Saskatoon, Saskatchewan — Marc-Antoine Camirand made a strong comeback to win a second consecutive victory, last Saturday, as Paillé Course//Racing was at Sutherland Automotive Speedway, in Saskatoon, SK, for the beginning of the NASCAR Canada Series’ Western Swing. Andrew Ranger also scored another strong podium finish with a third place.

 

Marc-Antoine Camirand and the Camirand Performance crew worked hard all day to find some speed in the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro. “During practice session, we were not the fastest for a qualifying simulation, but we had a good car on the long run on older tires. And then we went out for qualifying, and I knew right when I hit the track that my car would be very good,” told Camirand, who scored the pole position.

 

The driver of the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro led the first 100 laps of the race, before surrendering the lead to Andrew Ranger. After the midway break, Camirand dropped to third place, but with about 80 laps to go in the 250-lap race, he started catching up on the leaders. “I struggled a bit right after the break, but my car was getting better on the long run,” said Camirand.

 

A timely yellow flag tightened the gap, and he managed to pass Ranger back for second place at lap 193. During this battle with Ranger, the leader pulled away, but Camirand then managed to catch him up. “I pushed hard to close the gap. I gave everything I had, and we had a great battle for the lead.”

 

“This is a huge win for us, we fought really hard all day to get this win. It has been a great team effort. Now we are increasing our championship lead and heading out to Edmonton, where we won back-to-back races for the last two years,” Camirand concluded.

 

Andrew Ranger also had another strong race to kick off the NASCAR Canada annual trip West. Third in both practice session and qualifying, Ranger showed right at the beginning of the race that he had a very fast car.

 

The driver of the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro set up a fast pace and took the lead at lap 100. “My car was very good all day, and we were aiming at the victory here in Saskatoon. Unfortunately, after the midway break, I was not able to maintain my pace.”

 

Ranger dropped to second place at lap 184 after a restart, and then was passed by Camirand at lap 193. “Our GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada car was fast, but we fell off a little bit on the long run on our second set of tires. I’m still very happy with this other podium finish,” concluded Ranger.

 

Camirand leads the NASCAR Canada series’ drivers’ championship by 7 points over Ranger, who sits second. Paillé Course//Racing drivers now heads to Edmonton International Raceway, in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, next Saturday, for the conclusion of the NASCAR Canada Series’ Western swing.

 

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Kevin Lacroix ended his streak of bad luck at Sutherland Speedway in Saskatoon by securing second place. Historically, this track has not been easy for the Quebec driver, making this podium finish particularly significant as it adds important points to the championship.

 

Lacroix set the second-fastest lap during practice, followed by another second-fastest time in qualifying, just 0.045 seconds behind Marc-Antoine Camirand.

 

The Leland 250 started strong, with Lacroix attempting to overtake Camirand to lead the field. However, he had to settle for second place after a few laps, leading to fierce competition amongst Camirand, Andrew Ranger, and Jason Hathaway.

 

Lacroix led for 48 laps but ultimately had to settle for second place. "It was a good race," said the driver of the #74 Quick Strut / NAPA Racing Dodge. "We didn't have the best car, but we fought from fourth place to first. There was a lot of action, but everyone remained respectful. We didn't want to risk damaging our equipment before the race in Edmonton."

 

He continued, "I think the best car won today, so I'm happy to leave with second place. I've always struggled at Sutherland, so it was especially important for me to do well."

 

Lacroix remains in third place in the championship with 281 points, 16 points behind the leader. "We certainly can't afford any mistakes for the rest of the season, and we're heading into a series of races where unexpected things can happen, particularly at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières and Circuit ICAR."

 

However, his focus is now on the race at Edmonton International Raceway, where he will compete in the NAPA 300 next Saturday. "I've never won in Edmonton," he admitted. "I am grateful to NAPA for their significant involvement in my racing season, and we have an excellent car. I am confident that with their support and the hard work of Innovation Auto Sport, we can aim for victory."

 

The NAPA 300 will begin at 7:30 PM local time, which is 9:30 PM Eastern time. Those who wish to follow the race can do so on FloRacing.com and TSN+.

Indianapolis, Indiana – Less than two months separated agony from ecstasy for Kyle Larson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

Larson left IMS on May 26 disappointed after finishing 18th in his first Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge start after qualifying fifth and leading four laps in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” On Sunday, Larson stood triumphantly on Victory Podium and kissed the fabled Yard of Bricks after completing a wild climb to an overtime victory in the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG.

 

“This is just such a prestigious place, such hallowed ground,” Larson said. “Pretty neat just to get an opportunity to race here on the oval again. What a job by our team. Never gave up at all. We just fought and dug and had things work out.

 

“I love all you Indiana fans, and I know you guys love me, too. How about we come back next May and try to kiss these bricks in an Indy car? I think everything comes full circle, and everything’s meant to be. And today definitely felt meant to be for us.”

 

Larson, who started fifth, won the race under caution in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet on the second attempt in overtime. Pole sitter Tyler Reddick finished second in the No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota. Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney finished third in the No. 12 Menards/Atlas Ford fielded by IMS owner Roger Penske’s team.

