Raphael Lessard was relegated to a 30th-place finish in the Strat 200 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in his first start on a 1.5-mile speedway. The young driver qualified eighth in one round of single-vehicle qualifying, and then was running in the top-10 before a pit stop miscue cost him track position. The Canadian teenager was able to climb back into the top-10, but then lost control of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra and hit the wall, ending his evening.
Stage One Recap:
- Lessard earned the eighth starting spot in one lap of single vehicle qualifying on Friday afternoon.
- In the opening laps, Lessard reported that his truck was loose, but he was able to maintain position in the top-10.
- Lessard finished the first stage in sixth.
- Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. called the talented teenager to pit road for four tires and fuel during the stage break.
Stage Two Recap:
- Lessard started the second stage in fifth.
- Lessard worked his way up to third, but then was hung out of the draft and shuffled back to tenth.
- The young driver was able to finish the second stage in eighth.
- Following the conclusion of Stage 2, Hillman Jr. brought the Canadian driver to pit road for four Goodyear tires and Sunoco fuel, but the pit crew did not tighten enough lug nuts on one wheel and Hillman called the No. 4 back down pit road to fix it.
Stage Three Recap:
- Lessard began the final stage in 20th position, but quickly began to move toward the front of the pack.
- By lap 84, Lessard managed to return to the top-10.
- Only six laps later while riding in the top-10, Lessard lost control of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra and hit the wall, causing him to retire the machine and resulting in a 30th-place finish.
KBM PR
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