Boris Said Looking to Close the Deal in Montreal

Boris Said

Boris Said's part-time NASCAR schedule gets busy in the next two weeks, beginning with Saturday's (Aug. 2) Nationwide race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

The Canadian road race will be the second Nationwide event of the season for Said, who will drive the No. 25 No Fear Energy/Advance Auto Parts Ford Fusion under the Team Rensi Motorsports banner.

Known for his road racing prowess, Said will also compete the following week in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide races at the Watkins Glen International road course in upstate New York.

"The next two weeks give us a great opportunity to turn around our season," offered Said. "We have the equipment and the crew to do some good things in Montreal and Watkins Glen."

Said's immediate focus is the challenging Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, named after the legendary French Canadian Formula I driver.

"This is a really technical course where breaks are going to play a key role," noted Said. "We will have our Performance Friction Breaks, which are the best in the business. As I said, we're bringing the best of the best to Canada."

In last year's inaugural Nationwide race in Montreal, Said qualified fourth and was running in the top 10 when his engine expired with nine laps remaining. He was credited with a 28th-place finish.

"Last year was unfortunate for us," explained Said. "If we can avoid the malfunctions and the accidents, I feel our No Fear Energy/Advance Auto Parts Ford will have the potential to run with the leaders."

Though he would relish his first Nationwide win, Said is not setting any lofty goals for the Canadian event. He has had enough bad fortunes this season, including at the Nationwide road race in Mexico City where his strong run was stymied when he got collected in an accident.

"Whether it's been a Cup race or a Nationwide race, we just haven't been able to close the deal this year," offered Said. "Finishing the race on the lead lap would sit well with me right now. If we can do that, there's a pretty good chance it will be a better than decent finish."

Saturday's event will be Said's 17th career Nationwide race. He has secured two career poles and has finished in the top five four times and the top 10 five times. His best finish was second at the 2006 Mexico City race.