Canada has produced many great open wheel race car drivers including Formula 1 world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve, Champ Car champion Paul Tracy, IndyCar stars such as Scott Goodyear, Patrick Carpentier and Alex Tagliani. Then there were two who were tragically taken before their time; Gilles Villeneuve and Greg Moore. And right now Canadian James Hinchcliffe is a legitimate star in the IndyCar series, having won three races this past season. On the stock car side of motor racing, however, Canada has come up short with really, only Ron Fellows having more than one win in any of NASCARs top three national series. All that, however, might be about to change with three teenagers of the cusp of making big noise in NASCAR. Cameron Hayley, the 17-year-old NASCAR K&N West Series regular from Calgary, goes into the final race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway this week, just 18 points back of the championship leader. Hayley has already caught the eye of NASCAR executives, being named as part of a handful of young drivers expected to be the next generation of Sprint Cup stars. In his season thus far Hayley has a win and 11 top-five finishes and 14-top 10 results in 14 K&N starts. Next up for him is the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The youngest of the home grown phenoms is 17-year-old Alex Guenette, of Mascouche, Que., who won rookie of the year honours this past season in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Guenette has an ambitious schedule for 2014, with plans to race in the Camping World Truck Series, the U.S. based ARCA Series as well as returning for a sophomore season in the NATCS.( Toronoto Sun )
