NASCAR | A bottomless pit, laments Andrew Ranger

In his early twenties, Andrew Ranger was seen as a rising star in NASCAR. Fifteen years later, the American dream is extinct. Or almost. He does not deny a certain bitterness. But the pilot feels good in the Canadian series. Maintenance.

Frederick Duchesneau
Press

“When I watch television and see the top 10 in the Cup Series, guys against whom I raced, whom I passed… I won against them! This is what gets a little frustrating. ”

The pilot from Roxton Pond – a few minutes from Granby – however does not breathe resentment. Despite the burglary he and his wife suffered two weeks ago, Ranger even seems in a good mood on the phone.

At 34, the man who must now be called a veteran has just enjoyed a fine end to the season in NASCAR Pinty’s, the Canadian circuit. After a solid last weekend, he finished the calendar in second place, eight points behind Louis-Philippe Dumoulin. Tiny gap. In 2019, Andrew Ranger won the championship. Last year, he did not participate in the very shortened pandemic season.

Ranger has three Canadian NASCAR championships – including the first in series history, in 2007 – and a record 30 wins. On this side of the border, he doesn’t have much to prove.

Originally, it was south of the border that his career in NASCAR took shape, after his debut in single-seater.

In 2009 – the year of his second Canadian title – he competed in five races in the Nationwide Series, ancestor of the current Xfinity, the second largest in American NASCAR. Same thing in 2011.

But since 2013, apart from a few events scattered around the United States, his career has been Canadian NASCAR.

The example of Raphaël Lessard

Talent was never in doubt in the case of Andrew Ranger. But like many others before and after him, he hit the financial wall.

The phone has never completely stopped ringing, he says. But the conditions, in his eyes, were unacceptable.

“When I was called to tell me that instead of costing me $ 100,000 for a race, they would do me for $ 30,000, already there, for me, it was an insult. I would say to them: “If you want to have me, it’s to win and I’m not a paid driver, I’m a driver you pay to go.” I find it hard to believe that a big series in the United States is often not able to pay its drivers. ”

In Pinty’s, he is paid to take part in the tests, he explained. This sometimes surprised the neighbors to the south.

Bitter? ” Yes Yes… ”

With the passing years and an increased understanding of the environment and its strings, the disappointment gradually fades. Still.

Xfinity, ARCA, K&N. The North American series, Ranger has practically all experienced them.

“And it’s true that the Cup and the Xfinity are apart from the others, on the spectator side, visibility. It is sure that it is the top. But when you talk about the van [Camping World Truck Series, celle où courait Lessard] and that you go down in the other series, that it costs millions and that there are hardly any people in the stands, that makes me fail, ”he drops.

So, a recurring theme in motor racing, there is money, the funds that the driver can drain.

But besides that aspect, was Ranger missing anything else? Some aptitude for self-promotion, let’s say. We think here, for example, of the chatter of Alex Tagliani who, at 48, still holds his own in the world of NASCAR.

“Tag, he’s a very good driver, but he’s lucky to sell himself… He’s incredible. Me, I see myself more like a Patrick Carpentier, he compares. We’re doing our job and maybe it’s a little harder to sell ourselves as drivers. On that side, maybe yes, that it was a little something that I missed. But I had an agent [Alan Labrosse] who really did his job. Except at some point it’s hard for an agent to find millions of dollars. ”

Happy

The American door is not double locked for Ranger, who has a pilot academy in his name, at the Sanair complex. By concluding his first season with Rick Ware Racing strong, he may have scored more important points than those in the standings.

The owner owns cars in each of the three major NASCAR series in the United States. So, you never know.

“I think there are still possibilities. If Rick says that on the weekend he wants to have Andrew in Xfinity, let’s go. It is not more complicated than that. ”

But, on a permanent basis, Ranger seems to strongly doubt it. There is more, in fact. Priorities change as you get older. He is the father of a boy who will soon be 10 years old.

“I’m really aiming for NASCAR Pinty’s, to be honest. I’m super happy in it. I am concentrating there, my family is in Quebec. I am really happy where I am. You never know what can happen, but for now, I don’t really think I will do a full season in the United States, ”he said.

His contract for the next season has not yet been signed, but it bodes well, he says. The boss was “really satisfied” with his second place in the championship.

Then, on his own, Andrew Ranger feels the need to emphasize the quality of the Pinty’s series. He appoints Tagliani, Marc-Antoine Camirand, the Dumoulin brothers, DJ Kennington.

“They are all top drivers. So I don’t have to say I’m “just Pinty’s”. No. The competition is tough. It’s really not easy and it’s fun. ”

The challenge and the fun are there, and the income is good. The best make a good living in Canadian NASCAR, he says.

Unlike what he would experience in the United States, the money goes into his pocket rather than out of it.

“So at some point one plus one …”