Heartbreaking End to a Promising Race for Thomas Nepveu at CTMP

Heartbreaking End to a Promising Race for Thomas Nepveu at CTMP

(Photo by Ray MacAloney / CDN-R.com)

Bowmanville (ON), May 22, 2023 – It was a challenging event for Thomas Nepveu at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this weekend as he attempted to complete his first NASCAR Pinty’s road course race commanding the #24 Evirum | Pétrole Bélanger | Home Hardware Nepveu machine.

It was a new track for Nepveu, who had never raced at the iconic Ontario facility, sometimes called Mosport. “I was looking forward to racing on this track,” said Thomas. “I had tested there a few weeks ago, and I was confident we would have a good race. Thomas was helped by Alex Labbé this weekend, as the veteran and 2017 NASCAR Pinty’s champion was tasked with spotting the young rookie.

The event went differently than planned, as inclement weather brought an early end to Saturday’s activities. With the qualifying session cancelled and the 2022 championship points used to build the starting grid, drivers had the option of taking to the track late in the day for practice. However, most teams closed shop instead, not wanting to take an unnecessary risk, and such was the case for the Jacombs Racing crew.

Not having competed in 2022, Thomas started 19th, at the back of the grid, in Sunday morning’s race. From the start, Thomas wasted no time and began making his way toward the pointier end of the field. However, at the beginning of the second lap, a competitor used Thomas’ car to make a turn. This dangerous maneuver resulted in a flat right front tire, which sent the young driver into the outside wall in turn two.

“I have to say I’m not happy about this situation,” said Thomas. “We had a great race ahead of us, and if that competitor had been patient, we could have gone up the field together. He ruined my race before it even started.

Nepveu was forced to retire, leaving valuable championship points on the table. The next event will be held at Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction. This is a familiar oval for Thomas, who tested there last fall.

A Challenging Race for Kevin Lacroix at CTMP

A Challenging Race for Kevin Lacroix at CTMP

 (Photo by Ray MacAloney / CDN-R.com)

Bowmanville (ON), May 22, 2023 – Kevin Lacroix finished fourth commandeering his #74 Adaptive One Brake Calipers | NAPA Auto Parts car during the NASCAR Pinty’s event at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) last Sunday.

The weekend didn’t go as planned as rain and fog invited themselves to the party on Saturday. While it seemed uncertain if the drivers would bring out their cars, the series elected to build the starting grid based on last year’s championship points, cancelling the qualifying session. The drivers had the opportunity to run a practice session later in the afternoon, but most teams decided not to take any unnecessary risks while the track was still wet.

Lacroix started the 51-lap eBay Motors 200 from the second position with Marc-Antoine Camirand at his side. Very quickly, he found himself in a thrilling battle with the leader for a good part of the race.

His success quickly turned into misfortune as he stopped in the pits on lap 15. Kevin left his pitbox too quickly, thinking that the order was given for a safe release while the team was still in the refuelling phase. This incident forced Lacroix to stop on the pit lane and go back on track without the right amount of fuel.

Lacroix had to return to the pits to put the missing fuel into the tank. Then a third and fourth time for tires. “We made an unscheduled stop, which cost us a lot of track time,” said Lacroix.

Then, on a restart with just over 30 laps completed, Kevin found himself behind a much slower competitor, “I tried to pass him, but we touched, and the front wheel was damaged. The car’s alignment was compromised, which prevented me from making my way up the field”.

He held on to the fourth place for the last few laps, not without pressure from Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, who was eyeing the position. Lacroix finally held on, collecting precious points in the standings.

The next NASCAR Pinty’s race will be held on June 10th at Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction.

TOP 3 FOR KEVIN LACROIX TO KICK OFF THE NASCAR PINTY’S SEASON

TOP 3 FOR KEVIN LACROIX TO KICK OFF THE NASCAR PINTY’S SEASON

Innisfil (ON), May 14, 2023 – Kevin Lacroix conquered Sunset Speedway in his #74 NAPA Synthetic Motor Oil |Valvoline car as he stepped on to the podium after an action packed race.

The 2023 NASCAR Pinty’s season kicked off at Sunset Speedway, a 1/3 mile oval track 40 minutes north of Toronto. It was the time to reconnect and get back to racing the most competitive field in Canada.

Lacroix slotted himself into the Top 5 right from the get-go in the practice session; “It was a new car that we had previously tested at Autodrome Chaudière” explained Kevin. “We were happy to get a top 5.”