 

2021 Cup Series champion Larson earned the record-extending 11th Brickyard 400 victory for Hendrick Motorsports on a day in which team chairman Rick Hendrick led the field to the green flag as the honorary driver of the Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car.

 

This was the first win on the iconic 2.5-mile oval for Larson, as the Brickyard 400 returned to that circuit for the first time since 2020 after three years on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at the Racing Capital of the World. But it was the second IMS victory for Larson, who won the Driven2SaveLives BC39 USAC Midget race in 2021 on The Dirt Track at IMS, a quarter-mile dirt oval inside Turn 3.

 

Larson’s path to victory was paved by equal parts of aggression and good luck. He drove his way through the field after his last pit stop on Lap 123, slicing up and down the entire width of racing surface to gain ground on the leaders.

 

He took advantage of fresher tires than the leaders to reach the top five by passing Denny Hamlin on Lap 148 and climbed to fourth by passing Zane Smith on Lap 149. By then, Larson latched onto the rear bumper of Daniel Hemric’s No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet. 2018 Brickyard 400 winner Brad Keselowski led in the No. 6 Body Guard Ford, with Blaney second.

 

But Keselowski made his previous pit stop on Lap 102, and his fuel-saving efforts appeared to maybe need more caution laps to try and stretch to the finish at the regulation distance. That gamble rolled snake eyes when Kyle Busch’s No. 8 Cheddar’s Patriotic Chevrolet and Hamlin’s No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota made side-to-side contact in Turn 3 on Lap 158, triggering a caution that forced overtime.

 

As the field lined up to take the green flag for the first overtime restart on Lap 162, Keselowski took the inside lane, with Blaney to his outside and Larson behind Keselowski in third. But Keselowski’s car began to run out of gas, and he dove into the pits. Larson moved from third to first in the restart order in the inside lane and powered past Blaney in Turn 1 on Lap 162, taking a lead he would never lose.

 

“I knew the 6 (Keselowski) was probably going to run out if it went green, and at the restart, I couldn’t believe they stayed out,” Blaney said. “I knew there was no way they were going to make it, so I obviously chose the top (lane) because he might run out in the restart zone. And he runs out coming to the green, so he gets to go to pit road and the 5 (Larson) gets promoted. Luck of the day right there, I guess.”

 

But there still was more drama. As Larson gapped Blaney in the short chute between Turns 1 and 2 on the restart, a five-car chain reaction collision occurred at the end of the front straightaway and in Turn 1. That triggered another caution and then a red flag lasting 17 minutes to straighten a concrete barrier at the exit of pit road moved by contact in the incident.

 

Larson’s car needed a bump start from a tow truck on the front straightaway to restart after the red flag period ended. At the restart on Lap 166, Larson and Blaney made side-to-side contact before Turn 1, with Larson pulling ahead and staying out front down the back straightaway. Meanwhile, the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford of Ryan Preece spun in Turn 2 and was mired in the infield grass in Turn 2.

 

The field continued to race under green, with Larson taking the white flag in the lead on Lap 167. Preece tried to drive his car out of the grass but couldn’t due to a flat tire, and the caution flag flew to end the race. Larson had enough fuel to cruise around and take the checkered.

 

“With the way the strategy was working out, with Brad running out of fuel and me inheriting the front row and all that, just a lot had to fall into place,” Larson said. “Thankfully it did. I just can’t believe it. It’s surreal to win here.”

 

Reddick, who led a race-high 40 laps, passed Blaney on the last lap to take second place.

 

The next major spectator event this season at IMS is the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks IMSA sports car event Sept. 20-22 on the IMS road course. Visit IMS.com to buy tickets or for more information.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – It seems bad luck continues to follow Thomas Nepveu, as he once again fell victim to mechanical issues. This time, he had to retire at Sutherland Speedway in Saskatoon.

 

It was a track where he had success last year, finishing 11th and 8th in the Leland Industries Twin 125. This year, however, he was plagued by mechanical issues, forcing him to retire.

 

In scorching heat, the NASCAR Canada teams took to the track last Saturday in Saskatoon. From the practice session, Nepveu immediately encountered mechanical issues. "We had a pretty tough day," he admitted. "Our problems started during practice. We then changed the transmission and several parts."

 

Nepveu still managed to secure 10th position in Practice, repeating this result in the Qualifying session.

 

"We thought we had fixed the problems with these changes, but unfortunately, the car did not improve during the race. We had issues other than the engine in the first half of the event. The car wasn’t handling well at all."

 

The Leland 250, a 250-lap race, included a short break after the 125th lap. "We made some changes at the halfway point, and things were better. However, the engine overheated and failed. We had to retire due to an engine failure that had likely been developing over the past race or two but worsened in Saskatoon."

 

The series returns next Saturday, July 27, at Edmonton International Raceway. It’s a track Thomas is fond of, having had a good result there last year. "The team will change the engine before next Saturday, and we hope for a better race. I was close to the Top 5 last year, running in 6th before finishing 7th. I hope to be successful again," concluded the driver of the #24 Ford Richelieu | Home Hardware | Cromwell car.

 

Thomas Nepveu will be back on track next Saturday for the NAPA 300, a 300-lap event at the track located in Edmonton's suburbs.