Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Lore & Background

Ownership has changed several times, with former owners Norm Namerow and Harvey Hudes inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. Panoz Motorsports purchased the facility in 1998, and the American Le Mans Series first visited in 1999. In June 2011, Canadian Motorsports Ventures Ltd., including Carlo Fidani and Ron Fellows, purchased the track. A partnership with Canadian Tire in February 2012 led to the renaming as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The Driver Development Centre opened in 2000 and was expanded in 2013. The Mosport Speedway oval operated from 1989 until its closure in July 2013 to accommodate that expansion.

Reader's Guide

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park holds a significant place in Canadian and international motorsport history as one of the country's earliest purpose-built road courses. Its largely unchanged layout, dating from the late 1950s, preserves a classic driving challenge that has attracted top-tier series for decades. The venue played a pivotal role in the development of the Can-Am Series and hosted the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix for many years, helping to establish Canada as a destination for world-class racing. The track's continued use by major series such as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the NASCAR Canada Series demonstrates its enduring relevance. The addition of the Driver Development Centre and the kart track has expanded its role beyond professional racing to include driver training and grassroots motorsport. The renaming in 2012 reflects a corporate partnership that has ensured the facility's modernization while maintaining its historic character. The track's legacy is also marked by tragedy, with several notable fatalities, underscoring the inherent risks of motorsport. Overall, the venue remains a cornerstone of Canadian motorsport, balancing heritage with contemporary demands.

Did You Know?

• Stirling Moss won the inaugural Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport in 1961, and the corner Moss Corner is named after him.
• The track layout has remained mostly unchanged from its original form.
• The Mosport Speedway oval was closed in July 2013 to allow expansion of the Driver Development Centre.

A Cornerstone of Canadian Stock Car Racing

Since the NASCAR Canada Series first took shape in 2007, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, has served as one of the series' most reliable and enduring venues. The track has hosted stock car competition across numerous seasons and at various points throughout the racing calendar, cementing its place in the national stock car landscape. What began as a fledgling series has grown into a fixture of Canadian motorsport, and Bowmanville's role in that story has been central from the very first year. The fact that the venue has accommodated events at different times of year speaks to the flexibility of the circuit and the sustained demand it generates among fans and teams alike. For drivers competing in the NASCAR Canada Series, a stop at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park has long been a benchmark — a chance to prove speed on a layout that has become synonymous with Canadian stock car racing. The track's consistent presence on the calendar since 2007 underscores how deeply embedded it is in the sport's national identity, making Bowmanville a destination that teams plan around and fans anticipate with each new season.

The CarGurus 200: A Spring Showcase

The CarGurus 200 stands as the current title for the NASCAR Canada Series event staged at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the month of May. As one of two regular-season stock car races the track hosts each year, the May date has become a springboard for the competitive season, drawing teams and fans to Bowmanville, Ontario, for what is among the earliest high-profile stock car outings of the calendar. The naming rights arrangement with CarGurus reflects the commercial partnerships that help sustain the series and give each event a distinct identity. In the most recent completed season, Gary Klutt claimed victory in the 2026 edition, earning the title of defending champion heading into the next running of the race. For Klutt, that win added another chapter to the long list of past winners who have etched their names into the record books at this venue. The CarGurus 200 continues to be a marquee stop on the NASCAR Canada Series schedule, a race where the season's form is tested and titles begin to shift.

The WeatherTech 200: An Autumn Finale

The WeatherTech 200 carries the current branding for the NASCAR Canada Series stock car race held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, during the month of September. Serving as the autumn counterpart to the May event, the September race has become a late-season showcase where championship implications and end-of-year form collide on the track. The partnership with WeatherTech as the naming rights sponsor gives the event a recognizable identity within the broader NASCAR ecosystem, linking it to a brand familiar to fans across multiple racing disciplines. In the 2026 running of the race, Andrew Ranger took the checkered flag to become the defending winner, adding his name to the roster of past victors at this venue. For Ranger, the victory represents a significant milestone in a career shaped by the competitive depth of the NASCAR Canada Series. The WeatherTech 200 remains a fixture that teams and drivers regard as a must-win opportunity, a race where the second half of the season is defined and momentum carries into the closing rounds.

The Clarington 200 and Bowmanville's Oval Heritage

Before the current configuration of NASCAR Canada Series events at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park took its present form, Bowmanville, Ontario, was also home to a distinct oval racing tradition. The Clarington 200 was a stock car race that ran annually at Mosport Speedway, a separate venue in the same community. This oval event occupied a unique niche in the Canadian stock car landscape, offering a different type of racing experience compared to the events staged at the main motorsport park. The Clarington 200 attracted its own dedicated following and produced its own list of past winners who competed on the oval at Mosport Speedway. Though the race is now classified as a former event and no longer appears on the active NASCAR Canada Series schedule, its legacy endures as a reminder of the breadth of stock car competition that once thrived in the Bowmanville area. The Clarington 200 represents a chapter in local motorsport history where fans could enjoy the close-quarters drama of oval racing in a community that would go on to host the series' premier events at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

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