MONTMAGNY, QC – Autodrome Montmagny hosted a spectacular finale this Sunday, where Kevin Lacroix won the race, but Marc-Antoine Camirand secured the ultimate title of NASCAR Canada Series presented by Pinty’s and Evirum Champion.
He won the Championship in front of thousands of spectators who flocked to the oval located by the Saint-Lawrence River. The driver of the No. 96 GM Paillé Chevrolet needed to finish 15th or better to claim the title, which he achieved.
However, it was a rollercoaster weekend for Marc-Antoine Camirand, who had laid the fastest lap times in the first two practice sessions of the day. It was ultiamtely Alex Labbé in the No.36 Malois Transport/VR Victoriaville/Lussier Chevrolet that took the E3 Spark Plugs Pole Award, with Kevin Lacroix’s No. 74 Quick Strust / NAPA Dodge in second place. The championship leader would start from the 8th position for the 250 XPN Laps the following day.
On Sunday, the tension was high, with Labbé looking to convert his pole position into victory, Camirand having everything to lose, and Lacroix having everything to gain.
From the start of the race, Lacroix tried to seize the lead from Labbé, who remained firm in place. Raphaël Lessard joined the fray in his No. 7 Larue Industrial Snow Blowers Chevrolet, successfully making his move. Kevin Lacroix was pushed to 3rd place early on and had to fend off Andrew Ranger’s No. 27 GM Paillé Chevrolet and Steve Côté’s No. 29 Evirum / BKFC Chevrolet. However, Lacroix fought back to reclaim his lost position.
Meanwhile, Camirand was working hard to move up the field. With about 185 laps remaining, he was already in 3rd place, behind Labbé and Lacroix, who had a half-lap lead on him. Shortly after, Lacroix managed to take control of the race, comfortably settling into the lead position.
A caution with less than 140 laps remaining bunched up the field. Andrew Ranger, who was then the last driver on the lead lap, took advantage of the opportunity to pit for adjustments.
During the restart, a major crash involving Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, Andrew Ranger, Jean-Philippe Bergeron, Simon Dion-Viens, Glenn Styres, and Dave Coursol caused a red flag, halting the drivers on the track. Coursol was the most affected in this pile-up. He was evaluated at the track’s medical center as a precaution and was released immediately.
After the restart, Alex Guénette entered the Top 5 in his No. 39 Casino Grand Royal Wolinak/DLGL Chevrolet, as did Will Larue in the No. 45 Larue Industrial Snow Blowers Chevrolet.
Action resumed with the mid-race restart as Frédérik Ladouceur, in the No. 51 L’Entrepôt Pièces d’Auto/Ray Jr. Investments Dodge, collided with Steve Côté’s Chevrolet, causing a long caution. Ladouceur, supported by D.J. Kennington’s team, managed to pit several times for repairs on his car.
During the restart with 103 laps to go, Lacroix and Camirand found themselves on the front row. However, Lacroix won this battle, while Camirand defended his position from Jason Hathaway’s No. 3 ASSA ABLOY/Accentra/Leland/HGC Chevrolet, which was in 3rd place. Further back in the field, there was a fierce battle between Theetge and Guénette for a spot in the Top 5.
Theetge targeted Labbé, who was in 4th place, with a mission in mind. With 50 laps to go, Will Larue positioned himself on Lacroix’s rear bumper, with Camirand in 3rd place and Mathieu Kingsbury in 4th in the No. 9 Duroking/Boisclair & Fils/Paillé Chevrolet.
The final laps were filled with action, matching the intensity of the rest of the season. Larue pressured Lacroix, while Theetge moved up to 3rd place, leaving Kingsbury, Guénette, and Camirand to battle behind.
With 20 laps to go, Camirand could breathe a sigh of relief as Hathaway’s retirement secured his 2024 championship title, as only 15 cars were remaining on the track. Up front, Larue put immense pressure on Lacroix but couldn’t pass the NAPA car, which achieved the first NASCAR Canada victory at the Autodrome Montmagny. Alex Guénette finished in 3rd place, with Mathieu Kingsbury and Donald Theetge completing the Top 5.
Marc-Antoine Camirand was crowned the 2024 Champion by finishing in 6th place, with Labbé trailing. Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, D.J. Kennington, and Raphaël Lessard rounded out the Top 10.
“We had six wins this season,” said Kevin Lacroix, race winner and Vice-Champion 2024. “I think we were dominant and the best team all year. We had some misfortunes that pushed us out of the championship. It’s a great win today, but at the same time, it’s bittersweet to finish second in the championship. However, we end the season with three consecutive wins, so we’ll try to continue like this in 2025.”
“I have immense respect for Ranger and Lacroix,” said the 2024 Champion. “We had a great battle until the end. This last race was special. We came to Montmagny with a certain lead, but not enough to be comfortable. There was certainly a little extra stress, but we raced smartly. We had a good car in the first half of the race, then struggled with tires in the second half. We managed to keep it together and finish in 6th place. We worked hard all season with an exceptional sponsor. Now that we have two championships, we want a third!”
Steve Côté had a tough race as he was forced to retire. However, he was among the leaders for much of the race. Nevertheless, he earned the Rookie of the Year title.
