"My management team and I have always believed in our ultimate success and we still do. Over the last years, we have focused all our energies on completing full seasons in the upper echelons of NASCAR, and we have achieved that goal recently. However, we are currently in a situation where we cannot continue this season, and it's hard to accept that fact. All I have ever wanted is to be behind a steering wheel and win!" explains an emotional Raphael Lessard.

"We are not putting an end to all things racing. My dream is still to race in the Daytona 500 and see my parents sitting in the stands! We are open to opportunities and most importantly, we are working with GMS Racing to come back stronger in 2022. That is our goal! In addition, I enjoyed every moment with GMS Racing, from the preparation to the track, and I want to give special thanks to Maurice J. Gallagher (Maury), Mike Beam, Josh Wise, Chevrolet and Christopher Biby, my Agent, Chad Walter, my crew chief, Tyler Monn, my spotter and all the crew at GMS Racing," confided the man who has made racing history on several occasions.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!

"Right from the beginning of my career, I have owed my growth in the sport to many people: my parents, those who have travelled with me around the countries, Raphael Lessard Racing, Les Équipes Caissie-Ménard, the fans who have supported me on social and other networks, the media, the race teams who have welcomed me, and above all, the investors and partners who have believed in my talent. Without all of you, nothing would have been possible. You know some of our key supporters and I will not name them here out of respect. However, I know that they will recognize themselves," concludes Raphael Lessard.

Raphael Lessard and the NCWTS

After five (5) races in NASCAR trucks in 2019, Raphael Lessard competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS in 2020, his first full season at that level. His first 10 races of 2020 served him well as he worked hard with a professional team, and against seasoned drivers.

He learned more advanced driving techniques from these experienced drivers as well as from his spotter: learning new track quickly without a pre-race test or qualifying session, watching their driving trajectories and test new ones for himself as the track changes over the course of the race, managing downforce and turbulence, overtaking more effectively and protecting your position in the race, adapting to handling defects and adjusting his driving during a run, communicating effectively with the team during a run to describe any problems, managing front/rear braking distribution during a run, managing tire wear to optimize their performance at the end of the race and working in unison with team members during a pit stop.

The effects of this learning were clearly visible over the second half of the 2020 season, as Raphael Lessard caught and worked his way to the leaders several times to put himself in a position to win, as he did at Talladega, and accumulating four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes over the course of the season.

Raphael Lessard career highlights

Right from his start on the track at age 11, Raphael Lessard has raced throughout the Eastern Canada and then on to the United States, establishing a solid reputation as a driver to watch along the way.

In 2020, the young Beauceron decided to leap into professional racing and competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS series (formerly the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series). In 28 starts (five in 2019) in NCWTS trucks, Raphael Lessard has won one race, finished four times in the top-5 (two podiums), and nine times in the top-10, giving him an average finish of 14.5.

In 2019, Raphael Lessard led 83 race laps, finished twice in the top-5 and three times in the top-10 in three starts in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a win, a top five and two top10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty's series. His NASCAR Pinty's series win came on his home track, Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction (Quebec, Canada), on June 29, after leading 153 of 300 laps on the way to an emotional win.

He also won two important Super Late Model Series races in 2018, including the U.S. National Short Track Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway in May, and the ARCA/CRA Super Series Red Bud 400 race at Anderson Speedway in July.

In 2016, Raphael Lessard won the CARS Tour Super Late Model Championship after recording four wins, one pole, leading 157 laps and finishing with eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes out of 10 races.

Photo Credit: GMS Racing

ABOUT PARTNERS (clickable links)

CANAC is the first independent hardware and building materials store chain to open in Quebec City. Its expertise of over 145 years of experience allows CANAC to perpetuate the spirit of the hardware stores of yesteryear in a modern environment, with qualified personnel trained by its continuing education centre accredited by Emploi-Québec. CANAC serves both individual customers and contractors and offers aggressive prices that defy all competition. Since its acquisition by Groupe Laberge in 1985, the company's expansion has focused on opening new modern hardware stores and on renovating existing branches to better adapt them to the needs and expectations of consumers. Today, CANAC has 30 branches and employs more than 3,400 part-time and full-time workers.

RICHELIEU HARDWARE

Richelieu is a leading North American distributor, importer and manufacturer of specialty hardware and complementary products. Its products are targeted to an extensive customer base of kitchen and bathroom cabinet, storage and closet, home furnishing and office furniture manufacturers, residential and commercial woodworkers, door and window, and hardware retailers including renovation superstores. Richelieu offers customers a broad mix of products sourced from manufacturers worldwide. Its product selection consists of over 130,000 different items targeted to a base of more than 90,000 customers who are served by 82 establishments in North America – 40 distribution centres in Canada, 40 in the United States and 2 manufacturing plants in Canada.

GMS Racing

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum and Chase Purdy. The team also competes in the ARCA Racing Series with Jack Wood. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 and 2020 Camping World Trucks Championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series Championship as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East Championship. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication.

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 tractors-trailer outfits. 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.

RAPHAEL LESSARD

Date: Saturday May 1^st, 2021

Event: Wise Power 200

Track: Kansas Speedway (Kansas, United States – 1.5-mile banked oval)

Race format: Three stages of 30 | 30 | 74 laps

Start | Result: 15^th | 8^th (140 in overtime of scheduled 134-lap race)

Winner: Kyle Busch – KBM (Toyota)

A few laps after starting 15th on the grid at Kansas Speedway Saturday night, Raphael Lessard quickly realized that his #24 Canac | Richelieu Hardware Silverado understeered to the point of prematurely wearing out the right front tire so much that he was unable to keep up with the leaders. Raphael Lessard adapted his driving and fought his way back to the leaders after two long stops in the pits. His determination allowed the young Beauceron to make the most out of what he had and cross the finish line in eighth place.

The Race from the Driver's Seat (extracts)

"The race tonight (Saturday) was not easy for me as I struggled with the #24 Canac | Richelieu Hardware truck's serious understeer throughout the race. The team made major set-up changes twice, but that did not fix the problem. The time lost working on the suspension during the end-of-segment pit stops dropped me to the back of the field but happily still on the lead lap. Over the last few laps, my right front tire was again used up. I tried to keep it as cool as possible for the last overtime restart and drove the last two laps "aggressively" to get the most out of what I had to work with. We are happy with eighth place under the circumstances," said Raphael Lessard.

