OREANDA-NEWS. It was a four-way battle for the 2015 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) presented by Mobil 1 Championship going into this past weekend’s Pinty’s 250 at Kawartha Speedway. But, when the dust settled and the checkered flag flew to close out the 2015 season, it was Scott Steckly, driver of the No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge, hoisting the coveted trophy.
 
Steckly claimed the title over fellow competitors Jason Hathaway, Andrew Ranger and L.P. Dumoulin, who were all in a four-way fight for the championship going into Saturday’s season finale race at the 0.6 km (.375-mile) Ontario track. Steckly, 43, earned the pole with a blistering, track-record lap in qualifying at the wheel of his Dodge-bodied race car.
 
For Steckly, this was his fourth Series title. He became only the 33rd person in the history of NASCAR to win four or more touring or national series championships.
 
As with the majority of the 2015 NCATS competitors, Steckly crossed the finish line at Kawartha Speedway at the wheel of a Dodge Challenger-bodied racing car. More than half of the races this season were won by a Dodge driver, with six of the Top 10 final points positions held by Dodge drivers.
 
Andrew Ranger, the fan-favourite head driver for Team Mopar, closed out the 2015 season third in overall NCATS points after a 10th place finish at Kawartha. The Roxton Pond, Quebec native drove the #27 Mopar Parts Dodge to one win and six top-five finishes this season and has won the Series’ Championship twice previously.

FCA Canada and its vehicle brands have been an integral part of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) since its inception in 2007 and the CASCAR Series which preceded it. Dodge was again at the forefront this season as the official car of the Canadian series and again provided the official pace car – a 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat – alongside a Dodge Grand Caravan for track-side promotional efforts. The Ram Truck brand supplied a Ram 1500 and 3500 as safety vehicles.

As in the past eight seasons, contingency funds were offered for the Dodge/Mopar Quick Three and Dodge/Mopar-powered Quick Three. Awarded after each race, they recognized the fastest drivers in Dodge-bodied cars and those using a proven, race-winning Mopar 5.9-litre V8 under hood. At the Pinty’s 250 at Kawartha Speedway, Steckly and Ranger won the top spots in each respective contingency.

“We want to congratulate all of the Dodge drivers for a great 2015 NCATS seasons and Scott on his hard-fought championship,” said Jim Kiritsis, Senior Manager, National Service and Parts, FCA Canada. “Support of motorsports, from grassroots to the big leagues, is something that runs deep in the DNA at both Dodge and Mopar. We hope the drivers – and especially, the fans – had as much fun watching the 2015 season unfold as we did.”