Ron Fellows facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ron Fellows
Fellows in 2007
Born	(1959-09-28) September 28, 1959 (age 65) Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Achievements	2001 24 Hours of Daytona co-winner 2003 American Le Mans Series GTS class champion 2001, 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans GTS class winner 2002, 2004 12 Hours of Sebring GTS class winner
NASCAR Cup Series career
25 races run over 16 years
2013 position	44th
Best finish	43rd (2007)
First race	1995 The Bud At The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Last race	2013 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 5 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
25 races run over 14 years
2013 position	123rd
Best finish	39th (2011)
First race	1997 Lysol 200 (Watkins Glen)
Last race	2013 Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 (Mid-Ohio)
First win	1998 Lysol 200 (Watkins Glen)
Last win	2008 NAPA Auto Parts 200 (Montreal)
Wins Top tens Poles 4 15 2
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
15 races run over 4 years
Best finish	35th (1999)
First race	1997 Pronto Auto Parts 400K (Texas)
Last race	2000 Bully Hill Vineyards 150 (Watkins Glen)
First win	1997 Parts America 150 (Watkins Glen)
Last win	1999 Bully Hill Vineyards 150 (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 5 3
Statistics current as of November 17, 2013.

Ronald Charles Fellows CM (born September 28, 1959) is a retired Canadian auto racing driver. He is known for his success in sports car racing and as a specialized driver in NASCAR.

Personal Life and Inspiration

Ron Fellows was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He became a fan of racing when he was only four years old. His hero was the French-Canadian Formula 1 driver Gilles Villeneuve. Fellows admired Villeneuve so much that he has one of the largest collections of his merchandise in Canada.

As a kid, Fellows watched F1 races at a track in Montreal. That track was later renamed the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after his idol passed away in 1982. Fellows dreamed of one day winning a race on that very track. In 2008, his dream came true when he won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race there.

Fellows is married to his wife Lynda, and they have three children. He is good friends with fellow drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jacques Villeneuve, who is Gilles Villeneuve's son.

Racing Career

How It All Started

Fellows began his racing journey in go-karts. He later moved up to open-wheel cars like Formula Ford 1600. When he ran out of money for racing, he had to stop and worked on gas pipelines for nine years.

In the 1980s, he returned to racing with help from an instructor. He started his professional career in 1986, driving a Chevrolet Camaro. This was the beginning of a long and successful career.

Success in Sports Cars

Fellows became a star in sports car racing. He was especially good in the SCCA Trans-Am Series, where he won 19 races.

In 1998, he joined GM's Corvette Racing team. This partnership became legendary. He helped make the Chevrolet Corvette C5-R a famous race car. With Corvette Racing, he won some of the world's biggest endurance races. These include the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.

His team also found great success at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. They won their class in 2001 and 2002. Fellows and the Corvette team dominated the American Le Mans Series for many years, winning championships in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

NASCAR's Road Course Expert

Fellows during the 2013 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Fellows was also famous in NASCAR, where he was known as a "road course ringer." A road course ringer is a driver who is an expert at tracks with both left and right turns, unlike the oval tracks where most NASCAR races happen. Teams would hire him just for these special races.

He won six times in NASCAR's lower-level series. He had four wins in the Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) and two wins in the Camping World Truck Series. His first Nationwide Series win in 1998 made him the first non-American to win a race in that series.

In the top-level Sprint Cup Series, Fellows never won a race, but he came very close. In 1999, he finished second at Watkins Glen International. He also had a strong race at Sonoma in 2003, where he led many laps before a pit stop problem dropped him to seventh place. In 2004, he had an amazing drive at Watkins Glen, starting in last place (43rd) and finishing second.

One of his most emotional victories was in 2008. He won the Nationwide Series race in Montreal at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. This was the track named after his childhood hero, making the win a dream come true.

Life After Driving

Fellows at Road America in 2012 with his youngest son.

Even though he is retired from full-time racing, Fellows is still very involved in motorsports. He owns the Ron Fellows Performance Driving Schools, where he teaches others how to drive high-performance cars.

In 2011, Fellows and his partners bought the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. This is a famous racetrack in Canada. Thanks to him, the NASCAR Truck Series returned to race there.

In 2007, Chevrolet honored him by creating a special "Ron Fellows Edition" Corvette Z06. The car was painted white with red stripes, just like the race cars he drove.

For his amazing career and contributions to racing, Fellows was awarded the Order of Canada in 2019. This is one of the highest honors a Canadian citizen can receive. He was also inducted into the Trans-Am Series Hall of Fame in 2025.

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2000	Corvette Racing	Chris Kneifel Justin Bell	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R	GTS	326	11th	4th
2001	Corvette Racing	Scott Pruett Johnny O'Connell	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R	GTS	278	8th	1st
2002	Corvette Racing	Johnny O'Connell Oliver Gavin	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R	GTS	335	11th	1st
2003	Corvette Racing	Johnny O'Connell Franck Fréon	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R	GTS	326	12th	3rd
2004	Corvette Racing	Max Papis Johnny O'Connell	Chevrolet Corvette C5-R	GTS	334	8th	2nd
2005	Corvette Racing	Max Papis Johnny O'Connell	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R	GT1	347	6th	2nd
2006	Corvette Racing	Johnny O'Connell Max Papis	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R	GT1	327	12th	7th
2007	Corvette Racing	Johnny O'Connell Jan Magnussen	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R	GT1	342	6th	2nd
2008	Corvette Racing	Johnny O'Connell Jan Magnussen	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R	GT1	344	14th	2nd
Source:

Images for kids

• 

  Fellows' 2011 Nationwide Series car at Road America.

See also

In Spanish: Ron Fellows para niños

• List of Canadians in NASCAR