It’s been a battle between the two GM Paille-sponsored Chevrolet machines in the NASCAR Canada Series all season long, and Saturday’s Evirum 100 at Circuit ICAR in Quebec was no different.
Marc-Antoine Camirand was the class of the field in Saturday’s practice session from the 2.295-mile road course in Mirabel, Quebec, before Andrew Ranger, a fellow championship contender, fired back by winning the pole position.
As has been the case several times in the NASCAR Canada Series throughout the last couple of years, the in-race battle came down to Ranger and Camirand, with the driver of the No. 96 beating the rear bumper off of the No. 27 for the first portion of the event.
Camirand was able to make the pass for the race lead at Lap 13, and that ended up being the pass for the victory. Ranger, Alex Tagliani, Justin Arseneau, and Alex Guenette were able to stay in striking distance, but none of them had anything for the driver of the GM Paille Chevrolet.
The victory marks the 16th in the NASCAR Canada Series for Marc-Antoine Camirand, inching him closer and closer to taking fourth-place on the all-time wins list from Scott Steckly.
At the end of the race, Camirand had pulled a substantial lead over second-place finisher Andrew Ranger. Alex Tagliani brought home a third-place result, with Kevin Lacroix and Alex Guenette rounding out the top five.
Lacroix, often a contender in the NASCAR Canada Series, was able to rebound and earn a top-five finish after an unapproved adjustment forced the No. 74 Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet to start at the rear of the field.
Alex Labbe, a frequent competitor in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, finished in sixth, with Mathieu Kingsbury, DJ Kennington, JP Bergeron, and Dave Coursol rounding out the top-10.
LP Dumoulin, a three-time NASCAR Canada Series champion, brought home a terrible 16th-place result on the afternoon, after his WeatherTech Dodge suffered a flat tire under the green flag.
Dumoulin lost nearly a lap on the racetrack trying to get back to pit road, but was then penalized another lap because he stopped on the racetrack to draw a caution flag. That effectively ended any hope the Dumoulin Competition team had of scoring a top-10.
Justin Arseneau also appeared to be in contention to score a top-five finish on the afternoon, but his No. 3 Ed Hakonson Racing Chevrolet burst into flames after a mechanical issue, forcing him to retire from the event, bringing home a P17 finish.
As the series leaves Circuit ICAR and travels to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) next weekend for Labor Day Weekend festivities, Marc-Antoine Camirand holds a 12-point advantage over Andrew Ranger in the NASCAR Canada Series point standings.
DJ Kennington sits third in points, 15 points behind, while Kevin Lacroix (26 points back) and LP Dumoulin (36 points back) round out the top five in series point standings with four races left in the season.
