Montreal, September 22, 2019 – Alex Guénette, driving Team 22 Racing number 18 Chevrolet EpiPen/RONA/St Hubert/Spectra Premium, finished seventh in round 12 of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series held Saturday on the 1.703-kilometre (1.058-mile) New Hampshire Motor Speedway oval track located in Loudon, New Hampshire.
Subbing for Alex Tagliani, the 23-year old Guénette from Terrebonne, Quebec, quickly settled in with his new car, his new team and an unfamiliar track by grabbing seventh place in the morning qualifying session. In the race, Guénette moved up as high a fourth place a couple of times during the 100-lap “Visit New Hampshire 100” race before crossing the finish line in seventh place.
“This was a drastic change of pace for me this weekend, because over the last few months, I have been racing on short ovals in the ACT (American Canadian Tour) Series,” said Alex Guénette. “Since I had not run a Pinty’s car on a oval track for at least five or six years, I had to make a lot of changes to my driving style, and the lone practice session on Friday was too short for my taste. Without a personal moulded seat, the Team 22 Racing crew did an excellent job fitting me comfortably in the car on such a short notice. Also, the coaching from Alex (Tagliani) over the weekend was very helpful. I am happy to have had the chance to run at high speed on this one-mile oval. I want to thank everyone for this opportunity.”
Away once again from competition after contracting a minor myocarditis viral infection – an inflammation of the muscle tissue of the heart – Alex Tagliani had this comment on Alex Guénette’s performance.
“Alex (Guénette) did a fine job subbing for me and he impressed me with a great start,” commented Alex Tagliani. “He ran for a long period of time in fourth and fifth place, but in the last third of the race, the car was unstable. With the retirement of Kevin Lacroix on the final lap, he brought the car home in seventh place. Overall, he did an excellent job and what is important is that his performance enabled us to remain in fourth place in the Owner Championship. On the other hand, I find it hard to be on the sidelines watching the car on track without being able to do anything about it. Now, I must wait and to see what we are going to do for the upcoming Jukasa race.”
Andrew Ranger won the race ahead of Alex Labbé and D.J. Kennington. Ranger took the lead from polesitter Kevin Lacroix on lap 93 of 100. On the last lap, Lacroix got bumped from second place by Alex Labbé and spun into the inside wall, ending his race about 20 feet from the finish line. Twenty drivers started the NASCAR Pinty’s race with 17 crossing the finish line. Eleven cars finished on the lead lap. The 100-lap race was under full course caution three times for a total of 14 laps. The Visit New Hampshire 100 will be televised on TSN on Sunday, September 29, 2019 at 1 p.m.
In the car owner standings:
With a seventh place finish in New Hampshire, the number 18 Chevrolet EpiPen/RONA/St Hubert/ Spectra Premium of Scott Steckly remains fourth in the Owner Standings.
In the driver standings:
With his win, Andrew Ranger retakes the lead in the driver standings with 509 points, 11 ahead of Kevin Lacroix who was classified 12th at the conclusion of the New Hampshire race. LP Dumoulin is still third, but out of the championship race.
Final stop of the 2019 season: Jukasa Motor Speedway
Tagliani still hopes to return to competition for the final race of the 2019 NASCAR Pinty’s season the weekend of September 28 on the 5/8-mile Jukasa Motor Speedway oval track located in Hagersville, near Hamilton, Ontario. If Tagliani does not get the green light to compete in the season finale, Alex Guénette will once again be driving the number 18 Chevrolet EpiPen/RONA/St Hubert/Spectra Premium.
TSN and TSN Direct subscribers can watch the NASCAR Pinty’s Series final race of the season live on TSN.ca and on the TSN app. Watch the NASCAR Pinty’s “Pinty’s Fall Brawl” live stream on TSN.ca or use the TSN app and click the “ON NOW” button to scroll down before clicking on the NASCAR Pinty’s logo to watch the race on Saturday, September 28 at 7:35 p.m. Eastern. Check the track website for exact time in case of rain. United States fans can watch all the races live on FansChoice.tv.
For more information on Alex Tagliani, please visit www.tagliani.com, follow him on Twitter at @TAGLIANI, @tagliani18 on Instagram and like him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Tagliani.
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Photo credit: Tagliani Autosport
Source:
Max d’Orsonnens
Tagliani Autosport/22 Racing
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