Postponed by 24 hours due to the rain showers that swept through the Vallée-Jonction (Beauce) region on Saturday, the NASCAR Canada doubleheader held at Autodrome Chaudière delivered plenty of surprises and emotions for three-time series champion Louis-Philippe Dumoulin.
After experiencing mechanical issues resulting from an on-track incident, Dumoulin had to settle for a 16th place finish in Race 1 before mounting a spectacular comeback in Race 2, charging from 20th on the starting grid to finish eighth at the checkered flag. The result allows the driver of the #47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare | Omnifab car to remain among the top three championship contenders after three races this season.
“Because of the rain, qualifying was canceled, so I started Race 1 from the position I earned during Friday’s practice session (seventh place),” explained Louis-Philippe Dumoulin. “In the opening laps, I could tell the car was suffering from handling issues. It may have been a tire-pressure problem, but whatever the cause, I lost a few positions. Then I had an incident with car #3, which pushed me toward the wall on the back straight.” He adds: “The other driver spun following our contact, and to avoid hitting him, I braked very hard. At that point, the # 8 car struck me from behind, causing significant damage to the rear axle of my car. I tried to continue, but it was hopeless, and I was forced to retire from the race shortly afterward.”
Given the extent of the damage and with only one hour between the two afternoon races, it appeared obvious that Dumoulin’s car would not be able to compete in the second event. Fellow NASCAR Canada driver DJ Kennington then offered Dumoulin the use of his backup car for the race.“We had very little time to transform that car into the new #47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare | Omnifab,” said Dumoulin. “But above all, I want to thank DJ Kennington for his gesture. He’s not only a great driver, he’s also a true gentleman. I won’t forget what he did for me.”
Although he qualified sixth, Dumoulin was required to start from the rear of the field because of the car change. He quickly demonstrated strong pace. “DJ and me have different builds, so I wasn’t perfectly comfortable in his seat, and of course I didn’t want to risk damaging his car. I wasn’t operating at 100 percent, but even so, I was determined to score valuable championship points. The car was working very well, and I realized I could start making passes on the outside lane, which allowed me to gain positions. One hundred and twenty-five laps aren’t very long when you’re charging through the field! I would have loved another 25 or 50 laps in that race. I think I could have been fighting for a podium finish, or at least a Top 5, because my lap times were really excellent,” concludes the driver of the # 47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare | Omnifab car.
With 107 points scored after three races, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin sits just two points behind second place in the championship standings, with nine events and eleven races remaining on the 2026 NASCAR Canada schedule.