The NASCAR Pinty’s drivers had the opportunity to try to set their best lap times during the qualifying session. Lacroix was back in fifth place again, starting from the third row for the 250-lap NTN Ultimate Bearing Experience 250.

As the green flag waved, the games had begun. Kevin was jostling between 6th to 4th place, fighting with Alex Tagliani and Marc-Antoine Camirand. The race was punctuated by a lot of cautions, especially during the second 125-lap segment in the latter half. Towards the end of the race, a red flag came out to put a temporary stop to the on-track action. Lacroix was now up in fourth position.

Demonstrating his patience around the last few laps, Kevin Lacroix moved up into 3rd place on the last restart with three laps to go. “I am very happy with the result, I was patient and opportunistic. We have collected a good amount of points. I think we secured a better result than what the car would have typically allowed for. We need to continue to get to grips with this new car to improve our performance on oval tracks.”

Kevin will be back on track next weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the first road course event of the season.

A Learning Experience for Thomas Nepveu in his First NASCAR Pinty’s Event

A Learning Experience for Thomas Nepveu in his First NASCAR Pinty’s Event

Innisfil (Ontario), May 14, 2023 – Last Saturday marked the kickoff of the 2023 NASCAR Pinty’s season at Sunset Speedway. It was also Thomas Nepveu’s first-ever race in the Canadian stock car series.

Thomas was behind the wheel of the #24 Evirum | Home Hardware Nepveu machine prepared by Jacombs Racing, taking on the 1/3 mile oval track on Saturday night in front of hundreds of fans who came to cheer on their favourite drivers.

He was immediately at ease while driving his Ford in his first laps of the practice session, setting the 14th fastest time. In the qualifying session, where the drivers had the opportunity to set the fastest time across two flying laps, he achieved a respectable 12th place finish.

“I’m satisfied with my first stock car qualifying on an oval track,” he said. “I learned a lot about the car, but also about the series. Sunset Speedway is a notoriously challenging oval, so I’m happy to have been able to set that time.”

As he started the NTN Ultimate Bearing Experience 250 from the 6th row on the outside line, Thomas followed the pack, fighting with the competitors around him and swapping positions with them.

The 250-lap event was punctuated by a 5-minute break on the 125th lap, allowing the team to make some adjustments to the car. While they were able to proceed with the first part of the race without any major problems, a different story unfolded in the second half.

In the second portion of the race, Thomas was sent spinning after some contact with a competitor. During the caution, the car suffered an electrical problem, forcing the team to return to the paddocks for a repair. This was detrimental to Thomas’ progress, who returned to the track 37 laps down.

“In the first half of the race I lacked some speed, but during the break the team made adjustments. I am very happy with the progress we made despite the electrical problem. I learned a lot from this first event, and I’m already looking forward to getting back on track this weekend at CTMP.”

Kyle Marcelli to Race Road Courses for Jacombs Racing

Kyle Marcelli to Race Road Courses for Jacombs Racing

Hamilton, ON — Canadian sports car ace Kyle Marcelli will make his NASCAR Pinty’s Series debut with Jacombs Racing. Marcelli is confirmed for the four (4) road course events on the schedule beginning with the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres on August 15, followed by Circuit ICAR on August 28 and the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park double-header September 4-5.

The reigning IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GT4 Champion and 2019 SRO GT World Challenge GT3 Champion is eager to make his stock car debut.

“This has been a long time coming”, says Marcelli. “I’ve been looking to try my hand at stock car racing for a few years, specifically the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, but my full-time sports car programs have always had too many schedule conflicts.”

“On top of that, finding sponsorship is a difficult task. However, I know that the talent and determination in teaming up with Jacombs Racing has the potential to produce big results. We are continuing our search for sponsors while preparing for a first-class run. I’m grateful to Dave Jacombs for having confidence in me and for providing the opportunity to show what we can do,”Marcelli continued.

Jacombs Racing, a three-time NASCAR Pinty’s Series Championship winning team, has campaigned cars for many open-wheel and sports car drivers as they transitioned to stock car racing including; former series champions Andrew Ranger and Alex Labbe, as well as others including, Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve.

“I am very excited to have a driver the calibre of Kyle in our car, we are looking forward to this being the start of a long-term relationship and working towards competing for a championship in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series.” Said Dave Jacombs.

“We have every confidence that we can offer additional sponsors a dynamic and successful program.” Jacombs continued.