NASCAR Canada returned to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) on Sunday for the WeatherTech 200, the penultimate race of the 2026 season. Following an eventful race throughout the field, Andrew Ranger claimed the victory behind the wheel of the No. 27 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada Chevrolet, while Marc-Antoine Camirand, driver of the No. 96 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada Chevrolet, was crowned the 2026 NASCAR Canada Series champion.
Needing a finish of 31st or better to secure the title, Camirand officially clinched his third consecutive championship, becoming the first driver in series history to achieve a three-peat.
Kyle Steckly led the field to green after claiming the E3 Spark Plugs Pole Award in Saturday’s qualifying session behind the No. 22 Sierra Excavating/APC/Murphy Mtps/MBS Chevrolet, with Tyler Gonzalez starting alongside him in second in the No. 38 RGR Motorsports/Muskoka Aircraft Refinishing Ford.
Gonzalez moved into the lead on the opening lap, while Steckly settled into second. Further back, contact between Marc-Antoine Camirand and Connor Bell, in the No. 3 Dymon/Sangsin Brake/HGC/Fast Eddie Chevrolet, sent Bell into the wall, although he was able to continue, while Alex Guenette in the No. 39 DLGL/GL Électricité-Automatisation Chevrolet was pushed into the grass before rejoining the race. Camirand was later assessed a stop-and-go penalty for his involvement in the incident.
With 44 laps remaining, the first full-course yellow came out for Bell’s No. 3. Several drivers took the opportunity to head to pit road, while Gonzalez later stopped on track, bringing an early end to his race and handing the lead back to Steckly.
The race returned to green with 36 laps remaining, with Steckly leading as battles developed throughout the field. Steckly remained out front until making his way to pit road with 28 laps remaining, allowing D.J. Kennington in the No. 17 Castrol/BrimstoneGames/DriveBuySupply/CIM Dodge to take over the lead. At the halfway mark, Kennington held the lead, followed by Ranger, Gary Klutt in the No. 71 AutologiQ/Kleen-Flo Dodge, Alex Tagliani behind the No. 80 St. Hubert/Bet GRW/UPS Store/Olymel Chevrolet, and Cayden Lapcevich in the No. 76 GSR/Ohsweken Speedway/Chantarellie Chevrolet to round out the top five.
Meanwhile, Camirand began working his way back through the field following his earlier penalty. The battle at the front continued to develop, with Ranger eventually taking over the lead with 20 laps remaining.
As the race entered its closing stages, Camirand continued his charge through the field, making his way past D.J. Kennington for second. Lapcevich also moved forward, passing Kennington to take third with eight laps remaining.
A late full-course yellow sent the race into NASCAR Overtime, setting up one final restart. Ranger maintained the lead as the field returned to green, while the battle for the final podium positions continued behind him.
Ranger ultimately took the checkered flag, followed by Camirand in second. Returning 2016 NASCAR Canada Series champion Cayden Lapcevich completed the podium in third.
“I’m really happy. We didn’t have the car we wanted in qualifying, but starting sixth was still a pretty comfortable position. During the race, it was all about saving the tires, having good restarts and saving as much fuel as possible,” explained Ranger. “I definitely wasn’t hoping for a green-white-checkered finish. We had about a 10-second lead and everything was looking good, and then the yellow came out. I was really nervous and knew it was going to be interesting. But we had a really good restart, I was able to build a bit of a gap, and ultimately bring home the win. I’m very happy for the whole team. It’s our first win of the year, so it’s a great way to finish the season on a positive note. I’m really happy.”
“It was an eventful race for us. We had a good start and were keeping pace. Early in the race, I made contact with the No. 3 after getting hit from behind myself. Unfortunately, he went off track, but it definitely wasn’t intentional,” explained Camirand. “We rolled up our sleeves and found ourselves near the back of the field before working our way all the way back up to second. I’m really happy for the entire GM Paillé team, and at the same time, we won the championship. Even though we can be a little more relaxed for the final race at Delaware, we’re still going to push hard for another win. Delaware is a track where I haven’t had a lot of success, but we’ll try to turn that around and finish the season with a victory.”
“After qualifying didn’t go as well as we wanted yesterday, the guys at GSR, David Lewis and Velocity Race Cars went to work. We found some speed overnight and early this morning, and the car was really good,” said Lapcevich. “I think if we didn’t have to go to the back for adjustments, we probably would have had a shot at it. I had to drive really hard and probably used it up a little too much, but overall, it was a really good day. I was never a road racer, so to come out here and do that after not road racing in 10 or 11 years, I’m just really happy and thankful for the opportunity. Hopefully we can do it again.”
The NASCAR Canada Series heads to Delaware Speedway on September 12 for the final race of the 2026 season, where Camirand will officially celebrate his championship title.