Stage Two Accident Relegates Raphael Lessard to a 33rd-Place Finish at Kansas
Date: Oct. 17, 2020
Event: Clean Harbors 200 (Race 20 of 23)
Series: Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS)
Location: Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Format: Stages; 30 laps/30 laps/79 laps
Start/Finish: 10th / 33rd (Accident, completed 39 of 139 laps)
Winner: Brett Moffitt of GMS Racing (Chevrolet)
After finishing the first stage in the 11th position, Raphael Lessard was relegated to a 33rd-place finish at Kansas Speedway after being involved in a 10-truck accident in the opening laps of the second stage at Kansas Speedway.
Stage One Recap:
- Raphael Lessard started in the 10th position after a performance matrix based off finishing position from the previous race, ranking in owner points standings and the fastest lap from the previous race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
- As the entire stage went green, Raphael Lessard finished 11th.
Stage Two Recap:
- At the stage break, Lessard radioed to his crew that his SiriusXM | Canac Tundra was loose throughout the racetrack. Veteran crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. summoned his rookie driver to pit road to tighten up the SiriusXM | Canac Tundra with a chassis adjustment along with four fresh tires and fuel. Raphael Lessard would restart in the 13th position and would choose the bottom lane for the restart.
- While battling for position, Raphael Lessard was collected in a 10-car accident off Turn 4. The SiriusXM | Canac team attempted to repair the Tundra for Raphael Lessard, but after running a couple of laps under caution with heavy smoke coming from out the truck, Hillman summoned his driver to the garage.
- Raphael Lessard would finish retire from the race and be credited with a 33rd-place finish.
Raphael Lessard, driver of the No. 4 SiriusXM | Canac Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports
Tough day today. What happened?
"Every race weekend is quite different. We won the previous race and wrecked today on lap 39. It ended our race. Thanks to our partners SiriusXM, Canac and Sociétés Louis Jacques."
Clean Harbors 200 Recap:
- Brett Moffitt scored the victory in NASCAR Overtime beating Sheldon Creed by 0.111 seconds. Austin Hill, Grant Enfinger and Chandler Smith rounded out the top five.
- There were 13 lead changes among nine different drivers. There were four cautions for 24 laps.
How Lessard's KBM Teammates Fared:
- Christian Eckes, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished sixth.
- Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished fifth.
NGROTS Championship Standings:
After 20 events, Lessard sits 12th in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series point standings.
Next Race:
Raphael Lessard will be back behind the wheel of the No. 4 Tundra when the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series resumes action on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, at Texas Motor Speedway. Live coverage will be on RDS, Fox Sports Racing, FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at noon ET.
Reminder: To vote for the "Most popular driver of the NGROTS series":
https://www.nascar.com/truckmostpopulardriver
**Press Release prepared by Kyle Busch Motorsports
Photo Credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
