Raphaël Lessard

Raphaël Lessard (pronounced "less-ard"; born July 5, 2001)[1] is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Pinty's Series for Ed Hakonson Racing. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado for GMS Racing. He has also driven for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series, and GMS Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports and DGR-Crosley in the Truck Series.

Raphaël Lessard
Lessard at Martinsville Speedway in 2019
Born (2001-07-05) July 5, 2001
St-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec, Canada
AchievementsFirst French Canadian to win a NASCAR National Series race and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race
2016 CARS Super Late Model Tour Champion
2018 Redbud 400 Winner
2021 Tom Curley 250 Winner
Awards2016 CARS Super Late Model Tour Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
35 races run over 3 years
2021 position28th
Best finish12th (2020)
First race2019 TruNorth Global 250 (Martinsville)
Last race2021 WISE Power 200 (Kansas)
First win2020 Chevrolet Silverado (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 11 0
NASCAR Pinty's Series career
8 races run over 3 years
2021 position21st
Best finish27th (2019)
First race2019 Budweiser 300 (Chaudiere)
Last race2022 Pro-Line 225 (Newfoundland)
First win2019 Budweiser 300 (Chaudiere)
Last win2021 General Tire 125 (Sunset)
Wins Top tens Poles
3 7 0
Statistics current as of December 29, 2021.

Racing career

Early career

Lessard started racing in an old Honda Civic, winning his first race on the day of his twelfth birthday. He then ran Quebec sportsmans and super late models in Canada before moving to America.[2]

2015

His first American racing experience came in the CARS Super Late Model Tour, driving the 2015 season for Toyota Racing Development and David Gilliland Racing.[3]

2016

In 2016, at age 15, and in grade 10, he became the second non-American to win the CARS Super Late Model series championship,[4] the other being Mario Gosselin, also a Canadian from Quebec, who accomplished the feat in 1997.[5] It was Lessard's first championship.[4] He won four of ten races during the season, including the season finale at Southern National Motorsports Park.[4] Lessard continued with Toyota and David Gilliland Racing to run late model racing in large events like the Winchester 400, Snowball Derby and various PASS Late Model, CRA Racing Series and ARCA Racing Series events.[6]

2017

To start off 2017 he was disqualified from an April PASS race for intentionally wrecking other drivers, illegally passing under yellow, and inappropriate actions by his crew.[7]

2017

He debuted in the ARCA Racing Series in 2017 driving for Venturini Motorsports.[8] He made the top ten in his second start at Winchester Speedway.[9]

2019

On February 15, 2019, it was announced that Lessard will drive three races in the No. 46 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.[10] Lessard started 7th and finished 14th in his Truck Series debut at Martinsville.[11] In June, he joined DGR-Crosley's No. 17 truck for the Iowa Speedway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park races.[12]

2020

In 2020, Lessard joined KBM for the full Truck season in the No. 4 Tundra.[13] Despite missing the playoffs, he won his first career Truck race at Talladega Superspeedway when he was leading as the caution came out on the final lap, becoming the first French Canadian to win in a NASCAR national series.[14]

2021

Lessard lost his KBM ride to John Hunter Nemechek in 2021 and subsequently moved to GMS Racing to drive the No. 24. The plans initially outlined a 12-race schedule before it was increased to the full season.[15][16] However, funding troubles forced him out of the truck after seven races.[17]

2022

Lessard was scheduled to drive the No. 87 for SQR Development on a part-time basis in the NASCAR Xfinity Series throughout the 2022 season but would later be released from the team before the season even started due to Lessard taking issue with a sexual harassment case involving team-owner J. C. Stout.[18][19]

Pinty’s Series

2019

Lessard would make his Pinty’s Series debut at Autodrome Chaudière. He would go onto to win in his Series debut.

2021

Lessard would sweep the first two races at Sunset.

Personal life

Lessard's father was a race car driver but sold his cars to help move Raphaël's racing career.[20]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Camping World Truck Series
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 NCWTC Pts Ref
2019 Kyle Busch Motorsports 46 Toyota DAY ATL LVS MAR
14		 TEX DOV
11		 KAN CLT TEX BRI
12		 32nd 135 [21]
DGR-Crosley 17 Toyota IOW
9		 GTW CHI KEN POC ELD MCH
54 MSP
10		 LVS TAL MAR PHO HOM
2020 Kyle Busch Motorsports 4 Toyota DAY
20		 LVS
30		 CLT
15		 ATL
18		 HOM
11		 POC
37		 KEN
13		 TEX
12		 KAN
16		 KAN
11		 MCH
7		 DAY
3		 DOV
19		 GTW
6		 DAR
6		 RCH
26		 BRI
18		 LVS
20		 TAL
1		 KAN
33		 TEX
4		 MAR
20		 PHO
5		 12th 563 [22]
2021 GMS Racing 24 Chevy DAY
23		 DAY
26		 LVS
30		 ATL
39		 BRI
3		 RCH
23		 KAN
8		 DAR COA CLT TEX NSH POC KNX GLN GTW DAR BRI LVS TAL MAR PHO 28th 150 [23]

