VALLEE-JONCTION, QC – In just his fourth career start in the NASCAR Canada Series, rookie William Larue delivered a breakout performance to claim his first-ever win at the Bud Light 250 at Autodrome Chaudière. Starting eighth on the grid, the Québec City native steadily climbed through the field. The driver of the No. 45 Larue Industrial Snow Blowers / XPN World Chevrolet also set the fastest lap of the race, earning the Evirum Fastest Lap of the Race award and was recognized as the Jostens Rookie of the Race.
“It means everything to win here,” said Larue. “I never thought I’d win in this series I used to watch on TV as a kid. I just hoped to one day race in it and now we’ve won. It’s a huge accomplishment. Thank you to my entire team. We had a great car and after the adjustments at the halfway break, it was even faster.”
Veteran Donald Theetge, who dominated the early stages by leading a race-high 114 laps, finished second. The driver of the No. 80 Garoy Construction / Revêtements Vulcain Chevrolet was also fastest in practice and secured the E3 Spark Plugs Pole Award.
“Honestly, we were quick in the first segment, but in the second, we lost pace while others improved,” said Theetge. “We saved second thanks to experience. Of course, we wanted the win but there are still great races ahead.”
Rounding out the podium was Kevin Lacroix in the No. 74 Valvoline / NAPA Racing Chevrolet, who charged from 10th on the grid to finish third after a challenging weekend at Calabogie Motorsports Park.
“Third place, we’ll take it. It was a tough day all around,” he said. “We didn’t expect to end up here. We’ve had a lot of bad luck lately, so we’re happy with this outcome.”
Behind him, D.J. Kennington made a strong push from 13th to fourth in the No. 17 Castrol Edge / Brimstone Games / CIM Metals Dodge, earning the Gulf Race Fuels Move of the Race award. Mathieu Kingsbury, behind the wheel of the No. 9 Duroking / BFL Canada Chevrolet, led 37 laps before encountering issues and completed the top five.
The Bud Light 250 featured tight battles and was marked by multiple yellow and red flags throughout the night.
Top contenders defending champion Marc-Antoine Camirand in the No. 96 GM Paillé / Chevrolet Canada Chevrolet), Andrew Ranger behind the No. 27 GM Paillé / Chevrolet Canada Chevrolet, and the Dumoulin brothers, Jean-François in the No. 04 Omnifab / Bellemare / Bernier Crépeau Dodge and Louis-Philippe in the No. 47 WeatherTech / Bellemare / Omnifab Dodge, endured difficult outings. Among the local favourites, Alex Labbé showed strong pace and battled up front but ultimately finished sixth, while Maxime Gauvreau was forced to retire.
As the series reaches its halfway point, the championship battle is intensifying. D.J. Kennington now leads the standings with 239 points, followed closely by Marc-Antoine Camirand with 236 and Kevin Lacroix with 226. The second half of the season promises even more action as the NASCAR Canada Series heads to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières on August 10.
