Lacroix Leaves No Doubt With CTMP Sweep

Caps Off Record Weekend with Eighth Pinty’s Win

BOWMANVILLE, Ont — Since Kevin Lacroix figured out Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last fall, he has been nothing short of unstoppable on the historic road course. He continued his CTMP domination by winning the Total Quartz 200 on Sunday.

The Saint-Eustache, Quebec, driver won the E3 Spark Plug Pole Award with a record lap Saturday and then led 40 laps Sunday en route to his third consecutive win at the 2.459-mile road course. Lacroix put everyone but the top six a lap down in the 51-lap event and out-distanced runner-up Alex Tagliani by 26.805 seconds.

It was Lacroix’s fourth win of 2017 and eighth of his career. He won four of the five road-course events, and became the first driver since Andrew Ranger to win three straight events at a race track.

This race was the first NASCAR Pinty’s Series event to run caution free since the 2015 Ecko Unlimited 100 at Circuit ICAR, which was also won by Kevin Lacroix.

Lacroix’s No.74 Bumper to Bumper/Total/Gates/Gofast Dodge took the lead from Anthony Simone on lap 36 and didn’t look back, pulling away almost instantly.

Tagliani, who won the last road-course at Grand Prix Troix Rivieres, and Ranger completed the podium.

Anthony Simone, who qualified second, led 11 laps and gambled on pit strategy — staying out the entire race — and finished fourth. LP Dumoulin rounded out the top five.

Championship points leader Alex Labbe started at the back of the field and worked his way up to sixth, the last car on the lead lap. He was able to maintain a 26-point cushion on Lacroix in the championship standings with two races remaining. Defending series champion Cayden Lapcevich finished 11th and fell to 48 points back of Labbe. Lapcevich is a point ahead of Kennington and four points in front of LP Dumoulin.

Marc-Antoine Camirand was seventh, followed by Gary Klutt, D.J Kennington and Josten’s Rookie of the Year candidate Adam Andretti completed the top 10.

The NASCAR Pinty’s Series will be back in action Saturday, Sept. 9 for the Lucas Oil 250 presented by Bumper to Bumper & Coors Light at Autodrome Saint-Eustache.

RESULTS | RACE CENTRAL LIVE REPLAY

Kevin Lacroix takes home his fourth checkered flag of the 2017 season. Matthew Manor/ NASCAR