There must have been something in the air at Ohsweken Speedway on Monday.
Ken Schrader, making his second start in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, was able to find victory in the Freshstone Dirt Classic at Ohsweken Speedway, after taking the lead away late from race dominator Treyten Lapcevich.
“I just drove it. These guys and Kyle [Steckly] my crew chief gave me an excellent car. They have their act together,” Schrader said post-race with high praise. “My teammate and I were working good together and then he got into the lapped car I knew I had to go then.”
In scoring the victory in Monday’s event at the 0.375-mile dirt track, Schrader, 68, becomes the first-ever foreign-born driver to capture a victory in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, surpassing a previous best of third by Noah Gragson and Jason Bowles.
A native of Fenton, Missouri, Schrader wasn’t in the catbird seat throughout much of the event, as championship leader Treyten Lapcevich was in control of the event for the majority of the evening, as he has been all season.
However, with about 20 laps remaining in the 100-lap contest, Lapcevich went to lap around Mike Goudie, when the driver of the No. 38 smacked the wall and came down the track into the driver of the No. 20 Chevrolet.
The result was Schrader, a teammate to Lapcevich at 22 Racing, sneaking to the inside for the lead, as the Grimsby, Ontario-native attempted to keep his vehicle from sliding off the track and into the barriers.
From there, the 68-year-old driver was able to take control of the race, working some late-race restarts to get an advantage on the competition, which eventually knocked his biggest competitor down the running order.
Schrader would then drive away from the field in commanding fashion, winning over Kevin Lacroix by 3.744 seconds at the end of the 100-lap contest.
Making history for another reason, Monday’s victory for Schrader makes him both the oldest winner in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, and the oldest winner in any NASCAR-sanctioned event.
Kevin Lacroix would come home in second place, rebounding from a horrific accident on the opening lap of last weekend’s Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres. DJ Kennington came home a season-best third, while title contenders Lapcevich and Camirand finished fourth and fifth.
Stewart Friesen finished in sixth place, after scoring a runner-up result in the inaugural event at Ohsweken in 2022. Daniel Bois, Thomas Nepveu, Alex Guenette, and Alex Tagliani completed the top-10.
