Carpentier to Compete in Two Races in Montreal
PATRICK CARPENTIER'S MONTREAL NASCAR BUSCH RIDE TO BE SPONSORED BY ZELLERS, KOMATSU, DODGE & CINEMAS GUZZO
MONTREAL - July 10, 2007 - Patrick Carpentier officially announced Tuesday at a press conference held in Montreal that he will compete in the inaugural NASCAR Series Busch race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 4, 2007. Sitting next to his new sponsors on the podium, the Quebec-born driver made public his plans to race in front of his home crowd in the two major events held the first weekend of August. The media conference was designed to update the Canadian media on the support of major companies such as Zellers, Komatsu, Dodge Quebec Dealer Advertising Association and Cinemas Guzzo in his new foray in NASCAR.
A regular driver in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, Carpentier was already scheduled to race in round 11 of the 2007 Daytona Prototype schedule, which will be held in Montreal on Friday August 3rd. At the press conference, the French Canadian driver also revealed that he will drive the Fitz Motorsports Dodge in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 - Presented by Dodge. Based in Mooresville, North Carolina and owned by Armando Fitz, the team has been competing in the Busch Series since 2001 and is considered one of the leading independent teams in the division.
Addressing the media, Carpentier thanked all the sponsors and the intervening parties who relentlessly worked to make this Montreal race program come to term.
"Prior to the press conference, I personally thanked all the sponsors and everyone that worked so hard to make this come through," said Carpentier. "I am very happy to have the support of Zellers, a major retail store chain with locations across Canada, Federal Equipment and the Komatsu group, the Dodge Quebec Dealer Advertising Association and Cinemas Guzzo, a Montreal chain of theatres. Without their support, my dream of running in the NASCAR Busch Series would have never happened."
"I think running in both series on the same weekend will be a plus for me, even though the racing lines will not be quite the same in several turns. However, this advantage shouldn't last forever as my opponents are all talented professionals and they won't take too much time to figure out the track. The competition will be tough, but I do believe that I will be competitive and that the team and I will quickly adjust the car to my liking," concluded Carpentier.
Also addressing the media during the press conference were the sponsors involved in Carpentier's venture into NASCAR. They all expressed how proud they were to be associated with him.
"As the retailer that carries the largest assortment of NASCAR product in Canada, we are especially proud to be a part of Patrick's team for the inaugural NASCAR Busch Series race held in Canada," said Serge Coursol, the Regional Vice President for Zellers on behalf of Debbie Edwards, Senior Vice President of Marketing for HBC. "NASCAR is one of the fastest growing sports in North America, and Patrick Carpentier is a world class Canadian athlete that deserves to have a leading Canadian brand like Zellers supporting him."
Alain Ouellette, President and CEO of Federal Equipment, and representing the Komatsu dealers in Canada - Coneco Equipment and Transwest Mining, also spoke about Carpentier during his brief intervention with the media. "We are proud to announce the association of Federal Equipment and the Komatsu group with the Patrick Carpentier and the Fitz Motorsports team in promoting Patrick's participation in the very first NASCAR race in Montreal. We believe that this milestone event will launch Patrick's long career on the NASCAR scene."
Patrick Dandurand, President, Dodge Quebec Dealer Advertising Association sees the sponsorship as a perfect opportunity to support a local talent and promote the Dodge brand. "Dodge dealers are really excited to have the opportunity to support Patrick and share his passion for race car driving," said Dandurand. "Partnering with him this way ties the excitement of the event into the showroom experience for our customers."
Even NASCAR Busch Series director Joe Balash sent a word to Patrick Carpentier prior to the start of the press conference to welcome him to the series. "With the addition of Patrick to the race, it continues to add that hometown feel to the event. It also rounds out what will be a star-studded international field and should make this one of the most exciting NASCAR Busch Series road course events."
As for COO and Chief Operating Officer Vincenzo Guzzo, he was all fired up with the association between Cinemas Guzzo and Patrick Carpentier.
The NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge will be held on Saturday August 4, 2007, at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. The weekend of activities begins on Friday with the Grand-Am Rolex Series, and will feature a race from the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Information:
Max d'Orsonnens - 514-990-4988
Robert Desrosiers - 514-975-6223
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