@NASCARPintys Archives

Posted by admin on Mar 19 ^th 2024 in NASCAR Canada Series

SIMON CHARBONNEAU AND EIGHTY8 RACING SET TO COMPETE IN NASCAR CANADA!

Montreal (QC), March 19, 2024 – Eighty8 Racing is delighted to announce its entry in NASCAR Canada for the upcoming 2024 season. Simon Charbonneau will drive the #88 TransGestion | NAPA | IAI Experts Conseils car during the four road-course events, with his sights set on full-season competition in 2025.

After a few months of preparations, the Montreal driver established the Eighty8 Racing team with the help of long-standing partners TransGestion and NAPA Pièces d’Autos. “I’m delighted to be able to count on the help of Cédric and Vanessa at TransGestion,” says Charbonneau. “When we suggested NASCAR Canada as a possibility for 2024, TransGestion didn’t hesitate to jump in on the adventure with us.”

“We are proud to support Simon once again this year,” said Vanessa Léonard and Cédric Cousineau, owners of TransGestion. “His driving skills and confidence on track hooked us right from the start. Just like us at TransGestion, he runs on adrenaline!”

“I’m grateful to NAPA Pièces d’Autos, IAI Experts Conseils, and Gersol for supporting me in the creation of our race team. I can’t wait to represent my partners’ colours on tracks across Quebec and Ontario.”

This won’t be unfamiliar territory for the 35-year-old driver, who previously raced in NASCAR Canada last year at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). “I’m looking forward to renewing with NASCAR; last year, I completed my first laps in this series, and I intend to continue my progression this season.”

Charbonneau has been busy building up his team over this past winter, surrounding himself with experienced teammates. “I’m happy to have Yvan Turcotte as my Team Manager,” says the driver. “His expertise is stellar; he’s one of the people with the most experience in the paddock.”

“It’s my dream to race in NASCAR Canada, as it is the premier racing series in Canada. After a few years in the Nissan Sentra Cup, I am proud to have had the opportunity to start my own team. I look forward to sharing the track with the strong lineup of drivers that make up the NASCAR Canada field.”

Charbonneau’s season will feature four events: the Victoria Day weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on May 17, the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières on August 11, the Complexe ICAR event on August 24 and the Labor Day weekend at CTMP on September 1.

Posted by admin on Aug 17 ^th 2023 in NASCAR Pinty's Series

KENNINGTON MARKS HIS 200TH PINTY’S RACE AT OHSWEKEN

Kennington Marks His 200TH Pinty’s Race at Ohsweken

-Starting from the front row, scores fifth place finish

August 17, 2023. In a momentous celebration of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series’ 200th race, the Ohsweken Speedway dirt track came alive with a thrilling 100-lap race. The spotlight, however, was on DJ Kennington, as he not only competed in this historic event but also marked his 200th consecutive series start in the #17 Super Clean Dodge, the only driver to achieve such a milestone.

Kennington scored the win with his #17 Super Clean Dodge in his qualifying heat race and lined up on the front row for the feature event and comfortably raced near the front of the field for most of the event.

Fortunes turned late in the race when the #17 Super Clean Dodge suffered a cut left rear tire. Kennington made a pit stop for fresh rubber and when the crew finished their work he was back on track.

Restarting from the back of the field Kennington had his work cut out for him. As the laps dwindled, Kennington’s charge was a sight to behold. He skillfully navigated the treacherous dirt, overtaking rivals with calculated precision and scored a fifth-place finish.

DJ Kennington Quotes:

“This was a really special night, I’m so proud of this accomplishment but it wouldn’t be possible without the support of so many great people. It’s nice to reach this milestone in our 30th year together with Castrol. The support of my family and everyone that helps us out, we wouldn’t be here for these races if it wasn’t for them. Some tough luck with the flat tire, we ran up front all night. With a few more laps we could have had another podium tonight too. But another good result, we’ll keep pushing forward. Thanks again to everyone for all the support, it means a lot”.

Next up:

DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol EDGE Dodge team are back in action Saturday, August 26th on the road course at Circuit ICAR in Mirabel, QC.

Posted by admin on Jul 28 ^th 2023 in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Four top-10 finishes for Paillé Course//Racing in Saskatoon

Photo credit: Matthew Manor

Saskatoon, SK, July 28, 2023 – Paillé Course//Racing scored a series of top-10s, on Wednesday, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series was at Sutherland Automotive Speedway, in Saskatoon, SK, to end its trip West with twin-125 races. Marc-Antoine Camirand scored third and fifth-place finishes, while Andrew Ranger comes home with two top-10, with sixth and 10^th-place finishes.

Marc-Antoine Camirand was pumped to be back on track in Saskatoon after his brilliant victory, last Saturday. During the practice session, that he ran on old tires, he felt that his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro could be very good on long runs, and then he qualified in fourth place for the first twin-125 race.

“It took some laps at the beginning of the race for my car to be as quick as the leaders. I ran some quick times, and I was able to climb back to third place during this first race. We score another podium finish,” told Camirand.

During the second 125-lap race, his car felt a little more difficult to handle. Sixth at the start, he dropped to eighth place after being caught on the outside groove at the start but managed to climb back positions.

With no yellow flag in this race, he still got back to fifth place, with an understeering car. “My car was really tight in this second race. I feel like I made the best of the equipment that I had. We had a very good trip West overall, with a win, a third and a fifth place, and we are now second in points. However, the points leader had a very good trip too, so he is pulling away in the standings, but now we are back at GP3R, where I want nothing but the win there, in front of my family, friends and fans,” concluded Camirand.

