Tony Ave | |||||||
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![]() Ave at Road America in 2010
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Born |
Hurley, Wisconsin, U.S. |
November 10, 1968 ||||||
Achievements | 2010 Trans-Am Series champion | ||||||
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
2 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 67th (2009) | ||||||
First race | 2004 Sirius at the Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
Last race | 2009 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
4 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 87th (2010) | ||||||
First race | 2009 NAPA Auto Parts 200 (Montreal) | ||||||
Last race | 2010 NAPA 200 (Montreal) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of November 30, 2011. |
Tony Ave (born November 10, 1968) is a championship race car driver born in Hurley, Wisconsin, U.S.. He competed in the Grand-Am Series from 2000 until 2002, in Formula Atlantic from 1996 until 2001, and in the Trans-Am in 2002. He also made three Indy Lights starts in 1993 and one Indy Pro Series start in 2003. In 2004, Ave raced one race in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series at Watkins Glen finishing 31st.
In 2009 he was a regular competitor in the revived SCCA Trans-Am Series, driving a Chevrolet Corvette. In 2010, he brought Chevrolet its first Trans Am championship since Paul Gentilozzi in 1998.
He won the 2010 and 2011 Trans-Am Series Championships. Ave owns his own race-team, Tony Ave Motorsports, which has become one of the most popular race teams amongst fans. However he mostly drives for Lamers Racing.
In 2004, Tony Ave made his NASCAR debut when he drove the #80 car owned by Lamers Racing, a satellite team of Joe Gibbs Racing. Starting 42nd, Ave dropped out after 84 laps with a brake problem, finishing 31st.
Ave returned to the Cup series in 2009, competed at Watkins Glen on August 10, 2009 in the rain-delayed Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. Ave completed eight laps and finished 43rd in his #37 Long John Silver's Dodge owned by Brad Jenkins. Ave will also participate in the Nationwide NAPA Parts D'Auto 200 presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as a road course ringer.
Ave participated in the #35 car owned by TriStar Motorsports in the 2010 Bucyrus 200 at Road America in his home state of Wisconsin. After racing in the Top 10 for most of the race, he spun out on the final lap and dropped out of the Top 10. He returned to the #35 team for the other 2 road course races, finishing 15th at Watkins Glen & leading 1 lap in Montreal - his first and only lap led in his Xfinity Series career.