Placentia's Josh Collins to race NASCAR

For the first time in the province's history, someone from Newfoundland and Labrador will be driving in a NASCAR race.

Josh Collins, 29, of Placentia is heading to the Riverside International Speedway in Nova Scotia this weekend for part of the Canadian Tire NASCAR series.

While he has 10 years of racing experience under his belt, taking part is a NASCAR event is new for Collins.

"It's going to be definitely something different," he told the St. John's Morning Show.

"We've put a lot of time into it, and I'm just glad we got a bit of a break."

Collins, who started out in Autocross, said moving on to NASCAR is an important step towards his goals as a racer.

"It's a big step getting a NASCAR licence, because we are looking at probably getting a truck down the road," he said.

"If we get the NASCAR licence now, it will make it easier when we want to go on to any other event."

For the 300 lap race at Riverside on Saturday, Collins will be racing in a leased red and black car painted with the number 87.

In fact, he won't even get a chance to test out the vehicle until the morning of the race.

"It's going to be different for us because I have never sat in this car and I won't until Saturday morning," he said.

"We're only going to get two quick 45-minute practices and then we've got what we got."

Supporters of Collins will be happy to know that even in such a dangerous type of competition, he's never really been in a serious crash. 

"I've never rolled a car in over 10 years so we're kind of lucky that way," he said.

"We ran in Florida a couple of years ago in New Smyrna Beach, and we beat up a car down there. But that stuff happens, it goes with the territory."

While many people in Newfoundland and Labrador may not be as familiar with NASCAR as the legions of fans across the rest of Canada and the United States, Collins says ever since he first raced 10 years ago he has been hooked on the sport.

"I just love to race," he said.

"It's just one of those things that you get involved in and can't get away from."