RAPHAEL LESSARD GUEST "ALL-STAR" OF "SPEED51 SUPER SELECT" IN INDIANAPOLIS

Super Late Model - Saturday, September 7, 2019

Raphael Lessard learned yesterday from the organizers of the Speed51 Super Select race that he is one of the elite drivers invited to the ALL-Star Super Late Model race this weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Only drivers who have won victories in this series are eligible. Raphael Lessard will be behind the wheel of the #1 FRL Express car prepared by Wilson Motorpsorts, using a chassis made by Rowdy Manufacturing, which he knows well, thanks to victories in 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee and at the Redbud 400 in Anderson, Indiana, in the past. He feels he is in good circumstances to play for a podium finish.

"I love the challenge of competing against and beating the best drivers in their class, especially with a top team like Donnie Wilson's. The race strategy will be simple: go all out from the first to the last lap for the win. A lot of fun in sight and a lot of on-track action. This is the kind of show that racing fans don't want to miss. The best drivers will be on the track on Saturday!" explains Raphael Lessard before leaving Montreal for the United States.

Raphael Lessard has been described by the organizers of the Speed51 Super Select as: "In recent years, Lessard has been one of the most successful Late Model drivers in North America." (source: https://speed51.com/final-group-of-race-winners-invited-to-slm-all-star-race/).

The 75-lap race will run on the 1.04 km oval with 12 degrees of banking of the Lucas Oil Raceway (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park), a track the drivers enjoy and one that produces great racing. Nearly 50 of the best winning Super Late Model drivers will play for victory.

To make sure you don't miss out on any of the action, go to Speed51.com

• Practice: 3 pm
• Qualifying: 6 pm
• Race: 8:45 pm

Photo Credit: Thompson 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 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 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.