BRILLIANT RACE AND FRUSTRATING RESULT FOR RAPHAEL LESSARD AT BRISTOL
UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics - NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series - August 15, 2019
Raphael Lessard blazed a trail from 18th to 4th place in the Toyota Tundra #46 FRL Express | Spectra Premium truck prepared by Kyle Busch Motorsports yesterday at the famous Bristol Speedway. However, on lap 175, he was the victim of a racing incident with an insistent competitor that caused him to spin, relegating the young driver to 18th place for the subsequent restart. Raphael Lessard's racing career has been remarkable and testifies to his abilities and determination. He has also demonstrated his ability to quickly integrate information and put it into practice immediately. With only 15 laps to go in the race, Raphael Lessard fought to the end and improved his position from 18th to 12th at the finish.
"My truck performed well from the start and improved from lap to lap as I climbed through the field. Not stopping after the first segment was the right strategy as we were able to restart from eighth place. Our only pit stop at the end of the second segment allowed us to make the right adjustments for the end of the race, in addition to adding new tires and fuel. I saw and felt a hit from the #45, and the even harder second hit that spun me and dropped us to 18th place. Our 12th place finish does not reflect the quality work of the team. The car was quick enough to finish in the Top 3. I am proud of the performance and the effectiveness of work with Kyle Busch Motorsports team," explains Raphael Lessard.
Next event: Last round of the Triple Couronne Kennebec - Autodrome Chaudiere (August 17, 2019)
Raphael Lessard is back on the road to Canada as he will be driving the NASCAR Late Model #46 Accélération de Camions de St-Joseph | L.A.V. Equipment | FRL Express prepared by the Bilodeau Brothers in the last round of the "Triple Couronne Kennebec" which will take place this Saturday, August 17, at Autodrome Chaudiere (Vallée-Jonction, Quebec, Canada). With a podium and a fourth-place result in the first two rounds of the three-race series, Raphael Lessard intends to climb to the top of the podium.
Photo Credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
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 MonsterEnergy 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; a Late Model series on paved ovals, at the wheel of a David Gilliland Racing team car.
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 ten in his No. 99 Toyota Camry, and thus becoming the youngest Canadian driver 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 KYLE BUSCH MOTORSPORTS
Since debuting in 2010, Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) has quickly established itself as one of the most successful teams in all of NASCAR. Owned by 2015 Cup Series champion Kyle Busch and fueled by his passion for winning, his organization holds the Gander Outdoors Truck Series records for most team wins (72) and most team wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series record six Owner's Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers; Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
KBM prepares a fleet of race-winning Tundras out of a state-of-the-art 77,000-square-foot facility in Mooresville (N.C.) Fans can keep up-to-date with all the latest KBM news online at KyleBuschMotorsports.com, by liking the team on Facebook (KBMteam) and by following the team on Instagram (KBMteam) and Twitter (@KBMteam).
ABOUT TOYOTA
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we've built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.6 million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016 - and about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.
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.
