Teenage sensation earns runner-up finish after epic battle

Ayr, Ontario – Cayden Lapcevich leads the NASCAR Pinty’s Series Championship standings after earning his second consecutive runner-up finish near Quebec City on the weekend.

The teenage phenom from Grimsby, Ontario, waged a torrid side-by-side battle with eventual winner and hometown favourite Alex Labbe. He came up just short finishing between Labbe and Quebec superstar Alex Tagliani.

“It’s hard to be happy with second when I came so close to winning,” said Lapcevich. “That was a fun race with Labbe, and I’m learning a lot with every race. We’re going to get a win one of these weeks.”

Lapcevich races for his family-owned Fastline Motorsports race team. Midway through the week they were unsure whether they could make the trip to Autodrome Chaudiere near Quebec City because of financial limitations.

“We have no primary sponsor for the race team this year,” said Lapcevich. “Ohsweken Speedway stepped up to help us out in a big way.

“Kasey Kahne is racing at Ohsweken on July 25th and 26th, and track owner Glenn Styres thought this could be a good way to get attention for his event. We were extremely thankful to have OhswekenSpeedway.com on the car this weekend.”

Lapcevich is still seeking sponsorship to run the remaining nine races in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, and the team is taking its plans day by day. This weekend the series returns to Quebec for the second road racing event on the calendar. The Ecko Unlimited 100 is held on the tricky Circuit ICAR course near Mirabel, Quebec.

“The car doesn’t need much work after our top-five run at Canadian Tire Motosport Park,” said Lapcevich. “I’m hopeful something will develop and we can continue chasing the title.”

Cayden’s father and team-owner Jeff Lacpevich is blown away by his son’s early-season success. “I’m confident that Cayden can drive a race car,” said Jeff. “But the battles he has had this year with some of the best stock car racers in Canada have been amazing to watch. “He has no idea what a huge accomplishment he is making, and I just hope we can secure funding to compete in all the races.”

The next month is a busy one on the NASCAR Pinty’s Series tour. The series goes to Quebec, and then returns to the streets of Toronto for the Pinty’s Grand Prix. Immediately after the Grand Prix the teams head west for a double-header that will include events near Edmonton and Saskatoon. It’s a demanding schedule both financially and physically for the teams.

Currently Lapcevich leads the points standings by six points over Andrew Ranger and eight points over Labbe.

Fastline Motorsports is proudly supported by Springers Meats, Troy Cove Marine, Castrol , Epic Racewear, Ace Services, and Cathcart trucking.