Raphael Lessard and the NCWTS

After five (5) races in NASCAR trucks in 2019, Raphael Lessard competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS in 2020, his first full season at that level. His first 10 races of 2020 served him well as he worked hard with a professional team, and against seasoned drivers.

He learned more advanced driving techniques from these experienced drivers as well as from his spotter: learning new track quickly without a pre-race test or qualifying session, watching their driving trajectories and test new ones for himself as the track changes over the course of the race, managing downforce and turbulence, overtaking more effectively and protecting your position in the race, adapting to handling defects and adjusting his driving during a run, communicating effectively with the team during a run to describe any problems, managing front/rear braking distribution during a run, managing tire wear to optimize their performance at the end of the race and working in unison with team members during a pit stop.

The effects of this learning were clearly visible over the second half of the 2020 season, as Raphael Lessard caught and worked his way to the leaders several times to put himself in a position to win, as he did at Talladega, and accumulating four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes over the course of the season.

Raphael Lessard career highlights

Right from his start on the track at age 11, Raphael Lessard has raced throughout the Eastern Canada and then on to the United States, establishing a solid reputation as a driver to watch along the way.

In 2020, the young Beauceron decided to leap into professional racing and competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS series (formerly the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series). In 28 starts (five in 2019) in NCWTS trucks, Raphael Lessard has won one race, finished four times in the top-5 (two podiums), and nine times in the top-10, giving him an average finish of 14.5.

In 2019, Raphael Lessard led 83 race laps, finished twice in the top-5 and three times in the top-10 in three starts in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a win, a top five and two top10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty's series. His NASCAR Pinty's series win came on his home track, Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction (Quebec, Canada), on June 29, after leading 153 of 300 laps on the way to an emotional win.

He also won two important Super Late Model Series races in 2018, including the U.S. National Short Track Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway in May, and the ARCA/CRA Super Series Red Bud 400 race at Anderson Speedway in July.

In 2016, Raphael Lessard won the CARS Tour Super Late Model Championship after recording four wins, one pole, leading 157 laps and finishing with eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes out of 10 races.

2021 Season – GMS Racing – NCWTS

Photo Credit: GMS Racing

ABOUT PARTNERS (clickable links)

CANAC is the first independent hardware and building materials store chain to open in Quebec City. Its expertise of over 145 years of experience allows CANAC to perpetuate the spirit of the hardware stores of yesteryear in a modern environment, with qualified personnel trained by its continuing education centre accredited by Emploi-Québec. CANAC serves both individual customers and contractors and offers aggressive prices that defy all competition. Since its acquisition by Groupe Laberge in 1985, the company's expansion has focused on opening new modern hardware stores and on renovating existing branches to better adapt them to the needs and expectations of consumers. Today, CANAC has 30 branches and employs more than 3,400 part-time and full-time workers.

RICHELIEU HARDWARE

Richelieu is a leading North American distributor, importer and manufacturer of specialty hardware and complementary products. Its products are targeted to an extensive customer base of kitchen and bathroom cabinet, storage and closet, home furnishing and office furniture manufacturers, residential and commercial woodworkers, door and window, and hardware retailers including renovation superstores. Richelieu offers customers a broad mix of products sourced from manufacturers worldwide. Its product selection consists of over 130,000 different items targeted to a base of more than 90,000 customers who are served by 82 establishments in North America – 40 distribution centres in Canada, 40 in the United States and 2 manufacturing plants in Canada.

GMS Racing

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum and Chase Purdy. The team also competes in the ARCA Racing Series with Jack Wood. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 and 2020 Camping World Trucks Championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series Championship as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East Championship. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication.

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 tractors-trailer outfits. 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.

RAPHAEL LESSARD

Track: Kansas Speedway (Kansas, United States – 1.5-mile banked oval)

Date | Live TV & Radio: Saturday May 1^st at 7:30 PM (EDT) on RDS, FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR 90 radio

** RDS and the RDS DIRECT digital network present every NCWTS race on the 2021 schedule.

Raphael Lessard will take part at the Kansas Speedway in the seventh NCWTS race of the 2021 season aboard the #24 Canac | Richelieu Hardware Silverado after two races on slower tracks at Bristol and Richmond. The Kansas layout is a typical NASCAR high speed 1.5-mile D-shaped oval with a 20-degree banking in the corners. This type of track allows the trucks to reach an average speed of 179 mph (288 km/h) and Raphael is now comfortable with those high speeds given his growing experience on this type of track. Raphael Lessard's fans will be honoured with a logo on the truck to thank them for their support since the beginning of the adventure.

In only his second full season in NASCAR trucks, Raphael Lessard now knows how to control his machine in the turbulence at high speeds, how to protect his position while studying the behaviour of the drivers around him, and how to set up his overtaking moves according to his anticipation of the situation unfolding before him. The 2020 season and the beginning of 2021 have allowed him to become a driver who is now in contention for top-10 finishes and even a win at every outing in his GMS Racing-prepared truck.

Raphael Lessard Talks About Kansas Speedway 
"I'm ready for Kansas! I liked the track when we raced there in 2020. There is a lot of room on the track, and we can drive high or low on the banking. We run at full throttle for a long time there so we need perfect traction in the rear so we can open the throttle as early as possible on corner exits. The track is very technical in terms of aerodynamics and you have to plan your overtaking carefully so you can pass the other truck in one quick sweep and not lose time. My last race on a 1.5-mile track was at Atlanta this past March. I am sure that my Canac | Richelieu Hardware truck will be in the mix for a top-10 finish with a good chance of a podium," explained Raphael Lessard.

"We will display a logo on the Canac | Richelieu Hardware truck to thank our supporters during the race. I want to take this opportunity to thank all our supporters, who have made this adventure possible over the years. NASCAR racing gets more intense every year and I owe a big thank you to all of you for your help!" added Raphael Lessard.

Raphael Lessard and the NCWTS

After five (5) races in NASCAR trucks in 2019, Raphael Lessard competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS in 2020, his first full season at that level. His first 10 races of 2020 served him well as he worked hard with a professional team, and against seasoned drivers.

He learned more advanced driving techniques from these experienced drivers as well as from his spotter: learning new track quickly without a pre-race test or qualifying session, watching their driving trajectories and test new ones for himself as the track changes over the course of the race, managing downforce and turbulence, overtaking more effectively and protecting your position in the race, adapting to handling defects and adjusting his driving during a run, communicating effectively with the team during a run to describe any problems, managing front/rear braking distribution during a run, managing tire wear to optimize their performance at the end of the race and working in unison with team members during a pit stop.

