Andrew Ranger had a very strong outing at Sutherland Automotive Speedway, posting two solid runner-up finishes as the NASCAR Pinty’s ended its trip West with Twin 125 races. Marc-Antoine Camirand also scored a strong third place finish for Paillé Course//Racing in the first race but suffered mechanical issues in the second.
Ranger has been quick all day on the short oval in Saskatoon, SK. He qualified his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°27 Camaro in second place, only 0,008 second from pole position. Ranger set up the pace early in the 125-race and took the lead of the field at lap 52.
He was on the top spot when a late caution forced the race into NASCAR Overtime. At the restart, he couldn’t hold his competitor who passed him on the outside and sealed a runner-up finish at the end of the first Leland 125 twin race.
“I had a very fast car. It’s a shame that we couldn’t hold the first place until the checkered flag, but we’re very happy with another strong result”, said Ranger.
After a quick break, the field was back on track for the second twin 125 race and the starting grid was set according to race one fastest times. Fifth at the start, Ranger stayed among the top runners and scored another second-place finish.
“We had a very good trip out West, with three podium finishes -one third place and two second places. We are heading to GP3R with momentum and hoping it continues that way for our biggest race this season”, said Ranger.
On his side, his Paillé Course//Racing teammate Marc-Antoine Camirand had a bittersweet day at Sutherland Automotive Speedway. After post-race inspection at Edmonton International Speedway, NASCAR issued a penalty to car n°96 regarding the mufflers, causing the loss of 12 Driver and Owner Championships points, as well as the suspension for one event of crew chief Robin McCluskey. The team is filling for appeal to this penalty. However, considering the short notice between the reception of the penalty and the event in Saskatoon, the timing was too short to defer the suspension of the crew chief, who served his suspension at Sutherland Automotive Speedway doubleheader.
During practice session, Camirand posted the 15th time, but felt his GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada n°96 Camaro would be quick on the long run. He qualified in 10th place and started to gain some track positions early in the first race.
While fighting for a position, Camirand spun in turn one at lap 41 but managed to avoid any collision and stayed on track after falling to the 15th spot. He then climbed back the field and was running in a tight front pack when he avoided a late-race crash that happened just in front of him. Third when the race restarted for a green-white-checkered, he kept his place and scored his fourth podium finish this season.
“I’m happy with this second strong result during this trip out West. My car felt a little bit tight during the race, but I was able to avoid crashed during the race. We were in a good position at the end, and we’re happy with this podium finish”, said Camirand.
On the second 125-lap race, he was having a good pace early in the race after starting from 9th place. He was running in the top-five, posting fast lap times, but started to lose power on his engine. He retired from the race at lap 61 and scored a 20th-place finish.
“It is not the way we wanted to end the trip, but I guess it’s also part of racing. We’ll be ready to race in Trois-Rivières next week”, he concluded.
Andrew Ranger, Marc-Antoine Camirand and Paillé Course//Racing will be back in action for their biggest event of the year, on August 5-7, on the famous street course of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.
Andrew Ranger PR
