Marc-Antoine Camirand, in the No. 96 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada, claimed the victory in Sunday’s 45 Tours CarGurus as the NASCAR Canada Series took on the historic streets of Trois-Rivières in a race marked by several cautions and retirements, closing out a full weekend of racing at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

The field first hit the streets of Trois-Rivières on Saturday, with Alex Labbé, driving the No. 36 Groupe Boissonneault/FlorDeco/GBI Chevrolet, topping the practice session before qualifying and the inaugural Omnifab Sprints set the stage for Sunday’s 45 Tours CarGurus. Qualifying secured Kevin Lacroix, in the No. 74 NAPA Gold Filters Chevrolet, and Camirand the first two positions on the starting grid, while the remainder of the field was determined through two 15-lap Omnifab Sprints.

Lacroix and Camirand each claimed a Sprint victory, with the results determining the outside and inside rows for Sunday’s starting lineup. Championship points were also awarded in both Sprints, with the top five finishers earning five, four, three, two and one point, respectively.

In Sunday’s 45 Tours CarGurus, Kevin Lacroix started from pole position alongside championship leader Marc-Antoine Camirand. Lacroix maintained the lead on the opening lap, with Camirand close behind in second.

The race was marked by several cautions as incidents and mechanical issues affected drivers throughout the field. Sam Fellows, in the No. 88 AER/Novus/McDougall Energy/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, was among the one of the drivers to experience trouble as he encountered a fire incident that required him to exit his car, resulting in another interruption to the race for cleanup.

The lead changed hands when Lacroix brought the No. 74 to pit lane with a mechanical problem. An engine failure ultimately forced the polesitter to retire, moving Camirand into the race lead.

Behind Camirand, positions continued to change throughout the field. Alex Labbé held third before Alex Tagliani, in the No. 80 St. Hubért/UPS Store/Bet GRW/Olymel Chevrolet, moved into the position. Tagliani later made contact with the wall, bringing out another caution and ending his race.

Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, driving the No. 47 WeatherTech/Bellemare/Omnifab Dodge, and Andrew Ranger, in the No. 27 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada Chevrolet, also made contact, sending Ranger into a spin. Ranger was able to maintain control of the No. 27 and continue.

Former NFL player Jared Odrick, making his NASCAR Canada debut in the No. 24 Black Underwear/Cathcart Trucking/BC RaceCars, progressed from 28th on the starting grid and ran as high as 11th before an incident later ended his race. Labbé was also forced to retire after experiencing a battery issue.

A red flag on Lap 39 brought the field to a stop with Will Larue running in second position in the No. 45 Larue Industrial Snow Blowers/Macpek Chevrolet. Larue was unable to refire his car and was forced to retire, moving Dumoulin into second and Justin Arseneau, behind the No. 8 Piscine Fibro/Festival Volaria/GL E-A Chevrolet, into third for the restart.

Camirand led the field back to green, while the battle for the final podium spot continued behind him between Ranger and Alex Guenette. Guenette eventually moved into third in the closing stages and held the position to the finish.

Camirand crossed the line first in the No. 96 to secure the victory, with Trois-Rivières native Dumoulin finishing second and Guenette completing the podium in third.

“Another big weekend for the car. With the new format, the fans really got to enjoy a lot of on-track action,” said Camirand. “As for the race, it started well for us. We had a very fast car early on, and Kevin Lacroix was really fast as well. I was quicker than him in certain sections of the track, while he was quicker in others, so I stayed patient behind him. In the five or six laps before the final caution, I could see that he was starting to brake later, and I thought he might be having some brake issues. We remained very patient. Unfortunately for him, he eventually had a mechanical failure. I think we could have had a really good battle all the way to the end. I was a little quicker at that point, and I expected him to put up a fight, so it definitely could have been interesting.”

“It was really great to see so many fans in the grandstands and suites. It was hot, but everyone showed up. It was also a good weekend for the No. 47 Omnifab/Bellemare car,” explained Dumoulin. “The race had several restarts, incidents and even a few red flags, so it was difficult to really find a rhythm. We had to manage all of that, but the car was still good at the end, and I think our setup was well suited for the 45 laps. At the end, I pushed really hard to catch Marc-Antoine, but with one lap to go, I knew it was going to be difficult to get to him. I decided to bring the car home in second place. I’m happy for the entire team, and these are good points for us in the championship.”

“I really enjoyed the Sprint format, and I hope it continues,” said Guenette. “It makes for long days, but it also brings more action and more opportunities to stand on the podium. I’m really happy with our weekend. We had a great battle with Andrew Ranger at the end. At one point, I had to do a 360, and we lost five or six positions with seven or eight laps to go, so we had to work our way back through the field. Andrew managed to keep control and continue, but I knew his car wasn’t as fast at that point. I was eventually able to get by him on the final lap. I’m really happy to finish on the podium.”

Italian driver Vittorio Ghirelli, who returned to Trois-Rivières for the event while competing in the NASCAR Euro Series, finished 10th.

Following the 45 Tours CarGurus, Camirand continues to lead the NASCAR Canada Series championship with 455 points. Dumoulin moves into second with 379 points, while Lacroix sits third with 367 points. Connor Bell remains the leader in the Jostens Rookie of the Year standings.

The NASCAR Canada Series returns to street racing next weekend for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, August 14-15.