SASKATOON – It was a bizarre way for Kevin Lacroix to win the Leland Industries 250 in Saskatoon.
It was Marc-Antoine Camirand who had initially taken the checkered flag ahead of Lacroix and nine other drivers at the NASCAR Canada Series event in Saskatoon.
But soon after the checkered flag waved, the announcement came over the loudspeaker that the finish was under review.
In the end, race officials took issue with Camirand’s antics in his move to pass Lacroix during the final lap. Officials docked Camirand due to rough driving, in particular contact with the rear of Lacroix’s car.
As a result of the penalty, Lacroix was awarded his first-ever NASCAR Canada Series victory at the Saskatoon oval. For Lacroix, who had several close calls at the Saskatoon track before and seemed plagued by a string of woes lately in the series, it was about time for good luck to come his way.
“The luck was always in the end of the races — mechanical issues, bad luck in the pits. Now the luck is turning around, so look forward to continuing on that.”
The result followed what had been another controversial and rough race at Edmonton International Raceway in Wetaskiwin over the weekend.
The NAPA 300 on Saturday was won by Camirand, but afterwards NASCAR Canada fined him $1500 and docked him six Championship Driver points for intentionally wrecking a vehicle after a late restart.
In that case it also involved Lacroix, who nevertheless recovered to finish third. Both Camirand and Lacroix were also put on probation to Dec. 31 over their behaviour following the incident.
“Maybe NASCAR thought it was too much, two weekends in a row like this,” said Lacroix of the ruling of officials in Saskatoon.
Given what transpired in Alberta, Lacroix said the rough stuff from Camirand was something he expected as he fought to hang onto his shrinking lead in the late laps.
“I was just waiting. I knew it was coming,” said Lacroix. “For the last five laps I was just waiting for it. I knew it was coming.”
The ending was uncharacteristic of the racing seen the entire night in Saskatoon. Caution flags were few, and as usual there were no major wrecks on the track. But the late-race bumping and jostling ran counter to that narrative this night.
The frantic finish also put a damper on what had been a tremendous night of racing for both drivers. Lacroix had taken the pole position and was the dominant car most of the night, leading almost the entire race.
Camirand, meanwhile, had started eighth on the grid, but had moved up to third by the midway point and later moved past second-place Jason Hathaway to set up the dramatic finish with Lacroix.
“As a driver here we can see the board, so I saw his number going through the field on the board,” said Lacroix.
“With 50 laps to go I knew I had to push a little bit more and maybe used my rear tires too much… he’s a good driver and puts pressure on me. That worked, but yeah it was stressful. But the car was good and I’m happy.”
The penalty to Camirand also meant it was Hathaway who was awarded second place on the night, while Louis-Philippe Dumoulin got third. The penalty sent Camirand all the way down to fourth place.
There had been boos from the crowd after the announcement of the penalty, but in the end no one doubted the entertainment value of what race fans had seen at the track Wednesday.
For Lacroix, he hopes the win on the Saskatoon track means big things for him for the rest of the NASCAR Canada schedule.
“I don’t believe in good luck for one track in particular, but here it seems like everyone that does good here does good in the season,” said Lacroix. “So finally, I do good here and looking forward for the rest of this season.”
