Quesnelle Caps Barrie Return With Titles

Ron Quesnelle in his third season of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competition at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway earned the Late Model division track and Ontario provincial championships. Courtesy of Barrie Speedway

Family History At Ontario Oval Is A Point Of Pride

Ron Quesnelle returned to Barrie (Ont.) Speedway three years ago so he could enjoy the unity of his family’s racing efforts. He steadily climbed to the top of the NASCAR Late Model division and reaped the rewards of success in 2011. He won his first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track and provincial championships.

“We have a lot of family history at Barrie Speedway,” Quesnelle said. “My parents Russell and Marie own the car my brother drives and dad was one of the original guys who raced there when it opened. Barrie Speedway just feels like home.”

Quesnelle built toward his success in 2011. He placed fifth in track points in 2009 and second in 2010. His breakthrough championship season was a record setter. His 13 feature wins are a single-season record on the track’s eight-year-old tri-oval configuration. In addition to the victories, he scored 28 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes in 32 starts. He placed 95th in the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Top 500, as well.

“The race for the provincial championship went down to the last race on the last night of the season,” Quesnelle said. “We had to win twin 50-lap features, and we did.”

Quesnelle, 47, of Penetang, won the Ontario championship by just eight points over Andrew Gresel who competed at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway.

The Quesnelle family also kept an eye on the battle for the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship.

“My oldest son Curtis got to be a Keith Rocco fan and was following what he was doing every weekend,” Quesnelle said. “At the Charlotte banquet it was great to meet Keith, Philip Morris and some of the guys we tracked every week. Curtis had his picture taken with Keith.

.“We were overwhelmed by the experience NASCAR treated us to in Charlotte,” Quesnelle said. “Being at the NASCAR Hall of Fame was great. Just thinking about the Red Carpet treatment we got at the banquet still gives me goose bumps. Our track owners Rick and Diane Hurst and Doug and Angie Clarke were also there to take good care of us.”

Russell Quesnelle raced at Barrie when the track opened in the mid-1960s and put a 16-year-old Ron in the driver’s seat in the early 1980s. Russell eventually added a second car for younger son, Steven, to drive. They kept racing together at Barrie even when economics forced them to sell one of their cars. The brothers then alternated roles as driver and crew chief from year to year.

Ron teamed up with his current car owners, Ron and Cheryl MacLennan, about 10 years ago and migrated to another track. That move allowed Steven to race his family’s car fulltime at Barrie, where he won the track championship in 2003. While separated on Saturday nights the brothers kept track of each other’s race nights via text messages.

“The new Barrie Speedway owners have made big changes and really stepped up the racing program,” Quesnelle said “It’s really a nice track. We’re serious about what we do there and the place has been so good to us.”

Greg Cadeau is crew chief for the Maclennan’s RAM Racing team and crewmembers include Mike Peach, Mark Dorrian, Dan Crendell, Ron’s girlfriend, Mandy O’Connell, along with his sons, Curtis and Travis