By: Raphaël Lessard Racing
June 25 2019 

Budweiser 300 - NASCAR Pinty's | Triple Couronne Kennebec - NASCAR Late Model

Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec - We are there! Raphael Lessard will be on his home track on June 29 at Autodrome Chaudiere (Vallee-Jonction, Quebec). It will be 425 laps of excitement for racing fans that evening: 300 in the NASCAR Pinty's Series race with Raphael Lessard at the wheel of the #07 Sociétés Louis Jacques | FRL Express car prepared by Dumoulin Competition, and 125 laps of the first race in the Triple couronne Kennebec in the #46 Bilodeau Brothers car in the colours of LFR Logistiques | Groupe BLU2 | AssurExperts Lessard & Associés | FRL Express. This impressive one-day program is a golden opportunity for the young man from Beauce to continue to impress the racing world. Only one objective here for the promising young driver: victories!

NASCAR Pinty's - #07 Sociétés Louis Jacques | FRL Express

Dumoulin Competition

Dumoulin Competition is preparing the car for Raphael Lessard, with John Fletcher on board as Crew Chief for this race. “I am happy to be back home, and discover another type of car, always an interesting challenge. I know every hole, bump, curve and angles of the track. Last Tuesday's track test with Dumoulin Competition was extremely useful for us. The chemistry between Jean-François Dumoulin and myself jelled quickly. The suspension settings produced consistant lap times on old tires. We did great and are ready for race day!” told us the driver of the Pinty's car #07 Sociétés Louis Jacques | FRL Express car.

“This is the oval track car I was driving in 2018. It is performing well and with Raphael's talent, I am sure that the combination will be a winner,” explained Jean-François Dumoulin, General Manager of Dumoulin Competition.

The clash between Raphael Lessard and the best of the Pinty's series drivers promises a tight battle. “I am proud to offer Raphael this chance to perform in front of his audience. He now races mostly in the United States in higher classes. This is an opportunity to see him compete against our professional drivers from Quebec and Ontario who are all used to the very different Pinty’s cars," said Louis Jacques, the partner responsible for the young driver's presence on the track.

NASCAR Late Model - #46 F LFR Logistiques|Groupe BLU2|AssurExperts Lessard & Associés|FRL Express

Bilodeau Brothers

With several victories and track records, Raphael Lessard will be one of the favourites in this race. "I know NASCAR Late Model cars well and I am confident that Marco Bilodeau and I will be a competitive team as soon as the car hits the track. Marco Bilodeau lent us a car a while ago. I started at the rear of the grid with no practice and finished on the podium," explains Raphaël Lessard.

Raphaël Lessard Raced In Different Series On This Track

2013 Amateur Compact Sport (Honda Civic - 1st victory on his 12th birthday)
2013 two Elite Compact Sports races, one victory (Honda Civic)
2014 Sport Compact Elite and Sportsman Québec, 2015 two PASS Series races (Super Late Model)
2017 Limited Series Track Record (Camaro) during testing
2018 Bacon Bowl ACT (Late Model)

Raphael Lessard Joins The “Race Against Cancer” For The Benefit Of The “Quebec Cancer Foundation”

The Dumoulin brothers have been campaigning for this cause since 2016, by inciting fans to sign the trunk lids of their race cars at every NASCAR Pinty’s Series event. Raphael Lessard will take part in this initiative on June 29 to raise funds for “Le Grand défoulement” movement launched by the Quebec Cancer Foundation. To give on-line to go to: La course contre le cancer (lacoursecontrelecancer.ca).

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.

Highlights

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 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.

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.