Me & Jerome

The Most Famous Roxtonite You've Never Heard Of

I consider myself to be a more than adequate Internet sleuth. No, I don't know a whole lot about computers. But when it comes to mining data and other information from the worldwide web, I'm effective. It requires a bit of tenacity as well. Give me a sliver of information, and I'm usually able to come up with a whole lot more. This column, in which I've written of many otherwise forgotten late 19th and early 20th century Texas League Baseball players, is an example. In fact, people actually seek me out on occasion to see what I can find out about a topic or person for them. Unfortunately, they don't typically offer to pay me for my efforts; then again, I don't normally ask. That's something I think I'll have to change.

The key to internet research is focus. Focusing your eyes and your brain on keywords, names, or places allows them to "pop out" of the screen. For example, I've developed a keen eye for "Roxton" as I do my research. And occasionally, I hit a gold mine. Other times, not so much. But in digging for information on a totally different topic recently, my eyes caught a "Roxton" in a list of birthplaces. Now, I've never heard of this fellow, and he's not that old. But he is a Roxtonite, no less. I'm betting that not much of anyone ever living in Roxton has heard of him either.

Andrew Ranger (he even has a Texas-related last name!), was born in 1986. At just 33 years old, he has made quite a name for himself in some of the more obscure circuits in the auto racing world. In fact, in the NASCAR Pinty's Series, he is a three-time series champion and finished as runner-up, third place, and fourth place in separate seasons. The Pinty's Series is a NASCAR-sanctioned racing series based primarily in Canada, although it normally runs a race or two in the United States. It's considered one of the most diverse series in all of auto racing, with full-time drivers competing against part-timers every time out, NASCAR Cup drivers competing on occasion, a few female drivers, and all-in-all a series open to stock car and open-wheeled drivers from across the world. Andrew Ranger made it all the way from Roxton to become a force in the Pinty's Series is quite a feat for a small-town boy we've never heard of before. He even raced in one event at the top level of NASCAR in 2011, finishing 35th at Watkins Glen.

Ranger got his start in Champ Car, or open-wheeled, racing in 2002 and grabbed championships in his rookie and second-year seasons. He had planned on an IndyCar career, but when USAC's Champ Car and the Indy Racing League merged, sponsorships were hard to come by for many racers. With more opportunities in stock car racing, Ranger made a switch. In the years since, Andrew Ranger has raced in circuits including the Atlantic Championship, NASCAR Xfinity Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck Series, K&N Pro Series (east and west), CASCAR Super Series, ARCA, and of course the Pinty's Series. While he has been more successful in some racing circuits than others, taken as a whole, Ranger?s career is among the most successful a driver could hope for. In the Pinty's Series alone, he has started 133 races, claimed 24 pole positions, 28 wins, and an astounding 110 top-ten finishes.

To put Andrew Ranger's Pinty's Series career into perspective, he has started on the pole in 18% of the races he's run, finished first in an amazing 21% of his races, and finished in the top ten in an unbelievable 82% of races. You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone at any level of racing who has consistently posted numbers like Andrew Ranger. And, he's not racing against 12 or 13 cars either; in 2019, upwards of 50 drivers competed against Ranger, with about two dozen cars starting each race.

So there you have it, race fans. The most famous Roxtonite you've never heard of — at least in the auto racing world. The next time you head to Canada, be sure to plan a trip to southern Quebec, about 30 miles or so above the United States-Canadian border. You just might run into Andrew Ranger in his hometown — Roxton Pond, Quebec — population 3,700.

From one Roxton to another, let's send out a salute to our French-Canadian brethren. Of course, since 97% of the town?s residents speak only French, let's rephrase that message. "tes souhaits and a big Texas 'Howdy!'" from all of us south (way, way south) of the border!