Vallée-Jonction, QC, June 12, 2023 – Marc-Antoine Camirand claimed his first victory this season with Paillé Course//Racing, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series was at Autodrome Chaudière, in Vallée-Jonction, QC. Camirand got the top spot after a late-race restart, while Andrew Ranger, Alex Guenette and Sam Fellows, who also raced with Paillé Course//Racing colors, had a more difficult race and finished respectively 20th (DNF), 10th and 11th.
Camirand had an eventful day at Autodrome Chaudière. Early in practice, his Camirand Performance team noticed an oil leak on his brand new oval car, and then chose to switch to the back-up car after practice.
Camirand was the first to qualify, and scored the 11th quickest time. Without absolutely no practice lap with this backup car, Camirand knew he would have his hands full to climb to the top of the field during the 300-lap race.
During the first half, he made the best he could to gain a few track positions, but felt his car was understeering. “We made some adjustments at the break, and when we got back on track, I knew I could battle to climb the field,” said Camirand.
With a little more than 100 laps to go, the second spot and tried to battle with the leader. Camirand lost some time after being caught behind two lapped cars, but fortunately, a yellow flag with 10 laps to go closed the gap with the leader.
At the restart, Camirand was able to stay inside the leader and took the lead with five laps to go.
“This has been an eventful day, and my team worked very hard to have this back-up car ready for the race and make some adjustments at the break. We are so happy to win in front of our family, friends and fans here in Quebec, and we’re hoping to carry this momentum to Newfoundland where we won our first race last year,” concluded Camirand.
The other Paillé Course//Racing drivers had a more difficult race. Andrew Ranger had a good qualifying, starting second at the wheel of his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n° 27 Camaro. He was running in the top-10 for the first half of the race, but unfortunately, Ranger was forced to retire after the break due to a mechanical failure to the rear end.Alex Guenette also experienced a disappointing end of race after being competitive all day. His GM Paillé/ASSA ABLOY n°3 Camaro was third in practice and fourth in qualifying. Guenette ran in the leading pack during the first half of the 300-lap race, but after the break, he felt his car was understeering. Guenette was then hit from behind and spun, so he had to start back from the rear of the field. He tried to make the best of the rest of the race, earning a 10th-place finish.
Finally, Sam Fellows also experienced a strong start at the wheel of his AER Manufacturing/GM Paillé n°87 Camaro, gaining many track positions in the first half of the race. After a penalty sent him at the back of the field after the break, he experienced some trouble and was caught in an incident that severed the nose of his car. He finally scored an 11th-place finish.
Paillé Course//Racing will be back on track with Marc-Antoine Camirand and Andrew Ranger on June 24th, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series makes the trip to Newfoundland, at Eastboud International Speedway, in Avondale, NL.