The effects of this learning were clearly visible over the second half of the 2020 season, as Raphael Lessard caught and worked his way to the leaders several times to put himself in a position to win, as he did at Talladega, and accumulating four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes over the course of the season. 

Raphael Lessard career highlights

Right from his start on the track at age 11, Raphael Lessard has raced throughout the Eastern Canada and then on to the United States, establishing a solid reputation as a driver to watch along the way.

In 2020, the young Beauceron decided to leap into professional racing and competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS series (formerly the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series). In 28 starts (five in 2019) in NCWTS trucks, Raphael Lessard has won one race, finished four times in the top-5 (two podiums), and nine times in the top-10, giving him an average finish of 14.5.

In 2019, Raphael Lessard led 83 race laps, finished twice in the top-5 and three times in the top-10 in three starts in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a win, a top five and two top10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty's series. His NASCAR Pinty's series win came on his home track, Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction (Quebec, Canada), on June 29, after leading 153 of 300 laps on the way to an emotional win.

He also won two important Super Late Model Series races in 2018, including the U.S. National Short Track Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway in May, and the ARCA/CRA Super Series Red Bud 400 race at Anderson Speedway in July.

In 2016, Raphael Lessard won the CARS Tour Super Late Model Championship after recording four wins, one pole, leading 157 laps and finishing with eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes out of 10 races.

2021 Season – GMS Racing – NCWTS

Photo Credit: GMS Racing

ABOUT PARTNERS (clickable links)

CANAC is the first independent hardware and building materials store chain to open in Quebec City. Its expertise of over 145 years of experience allows CANAC to perpetuate the spirit of the hardware stores of yesteryear in a modern environment, with qualified personnel trained by its continuing education centre accredited by Emploi-Québec. CANAC serves both individual customers and contractors and offers aggressive prices that defy all competition. Since its acquisition by Groupe Laberge in 1985, the company's expansion has focused on opening new modern hardware stores and on renovating existing branches to better adapt them to the needs and expectations of consumers. Today, CANAC has 30 branches and employs more than 3,400 part-time and full-time workers.

RICHELIEU HARDWARE

Richelieu is a leading North American distributor, importer and manufacturer of specialty hardware and complementary products. Its products are targeted to an extensive customer base of kitchen and bathroom cabinet, storage and closet, home furnishing and office furniture manufacturers, residential and commercial woodworkers, door and window, and hardware retailers including renovation superstores. Richelieu offers customers a broad mix of products sourced from manufacturers worldwide. Its product selection consists of over 130,000 different items targeted to a base of more than 90,000 customers who are served by 82 establishments in North America – 40 distribution centres in Canada, 40 in the United States and 2 manufacturing plants in Canada.

GMS Racing

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum and Chase Purdy. The team also competes in the ARCA Racing Series with Jack Wood. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 and 2020 Camping World Trucks Championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series Championship as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East Championship. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication.

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 tractors-trailer outfits. 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.

RAPHAEL LESSARD

Date: Saturday, April 17, 2021 – 1:30 pm

Event: Toyota Care 250

Track : Richmond Raceway (Virginia, United States – 0,75 mile oval)

Fprmat: Three stages of 70 | 70 | 110 laps each

Start | Result: 5^th | 23^rd (covered 249 of the 250-lap race)

Winner:  John Hunter Nemechek – Kyle Busch Motorsports (Toyota) 

Raphael Lessard is comfortable on relatively short oval tracks like Richmond Raceway. From fifth on the grid, everything was in place for a result at the front of the field, driving the #24 Canac Silverado prepared by GMS Racing.

Raphael Lessard fought successfully in the top-5 over the first 50 laps of the race and in the top-10 during the first 180 laps, collecting precious bonus points in the first two segments by finishing both of them in 7^th place. Following the caution period on lap 187, several incidents occurred: an error in the pits dropped Raphael Lessard to the middle of the field, and a driver he was trying to pass caused an incident that forced him to enter the pits in order to straighten the left side fenders. In the end, Raphael Lessard crossed the finish line in 23^rd place.

The Race As Seen by the Driver (extracts)

"I was confident in my Canac truck at the start of the race. We believed that a top-5 or better finish was well within reach, especially with the great set-up the team was improving on during the stops. The truck was even running better and better in the longer segments.

We stopped late in the race to fit new tires in anticipation of overtaking rivals who had stopped early. Everything was going well until a team mistake in the pits cost me positions. We started from 21^st position and then a competitor damaged the left side of my truck. It was a frustrating end to the race," said the unhappy driver of the #24 Canac Silverado.  

Raphael Lessard and the NCWTS

After five (5) races in NASCAR trucks in 2019, Raphael Lessard competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS in 2020, his first full season at that level. His first 10 races of 2020 served him well as he worked hard with a professional team, and against seasoned drivers.

He learned more advanced driving techniques from these experienced drivers as well as from his spotter: learning new track quickly without a pre-race test or qualifying session, watching their driving trajectories and test new ones for himself as the track changes over the course of the race, managing downforce and turbulence, overtaking more effectively and protecting your position in the race, adapting to handling defects and adjusting his driving during a run, communicating effectively with the team during a run to describe any problems, managing front/rear braking distribution during a run, managing tire wear to optimize their performance at the end of the race and working in unison with team members during a pit stop.

The effects of this learning were clearly visible over the second half of the 2020 season, as Raphael Lessard caught and worked his way to the leaders several times to put himself in a position to win, as he did at Talladega, and accumulating four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes over the course of the season. 

Raphael Lessard career highlights

Right from his start on the track at age 11, Raphael Lessard has raced throughout the Eastern Canada and then on to the United States, establishing a solid reputation as a driver to watch along the way.

In 2020, the young Beauceron decided to leap into professional racing and competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS series (formerly the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series). In 28 starts (five in 2019) in NCWTS trucks, Raphael Lessard has won one race, finished four times in the top-5 (two podiums), and nine times in the top-10, giving him an average finish of 14.5.

In 2019, Raphael Lessard led 83 race laps, finished twice in the top-5 and three times in the top-10 in three starts in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a win, a top five and two top10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty's series. His NASCAR Pinty's series win came on his home track, Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction (Quebec, Canada), on June 29, after leading 153 of 300 laps on the way to an emotional win.

