and with only half a lap to go in the race, Alex Tagliani saw his hope of winning the race go up in smoke as he left Corner 5 in Sunday's headline event at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.
agliani then realized that he could not shift into third gear. Face with this handicap, the Canadian driver managed to take home the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing Cooper Standard Ford F-150 in fifth place overall at the conclusion of the 64-lap Chevrolet Silverado 250 race. Michigan rookie Erik Jones won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event ahead of Californian Matt Crafton and Ben Kennedy of Daytona Beach, Florida.
"I had no serious warning that my truck was going to give up on me at the end of the race," Tagliani said during a television interview. "I heard a couple of grinds during the race, but it seemed all good. Leaving Corner 5 and heading on the back straight on the last lap, the gear shredded. So I jumped to fourth gear, but the RPMs were too low and some of the guys went by me.
"I always find it tough when I race with drivers that are fighting for the championship. It's not always easy to make a clean pass. It's an unfortunate end for the Cooper Standard crew because the number 29 truck was good all weekend. It was a really fun ride and I enjoyed it thanks to Brad Keselowski and his crew."
A Great Run Until Three Laps to Go in Canadian Tire Series Race
Alex Tagliani also had a great run with his No. 18 EpiPen/CGI/CanTorque Chevrolet until lap 49 of 51 in Round 10 of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series held Sunday morning. Tagliani Autosport's early pit stop strategy after starting fourth on the grid, put Tagliani back in contention as he took the lead for the first time on lap 23 of the Pinty's present the Clarington 200. He relinquished the lead to Jeff Lapcevich of Ancaster, Ontario on lap 34. On lap 41, Tagliani retook the lead from Lapcevich, but on the next one, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin of Trois-Rivières sped by Tagliani, before the race went into yellow mode for the fourth time until lap 48.
Then the sky fell down on Tagliani when his car was roughed up and punted when the track went green with three laps to go. He slipped to seventh place and finally finish eight overall. In the melee, Jason Hathaway of St. Thomas, Ontario emerged on top to finish ahead of L-P Dumoulin. Lapcevich finished third. All in all, a strong run by Tag who fell victim to bumper pushers.
Second Tagliani CTCC Grand Touring Class Win
The day started early at 8:45 a.m., and on a good note for Tagliani who won his second GT class race in two days in round 12 of the Canadian Touring Car Championship. In a race slowed down by two full course yellows, Tagliani's No. 75 Fast Wheels Ford Mustang Boss 302 kept up with the faster leading Super Touring class cars to finish fifth overall, but first in the Grand Touring class. He finished ahead of the GT class rival Porsche Cayman of Ernie Jakubowski of Oakville, Ontario (10th overall) and the Porsche 911 of Ian Crerar of Picton, Ontario (11th).
What's up next for Tag?
Tag's next race in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Kawartha Speedway in Fraserville, Ontario on Saturday September 19 will be the series final round of the season. In the meantime, Tagliani will be in Montreal on Sunday, September 6 for La course Red Bull Boîte à Savon in downtown Montreal on Beaver Hall Hill, near Square Victoria.
The participation of Tagliani Autosport in NCATS is the result of a partnership with Pfizer Canada Inc., the Canadian distributor of EpiPen® (epinephrine) auto-injectors. With his NASCAR program and participation in races across Canada, Alex is the ideal spokesperson to educate the 1.4 million Canadians who are affected by at least one food allergy and the severe life-threatening condition of anaphylaxis. Living with severe allergies to peanuts and nuts himself, Alex carries an EpiPen® Auto-Injector with him at all times. He invites fans to follow him on Facebook and Twitter (@Tagliani), www.TaglianiAutosport.com
To raise money for Anaphylaxis Canada, The Tagliani Foundation is organizing its second Annual Golf Classic at Golf Club Le Mirage on September 29, 2015. For details on the tournament and for tickets, visit http://www.taglianifoundation.org/en/index.html
Tagliani's participation in the two CTCC races at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is a result of a sponsorship from Fast Wheels, a Canadian alloy wheel brand owned by Fastco Canada. Fastco is Canada's largest manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket alloy wheels, tires and accessories. Fastco's head office and distribution centre is located in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada.
Tagliani Autosport is also sponsored by CanTorque, headquartered in Edmonton, which designs and manufactures Industrial Bolting Tools and Accessories; by CGI Group Inc., the fifth largest independent information technology and business process services firm in the world. Riobel, a manufacturer of high-performance faucets and shower systems that are both elegant and sophisticated and available throughout Canada and in a growing number of US states, and Napoleon®, North America's largest privately owned manufacturer of quality wood and gas fireplaces, outdoor living products and heating & cooling products, are also proud sponsors of Tagliani Autosport.
Source: Max d'Orsonnens/ Tagliani Autosport
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