A NASCAR Canada doubleheader at Riverside provides a case of déjà vu.

 

The series held both the Pro-Line 150 and the Choko 150 on Saturday due to the threat of weather in Antigonish on Sunday.

 

With only a two hour gap between races, it meant drivers and teams would have to be on their toes to get the most out of the weekend.

 

It was a flag to flag victory for Kevin Lacroix, taking the win from pole position ahead of Jonathan Hathaway and Alex Guenette.

 

The Mirabel, Que. native held on constant attacks from those behind.

 

Hathaway almost got the better of him on a couple restarts, however he had to settle for a second place finish.

 

Guenette closed out the podium, putting a great cap on a solid race from him.

 

Thomas Nepveu grabbed his best ever finish in the NASCAR Canada series coming home in fourth with Alex Labbe rounding out the top 5.

 

Andrew Ranger and Marc-Antoine Camirand, who finished sixth and seventh respectively, were together and battling for what seemed like the entire race, with things getting physical and bumpers and fenders getting bent out of shape.

 

Donald Theetge, who had a quick car and was challenging up front, suffered a puncture late on, forcing him into the pits and he settled for 12th place.

 

D.J. Kennington was running well throughout the race until late issues caused him to fall out of the top ten, finishing in 14th.

 

In a much tighter affair, Lacroix would win to sweep the weekend at Riverside, with the rest of the podium inducing a bout of déjà vu.

 

Hathaway followed up in second after getting passed with five laps to go and Guenette coming home in third place, giving us a carbon copy of the top three result in the Pro-Line 150.

 

L.P. Dumoulin finished up in fourth place with Kennington grabbing fifth.

 

The starting lineup for race two was set from the fastest times from race one.

 

Labbe was meant to line up on the front row but was sent to the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments, which saw of Hathaway and Lacroix together again.

 

This race start went a bit differently, with the former getting the jump on the latter until around lap 21.

 

Lacroix took the lead and checked out while Hathaway was reeled in, losing second to Theetge around lap 97.

 

A caution five laps later for a stopped Ranger would set up the turning point in this race.

 

The subsequent restart saw a big wreck out of turn 2, involving the likes of Theetge, Camirand, Glenn Styres and Brand McFarlane.

 

This incident brought out the red flag to remove stricken cars and clean up the back straightaway.

 

Theetge, Styres, McFarlane, and Camirand were among those either forced into retirement from the race or out of contention with this crash.

 

When the action returned, fans were treated to an enthralling duel between Hathaway and Lacroix that saw the latter prevail.

 

The series heads back to Ontario and onto the dirt as they travel to Ohsweken Speedway for the next round on Thursday July 11, 2024.