By: Raphaël Lessard Racing
April 21 2019
Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec – Raphaël Lessard announces his participation in the June 29th NASCAR Pinty's 300 on the quarter mile high-banked paved oval of the at Autodrome Chaudière (Vallée-Jonction, the third race of the 2019 season). This event represents a return to his racing roots for the young driver and an opportunity to display his growing skills and intensity, as Raphael Lessard started racing here in 2013, at age 11. His No. 04 car will display the colours of a new partner, the Louis Jacques Investment Company Ltd., prepared by Dumoulin Competition, a NASCAR Pinty's Series champion (2014 and 2018).
"I'm so happy to be returning to my home track this year, the “Autodrome Chaudière”, a rare occurence as I've been racing almost exclusively in the U.S. for the last three seasons," says Raphael Lessard, "This is the first track I've ever driven on and it still is one of my favourites. I am really grateful to all the people who are working to make this all happen, and especially to Mr. Louis Jacques. Thank you all!”
Mr. Louis Jacques, President of the Louis Jacques Investment Company Ltd., provides important financial support for Raphael Lessard's return home. "I have been following his career carefully for years, and his incredible talent impresses all of us supporters every time out. I couldn't miss this opportunity to help and share his performance with my team and customers, especially at home and in a car displaying our colours. I know the other drivers in the Pinty’s Series, and I am sure that the show will be spectacular! "says Louis Jacques.
Dumoulin Competition Handles Racing Operations
The No. 04 Louis Jacques Investment Company Ltd. car will be prepared by Dumoulin Competition, who will also supply logistics services and trackside racing operations. "Raphael Lessard is a very promising young driver making his way up the NASCAR racing ladder, and we are delighted to team up with him. The show will certainly entertain everyone, and we hope to see him on the podium at the end of the race," said Jean-François Dumoulin, driver and co-owner of Dumoulin Competition.
"It will be really fun to race with the help of the Dumoulin brothers’ team, especially since they won the Pinty’s championship last year. Series champion Louis-Philippe Dumoulin will also be racing, and I know that he will be hard to beat. We'll be there mostly for fun rather than as part of a run at the championship, so I do not want to interfere with their racing. But my “Need to win” will still be there, so the action will be fun to watch. This will be my first time in this series and the drivers are of high calibre like Jean-François and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, Andrew Ranger, Alex Tagliani and Marc-Antoine Camirand. They all have years of experience on me, and many are former champions in different series. When I was younger, I watched them run on this track as I imagined that one day, I would be able to measure myself against them and that will finally come true," explains Raphaël Lessard.
Raphaël Lessard raced in different series on this circuit
· 2013 Sport Compact Amateur (Honda Civic - 1st victory on his birthday at 12 years old)
· 2013 two races including a victory in Sport Compact Elite (Honda Civic)
· 2014 Sport Compact Elite and Sportsman Québec (Sportsman), 2015 two PASS series races (Super Late Model)
· 2017 Limited Series track record (Camaro) during track tests.
· 2018 Bacon Ball ACT (Late Model)
More NASCAR Pinty's series races?
June 29th will mark Raphael Lessard’s first race in the NASCAR Pinty's Series. However, he is looking for partners to also participate in the prestigious Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières (August 10th and 11th) and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (August 24th and 25th) events.
June 29, it’s a date!
Tickets for sale at: https://lepointdevente.com/autodrome-chaudiere
Next event: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series - May 3, 2019, Dover International Speedway
2019 Season
DATE | TRACK | SERIES | TEAM | GRID | RESULT | Notes |
March 9h, 2019 | Five Flags Speedway, Pensacola, USA | ARCA | KBR Development | 6th | 8th | Led 83 of 250 laps |
March 23, 2019 | Martinsville Speedway, Virginie, USA | Gander Outdoors Truck | Kyle Busch Motosports | 7th | 14th | --- |
April 6th, 2019 | Bristol Motor Speedway, Tennessee, USA | K&N Pro East | Bill McAnally Racing | 17th | 9th | Mechanical problem and team penalty |
3 mai 2019 | Dover International Speedway, Delaware, USA | NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck | Kyle Busch Motosports | |||
29 juin 2019 | Autodrome Chaudière | NASCAR Pinty’s | Dumoulin Compétition | |||
15 août 2019 | Bristol Motor Speedway, Tennessee, USA | Gander Outdoors Truck | Kyle Busch Motosports |
2018 - 16 races - Super Late Model with Kyle Busch Motorsports
· Two wins, seven top-5s and 13 top-10s
· Wins the U.S. Short Track Nationals race at Bristol Motor Speedway
· Wins the Red Bull 400 at Anderson Speedway
· Leads 60 laps at the famous Snowball Derby in December, before a mechanical problem puts him out of the race with only six (6) laps to go.
2017 - Competes in 20 Super Late Model races and two ARCA series races
· Two wins and eight top-5 finishes in the Super Late Model category
· A top-10 from two races in the ARCA series
· Voted the most popular driver in North America by Speed51.com
· Voted as one of the top 10 drivers to watch in 2017 by Speed51.com
· Named by Speed51.com Short Track Power Ranking as 7th best driver in the United States
2016 - Participates in 10 races
· CARS Super Late Model Series Champion
· Youngest Canadian driver to win a prestigious stock-car series in the United States
· Four wins, eight top-5s and nine top-10s in 10 races
ABOUT DUMOULIN COMPETITION
Jean-François and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin founded the Dumoulin Competition, a racing-service organization. Over the years, they have partnered with experts in finance, marketing, logistics and sports management to build a solid organizational structure. Their motto: "Passion - Performance - Partnership" expresses the will to perform on the track and to offer their partners maximum visibility and profitability in line with their involvement. Their vision: To become the leader in motorsports in Canada through track performance, entrepreneurial initiatives and human values.
ABOUT RAPHAEL LESSARD
Born on July 5, 2001, in Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec, Canada, Raphael Lessard is one of the most promising prospects in North American oval racing. Raphael made his debut in stock-cars in 2013, on local tracks in the Quebec City area. His exceptional talent quickly allowed him to climb the ladder and attract the attention of David Gilliland, a former NASCAR MonsterEnergy Series driver and now a team owner, in 2015. An agreement then allowed Lessard to participate in the last four races of the season in the PASS North Tour Series; a Late Model series on paved ovals, at the wheel of a David Gilliland Racing team car.
In 2016, his first full-time season with Gilliland Racing, Lessard won the CARS Super Late Model Tour title with four wins, 8 top five and 9 top ten in his No. 99 Toyota Camry, and thus becoming the youngest Canadian driver to win a major stock car series title in the United States. Since 2016, Lessard has been part of the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) prestigious driver development program. To date, he is the only Canadian to have been recruited into this program.
ABOUT FRL EXPRESS Inc.
F.R.L. Express Inc. is a general transportation company founded in 2004 by François Lessard. Its main field of activity over the last 15 years is general transport in closed trailers over short and long distances in Canada and the United States. FRL currently have about 50 employees in addition to about ten tow carriers. FRL owners are proud of the progress made in recent years thanks to the FRL team members and wishes to continue on this positive note. “Our employees, customer service and satisfaction are our priorities. We are all proud to be partners in the success and achievements of our son Raphael Lessard,” state the proud parents.