K&N Pro Series East
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 NKNPSEC Pts Ref
2019 Bill McAnally Racing 50 Toyota NSM BRI
9		 SBO SBO MEM NHA IOW GLN BRI GTW NHA DOV 34th 35 [24]

Pinty's Series
NASCAR Pinty's Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 NPSC Pts Ref
2019 Dumoulin Compétition 07 Dodge MSP JUK ACD
1*		 TOR SAS SAS EIR CTR
7		 RIS MSP ASE NHA JUK 27th 85 [25]
2021 Wight Motorsports 80 Chevy SUN
1		 SUN
1*		 CTR
14		 ICAR MSP MSP FLA FLA DEL DEL 21st 125 [26]
2022 Ed Hakonson Racing 8 SUN
2		 MSP ACD
6		 AVE
8		 TOR EDM
15		 SAS
15		 SAS
4		 CTR OSK
21		 ICAR MSP DEL
14		 17th 268 [27]

ARCA Menards Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 AMSC Pts Ref
2017 Venturini Motorsports 25 Toyota DAY NSH
33		 SLM
13		 TAL TOL ELK POC MCH MAD IOW IRP POC WIN
10		 ISF ROA DSF SLM CHI KEN KAN 51st 370 [28]
2019 KBR Development 19 Chevy DAY FIF
8		 SLM TAL NSH TOL CLT 27th 615 [29]
28 POC
4		 MCH MAD GTW CHI ELK IOW POC
5		 ISF DSF SLM IRP KAN

* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points

References
  1. "Raphael Lessard summary". Racing Reference. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  2. McDonald, Norris (2017-08-19). "Raphael Lessard, 16, is taking the stock-car racing world by storm". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  3. "Raphael Lessard – NASCAR Talk". nascar.nbcsports.com. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  4. "SLM: A Canadian Goes South and Claims CARS SLM Title". Speed51.com. 12 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  5. "Raphaël Lessard crowned champion of the 2016 CARS Super Late Model Tour". Edmonton Journal. 12 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  6. "Raphael Lessard 2017 DGR Race Schedule". David Gilliland Racing. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  7. "PASS Statement Regarding Raphael Lessard Disqualification At Hickory – race22.com". race22.online. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  8. "Quebec's Raphael Lessard returns...race-ready for Winchester". ARCA Racing. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  9. "Driver Raphael Lessard 2017 ARCA Racing Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  10. "Lessard Returns To KBM For Three Truck Races". Speed Sport. February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  11. "An afternoon to remember for Raphael Lessard". Motorsport.com. March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  12. "Lessard Picks Up Two Gander Trucks Races with DGR-Crosley". DGR-Crosley. June 6, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  13. "Canadian Raphael Lessard set to compete full-time for KBM in 2020". Kyle Busch Motorsports. November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  14. "Canadian rookie Raphael Lessard grabs NASCAR Truck series win at Talladega". ESPN.com. ESPN. AP. October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  15. Long, Dustin (November 25, 2020). "Raphael Lessard joins GMS Racing for 2021 season". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  16. Estrada, Chris (January 7, 2021). "Raphael Lessard to run full Truck Series season for GMS Racing". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  17. Utter, Jim (May 3, 2021). "Funding issues cut short Raphael Lessard's NASCAR Truck season". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  18. "Raphael Lessard, SQR Development drop 2022 Xfinity plans". thecheckeredflag.com. thecheckeredflag.com. March 30, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  19. "Castile man arrested at airport after days of 'threatening behavior'". thedailynewsonline.com. January 2, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  20. Mio, Kevin (2016-12-06). "Raphael Lessard doesn't have a licence, but boy can he drive". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  21. "Raphael Lessard – 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  22. "Raphael Lessard – 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  23. "Raphael Lessard – 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  24. "Raphael Lessard – 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  25. "Raphaël Lessard – 2019 NASCAR Pinty's Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  26. "Raphael Lessard – 2021 NASCAR Pinty's Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  27. "Raphael Lessard – 2022 NASCAR Pinty's Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  28. "Raphael Lessard – 2017 ARCA Racing Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  29. "Raphael Lessard – 2019 ARCA Menards Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
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