Raphael Lessard Finishes in Second Place in North Carolina

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Raphaël Lessard, the young driver from Saint-Joseph- de-Beauce, finished his second race of the CARS Super Late Model Tour in second position during the Orange Blossom 300 presented by the Grilling Store.
 
Having finished 2nd during this spectacular race, the driver of the car #99 FRL Express/Toyota/JBLAudio of David Gilliland Racing team has impressed the attendees by climbing back from the 7th position up to the 2nd. It’s only after many on-track battles within the leading pack that Lessard could rob the 2nd place and even flirt with the 1st. Driver Christopher Bell resisted Lessard as best as he could, as the young driver was pushing very hard in the corners.
 
Raphaël Lessard, 14 years old, was fearless during this race punctuated by numerous yellow flags. Early in the race, he placed himself amongst the leading pack. Going from 7th to 9th position, he quickly gained momentum as he climbed back to 6th position, from where he overtook a lot of drivers.
 
Yellow flags at mid-race were not Lessard’s friends, who was battling in the front pack. It is during the last 50 last laps that Raphaël unveiled his oval racing skills. Without being intimidated by Christopher Bell and Dalton Sargeant, two renowned American drivers from the Toyota Racing Development program, Lessard drove in a smart and consistent manner, having in sight the 1st position in the last 5 laps.
 
“During the restart after the yellow flags, I would sometimes start on the inside, sometimes on the outside, and I would lose position because, at this particular track, the groove on the inside is slower than the groove on the outside. When I would lose positions, it was hard to gain them back. The car was perfect during the whole race, my crew chief was helping me regarding tire and car conservation. The team really did a great job this weekend!” explained Lessard.
 
Even the race commentator said it; it was one of the best CARS Super Late Model Tour finishes ever. Bell, Lessard and Sargeant offered a one-of-a-kind show, with spectacular overtakes and minor collisions, the audience witnessed an end of race worthy of a NASCAR Sprint Cup race. “The drivers are all very good and all already have a lot of experience. I know I was faster than Christopher Bell, thus, I was trying to overpass him, but it didn’t work out because he was closing the door on me. In the end, I didn‘t want to push too hard so I wouldn’t collide with him again. My objective in the next race is certainly another Top 5!” said Raphael.
 
Raphaël next race on the CARS Tour will be on May 7, 2016 at the Hickory Motor Speedway in Newton, North Carolina.

Raphaël Lessard PR

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