Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR
Following a pair of great races to kick off the season, the NASCAR Pinty’s Series is back in action this weekend at Autodrome Chaudiere for the second oval race of the year. The CRS Express 200 was supposed to take place a couple weeks ago, but was rescheduled for Friday, June 24 due to rain.
Following a third place finish at Sunset Speedway, Larry Jackson hopes to keep the early momentum rolling with Canada’s Best Racing team this weekend, once again behind the wheel of the No. 1 Canada’s Best Racing Team/Piloti Ford this weekend. He has been solid previously at the Quebec oval, scoring an eighth place finish in his only start at Chaudiere.
His teammate for the weekend will be Josh Collins. Collins made his 2016 debut at Sunset Speedway, running inside the top-five till a late race black flag for rough driving relegated him to a seventh place finish. In his only two prior oval starts, he has a 12th and a 10th.
Trevor Seibert will be behind the wheel of the No. 69 Lake Excavating/Area 27 Dodge this weekend, making his first trip to Chaudiere and second start of the season. He made his 2016 debut at Sunset Speedway, posting a 10th place finish despite having the front end ripped off of the car. The British Columbia native made a pair of starts last season, finishing outside of the top-15 in both races.
Following a fifth place finish at Sunset Speedway, Kevin Lacroix hopes to keep the momentum going this weekend. The driver of the No.74 Pieces D’Auto Lacroix/Excellence Dodge will be making his first trip to Autodrome Chaudiere as he only ran a limited schedule last year, winning a pair of road courses. He admits ovals aren’t his strong suit, as noted by a best finish of 16th in a pair of oval starts last year. However, he may be in good shape as new crew chief for this year Don Thomson Jr. knows how to set up a car. He won some oval events in the past with J.R. Fitzpatrick and led Cayden Lapcevich to a pair of oval top-10s last season.
D.J. Kennington entered this year determined to run stronger than season’s past and is off to a great start with a third place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and a sixth at Sunset. The St. Thomas, Ontario native has done well at Chaudiere in the past, scoring a third place finish last season.
Alex Labbe hopes to have a strong run in front of the hometown crowd after winning the pole last year and leading 109 laps en route to finishing second. He started off the year well, winning the pole at CTMP followed by a fifth place finish. However, Sunset didn’t go as well as hoped with a 15th place finish.
After finishing a pair of 19th place finishes to start the year, Anthony Simone hopes to be up front in the closing stages of the race this weekend. The driver of the No. 95 Innovative Plumbing & Mechanical Dodge did well at Chaudiere last year, finishing sixth.
Donald Theetge is set to make his third career NASCAR Pinty’s Series start as he will drive the No. 22 AIM Levis/Le Soleil/L’Antidote Dodge for defending series champion Scott Steckly’s 22 Racing team. Notably, his last series start came in 2011. While it’s questionable as to how the driver will do, the equipment he’s in is proven as Steckly led a race-high 154 laps last year before mechanical issues.
Alex Tagliani will be behind the wheel of the No. 18 Epipen/Riobel/ComplexeJCP/Juste du Chevrolet this weekend, looking for his second straight victory after scoring the win at Sunset Speedway this past weekend. The Quebec native has proven he can get the job done, finishing fifth at Chaudiere previously. He also told OnPitRoad.com’s Tyson Lautenschlager he feels strongly about his chances given the work the team has put in during the off-season
Another Quebec native to watch is Andrew Ranger as he enters this weekend with momentum after winning the season opener at CTMP, followed by an eighth at Sunset. He also ran well last year at Chaudiere, posting a fourth place finish.
Mark Dilley will be making his second start of the season after a shock mount issue relegated him to a 14th place finish at Sunset. The driver of the No. 02 Leland/Johnsonville/BDI Ford has done well at Chaudiere before, as he finished second in a photo finish two years ago.
Going into the Chaudiere, though, the man to keep an eye on is Jason Hathaway as he has won the previous two events at Autodrome Chaudiere. The driver of the No. 3 Fast Eddie/Choko/HGC Chevrolet also enters with momentum after winning the last race of last season at Kawartha Speedway and needs a good run as he finished 17th at Sunset following a mid-race incident.
Gary Klutt is looking for a strong run after posting a 10th place finish in the season opener, followed by a 13th at Sunset. He was solid last year at Chaudiere, posting a seventh place finish.
L.P. Dumoulin also hopes to run well as he wasn’t as strong as normal at CTMP with a 12th place finish, followed by another 12th at Sunset. This could be the perfect weekend for him as he’s posted a top-10 in each of his previous Chaudiere starts, highlighted by a fifth in 2014.
