The NASCAR Pinty’s Series has now raced on the Streets of Toronto a total of eight times. Of those starts, only three different drivers have been able to come home with the checkered flag.
Alex Tagliani, who had two wins on the street course was able to tie Andrew Ranger for most wins at the track, with three each.
“It was a really good race for us, big credit to the team,” said Tagliani. “After CTMP a lot of people put a lot of effort into it, a lot of phone calls. We went to test at ICAR, and we found a really good balance.”
The only other driver with wins on the 1.786-mile street course is second-place finisher, Kevin Lacroix.
Lacroix in the No. 74 NAPA Auto Parts/Valvoline Dodge challenged Tagliani for the win in the final lap as the leaders caught up to lap traffic.
However, Tagliani was able to hold off Lacroix, who was struggling with the temperatures inside the car.
“It was a really tough race; it was really hot. I wish it was only 30 laps,” said Lacroix. “Normally when you are second you wish there were more laps, but no. I put all my energy there, but Alex was just a little bit faster.”
🏁 ALEX TAGLIANI IS YOUR WINNER🏁
HE HOLDS A HARD CHARGING NO. 74 ON THE LAST LAP
🇨🇦 TSN+ 🇺🇸 @FloRacing#NASCARPintys | #TiffanyGateGPofTO pic.twitter.com/vZwB3o90jV
— NASCAR Pinty’s Series (@NASCARPintys) July 14, 2023
Defending Series Champion, Marc-Antoine Camirand started the race 18th, after he missed qualifying due to an issue in practice. He was able to make up ground during the race and finished third behind Lacroix and Tagliani.
“The car was really, really good,” said Camirand. “We are really happy to finish third, to be honest with you, and it’s good points for the championship.”
Decent Finish for Lapcevich
Prior to Toronto, Treyten Lapcevich had been dominant so far in 2023, with an average finish of 1.25.
However, Lapcevich and the No. 20 FBM/Delta Bingo/GSR/Leading Edge/RGC Chevrolet lacked the speed they had shown in previous races this season, but still brought the car home in sixth.
The finish was an improvement on his only other career finish at the track, a tenth-place finish last year.
Despite the lower-than-average finish, Lapcevich still has a 19-point lead over Lacroix in second.
Heartbreak for Nepveu
Rookie of the Year contender, Thomas Nepveu, surprised many when he got his career-best start of sixth in qualifying.
The No. 24 Evirum/Home Hardware Ford was in and around the top-five when on the lap 11 restart, Nepveu had a problem and was unable to get his car up to speed.
After making contact with fellow Rookie Kyle Steckly, Nepveu required a push to get back to the pits.
The No. 24 team was able to fix the problem and get the car back on track two laps down.
The race went green for the remaining laps, but Nepveu was unable to get his lap back, finishing 18th, two laps down.
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Onto Edmonton
Teams will now head west for the first of three races across the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Last year, Marc-Antoine Camirand won the BAYER 300 at Edmonton International Raceway while D.J. Kennington and Alex Tagliani each won, one of the Twin 125 lap events at Sutherland Automotive Speedway.
The Tiffany Gate Grand Prix of Toronto will air tape-delayed on TSN on Sunday, July 23 at 3:00 p.m. ET and on RDS2 on Sunday, July 30 at 11:00 a.m. ET.