Whenever Andrew Ranger showed up to an ARCA Menards Series road-course event during the late 2000s and early 2010s, there was a consensus amongst those in the garage area on that weekend.
He was the man to beat.
Ranger has only entered five road-course races in the ARCA Menards Series during his illustrious career; he won four of them at the same track, New Jersey Motorsports Park. When combining his results in the ARCA Menards Series East and West, Ranger has seven total road-course victories on the platform.
The checkered flag Ranger picked up at New Jersey in 2014 is his most recent ARCA Menards Series platform start to date, but that changes with Friday’s General Tire 100 at the Glen (1:30 p.m. ET on FS2). Still just as efficient on road courses now as he was in the 2010s, Ranger is eager to run another ARCA Menards Series event after such a prolonged absence.
“This is amazing, [it’s been] a crazy long time ago,” Ranger said. “I’m so happy just to be back in the ARCA Menards Series. It’s a fun series, and every time we raced ARCA, we did pretty well, finished in the top five, a lot of wins. It’s very exciting to be back with the No. 53 car.”
The car number is not the only aspect returning for Ranger at Watkins Glen International this weekend. He is also teaming up with the same car owner from all his ARCA Menards Series wins: Robert Torriere.
Ranger’s initial partnership with Torriere saw the two contest numerous events on road courses and ovals between the three ARCA Menards Series divisions. While they never recorded any oval wins, Ranger still found success on them, as his only two national oval starts, at Chicagoland Speedway and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, ended with fifth-place finishes.
The two even tested their fortunes in NASCAR with Ranger piloting Torriere’s No. 53 to a top five in his lone NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2014. Across six NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series appearances together, Ranger’s best showing with Torriere was a sixth that came in 2011 at Road America.
No matter where they raced, Ranger knew he could always count on Torriere to assemble a competitive car. Ranger is proud of everything he and Torriere accomplished in stock cars together and is looking forward to resuming that successful partnership at Watkins Glen on Saturday.
“[Torriere and I] raced together for four or five years with Waste Management [as a sponsor],” Ranger said. “That team was from Vermont before, and it was close to Canada, so I had the great opportunity to do a lot up there because the shop was close. The fit was perfect.”
There was a specific reason as to why Torriere and so many other owners trusted Ranger with their cars at road course events: his background.
Ranger initially developed his craft in the Champ Car World Series, competing alongside notable names like Sebastien Bourdais, Will Power, Justin Wilson and A.J. Allmendinger. Most of the venues at which Ranger competed in his two Champ Car seasons were road courses, which provided him plenty of insight on how to tackle each unique corner.
When Ranger moved over to the NASCAR Canada Series in 2007, he wasted no time showcasing what he learned in open-wheel cars.
Ranger won the Canada Series championship in his rookie season by 103 points against seasoned veteran D.J. Kennington. Since that stellar debut, Ranger has tacked on two more titles in 2009 and 2019 while accumulating 35 career victories, the most of any driver in the history of the Canada Series.
Fresh off a third-place finish in the Canada Series standings, Ranger is preparing to contest his 16th full-time season and his 19th overall. There are many aspects about the Canada Series that have kept bringing Ranger back for almost two decades, from the diversity of its venues to the overall atmosphere.
“A lot of fun tracks and a lot of fun events,” Ranger said. “About 70 percent of the tracks we go to, there’s more than 20,000 people there. [You] have street course, short ovals and nice tracks. I just enjoy it with my family there. We camp there, [so] it’s a family sport. It’s just amazing to race in Canada.”
With how difficult it was to accrue enough funding for competition in the United States, Ranger was content with closing out his career chasing wins and titles in the Canada Series. He would only deviate from that plan if the right chance materialized.
Torriere became the one to provide that opportunity, as he contacted Ranger last year about a new ARCA Menards Series chassis that was in his shop. The two expressed a mutual interest in making another ARCA Menards Series attempt together, setting into motion a chain of events that brought Ranger to the entry list for the General Tire 100 at the Glen.
A lot has changed in the ARCA Menards Series since Ranger earned his most recent win at New Jersey more than a decade ago. The cars now feature composite bodies that resemble the Gen 6 design from the NASCAR Cup Series, while only one driver from Ranger’s New Jersey triumph is on the Watkins Glen entry list (Brad Smith).
Yet the unfamiliarity of the modern ARCA Menards Series platform is a challenge Ranger is embracing. Having accomplished so much across different forms of racing, Ranger is not stressed about the circumstances and is eager to see how his car performs at a track like Watkins Glen that requires precision behind the wheel.
If he can find a cadence Friday, Ranger is optimistic it will be just like old times for him and Torriere in the ARCA Menards Series.
“I raced [O’Reilly Series] cars, so they look a little bit [similar],” Ranger said. “It’s going to be a brand new chassis, brand new car, brand new everything, so I’ll be honest, I’m there to have fun. Watkins Glen is a fast road course. The last time we raced there, we also won the race and finished second.
“I just want to be there, enjoy the moment and try to do my best.”
Enjoyment has always been at the forefront of Ranger’s mindset with any race he enters. Two decades in motorsports have taught Ranger that nothing comes easy, but staying positive through the highs and lows helped him maintain a positive outlook that continues to guide him into the present day.
Ranger would love to make more ARCA Menards Series road-course starts after Friday, but he needs to get through Watkins Glen first. Even though he and Torriere are technically entering uncharted territory with the current chassis and rules, Ranger is familiar with the track and the cohesion the two have shared before.
By applying years of knowledge obtained about stock cars and road courses, Ranger feels he and Torriere can re-establish the formula that led them to Victory Lane so many times.
“The goal is to survive,” Ranger said. “If I can be in the top five, perfect. If we can win the race, let’s go. I don’t have a lot of expectations for [Watkins Glen]. I don’t know the team, and I don’t know the car, but I know we can do well.
“If I can win that race, it would be just amazing. I’d be very proud.”
Ranger’s track record speaks for itself. No driver was more efficient on road courses in the ARCA Menards Series than him during the 21st century. That quality has remained during Ranger’s exploits in his home country of Canada.
A new generation of drivers will pull in alongside Ranger at Watkins Glen this weekend, and the consensus in the garage area is expected to be the same as it was when Ranger made his last start back in 2014.
He will be the man to beat.
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