Mooresville, NC (February 3, 2016) – Raphaël Lessard is set to drive the No. 99 David Gilliland Racing / FRL Express Toyota Camry Super Late Model in the 2016 CARS Tour, as a development driver.
Lessard, a Quebec native, comes from a family where racing is ubiquitous, first as a teammate of his fathers and now a driver. Joining DGR in 2015, Raphaël has found success through the Company’s newly founded driver development program. David Gilliland, NASCAR driver and owner, provides an avenue for young drivers to transition from Karts or Legends to the bigger NASCAR-style race cars. Lessard finished the 2015 season seventh in points, with three top ten finishes in the PASS North SLM Series.
“I couldn’t be happier to return to David Gilliland Racing’s driver development program for the 2016 season,” Lessard commented. “David put together a great program with amazing people and I can’t wait to start where we left off last season. I am also looking forward to continue working with my Crew Chief Seth Smith and everybody at DGR.”
Lessard will kick off the 2016 season next week at New Smyrna Speedway in the 50th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing in the Pro Late Model division. Additional, Raphaël will compete in PASS South Series SLM races throughout the 2016 season.
The Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) Tour was formed in 2014 from the remnants of the Pro Cup Series. The tour features both super late models and late model stocks, which compete under the same lights on the same night. The season opener for the tour is set to kick off April 2nd at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, NC with the CARS Tour 300.
For more information on the David Gilliland Racing’s driver development program and Raphaël Lessard visitwww.davidgillilandracing.com or follow along on social media @DGR_Racing and @Raphael_Lessard. Also check out the CARS Tour website www.carsracingtour.com and the Pro All Star Series South (PASS) website www.proallstarsseries.comfor more information on tour dates and events.
About David Gilliland Racing:
Based in Mooresville, NC, the David Gilliland Racing Team has been successfully involved in NASCAR racing since 1998, ranging from weekly division events at the grassroots levels to regional touring series at numerous asphalt and dirt tracks throughout the country. Owned and operated by NASCAR Sprint Cup driver David Gilliland and his wife Michelle, the DGR Team is known for it’s integrity and positive reputation. In 2015, DGR announced a Driver Development Program that allows for young and talented drivers that want to make the transition from Karts, Legends and Quarter Midgets to bigger NASCAR-style race cars.