He also won two important Super Late Model Series races in 2018, including the U.S. National Short Track Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway in May, and the ARCA/CRA Super Series Red Bud 400 race at Anderson Speedway in July.

In 2016, Raphael Lessard won the CARS Tour Super Late Model Championship after recording four wins, one pole, leading 157 laps and finishing with eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes out of 10 races.

2021 Season – GMS Racing – NCWTS

Photo Credit: GMS Racing

ABOUT PARTNERS (clickable links)

CANAC is the first independent hardware and building materials store chain to open in Quebec City. Its expertise of over 145 years of experience allows CANAC to perpetuate the spirit of the hardware stores of yesteryear in a modern environment, with qualified personnel trained by its continuing education centre accredited by Emploi-Québec. CANAC serves both individual customers and contractors and offers aggressive prices that defy all competition. Since its acquisition by Groupe Laberge in 1985, the company's expansion has focused on opening new modern hardware stores and on renovating existing branches to better adapt them to the needs and expectations of consumers. Today, CANAC has 30 branches and employs more than 3,400 part-time and full-time workers.

ABOUT GMS Racing

Chad Walter takes over as Crew Chief and Tyler Monn will act as Spotter for Raphael Lessard in 2021. Chad Walter has won five (5) races in 208 Xfinity starts as a Crew Chief. He led Tyler Ankrum to a spot in the 2020 playoffs in his first season as an NCWTS crew Chief. Tyler Monn, while still below 30, impressed key staff at Hendrick Motorsports last season. This year, he moves up the ladder as Kyle Larson's spotter in the Cup Series as well as working with Raphael Lessard in NCWTS and making for an ideal scenario for the young driver's second year of development.

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 tractors-trailer outfits. 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 RAPHAEL LESSARD

Track: Richmond Raceway (Virginia, United States – 0.75 miles)

Date | Live TV & Radio: Saturday, April 17 at 1:30 pm (EDT) on RDS, Fox Sports Racing, FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

**RDS and RDS DIRECT digital network present every NCWTS race on the 2021 schedule.

Raphael Lessard will take part in his sixth NCWTS race of the season this Saturday on the wide, nearly flat 0.75-mile oval at Richmond Raceway at the wheel of his #24 CANAC Silverado. His performance and that of his GMS Racing team impressed everyone at Bristol, and Raphael Lessard is going for another podium finish this coming weekend. His performance on the Bristol dirt surface confirmed his ability to adapt and learn quickly, and demonstrated his level of professionalism after only one full season in a NASCAR series, and despite the odd circumstances imposed by the pandemic. Raphael Lessard Racing team members are working to find the necessary financing to participate in all 22 races of the season.

"We are well prepared for Richmond this weekend. This is my second race at this track, and the experience I gained over the 2020 season will allow me to drive faster and to quickly adapt my driving to the behaviour of my #24 Silverado CANAC truck over the race distance. The track surface is hard on the tires and I have to drive smoothly to protect them. I am comfortable on a short track like Richmond with its low banking in corners 1 and 2. The entrance to turn 3 is almost flat and you have to be careful when braking not to slide the rear tires, which wears them out too quickly. My CANAC truck will be fast and I'm sure it will be great for the race," says Raphael Lessard with enthusiasm.

Raphael Lessard and the NCWTS

After five (5) races in NASCAR trucks in 2019, Raphael Lessard competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS in 2020, his first full season at that level. His first 10 races of 2020 served him well as he worked hard with a professional team, and against seasoned drivers.

He learned more advanced driving techniques from these experienced drivers as well as from his spotter: learning new track quickly without a pre-race test or qualifying session, watching their driving trajectories and test new ones for himself as the track changes over the course of the race, managing downforce and turbulence, overtaking more effectively and protecting your position in the race, adapting to handling defects and adjusting his driving during a run, communicating effectively with the team during a run to describe any problems, managing front/rear braking distribution during a run, managing tire wear to optimize their performance at the end of the race and working in unison with team members during a pit stop.

The effects of this learning were clearly visible over the second half of the 2020 season, as Raphael Lessard caught and worked his way to the leaders several times to put himself in a position to win, as he did at Talladega, and accumulating four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes over the course of the season. 

Raphael Lessard career highlights

Right from his start on the track at age 11, Raphael Lessard has raced throughout the Eastern Canada and then on to the United States, establishing a solid reputation as a driver to watch along the way.

In 2020, the young Beauceron decided to leap into professional racing and competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS series (formerly the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series). In 28 starts (five in 2019) in NCWTS trucks, Raphael Lessard has won one race, finished four times in the top-5 (two podiums), and nine times in the top-10, giving him an average finish of 14.5.

In 2019, Raphael Lessard led 83 race laps, finished twice in the top-5 and three times in the top-10 in three starts in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a win, a top five and two top10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty's series. His NASCAR Pinty's series win came on his home track, Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée Jonction (Quebec, Canada), on June 29, after leading 153 of 300 laps on the way to an emotional win.

He also won two important Super Late Model Series races in 2018, including the U.S. National Short Track Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway in May, and the ARCA/CRA Super Series Red Bud 400 race at Anderson Speedway in July.

In 2016, Raphael Lessard won the CARS Tour Super Late Model Championship after recording four wins, one pole, leading 157 laps and finishing with eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes out of 10 races.

2021 Season – GMS Racing – NCWTS

Photo Credit: GMS Racing

ABOUT PARTNERS

(clickable links)

CANAC is the first independent hardware and building materials store chain to open in Quebec City. Its expertise of over 145 years of experience allows CANAC to perpetuate the spirit of the hardware stores of yesteryear in a modern environment, with qualified personnel trained by its continuing education centre accredited by Emploi-Québec. CANAC serves both individual customers and contractors and offers aggressive prices that defy all competition. Since its acquisition by Groupe Laberge in 1985, the company's expansion has focused on opening new modern hardware stores and on renovating existing branches to better adapt them to the needs and expectations of consumers. Today, CANAC has 30 branches and employs more than 3,400 part-time and full-time workers.

