Canadian Ready for NASCAR Busch East DebutGREENVILLE-PICKENS, SC Carolina (June 8, 2006) - "It's the start of the 2006 NASCAR Busch East Series season this weekend at Greenville-Pickens Speedway but for new driver Pierre Bourque, it's the start of an opportunity of a lifetime.Driving the No. 10 Full Metals Minerals Chevrolet for Andy Hillenburg's Fast Track Racing, Bourque is determined to earn the respect of his fellow competitors while using the first race of the season as a guiding tool towards the remainder of the season.
"I'm very excited about this weekend," said Bourque a native of Ottawa, Ontario. "We think we have a car capable of running very competitive this weekend, but it's all about getting seat time and that's our main goal this weekend."
Bourque has turned to the ARCA RE/MAX Series to prepare himself for a bid at the 2006 NBE Championship. Thus far, the results have been good.
In May, Bourque made his ARCA debut at Winchester Speedway. After practicing mid-pack, he put the pedal to the metal in time trials putting together a quick lap good enough for 24th. During the course of the caution-filled event, Bourque kept his nose clean, listened to the guidance of Hillenburg and reeled in a solid 13th place effort.
"Winchester was a grueling race, but I am very happy with the way that weekend went," recalled Bourque. "We made the show, raced well and the car was in one piece, I don't think we could have asked for anything more."
Even though he's a rookie, Bourque won't head into Greenville-Pickens Speedway totally off guard as his FTR (Fast Track Racing) team recently spent a day testing at the facility in preparation for this weekend's event.
Bourque kept a solid pace all day long turning competitive times and just a half-second off of the fastest car at the track driven by Sean Cassie under the direction of former NASCAR Busch East champion Andy Santerre. In addition to intense testing conditions, Bourque was able to experience one of the most challenging conditions racecar drivers face, the heat.
"The test was a learning curve," remarked Bourque. "I've never experienced the heat before like that in a racecar and it was a good experience, it prepares me for the future. Overall, the test went exceptionally well and I think we'll be solid all weekend."
While Bourque rolls into the race as a rookie, he'll have plenty of experience on his side with Andy Hillenburg. Hillenburg was the 1995 ARCA champion and continues to be involved in the series as a car owner while continuing to promote his Fast Track Driving School in North Carolina. "Having Andy on my side is an asset," mentioned Bourque. "He is the reason for my early success in stock car racing and I'm excited about our future together."
"While the goal is to win, I want to finish the races this season in the Busch East schedule. We've set a couple goals for ourselves for the rest of the year and I think we can achieve them. The goal is to use the remainder of the year as a 'test session' preparing for further events in the ARCA RE/MAX Series later this year. I know that Andy Hillenburg and his staff will provide me with the equipment allowing me to be very competitive off the truck and that's a good feeling."
The Busch East Series 150 (150 laps/200 miles) is the first of 11 events on the 2006 NASCAR Busch East Series schedule. Practice begins Friday, June 9th with an optional practice. The second round of practice begins Saturday, June 10th with a two hour (1:00pm-3:00pm EST) session planned. Busch pole qualifying is on tap Saturday afternoon (6:00pm EST) with the race set to take the green flag later that night at 8:00pm EST. The race will be broadcasted live in high-definition television on HDNet.
In the coming weeks, Bourque will unveil a new racing website.
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DATE: June 8th, 2006
NAME: Chris Knight, Fast Track Racing
PHONE: 734-674-9108
EMAIL: Knight849@aol.com
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