Music: {allcanada} Rain Can't Slow Lacroix At CTMP

Sunday, May 21, 2017

{allcanada} Rain Can't Slow Lacroix At CTMP

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BOWMANVILLE, Ont -- Kevin Lacroix finally figured out Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last fall, and the offseason did nothing to slow him down. Nor did the rain that arrived in force in the final laps of Sunday's Can-Am 200.

The Saint-Eustache, Quebec, driver scored his second win in a row at the fame 2.459-mile road course. He won the E3 Spark Plug Pole Award Saturday, and then drove by Andrew Ranger on the final lap of Sunday's race for his fifth career win.

A Lap 49 caution forced the race into overtime, with Lacroix and Ranger swapping the lead multiple times over the final turns before Lacroix pulled away for the win by 1.916 seconds.

Lacroix finished 26th (crash), 26th (clutch) and 23rd (rear end) in his first three starts at CTMP before his breakthrough last September. He led three times for a race-high 16 laps.

Gary Klutt snuck by defending series champion Cayden Lapcevich coming out of the final turn to claim the final podium spot. Klutt received the free pass twice in the last 12 laps to rally, while Alex Labbe rounded out the top five.

LP Dumoulin who started from the rear due to a penalty, rebounded to finish sixth. JF Dumoulin, Jason Hathaway, Brett Taylor and Adam Martin rounded out the top 10.

Rain right before the start soaked the track and required teams to come down before the green flag to change to rain tires. Most teams switched back to slicks as the track dried, but then back to rain tires when showers returned and intensified in the closing stages of the race.

Alex Tagliani, fastest in practice, led 14 laps but slid off track into the tire barrier on Lap 49 to bring out the final caution and push the race to 55 laps. He finished 18th. Anthony Simone, chasing his first career win, led 15 laps before being relegated to 22nd with mechanical issues.

The NASCAR Pinty's Series will be back in action Saturday, June 3rd at the Delaware Speedway for the Choko/ Fast Eddie 250 presented by Havoline, for the second race of the season.

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