ABRUPT END OF THE RACE FOR RAPHAEL LESSARD

Canadian Short Track Nationals in Jukasa - Pro Late Model

Raphael Lessard and the KBR Development team competed in the Canadian Short Track Nationals yesterday in car #20 Jean-Paul Lessard & Fils | FRL Express, on the Jukasa Motor Speedway half-mile banked oval. Originally scheduled for Sunday, heavy rain forced postponement of the race to the next day, Monday.

On Saturday morning practice, the KBR Development team worked on correcting some oversteer (loose condition) by changing multiple suspension settings, but without eliminating it completely. Raphael Lessard did qualify eight despite the oversteer and assured himself of a confirmed starting position for the race. The loose condition struck again in the race, forcing two rear-tire changes due to punctures (on laps 49 and 122). A front tire failure on lap 135 then put the car in the wall and out of the race.

"Not finishing a race is frustrating. The KBR Development team worked so hard without the expected result. We had put a lot of hope in this race since we performed so well in this event last year. With 74 entries trying to earn a spot on the starting grid, qualifying eighth was a feat in itself, as the top 16 were all ensured of a starting position without further qualifying or heat racing. Our race strategy was sound, and our results would certainly have been better were it not for the three flat tires and our unfortunate crash into the wall. I would like to thank my partners Jean-Paul Lessard & Fils and FRL Express as well as all the fans who came out to support us despite the postponement of the race to the next day," added Raphael Lessard.

Photo Credit: Steven Ellis

ABOUT RAPHAEL LESSARD

Born on July 5, 2001, in Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec, Canada, Raphael Lessard is one of the most promising prospects in North American oval racing. Raphael made his debut in stock-cars in 2013, on local tracks in the Quebec City area. His exceptional talent quickly allowed him to climb the ladder and attract the attention of David Gilliland, a former NASCAR Monster Energy Series driver and now a team owner, in 2015. An agreement then allowed Lessard to participate in the last four races of the season in the PASS North Tour Series.

In 2016, his first full-time season with Gilliland Racing, Lessard won the CARS Super Late Model Tour title with four wins, 8 top five and 9 top drivers to win a major stock car series title in the United States. Since 2016, Lessard has been part of the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) prestigious driver development program. To date, he is the only Canadian to have been recruited into this program.

Highlights

2018 - 16 races - Super Late Model with Kyle Busch Motorsports

• Two wins, seven top-5s and 13 top-10s
• Wins the U.S. Short Track Nationals race at Bristol Motor Speedway
• Wins the Red Bull 400 at Anderson Speedway
• Leads 60 laps at the famous Snowball Derby in December, before a mechanical problem puts him out of the race with only six (6) laps to go.

2017 - Competes in 20 Super Late Model races and two ARCA series races

• Two wins and eight top-5 finishes in the Super Late Model category
• A top-10 from two races in the ARCA series
• Voted the most popular driver in North America by Speed51.com
• Voted as one of the top 10 drivers to watch in 2017 by Speed51.com
• Named by Speed51.com Short Track Power Ranking as 7th best driver in the United States

2016 - Participates in 10 races

• CARS Super Late Model Series Champion
• Youngest Canadian driver to win a prestigious stock-car series in the United States
• Four wins, eight top-5s and nine top-10s in 10 races

ABOUT FRL EXPRESS Inc.

F.R.L. Express Inc. is a general transportation company founded in 2004 by François Lessard. Its main field of activity over the last 15 years is general transport in closed trailers over short and long distances in Canada and the United States. FRL currently have about 50 employees in addition to about ten tow carriers. FRL owners are proud of the progress made in recent years thanks to the FRL team members and wishes to continue on this positive note. "Our employees, customer service and satisfaction are our priorities. We are all proud to be partners in the success and achievements of our son Raphael Lessard," state the proud parents.

ABOUT KBR DEVELOPMENT

KBR is a team running the full 2019 ARCA Menards Series, operating out of a 11,000-square-foot headquarters installation in Zeeland, Michigan. KBR works with only the best industry experts and top manufacturers in all aspects of operations. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner Erik Jones, Raphael Lessard, Brandon McReynolds and Carson Hocevar are just a few of the talented drivers to have driven for the team.