GMS Racing

Chad Walter takes over as Crew Chief and Tyler Monn will act as Spotter for Raphael Lessard in 2021. Chad Walter has won five (5) races in 208 Xfinity starts as a Crew Chief. He led Tyler Ankrum to a spot in the 2020 playoffs in his first season as an NCWTS crew Chief. Tyler Monn, while still below 30, impressed key staff at Hendrick Motorsports last season. This year, he moves up the ladder as Kyle Larson's spotter in the Cup Series as well as working with Raphael Lessard in NCWTS and making for an ideal scenario for the young driver's second year of development.

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 tractors-trailer outfits. 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.

RAPHAEL LESSARD

« We had two objectives: finish the race, and in a good position.

Mission accomplished! »

Date: Monday, March 29

Event : Pinty's Dirt Track Race

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (Tennessee, United States – 0.5-mile oval)

Format: Three stages of 40 | 50 | 60 laps

Start | Finish: 29 | 3 (completed the 150-lap race)

Race Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. From the KBM team (Toyota)

Raphael Lessard put on quite a show in his first race on dirt today. The fifth round of the NCWTS Truck Series was run on the Bristol Motor Speedway oval which was covered with dirt just for the Pinty's Dirt Track Race. This race was highly anticipated by everyone, especially as rain forced NASCAR to postpone the event from Saturday to Sunday, then on to Monday. The field was unable to qualify on Saturday due to the weather, and Raphael Lessard started in 29th place as per NASCAR's calculation based on the team's results. From the first to the last lap, Raphael Lessard kept on overtaking his opponents, until placing his #24 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado on the podium at the finish.

Race Action

After setting the fastest time in the first practice session on Friday (March 25), Raphael Lessard and his #24 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado set the 16th fastest time in the final practice session, on a track close to what the race would be run on. This was a promising lap time for a driver with no experience on this surface where the driving and suspension settings are totally different from those on asphalt in order to react effectively to the changing surface of the dirt track on every lap.

Starting from 29th on the grid for the Monday race, as per NASCAR's calculations based on the team's results, Raphael Lessard began his irrepressible march to the front of the race, marked by his 15th place on his first pit stop on lap 40 and by his 8th place on his second pit stop on lap 90. He then finished on the podium by tenaciously defending his third place which he had reached on lap 123 of the 150-lap event.

The GMS Racing team knew how to prepare an exceptional truck for Raphael Lessard, the same truck that had won on the dirt in 2019 in the hands of Stewart Friesen. The team gave their driver a truck with proven potential, and the driver made the team proud.

The race as seen by the driver (extracts)

"Third place and a first podium this year, I am happy. I was already feeling good with the quickest and then 16th time in Friday's two practice sessions with good dirt racers around me, like Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe. I started the race from way back, but the quick drivers around me also wanted to move up to the front. I had to follow them, which I did in the race until they were eliminated, or I passed them.

Mud blocked my radiator at the start of the race and the engine temperature rose to over 300^o F. The numerous yellow periods (at least 8) and the two pit stops allowed me to cool the engine down a bit. The team was able to add water and remove the dirt on the second stop, and the engine temperature returned to 220^o F for the third stage. We were lucky because I thought the engine was going to fail.

"After the second stop, with the engine now healthy and with reasonable handling on the increasingly slippery track, we were in a good position to keep attacking. I worked with different lines and braking distribution to reduce the load on the right front tire so we didn't lose too much time in the last few laps. I managed to overtake other good drivers as I moved up to the leaders. The truck was losing grip in the corners and I worked hard to protect my position until the end of the race," explained the driver of the #24 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado who was delighted with his stellar performance.

Next race – Richmond Raceway – April 17, 2021

The NCWTS returns to normalcy for their next event, which will take place on the 0.75-mile oval of Richmond International Raceway (Virginia, United States).

Raphael Lessard and the NCWTS

After five (5) races in NASCAR trucks in 2019, Raphael Lessard competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS in 2020, his first full season at that level. His first 10 races of 2020 served him well as he worked hard with a professional team, and against seasoned drivers.

He learned more advanced driving techniques from these experienced drivers as well as from his spotter: learning new track quickly without a pre-race test or qualifying session, watching their driving trajectories and test new ones for himself as the track changes over the course of the race, managing downforce and turbulence, overtaking more effectively and protecting your position in the race, adapting to handling defects and adjusting his driving during a run, communicating effectively with the team during a run to describe any problems, managing front/rear braking distribution during a run, managing tire wear to optimize their performance at the end of the race and working in unison with team members during a pit stop.

The effects of this learning were clearly visible over the second half of the 2020 season, as Raphael Lessard caught and worked his way to the leaders several times to put himself in a position to win, as he did at Talladega, and accumulating four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes over the course of the season. 

Raphael Lessard career highlights

Right from his start on the track at age 11, Raphael Lessard has raced throughout the Eastern Canada and then on to the United States, establishing a solid reputation as a driver to watch along the way.

In 2020, the young Beauceron decided to leap into professional racing and competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS series (formerly the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series). In 28 starts (five in 2019) in NCWTS trucks, Raphael Lessard has won one race, finished four times in the top-5 (two podiums), and nine times in the top-10, giving him an average finish of 14.5.

In 2019, Raphael Lessard led 83 race laps, finished twice in the top-5 and three times in the top-10 in three starts in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a win, a top five and two top10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty's series. His NASCAR Pinty's series win came on his home track, Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction (Quebec, Canada), on June 29, after leading 153 of 300 laps on the way to an emotional win.

He also won two important Super Late Model Series races in 2018, including the U.S. National Short Track Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway in May, and the ARCA/CRA Super Series Red Bud 400 race at Anderson Speedway in July.

In 2016, Raphael Lessard won the CARS Tour Super Late Model Championship after recording four wins, one pole, leading 157 laps and finishing with eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes out of 10 races.

2021 Season – GMS Racing – NCWTS

Photo Credit: GMS Racing

ABOUT PARTNERS (clickable links)

ABOUT CHEVROLET

ABOUT GMS Racing

Chad Walter takes over as Crew Chief and Tyler Monn will act as Spotter for Raphael Lessard in 2021. Chad Walter has won five (5) races in 208 Xfinity starts as a Crew Chief. He led Tyler Ankrum to a spot in the 2020 playoffs in his first season as an NCWTS crew Chief. Tyler Monn, while still below 30, impressed key staff at Hendrick Motorsports last season. This year, he moves up the ladder as Kyle Larson's spotter in the Cup Series as well as working with Raphael Lessard in NCWTS and making for an ideal scenario for the young driver's second year of development.

