Kevin Lacroix once again demonstrated his dominance at the ICAR circuit in Mirabel by winning a fourth victory in his last five appearances on Saturday.
The Saint-Eustache driver orchestrated another Quebec hat-trick in the NASCAR Pinty’s series when he beat Marc-Antoine Camirand and Alex Guénette, who accompanied him on the second and third steps of the podium respectively.
Photo courtesy, Paolo Pedicelli
Kevin Lacroix proved invincible Saturday night at the ICAR circuit in Mirabel.
Four other representatives of the Belle Province followed in the order, namely Alex Labbé, Andrew Ranger, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin and Alexandre Tagliani.
“We have always been fast at ICAR, but this time we were more dominant. Although at the last reminder, Ranger and Tagliani managed to complicate my life! exclaimed the winner.
“But the stock car is like that, and it adds to the spectacle. Fortunately, everything ended well for us,” added the man who had won in the rain on the same date on this track set up in the facilities of Mirabel International Airport.
Qualifications canceled
Lacroix overtook Camirand, the race leader, on the seventh lap and was not really worried until the curtain went down. Bad weather had forced the cancellation of the qualifying session, and the places on the starting grid were determined by the order of the drivers in the cumulative classification of the championship.
This situation made Camirand happy, as he started from the leading position. But the driver from Saint-Léonard-d’Aston quickly realized that he would struggle to compete with the hero of the day.
The right operation
“Kevin had a better car than mine,” admitted Camirand. On our side, we had to think above all about the championship.
“We collected valuable points and consolidated our lead. This second place is more than satisfactory. »
It is indeed an excellent operation for anyone who is coveting a first title in the Canadian series with only two races to go by the end of the calendar.
The next stage will take place next Sunday at the Mosport road circuit.
What a comeback for Guénette!
Victorious in the streets of Trois-Rivières at the beginning of the month, Alex Guénette managed to reach the podium for a second consecutive race.
Starting from 19th place when the green flag was waved for the first time, the driver from Terrebonne reached the finish in third place.
“We’ll never know, but if the qualifying session hadn’t been canceled, I might have been able to fight for the victory,” said Guénette, who finished fifth last year at ICAR. .
“I’m really happy with my result,” he continued. Unlike many drivers, I didn’t come to train here at the start of the season.
“Starting so far behind was not the ideal situation. When you push hard to get up the peloton, the car can suffer. But, luckily, she performed well until the end. »
Full time next year?
Are these two excellent performances a good omen for him to race full time next year in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series? “There are still a few agreements to finalize with sponsors, but that bodes well,” replies Guénette, who is limited this year to presence on the road circuits.
Alex Labbé is another who made quite a comeback on Saturday, going from 22nd to 4th place in finish.
The Saint-Albert driver, in his first start in the NASCAR Pinty’s series since 2019, had participated the day before in the Xfinity series race at Daytona, where he finished in a brilliant 8th place.
The race, delayed by the rain, ended in the early morning.
Game postponed for Arseneau
At his first NASCAR Pinty’s, Justin Arseneau had to settle for 16th place at Mirabel, not without occupying 8th place at the halfway mark.
But it’s only a postponement for the 17-year-old driver, who wants to relive the experience next year.
Among other Quebecers, Dexter Stacey took tenth place just ahead of Louis-Philippe Montour, while Mathieu Kingsbury (14th), Ray Junior Courtemanche (15th), Serge Bourdeau (17th) and Wallace Stacey (18th) also completed the test.
As for Jean-Philippe Bergeron, second in the rookie standings in 2022, he only completed 32 laps, after suffering mechanical problems.