Marc-Antoine Camirand and Andrew Ranger were both showing strong speed and aiming for podium finishes as the 2026 NASCAR Canada season got underway last weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. However, penalties issued to both Paillé Course//Racing drivers ultimately derailed their strong performances.

Marc-Antoine Camirand was looking for a third consecutive victory on the fast and challenging road course near Bowmanville, ON, and quickly established himself as one of the main contenders for the win.

“There was still some unknown with the new McCreary tires, but my crew chief Robin McCluskey and the entire Camirand Performance team worked hard throughout practice to find a setup that would not only be fast, but also maintain good balance over a long run,” explained the Saint-Léonard-d’Aston driver.

As soon as the green flag dropped, Camirand knew his No. 96 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada Camaro had the speed to run at the front. Starting second, he battled for the lead early in the race before the team executed a strong pit strategy during a lengthy green-flag run, opting for two stops — one for fuel and another for left-side tires.

Following a caution on lap 32 and a lengthy cleanup period, the various pit strategies cycled through, placing Camirand second for the restart before he eventually took over the lead.

“I was lined up second on the outside at the restart, but the leader got a better launch than I did. Once we went green, I had room on the inside, so I tucked in behind him before reaching the start-finish line. I got the lead a little later in the lap, and at that point, with only a few laps remaining, I really felt we had a legitimate shot at the win because I had done a good job saving both the car and the tires,” said Camirand.

However, during another caution shortly afterward, NASCAR issued Camirand a penalty related to the previous restart, forcing him to drop at the rear of the field as NASCAR overtime began.

“At that point in the race, I did everything I could to work my way back through the field and ended up finishing 10th. It’s unfortunate because I truly believe we had a car capable of winning, or at least battling Gary Klutt for the victory since he also only took two tires,” concluded Camirand.

Andrew Ranger also showed podium-caliber speed in the early stages of the CarGurus 200.

After qualifying sixth, Ranger quickly worked his way among the leaders before the pit cycle began.

“I was having a lot of fun early in the race. We had some really good clean battles, and I felt like our No. 27 GM Paillé/Chevrolet Canada Camaro was very fast,” said the Roxton Pond native.

Like Camirand, Ranger made his pit stops during the extended green-flag sequence, completing three separate stops for fuel, left-side tires, and right-side tires. Under NASCAR Canada rules, teams are only allowed to either change two tires or refuel during a single pit stop.

“Unfortunately, we misjudged the amount of time needed for the third stop, and the leader lapped us while we were on pit road. I didn’t realize it at the time,” explained Ranger.

During the caution period, believing he was still on the lead lap, Ranger passed the pace car to regain his position, resulting in a one-lap penalty from NASCAR.

“From that point on, I was one lap down and never got the chance to receive the lucky dog and fight for a top-10 finish. It’s disappointing because we definitely had a shot at the podium, but we’ll come back strong at Vallée-Jonction,” added Ranger, who ultimately finished 19th.

Paillé Course//Racing drivers will return to action on June 6 as NASCAR Canada heads to Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction for a doubleheader event.

PCR PR