Rookie driver Connor Bell etched his name in the record books by becoming the first-ever NASCAR Canada Series winner at Calabogie Motorsports Park. The Stittsville, Ontario native charged to victory in the No. 3 Dymon Foundation / Eastrock Equipment / Nepean Building Chevrolet after a dramatic 50-lap battle on the technical Stadium Track layout.

Bell’s win capped off a breakout weekend for the local driver, who was eighth quickest in Practice and topped the charts in Final Practice. He secured a fifth-place starting spot in Saturday’s qualifying session, where Gary Klutt earned the E3 Spark Plugs Pole Award in the No. 59 Autologic / Hofmann Plastics Dodge.

It was not an easy win for Bell in the Calabogie 150 Clash of the Titans presented by NAPA and Mack Mackenzie Motors. He was handed a penalty for pit lane speeding early in the race, sending him to the back of the field. Undeterred, the rookie clawed his way back through the field, capitalizing on restarts and late-race chaos to take control in the final laps.

The race opened with early fireworks as Andrew Ranger in the No. 27 Paillé Chevrolet received a black flag for a procedural infraction. Meanwhile, road course ace Kevin Lacroix’s return to action was short-lived, as a mechanical issue on Lap 1 ended his race in the No. 74 Valvoline / NAPA Racing Chevrolet.

At the front, Klutt led early but faced pressure from Alex Tagliani in the No. 80 St-Hubert / UPS Store / Bet GRW / Dry Shine Chevrolet. Tagliani took over the lead on Lap 5, before reigning champion Marc-Antoine Camirand moved into the top spot on Lap 9 in the No. 96 GM Paillé Chevrolet.

As the lead pack shuffled, Alex Guenette muscled his way into second in the No. 39 GL Électricité Automatisation / Bet GRW Chevrolet, setting the stage for a three-wide showdown on a restart with 15 laps to go. Guenette emerged with the lead, but Camirand was hit with a drive-through penalty for initiating the risky move, dropping him to tenth.

Rookies continued to impress, with Simon Charbonneau piloting the No. 88 TransGestion / NAPA / IAI Experts-Conseils Chevrolet inside the Top 10 for most of the race, reaching as high as fifth. Local favorite Jeff Cavanagh also made his presence known, climbing into the Top 10 at one point in the No. 24 Thomas Cavanagh Construction Chevrolet.

As the race neared its conclusion, Bell surged forward, passing Ranger for third and eventually overtaking Guenette to seize the lead. Louis-Philippe Dumoulin in the No. 47 WeatherTech Canada / Omnifab / Bellemare Dodge held firm in third to round out the podium.

The final lap delivered one last dose of drama as Guenette made a late bid to reclaim the lead, but Bell held his line and crossed the finish first to secure his maiden victory in the NASCAR Canada Series. In addition to the historic win, Bell also earned Jostens Rookie of the Race honors in front of his home crowd.

“Winning on debut, at 19 years old and being the youngest in the field, is just surreal,” said Connor Bell. “ I have had incredible support, and so has the team. I’m honestly a bit speechless. It’s such an exciting moment. Hopefully we get the chance to come back and go two for two.”

“The race was as wild as we expected,” stated Alex Guenette. “I loved the track, it was challenging and kept everyone honest. With it being new for everyone, it gave us a bit of an edge. I’m really happy because with the car we had, I knew we would be strong. We executed cleanly, made no mistakes, and everything fell in place. Honestly, there wasn’t more on the table today.”

“I’m happy with our performance today” expressed Louis-Philippe Dumoulin. “ We had a solid pit stop strategy, and the crew executed it flawlessly. Without that final caution late in the race, we were in a great position to take control. That yellow really threw a curveball at us. With just a few more laps, I think we could’ve caught him. The rest of the season is looking good, we have strong pace, and we’re not backing down. We’ll keep pushing for wins.”

Fans can catch the action with tape-delayed coverage available on REV TV, TVA Sports and TSN. The NASCAR Canada Series returns to action on Saturday August 2 with the Bud Light 250 at Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction, Quebec.