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 tractors-trailer outfits. 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 RAPHAEL LESSARD

Event: Pinty's Dirt Track Race, race 4 of 22 (150 laps – segment of 40 | 50 | 60 laps)

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (Tennessee, United States – 0.5-mile banked oval)

Date| TV: 

• Four qualifying heats, live on Saturday, March 27 from 4:30 pm on TSN and Fox Sports Racing
• Race, on Saturday, March 27 at 8:00 pm on RDS, Fox Sports Racing, FS1, MRN et SiriusXM NASCAR 90

** RDS and the RDS DIRECT digital service present every NCWTS race on the 2021 schedule.

Raphael Lessard and his #24 GMS Racing Silverado are part of an unusual event this weekend: the "Pinty's Dirt Truck Race" run on the legendary high banks of the Bristol Motor Speedway oval in Tennessee. The track was covered with 23,000 cubic metres of dirt for the occasion, to create a unique spectacle for two prestigious NASCAR series (NCWTS and Cup).

Driving on dirt is quite different from driving on asphalt, where the track changes gradually over the course of the race with temperature variations and the build-up of oil and tire debris. On dirt, corner entry is usually a big slide to slow the car down. The loose track surface and the quick line changes on every lap, as holes, gullies, and piles of dirt develop on the outside of corners. The track can generate dust on dry dirt or become more slippery after being watered. The ideal trajectory changes throughout the race. All these variables complicate coming up with an effective race strategy.

Preparation for these events began last week as some 1,400 drivers participated in races over this past weekend to get a feel for the track surface as well as help a good portion of the drivers who will race next weekend to discover and become familiar with the track surface. The NCWTS drivers will take part in two practice sessions on Friday and race in one of four qualifying heats on Saturday afternoon to determine the grid for the Saturday night main event. The extra practice and heat races will help drivers familiarize themselves with the track before setting off for 150 laps in an unfamiliar racing surface for many of them.

Raphael Lessard has spared no effort to prepare for his first professional race on clay.

"GMS Racing takes this race very seriously. I'll be driving the dirt-prepped truck that won the last NCWTS race run on dirt at Eldora Speedway (New Weston, Ohio) in 2019 with Stewart Friesen at the wheel. As far as my driving is concerned, we did some dirt testing last month in a "Modified 604" with about 400 hp, quite an introduction to dirt! Then, for the last two weeks, I have been driving a "Micro-Sprint", a small car that weighs almost nothing and runs very quickly with a 600-cc motorbike engine that spins at 15,000 rpm and surprised me with its performance. At the beginning, we ran with a big spoiler over the driver and then removed it on Monday, to better mimic the low downforce of the trucks on a rather slow track like on the dirt at Bristol. I was able to practice with the Chevrolet drivers like Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman and with other GMS Racing drivers, which was really good for me," says Raphael Lessard with enthusiasm.

The qualifying process

The qualifying procedure promises action, as the accumulation of points over the four heat races will determine the grid positions for the main race. A random draw will start things off by determining grid positions for each heat race, and drivers will accumulate points in two ways:

1. According to their position at the finish of their heat race, and
2. By earning one point for each position gained between their starting and finishing positions.

This method of determining the starting grid gives a fair result based on the performance of each driver and compensates for the bad luck of a driver forced by the draw to start at the back of the grid in his heat race. For example, a driver who starts last and wins a heat race with 10 starters earns 10 points for the win and 9 more for improving his position, for a total of 19 points. He would thus be almost guaranteed to start the main race on the front row or even on the pole.

 "The truck works great every time out.

We just need a little luck to turn this around.

Watch us next week at Bristol!"

Date: Saturday, March 20

Event: FR8 Auctions 200

Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (Georgia, United-States – 1,54-mile trioval)

Format: Three stages of 30 |30 | 70 laps

Start | Finish: 23 | 39 (completed 124 of the 130-lap race)

Winner:  Kyle Bush from Kyle Bush Motorsports (Toyota)

Starting from the 23^rd position, Raphael Lessard worked his way through the field in the No.24 Richelieu Hardware Silverado, taking care of his tires in order to understand their high rate of wear on this track. Raphael Lessard was up to 11^th position without any problem on lap 48 when he felt a vibration. He suspected a flat tire, a critical problem on a track where the cars reach almost 300 km/h. This situation forced him to go to the pits for tires and gas. Raphael Lessard came back on track having lost a few laps on the leader. On lap 115, the young Beauceron tells his team that the car was not running properly at all and he was forced to pit with no possibility to return to the track with six laps to go. The team determined later in the garages that the differential had failed.

The Race From the Driver's Seat

"The truck was running great early in the race and throughout the first stage. I was able to run on the quicker inside line, something that I could not do in last year's truck. I was up to 11^th place and really thought that I had a flat tire when the vibration started, and I first had to pit for a new set.  The team then told me that the old tires were OK, but the vibration was still there and getting worse as the race wore on, and the car would not run at its normal full speed. Then, near the end of the race, I felt a big hit at the rear as the failed differential ended my race with a bang with only a few laps to go."

"The team is always ready with a good truck, and we are due for a good result. Thanks to Richelieu Hardware for their help and we will see you at Bristol for the dirt race. I'm really looking forward to it," explained the driver of the No.24 Richelieu Hardware Silverado.

Next Race – Bristol Motor Speedway – March 27, 2021 (On dirt)

The NCWTS series returns to dirt for the Pinty's Dirt Truck Race after an absence dating back to 2019, when Canadian Stewart Friesen, a dirt specialist and NCWTS regular, won the race held at Eldora Speedway.

This year, the trucks return to the Bristol Motor Speedway where 23,000 cubic metres of dirt have been added to the normally paved surface. Several leading drivers from other NASCAR disciplines, including several dirt specialists, have decided to try their luck on the at Bristol dirt: Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Joey Logano, Matt Crafton and Chase Elliott. All of them in a truck and on dirt. This will be a great show!

Raphael Lessard and the NCWTS

After five (5) races in NASCAR trucks in 2019, Raphael Lessard competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS in 2020, his first full season at that level. His first 10 races of 2020 served him well as he worked hard with a professional team, and against seasoned drivers.

