MIRABEL, QC – Andrew Ranger claimed victory at the Evirum 100, held this Saturday at the ICAR Complex. It was an action-packed race featuring 24 drivers on the track in front of thousands of spectators.
Earlier in the day, it was Kevin Lacroix who dominated the practice session, setting the fastest lap in his #74 NAPA Racing / Quick Strut Dodge. However, it was his teammate at Innovation Auto Sport, Andrew Ranger, who won the E3 Spark Plugs Award, securing the pole position for the Evirum 100. Lacroix started in second place, with Alex Guénette in the #39 Casino Grand Royal Wôlinak/DLGL/GLEA Chevrolet and Steve Côté in the #29 Evirum/BKFC Chevrolet on the second row.
The Evirum green flag dropped in front of a full house on the former tarmac of the Mirabel airport. Right from the start, Ranger and Lacroix pulled away from the rest of the field, engaging in a fierce battle. Lacroix overtook Ranger on lap 7, taking the lead in the race.
Meanwhile, a battle was brewing between Alex Guenette and Marc-Antoine Camirand, who was commanding the #96 GM Paillé Chevrolet. Alex Tagliani made an impressive comeback, driving his #80 St- Hubert/BFL/Arobas/Repentigny Chevrolet from second-to-last place due to repairs made after the allotted time.
Ranger, however, wasn’t done yet and reclaimed the lead from Lacroix with 12 laps to go. Lacroix, now in second place, had to keep a close eye on his mirrors as Marc-Antoine Camirand was closing in quickly.
In the end, the race concluded with Ranger securing his third win of the year and his fifth victory at ICAR.
“It was a great race,” said Andrew Ranger. “We started from pole position, but Kevin (Lacroix) passed me during the race, so I tried to conserve my equipment. I was also watching to see where I could overtake him. In the end, I saw the #96 car coming, so I knew I had to act quickly. On the restart, I passed Kevin for the lead. I then pushed hard to clinch my third victory of the season. It’s a great day for IAS and GM Paillé.”
Kevin echoed his teammate’s comments, saying, “We fought hard throughout the race. At the end, I protected the 1-2 for the team; I felt the #96 was coming strong from behind, so I was cautious, and Andrew was fast enough to hold on to the win.”
“It’s a great third place we got here at ICAR,” said Marc-Antoine Camirand. “We fought hard at the end; I saved the car for the last 10 laps. I could have used another 3-4 laps, but it’s okay, I’m really happy with third place for GM Paillé, and we’re in good shape for the championship. Great win for the #27 and GM Paillé.”
Alex Guenette finished in 4th place, with Alex Labbé in the #36 AB Express/Lussier Chev/VR Victoriaville Chevrolet rounding out the Top 5.
The next NASCAR Canada race will take place next weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, where the drivers will compete in the WeatherTech 200, the final road course event of the season.
