MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 5, 2019) – Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today that Alex Tagliani will drive the organization’s No. 51 Tundra Aug. 25 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ont. Tagliani’s No. 51 Tundra will carry sponsorship from three Canadian companies; CanTorque, Spectra Premium and RONA.
The Canadian has two poles, 15 laps led, one top-five and two top-10 finishes across four career NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series starts, all coming at the 2.459-mile road course north of the border. In addition to four Gander Truck Series starts, Tagliani has compiled four poles, 92 laps led, four top-five and five top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 13.0 across eight NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, all on road courses. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series where he has recorded one win, one pole, 42 laps led, three top-five and three top-10 finishes across four starts and sits third in the championship standings this season.
Overall across 75 career Pinty’s Series starts Tagliani has collected nine wins, 10 poles, 33 top-five and 51 top-10 finishes, including a win in last year’s race which was held prior to the Gander Truck Series event. He finished second in the championship standings in 2018 and third in 2016. He will once again pull double-duty, competing in the 51-lap Pinty’s Series race Sunday morning before the 64-lap Gander Truck Series event Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a real honor to represent KBM by driving the 51 Truck — I really appreciate Kyle and the entire team’s trust in giving me the opportunity to try to win,” Tagliani said. “Carrying three Canadian Company to support the initiative at CTMP is really special. CanTorque showcasing their new tools made in Canada, driving a KBM truck equipped with a Spectra Premium Radiator and having lucky fans living a special behind the scene experience feels really unique.”
“Having CanTorque join Kyle Busch Motorsports and being featured as primary sponsor on Alex’s truck is a dream come true,” Colin Livingston, president of CanTorque said. “The timing couldn’t have been better. CanTorque has been working tirelessly over the past four years to complete the designs of our range of industrial torque and tension products. At the same time, we’ve developed our ‘Made-In-Canada’ manufacturing platform and are very proud of the products we’re producing. NASCAR and specifically our association with Tag for the last 11 years and now the opportunity with KBM will allow us to properly showcase our products and services as we work to expand our distribution coverage in North America. Racing and business are about capitalizing on timing, which is perfect for KBM, Alex Tagliani and CanTorque to align for the CTMP race. It’s no secret that KBM has the best equipment in Trucks and that Alex is one of the all-time best drivers at CTMP. We look forward to working with everyone at KBM and are counting the days until the August NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series which is one of the most popular races on the Gander Trucks calendar.”
We are proud to support Tag in is quest for victory, the timing couldn’t be more perfect with sweltering heat that we are going thru. Tag’s KBM #51 will be equipped with a Spectra Premium high-performance radiator which does a great job managing these conditions.
“Being part of Alex’s NASCAR program since 2017, we are excited to be part of this great opportunity for Alex and to also be giving two great fans the chance to experience the race weekend from behind the scenes with KBM and Tag in their quest for victory, we invite fans to come during this year GP3R 50th anniversary compete in different fun activity in our Rona challenge kiosk to be eligible to this amazing opportunity for the Gander Outdoor truck series race and have a GP3R representative as a host.
Tagliani competed in eight consecutive Indianapolis 500’s from 2009 to 2016. Was rookie of the year in 2009, He captured the pole for the 2011 event and led at least one lap in each of his last six starts in the 500. His best result was a 10th-place finish in the 2010 event. Overall in 74 IndyCar Series starts, he compiled three poles, 228 laps led and an average finish of 14.5 From 2000 to 2007 he competed in the CART Series where he recorded one win, four poles, 456 laps led, 14 podium finishes and an average finish of 10.2 across 131 starts.
The veteran racer has also competed in the Australian Supercars, NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series and the Weathertech SportsCar Championship throughout his career.
About CanTorque:
Founded in 2000-CanTorque Inc. is an Edmonton based designer and manufacturer of industrial bolting tools and accessories. Our range includes square drive hydraulic torque wrenches, low profile hydraulic torque wrenches, pneumatic torque wrenches, stud tensioning systems & calibration equipment. We’ve been a sponsor of Alex Tagliani since he rejoined IndyCar in 2008 and have worked with him in numerous series since then. More information can be found at www.cantorque.com
About Spectra Premium:
Based in Boucherville, Que., Spectra Premium is a North American automotive, light and heavy-duty truck parts manufacturer for the heating & cooling, fuel delivery and engine management systems. Since November 2018, Spectra Premium has become one of the few Approved Radiator Suppliers under NASCAR’s technical specifications for the Xfinity and Gander Outdoors Truck Series. Spectra Premium cooling system engineers honed their stock-car racing expertise in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, the highest national stock-car series in Canada, in which the radiator provided convincing results after only two years on the tracks.
About RONA:
Created in 1939, RONA is a banner of Lowe’s Canada, one of Canada’s leading home improvement company whose head office is located in Boucherville, Quebec. Spanning the entire country, RONA’s vast network of more than 400 stores includes both corporate stores and independent affiliated dealers. Known for its large in-store and online product selection as well as for its installation services, RONA also provides expert support and advice to its retail and pro customers for their building and renovation projects.
About Kyle Busch Motorsports:
Since debuting in 2010, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has quickly established itself as one of the most successful teams in all of NASCAR. Owned by 2015 Cup Series champion Kyle Busch and fueled by his passion for winning, the organization holds the Gander Outdoors Truck Series records for most career wins (74) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record six Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers; Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).