Edmonton, ON, July 24, 2022 – Marc-Antoine Camirand claimed his second win of the season as the NASCAR Pinty’s series began its trip West, Saturday, at Edmonton International Raceway. Paillé Course//Racing had two cars on the podium, as Andrew Ranger finished in a well-fought third place.
Camirand’s win at the end of the 300-lap race was just the perfect ending to an eventful day for the Camirand Performance crew. At the beginning of the day, the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro was not approved by NASCAR technical inspectors, despite that the team had discussions about new regulations during the week. The crew, led by Robin McCluskey, worked all day to make the changes to the rear suspension but couldn’t make them in time for the practice session.
With absolutely no practice lap, Camirand still managed to qualify in fifth place. Right from the beginning of the race, he showed that he could be a serious contender for the win at the wheel of his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro.
He took the lead at lap 52, and fought great battles, exchanging the first-place multiple times during the 300-lap race. He finally claimed his second win of the season after a NASCAR overtime finish.
“I have the best team I could ever have dreamed of. They made it all possible today, they made the change to the rear suspension, and we were back on track in time for qualifying,” said Camirand after the Bayer 300.
“I had great battles with Lacroix during the race. He had a fast car during the restarts, but after a couple of laps, I was able to take back the lead. I’m very proud to win this second race this season with Paillé Course//Racing,” he concluded.
His teammate at Paillé Course//Racing Andrew Ranger got another great result after his runner-up finish at the Toronto Indy last week, but he had an eventful race. Tenth on the starting grid, he felt he had a fast car but experienced some difficulties early in the race.
“I had a slow leek in one tire, and when it became flat, I spun. I went into the pits to change the tire, but by the time I came back on track, I was one lap down”, he explained.
At the halfway break, he was given the free pass and was able to start from the rear of the field, back on the lead lap.
After that, Ranger managed to climb back the field and fought great battles for the top spots. He finally claimed a third-place finish at the wheel of his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro.
“I was second at some point, but I was not fast enough to fight with Marc-Antoine and Kevin. I’m very happy with my second consecutive podium finish, after everything that happened during the race”, he concluded.
Marc-Antoine Camirand, Andrew Ranger and Paillé Course//Racing will be back on track on Wednesday, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series ends its trip West at Sutherland Automotive Speedway, in Saskatoon, SK, for two twin-125 races.