It was a historic season for Treyten Lapcevich in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS), where the third-generation racer took home a championship in his third full-time season.
Lapcevich got off to a quick start, dominating the opener at Sunset Speedway before making a last-turn move for the victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). While his dad has five podiums at CTMP, it was Treyten who became the first Lapcevich to win an NPS road race.
“Below having a goal to win a championship was just to get a win on a road course,” said Lapcevich. “To win on one – I feel like you gain a lot of confidence in yourself, you gain respect from the competitors, especially in a series where there are so many good road racers.”
The early hot streak continued into Autodrome Chaudière, where he led most of the way, but finished second; his 521 laps led, through three races, still crushed the previous record of 333 laps led.
Next up was Newfoundland’s Eastbound Speedway, where Lapcevich fell back early, before halftime adjustments brought the car to life. He went on to join his 22 Racing owner Scott Steckly as the only other driver to win three of the first four races.
“Definitely surprised, it was a lot of improvement compared to where we were last year,” said Lapcevich. “I think the speed was there last year but we didn’t have that speed as consistently and we had a lot of mechanical issues…big props to the whole 22 Racing team, they really brought amazing cars to every track and every race and that showed already.”
Lapcevich finished sixth on the Streets of Toronto and second in Edmonton before more history, at Saskatoon’s Sutherland Automotive Speedway. He matched what Marc-Antoine Camirand did at Edmonton, becoming the seventh driver to lead flag-to-flag in a race. He then became the first driver to sweep the Saskatoon twin-125s.
Next on the schedule was Trois-Rivières, followed by back-to-back races at Ohsweken Speedway. The winner of the inaugural NPS dirt race had a busy week, running double-duty in a crate sprint car for Glenn Styres.
“It’s a whole new realm for me,” said Lapcevich. “It’s not just learning the car but also learning the track and how it changes every time you get on there…I think having that experience and trying different cars and having these different opportunities might help me with the end goal.”
Won the series’ 200th race
Lapcevich led three quarters of the Monday race, before getting tangled with a lapped car and finishing fourth. The following race was postponed to the Wednesday, where he won the series’ 200th race, also marking his second win in three Ohsweken events.
Top-six finishes at Circuit ICAR and CTMP put him in position to clinch the championship by just starting the finale at Delaware Speedway, despite Camirand posting a statistically better season than his 2022 title campaign.
Lapcevich took the victory at Delaware, becoming the first champion to win the finale since Steckly in 2013. He ended the year with seven wins, nine podiums, 11 Top-5s, 14 Top-10s, 1,149 laps led and a 2.6 average finish, all of which tied or became new single-season records (except for Top-5s).
It was also an emotional race for the Grimsby, ON driver, with his ‘Grandma Jingles,’ Vera Kohler, passing away just two days earlier.
“A lot of racing is a mental game and, with the passing of my grandmother, it’s hard to stay focused,” said Lapcevich. “I think having my whole family there with me, even during a tough time like that where my mom maybe, in her mind, might’ve wanted to be elsewhere, definitely is big; it’s great to have that support from the family.”
The family aspect of racing was evident in the 2023 championship. Treyten’s dad, Jeff, became a two-time champion crew chief, following his 2016 title with Treyten’s older brother Cayden. Cayden had an off-weekend from his ARCA crew chief duties and was also on hand at the Delaware finale.
“We have a pretty strong history in the Pinty’s Series now, with my uncle and dad and brother,” said Treyten. “To have them all there and (for them) to be able to celebrate with me, to bring another Pinty’s Series championship to the Lapcevich residence, was definitely big.”
Ironically, both Cayden and Treyten got their first NPS win in their 13th start. Through 31 starts (Cayden’s career total), it was Cayden with more wins and podiums, while Treyten had more Top-5s and laps led. While it was Treyten who added his name to the single-season record books this year, Cayden points out that it took him longer to win a championship.
“I still did it when I was younger, and as a rookie, so I’m still going to take that on him, but it’s a good deal,” said Cayden. “It’s awesome to see him get it done… to come in here and run a really good race, not exactly dominate but lead a bunch of laps and go out in fashion, win the race and the championship, is huge.”
Cayden’s title came with the family’s Fastline Motorsports team, while Treyten’s came with 22 Racing. Despite that difference, the need for last-minute funding was another similarity between the brothers’ championship seasons.
Funding will not be an issue in 2024, as Lapcevich will run the full zMax CARS Tour schedule with sponsorship from Evirum Waste Management Eco-Responsible Services and BKFC. He also remains busy with his studies at York University’s Schulich School of Business.
“Having the skills that business school has provided me is not only a backup plan, if I’m not able to race for a career, but it also provides me with skills that I can use to improve and drive my racing career down the road,” concluded Lapcevich. “School’s a pretty big passion of mine, I enjoy going to school.”
