Impressive field entered for NASCAR Pinty's Series season opener
Can defending champion Cayden Lapcevich make it six different winners in as many races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park?
Photo by: Paolo Pedicelli
It's already been a good week for the defending NASCAR Pinty's Series champion Cayden Lapcevich.
On Tuesday he was named to the 2017 NASCAR Next class and will be defending his 2016 title in Sunday’s Can-Am 200 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the season opener.
Lapcevich became the youngest champion in series history last fall after winning three races and also collecting rookie of the year honors – a first for the series.
The 17-year-old Grimsby, Ontario native will lead an impressive field that features six former winners at CTMP in the first race of the season.
Andrew Ranger, who won this event last year, leads the group with three wins on the challenging 2.459-mile road course located outside of Toronto. L.P. Dumoulin is the only other driver entered to win multiple races at CTMP.
D.J. Kennington, Gary Klutt and Jason Hathaway join last fall’s race winner Kevin Lacroix as previous winners scheduled to compete.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular Christopher Bell will pull double duty this weekend as he’ll fly up to the facility after racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday night.
Other drivers expected to contend for the win include Alex Tagliani who is competing full-time this season after missing the opener last year to drive in the Indianapolis 500. He’ll feature a new partner on his car with Lowe’s Canada joining Epi-Pen on his car.
Several teams have been able to announce partnership agreements prior to the season opener with J.F. Dumoulin joining Tagliani in making a commitment to compete full-time in the series in 2017 with Spectra Premium increasing its support and his brother L.P. also announced a renewal with Weathertech Canada last week.
The Can-Am 200 will be the first of 13 races on the NASCAR Pinty’s Series schedule this season.
CAR | DRIVER/HOMETOWN | TEAM | OWNER | CREW CHIEF |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Joey McColm | Piloti/CBRT Ford | Bud Morris | Edward Wong |
2 | Matthew Scannell, Rockwood, Ont. | Omvic/Leland Ford | Susan Micks | Rino Montanari |
3 | Jason Hathaway, St. Thomas, Ont. | Kubota/Fast Eddie Chevrolet | Ed Hakonson | Craig Masters |
4 | J.F. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que. | Spectra Premium/Bernier Dodge | Eric Kerub | Robin McCluskey |
9 | Charles Harvey, Terrebonne, Que. | Havoline Dodge | Trevor Seibert | Jeremy Coulter |
9 | Adam Martin, Ayr, Ont. | Johnsonville Ford | Brad Martin | Terry Wilson |
11 | Martin Cote, Ayr, Ont. | Go-VR Dodge | Martin Cote | TBA |
17 | D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont. | Castrol Edge Dodge | Doug Kennington | Ted McAlister |
18 | Alex Tagliani, Laval, Que. | EpiPen/Lowe’s/St. Hubert Dodge | Colin Livingston | Tyler Case |
21 | Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C. | Hal-Nor Plumbing/Powder Ventures Excavating Chevrolet | Rob McConnell | Rob McConnell |
22 | Christopher Bell, Norman, Okla. | 22 Racing Dodge | Scott Steckly | Randy Steckly |
25 | Brett Taylor, Calgary, Alb. | New Home Listing Service Dodge | Bud Morris | Frank Millman |
27 | Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que. | Mopar Dodge | Doug Kennington | David Wright |
28 | Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont. | Piloti/CBRT Dodge | Doug Kennington | David Stephens |
32 | Alex Labbe, Victoriaville, Que. | Can-Am/Kappa/Cyclops Gear/Lou’s BQ Ford | Alain Lord Mounir | Mario Gosselin |
42 | Ryan Klutt, Halton Hills, Ont. | Legendary Motorcar Co. Chevrolet | Peter Klutt | Jason Humphrey |
43 | Robin Buck, Milton, Ont. | Ontario Chrysler Dealers/Advertising Assoc. Dodge | Trevor Seibert | Daniel Bois |
47 | L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que. | WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge | Marc-Andre Bergeron | Bill Burns |
56 | David Michaud, Terrebonne, Que. | Trailers by Jim Bray Dodge | Dan Bray | Jonathan Lavoie |
59 | Gary Klutt, Halton Hills, Ont. | Legendary Motorcar/Pioneer Family Pools Dodge | Peter Klutt | John Fletcher |
67 | David Thorndyke, Oshawa, Ont. | Thorsons EVT Chevrolet | David Thorndyke | Kattie Smilovsky |
69 | Carl Gauthier, Pembroke, Que. | Security Experts/Esse Canada Chevrolet | Trevor Seibert | Al Lebert |
74 | Kevin Lacroix, Saint-Eustache, Que. | Bumper to Bumper/Total Dodge | Sylvain Lacroix | Don Thomson Jr. |
76 | Cayden Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont. | Fastline Motorsports Dodge | Sherri Lapcevich | Jeff Lapcevich |
95 | Anthony Simone, Aurora, Ont. | Innovative Plumbing & Mechanical Dodge | Peter Simone | Nick Markwell |
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