He learned more advanced driving techniques from these experienced drivers as well as from his spotter: learning new track quickly without a pre-race test or qualifying session, watching their driving trajectories and test new ones for himself as the track changes over the course of the race, managing downforce and turbulence, overtaking more effectively and protecting your position in the race, adapting to handling defects and adjusting his driving during a run, communicating effectively with the team during a run to describe any problems, managing front/rear braking distribution during a run, managing tire wear to optimize their performance at the end of the race and working in unison with team members during a pit stop.

The effects of this learning were clearly visible over the second half of the 2020 season, as Raphael Lessard caught and worked his way to the leaders several times to put himself in a position to win, as he did at Talladega, and accumulating four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes over the course of the season. 

Raphael Lessard career highlights

Right from his start on the track at age 11, Raphael Lessard has raced throughout the Eastern Canada and then on to the United States, establishing a solid reputation as a driver to watch along the way.

In 2020, the young Beauceron decided to leap into professional racing and competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS series (formerly the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series). In 28 starts (five in 2019) in NCWTS trucks, Raphael Lessard has won one race, finished four times in the top-5 (two podiums), and nine times in the top-10, giving him an average finish of 14.5.

In 2019, Raphael Lessard led 83 race laps, finished twice in the top-5 and three times in the top-10 in three starts in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a win, a top five and two top10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty's series. His NASCAR Pinty's series win came on his home track, Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction (Quebec, Canada), on June 29, after leading 153 of 300 laps on the way to an emotional win.

He also won two important Super Late Model Series races in 2018, including the U.S. National Short Track Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway in May, and the ARCA/CRA Super Series Red Bud 400 race at Anderson Speedway in July.

In 2016, Raphael Lessard won the CARS Tour Super Late Model Championship after recording four wins, one pole, leading 157 laps and finishing with eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes out of 10 races.

2021 Season – GMS Racing – NCWTS

- 30 -

Photo Credit: GMS Racing

ABOUT PARTNERS (clickable links)

ABOUT RICHELIEU HARDWARE

ABOUT GMS Racing

Chad Walter takes over as Crew Chief and Tyler Monn will act as Spotter for Raphael Lessard in 2021. Chad Walter has won five (5) races in 208 Xfinity starts as a Crew Chief. He led Tyler Ankrum to a spot in the 2020 playoffs in his first season as an NCWTS crew Chief. Tyler Monn, while still below 30, impressed key staff at Hendrick Motorsports last season. This year, he moves up the ladder as Kyle Larson's spotter in the Cup Series as well as working with Raphael Lessard in NCWTS and making for an ideal scenario for the young driver's second year of development.

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 tractors-trailer outfits. 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 RAPHAEL LESSARD

Event: FR8 Auctions 200, race 4 of 22 (130 laps – 30/30/70-lap stages; 200 miles)

Piste: Atlanta Motor Speedway (Georgia, United States – 1.54-mile oval)

Date: Saturday, March 20, 2:30 pm (EST)

Coverage: live on RDS, FS1, radio MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR

**RDS and RDS DIRECT (a numeric channel) will show every race in the NCWTS 2021 schedule.

Raphael Lessard and his #24 Richelieu Silverado will be on track this Saturday, March 20^th, for the second race of the season on a typical NASCAR track, the high speed 1.5-mile banked oval of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Raphael Lessard will run under the colours of Richelieu Hardware, a partner in 2020, who are returning by this year as principal partner for this event.

"Richelieu Hardware is pleased to reaffirm its support for Raphael and his team for the 2021 season. This ongoing commitment will allow him to drive a truck bearing exclusively the RICHELIEU colours during the Atlanta race on March 20. We all wish him the best of luck in achieving a well-deserved podium finish," according to Richard Lord, President and CEO of Richelieu Hardware.

For Raphael Lessard, this renewed cooperation presents an ideal opportunity to further develop this win-win relationship. "I am very pleased to see Richelieu Hardware reaffirm their confidence in our team and come back to help us for this race. Partnering with leaders in their industry such as Richelieu Hardware is key to the success of our endeavour. I am convinced that this partnership will help both parties achieve their business and sporting goals."

This is the second time the Saint Joseph de Beauce driver has visited the Atlanta oval. In 2020, Raphael Lessard was running in the top-5 group with two laps to go when a flat tire set him back to 18^th place at the finish. On the plus side, that race was a great learning experience for the young driver as he prepares for this coming event.

"The track surface at Atlanta is extremely hard on tires. You have to take advantage of the first few laps on new tires to gain positions, but always think about saving something for the end of a stage and especially the end of the race. We are driving at around 186 mph on the straights with very little downforce, which reduces grip everywhere. You can really feel it when braking at high speed on entering pit lane. You also have to be very careful not to go over the speed limit in the pits, something NASCAR is quick to penalise. Overall, my team and I did a good job in Las Vegas and really improved the truck for the last segment, which is promising for this race and the rest of the season. We are ready to win," added to Raphael Lessard.

Raphael Lessard and the NCWTS

After five (5) races in NASCAR trucks in 2019, Raphael Lessard competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS in 2020, his first full season at that level. His first 10 races of 2020 served him well as he worked hard with a professional team, and against seasoned drivers.

He learned more advanced driving techniques from these experienced drivers as well as from his Spotter: learning new track quickly without a pre-race test or qualifying session, watching their driving trajectories and test new ones for himself as the track changes over the course of the race, managing downforce and turbulence, overtaking more effectively and protecting your position in the race, adapting to handling defects and adjusting his driving during a run, communicating effectively with the team during a run to describe any problems, managing front/rear braking distribution during a run, managing tire wear to optimize their performance at the end of the race and working in unison with team members during a pit stop.

The effects of this learning were clearly visible over the second half of the 2020 season, as Raphael Lessard caught and worked his way to the leaders several times to put himself in a position to win, as he did at Talladega, and accumulating four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes over the course of the season. 

Raphael Lessard career highlights

Right from his start on the track at age 11, Raphael Lessard has raced throughout the Eastern Canada and then on to the United States, establishing a solid reputation as a driver to watch along the way.

In 2020, the young Beauceron decided to leap into professional racing and competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS series (formerly the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series). In 28 starts (five in 2019) in NCWTS trucks, Raphael Lessard has won one race, finished four times in the top-5 (two podiums), and nine times in the top-10, giving him an average finish of 14.5.

In 2019, Raphael Lessard led 83 race laps, finished twice in the top-5 and three times in the top-10 in three starts in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a win, a top five and two top10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty's series. His NASCAR Pinty's series win came on his home track, Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction (Quebec, Canada), on June 29, after leading 153 of 300 laps on the way to an emotional win.

