TROIS-RIVIERES, QC – Once again, Kevin Lacroix walked away from the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières empty-handed. However, the driver of the #74 NAPA Racing Dodge was in contention for a victory until a mechanical problem forced him to retire.
Kevin Lacroix was in familiar territory on the 2.4-kilometre urban track, as this was his 9th appearance in the event since 2015. In fact, he has two consecutive wins at this prestigious event from the 2014 and 2015 editions. The NAPA Racing team was hungry for another victory, coming off a strong win in Edmonton two weeks prior.
Lacroix set the 4th fastest time in Saturday’s practice session, just behind Marc-Antoine Camirand, JF Dumoulin and LP Dumoulin. Later in the afternoon, he posted a time of 1:07.330, placing him 2nd overall in qualifying.
Thousands of spectators made their way to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières site to watch Kevin Lacroix start the 60 tours Rousseau Métal.
“I would have liked to have secured pole position, as 2nd place on the starting grid in the GP3R is often dangerous,” he explained. “I was on the outside line for Turn 1, but in a good position for Turn 2. Camirand and I touched on the first lap in that corner. From there, I then took the lead, and held it for about 25 laps. I had Andrew (Ranger) putting pressure on me from behind, but it was a great race, until it wasn’t.”
Between Andrew applying the pressure and Camirand back on the charge once more, it was an action-packed race full of intensity. However, after a pit stop, Lacroix’s rear axle broke in two, ending his chances of finishing the race.
“It was either a faulty part or just wear and tear,” he said. “Yet we change this part quite frequently. These cars are fragile, so if you accelerate over a bump the tire spins and bites, creating stress on the axle. We’ve seen it break in the past, but it’s often on older, less well-maintained cars. This is the first time it’s happened to me. Again, it’s just bad luck.”
The retirement hurt Kevin Lacroix in terms of championship points, as he dropped back to 3rd in the standings, 36 points behind first place. NASCAR Canada’s next race is on August 17 at Delaware Speedway in Ontario.
