Paillé Course//Racing enjoyed a memorable doubleheader on Saturday at Autodrome Montmagny, as Marc-Antoine Camirand swept the Burn-X 125 and the Delta Electrolytes 150. The driver of the No. 96 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada Chevrolet scored his third and fourth wins of the season, further extending his lead atop the championship standings. Andrew Ranger, meanwhile, earned the Move of the Race in the opening event, finishing fourth and sixth in the two races.
The day was far from a given for Paillé Course//Racing. While he was still trying to find speed in his No. 96 car during practice, Camirand surprised even himself by claiming the pole position in qualifying.
In the opening laps of the first 125-lap event, he had to give up the lead, but he remained patient and took command of the race again on Lap 101. Camirand then withstood the pressure during a green-white-checkered restart in the closing laps to earn his third victory of the season.
“Honestly, I wasn’t necessarily expecting the pole, because we weren’t the fastest in practice. But my team once again did an incredible job. In the first race, we had to fight, take the lead back, and then be perfect on the final restart. It’s the kind of win that really feels good,” explained Camirand.
In the second event, the XPN Delta Electrolytes 150, Camirand started from the second position. He quickly took command on lap 14 and never looked back. In a race marked by a very long green-flag run of more than 100 laps, the Saint-Léonard-d’Aston driver showed all the speed and consistency of his car, dominating the event all the way to the finish line.
“Once again, the No. 96 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada Camaro was perfect. My entire team at Camirand Performance has worked extremely hard, and we showed the strength of our team with this doubleheader. I’m proud to represent the GM Paillé colours this way,” added Camirand.
With those two wins, Camirand now holds a 47-point lead in the drivers’ championship after six races.
For Andrew Ranger, the doubleheader was more eventful, but still encouraging. After a disappointing 13th-place effort in qualifying, the driver of the No. 27 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada Camaro showed patience and determination to climb all the way to third. He ultimately missed out on the podium on the final restart, but his fourth-place finish earned him the Move of the Race award after gaining the most positions.
“We started from far back, so we had to stay patient and take advantage of the openings without risking everything too early. I pushed hard on the outside line and it worked. Obviously, we would have liked to finish on the podium, especially after making it that far, but it’s a very good fourth-place finish for us. On ovals, we’ve been working hard this year to get our rhythm back, so this result is very positive,” said Ranger.
The second race proved more difficult for the Roxton Pond driver. After dealing with an oversteering car in the first event, the team tried some adjustments that made the car too tight. Ranger still managed to limit the damage by finishing sixth after starting from the 12th position.
“We were in survival mode during the second race. We tried to correct the car’s handling, but we went too far in the other direction. It wasn’t easy to drive, so finishing sixth under those conditions is still a satisfying result. We still fought hard,” concluded Ranger.
The next NASCAR Canada event will take place at Calabogie Motorsports Park on the weekend of July 18 and 19. Until then, Paillé Course//Racing also wishes Andrew Ranger the best of luck as he takes part this weekend in the ARCA Series event at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.