NAPA store owner Kevin Lacroix claimed his 8th victory at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this during the WeatherTech 200.

He took the win commanding the #74 Adaptive One Calipers/NAPA Racing Dodge in a race full of twists and turns.

Lacroix is co-owner of Pieces D’Auto Lacroix, a six-outlet NAPA Auto Parts operation based in Sainte-Eustache, Que.

Lacroix had a strong weekend, getting off to a good start during the Practice session on Saturday morning. He set the second-fastest time, a mere 0.020 seconds off the top spot. Later, in the qualifying session, he secured pole position, also setting a new lap record with a time of 1:21.809.

wenty-eight drivers took part in the race on the 3.9-kilometre circuit. The Bowmanville venue is always host to action-packed races, and the WeatherTech 200 was no exception. 

Qualifying was halted early due to an incident involving Darry Timmers. Unfortunately, the driver of the No. 98 Curb Records/4S Electrical/WrapForce Ford was unable to participate in the WeatherTech 200 the following day.

However, Sunday’s race wasn’t an easy win for the NAPA Racing driver. When the green flag dropped, he led the race but faced intense pressure from Gary Klutt and Andrew Ranger.

The three drivers had pulled ahead before a caution on the second lap. Not long after the restart, Lacroix lost the lead to Marc-Antoine Camirand.

After the halfway mark, Alex Tagliani became a strong contender for the win, running in second place for several laps aboard his No. 80 St-Hubert/BFL/ArobasPersonnel/Chevrolet 440 machine. However, he came under pressure from Sam Fellows in the No. 87 AER/Polysleep/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, who claimed second place on Lap 34. Matthew Scannell, who started from 11th, was running strong in 4th place with his No. 99 Nitro54/Mainstreet Logistics/Mi-Box Dodge, while Kyle Steckly rounded out the Top 5.

Lacroix was on a different strategy than the other drivers. He pitted early for fuel and then made two more stops to get four fresh tires. By making three stops, the team was gambling on a caution that would allow Lacroix to have a strong restart. However, the much-anticipated caution came late, just a few laps from the end.

With less than 10 laps remaining, Lacroix had to climb from the back of the Top 10 to the front, which he did. It was in Turn 5 on the last lap that he seized the victory, solidifying his efforts.

“We started from pole position, but it didn’t seem like it because we stopped several times for fresh tires while the other drivers didn’t,” Lacroix explained. “There were no cautions, so we found ourselves in the middle of the pack with only 10 laps to go. I started making my way back up through the field—I had seven cars to overtake in four laps. There was a lot of traffic, but we came out with the win.”

He concluded by saying, “I’m very happy with this victory; it’s my 4th this season. Although the championship seems decided, my goal was to win as many races as possible before the end of the season.”

The NASCAR teamS will be back in action at Delaware Speedway in Ontario on Sunday, September 8.