Bowmanville, Quebec - It was a heartbreaking event for Thomas Nepveu at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) on Sunday. The Oka native driver was on the verge of finishing in the Top 5 and was well underway for his best-ever NASCAR Canada result before a mechanical failure led to retirement.

 

Thomas Nepveu was commanding the yellow #24 Richelieu | Home Hardware | Cromwell in the NASCAR Canada season opener. In Saturday morning's practice session, he posted the 9th fastest lap time. However, qualifying did not go well for the young driver, as he came in 19th.

 

However, Nepveu wasn't content with being at the back of the field. From the very first laps of the race, he began making his way up the field, overtaking several cars and making it all the way to the Top 5. It was on a restart shortly after the halfway point that he climbed to the 2nd place. Then Marc-Antoine Camirand and Kevin Lacroix joined the leaders’ pack, sending Thomas back to 4th place. Nonetheless, he stayed with the frontrunners, suggesting a first Top 5 finish.

 

"We had an excellent car during the race," says Nepveu. "We opted for a different strategy and only came back to the pits once to put fuel in, so I ran the whole race on the same set of tires. Despite this, we had good times and were competitive."

 

He continues, "We were so close to getting our first Top 5, which would have been a great start to the season and a very good result for us. Unfortunately, we were forced to retire, so I'm disappointed."

 

Thomas's car came to a halt a few laps from the end, presumably due to an electrical problem although the exact cause has yet to be determined.

 

The next NASCAR Canada event will be held on June 1 at Autodrome Chaudière, Vallée-Jonction.