He also won two important Super Late Model Series races in 2018, including the U.S. National Short Track Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway in May, and the ARCA/CRA Super Series Red Bud 400 race at Anderson Speedway in July.

In 2016, Raphael Lessard won the CARS Tour Super Late Model Championship after recording four wins, one pole, leading 157 laps and finishing with eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes out of 10 races.

2021 Season – GMS Racing – NCWTS

Photo Credit: GMS Racing

ABOUT PARTNERS

ABOUT RICHELIEU HARDWARE

ABOUT GMS Racing

Chad Walter takes over as Crew Chief and Tyler Monn will act as Spotter for Raphael Lessard in 2021. Chad Walter has won five (5) races in 208 Xfinity starts as a Crew Chief. He led Tyler Ankrum to a spot in the 2020 playoffs in his first season as an NCWTS crew Chief. Tyler Monn, while still below 30, impressed key staff at Hendrick Motorsports last season. This year, he moves up the ladder as Kyle Larson's spotter in the Cup Series as well as working with Raphael Lessard in NCWTS and making for an ideal scenario for the young driver's second year of development.

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 tractors-trailer outfits. 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 RAPHAEL LESSARD

"I made a mistake and I apologize to the other victims.

Let's move on to Atlanta and get back to racing!"

Date: March 5, 2021

Event: Bucked Up 200 (race 3 of 22)

Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5 mile oval)

Stages: At laps 30 |30 | 74

Start/Result: 13^th | 30^th (completed 130 of the 134-lap race)

Winner:  John Hunter Nemechek from Kyle Busch Motorsports (Toyota) 

After starting from the 13^th spot aboard his Silverado #24 Camping World truck, Raphael Lessard had to fight with a serious oversteer problem over the first two stages. After stops at the pits at the end of the first two stages, the 19-year-old driver now had a truck that was handling properly and was in an excellent 9^th spot for the restart of the final stage. Bad luck struck when an eager crew member had jumped over the wall too early on that stop and Raphael Lessard had to restart at the back of the lead pack, in 23^rd place. He then set off from deep in the pack on one of his usual runs through the field, hopefully up to what could have been a top-10 result. However, he caused an incident on lap 96 that heavily damaged his truck and left him 30th in the end.

The Race From the Driver's Seat

"I felt that the truck was not working well right from the start. Handling was good at the bottom of the track, but turbulence and a bad oversteer pushed me up the track and forced me to slow down in the middle of the corner, which ruined my corner exits. I finished the first stage in 20^th position and the second in 16^th despite the suspension modifications and other adjustments made by the crew in the pits at the end of stages 1 and 2," explained the Silverado #24 Camping World driver.

"The truck was working better and better in the third stage and I was pushing hard to gain positions. With 38 laps to go, I hit David Gilliland who was running on my inside, and lost control. It was my mistake and I apologize to the other victims of the incident," concluded a driver disappointed with his mistake that cost him dearly.

Next Race – Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 20, 2021

After this difficult race, Raphael Lessard and his Silverado #24 from the GMS Racing team move on to the Atlanta Motor Speedway (Hampton, Georgia), another fast 1.5-mile oval similar to the Las Vegas Speedway, for the March 20 running of the FRB Auctions 200.

Raphael Lessard and the NCWTS

After five (5) races in NASCAR trucks in 2019, Raphael Lessard competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS in 2020, his first full season at that level. His first 10 races of 2020 served him well as he worked hard with a professional team, and against seasoned drivers.

He learned more advanced driving techniques from these experienced drivers as well as from his Spotter: learning new track quickly without a pre-race test or qualifying session, watching their driving trajectories and test new ones for himself as the track changes over the course of the race, managing downforce and turbulence, overtaking more effectively and protecting your position in the race, adapting to handling defects and adjusting his driving during a run, communicating effectively with the team during a run to describe any problems, managing front/rear braking distribution during a run, managing tire wear to optimize their performance at the end of the race and working in unison with team members during a pit stop.

The effects of this learning were clearly visible over the second half of the 2020 season, as Raphael Lessard caught and worked his way to the leaders several times to put himself in a position to win, as he did at Talladega, and accumulating four top-5 and seven top-10 finishes over the course of the season. 

Raphael Lessard career highlights

Right from his start on the track at age 11, Raphael Lessard has raced throughout the Eastern Canada and then on to the United States, establishing a solid reputation as a driver to watch along the way.

In 2020, the young Beauceron decided to leap into professional racing and competed in all 23 races of the NCWTS series (formerly the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Trucks Series). In 28 starts (five in 2019) in NCWTS trucks, Raphael Lessard has won one race, finished four times in the top-5 (two podiums), and nine times in the top-10, giving him an average finish of 14.5.

In 2019, Raphael Lessard led 83 race laps, finished twice in the top-5 and three times in the top-10 in three starts in the ARCA Menards Series. He earned a win, a top five and two top10 finishes in the NASCAR Pinty's series. His NASCAR Pinty's series win came on his home track, Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction (Quebec, Canada), on June 29, after leading 153 of 300 laps on the way to an emotional win.

He also won two important Super Late Model Series races in 2018, including the U.S. National Short Track Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway in May, and the ARCA/CRA Super Series Red Bud 400 race at Anderson Speedway in July.

In 2016, Raphael Lessard won the CARS Tour Super Late Model Championship after recording four wins, one pole, leading 157 laps and finishing with eight top-five and nine top-ten finishes out of 10 races.

2021 Season – GMS Racing – NCWTS

Photo : GMS Racing

ABOUT PARTNERS

ABOUT CAMPING WORLD

ABOUT GMS Racing

Chad Walter takes over as Crew Chief and Tyler Monn will act as Spotter for Raphael Lessard in 2021. Chad Walter has won five (5) races in 208 Xfinity starts as a Crew Chief. He led Tyler Ankrum to a spot in the 2020 playoffs in his first season as an NCWTS crew Chief. Tyler Monn, while still below 30, impressed key staff at Hendrick Motorsports last season. This year, he moves up the ladder as Kyle Larson's spotter in the Cup Series as well as working with Raphael Lessard in NCWTS and making for an ideal scenario for the young driver's second year of development.

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 tractors-trailer outfits. 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 RAPHAEL LESSARD