His Paillé Course//Racing teammate Andrew Ranger also scored two top-10s during this doubleheader. He scored a strong sixth-place finish in the first race, after starting from the eighth spot.

“My team worked all week on my car and it paid off. We’re finally happy to let mechanical problems behind, and we score a satisfying sixth-place finish,” said Ranger, who was at the wheel of the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n° 27 Camaro.

During the second race, Ranger had a very understeering car. Starting seventh, he fought to keep his spot in the top-10. “Overall, we are showing progress after a very difficult beginning of the season. I am thrilled to go back to GP3R, where I have had great success in the past. I love this challenging street course that feels like home,” concluded Ranger.

Paillé Course//Racing now heads to one of the most important events of the year, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series hits the streets of Trois-Rivières, for the renowned Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

Posted by admin on Jul 16 ^th 2023 in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Kevin Lacroix on the verge of victory in the streets of Toronto

Toronto (ON), July 15, 2023 – Kevin Lacroix took to the streets of Toronto last Friday, finishing second to Alex Tagliani in the renowned ‘Toronto Indy’ event.

It was an exceptionally busy day for the NASCAR Pinty’s drivers, who had to take to the track for a practice session, followed by a qualifying session immediately afterwards. The event itself, the Tiffany Gate Grand Prix of Toronto, took place later in the afternoon.

Lacroix qualified in 4th place, starting from the second row of the grid. Right from the start, he came up against Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, and pulled off the overtake to climb up into 3rd place. Half of the race was spent behind the two frontrunners as he tried to capitalize on their mistakes.

The driver of the #74 NAPA Synthetic Motor Oil |Valvoline car delighted the thousands of fans in the grandstand as he went wide, leaving only a sliver of room between his car and the wall. It was the maneuver of the race, as he lost no time compared to the other drivers ahead of him.

With less than 10 laps remaining, he gave it his all to hunt down the car ahead of him and stole away 2nd place. In the closing laps, Lacroix began to close in on the leader, Alex Tagliani, while also watching his back as Marc-Antoine Camirand began to close in.

In the end, Lacroix was unable to claim the victory, finishing in 2nd place. “The car was good, but not the best around the city circuit,” said Lacroix. “I fought hard to try and keep up with the first two, then Andrew Ranger started to slow down, which allowed me to overtake him. Alex (Tagliani) was faster than me, so it was very difficult to catch him. However, at the end of the race he made a few mistakes, so I was able to close in on him, but he had a good last lap, so there was nothing I could do. Still, I’m very happy with 2nd place.”

The next NASCAR Pinty’s event is July 22nd as the series prepares for its annual trip to Western Canada. The first stop will be at Edmonton International Raceway in Alberta.

Posted by admin on Jul 16 ^th 2023 in NASCAR Pinty's Series

Paillé Course//Racing Shines in Toronto Double Top-Five for Camirand and Ranger

Bowmanville, ON- July 14: At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 14, 2023 in Ontario, Canada (Photo by Ray MacAloney / CDN-R.com)

(Photos by Ray MacAloney/cdn-r.com)

Toronto, ON, July 16, 2023 – Paillé Course//Racing achieved a brilliant double top-five finish, Friday, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series was on the streets of Toronto, as part of the Honda Indy event. Marc-Antoine Camirand made a spectacular come back to achieve a podium finish after trouble in qualifying, while Andrew Ranger rounded off his race with a fifth-place finish.

The day didn’t smart smoothly for the GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 team. Marc-Antoine Camirand completed only two laps in practice, when a piece of the rear suspension broke on his car, causing sustainable damage to the driveshaft. The Camirand Performance team then spent the entire time remaining in the combined practice and qualifying session to repair the car, and fell sort to get the car back on track in time to post a qualifying lap.

18^th on the grid, Camirand managed to climb back positions quickly in the 35-lap race. Around mid-race, he had climbed to the top five and his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro was the fastest car on the track. He then quickly closed up the gap between the leaders. “I was sitting third, and I was waiting for Kevin (Lacroix, in second place) to make a move. I would have taken the opportunity myself, but it never happened. My car was really fast at the end of the race,” stated Camirand.

Camirand finally scored a well-deserved podium finish. “My crew worked extremely hard all day to get my car rolling for the race and I had a very good car throughout the 35 laps. We are really happy of this great comeback,” concluded Camirand, who achieved his best finish at the Toronto race in the Pinty’s series.

His Paillé Course//Racing teammate, Andrew Ranger, also had a strong outing, finally leaving hard luck behind. Fastest in practice and second in qualifying, he was confident that his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro could battle for the win, as he had won three times before in the streets of Toronto in the NASCAR Pinty’s series.

“My car was very fast and I had a great battle with Tagliani for the lead. Around mid-race, I started to experience brake problems. At the end of the race, I was really struggling with my car and I was just trying to survive the last few laps,” told Ranger.

He finally scored a fifth-place finish, his best result to date this season. “I’ve had a very difficult beginning of the season. I knew I had a fast car, and I could have battled for the win, but I am still happy with this top-five finish,” concluded Ranger.

Paillé Course//Racing, with Marc-Antoine Camirand and Andrew Ranger, comes back in action as soon as next Saturday at Edmonton International Raceway, as the NASCAR Pinty’s series heads to its annual Western swing.