This weekend’s Bud Light 250 at Autodrome Chaudière served up everything you’d expect from short-track racing in the NASCAR Canada Series—tight battles, hard charges, heartbreak, and a few storylines that will keep fans buzzing until Trois-Rivières.
Ryan Vargas rolled off in 7th and immediately showed the kind of pace the Léargas Security team has been building toward all season. He worked his way into the top five, only to have his run interrupted by a blown right rear. After restarting at the back, Vargas clawed his way to 8th before getting caught up in contact with no caution thrown. Damaged but undeterred, he muscled the car from the rear of the field back up to a hard-earned P7 finish.
“Damn good speed & incredible work by this team,” Vargas said after the race. “If we didn’t have bad luck, we’d have none. Let’s change it next week.”
At the front of the pack, rookie William Larue delivered a breakout performance in just his fourth career start. Starting 8th, the Québec City native methodically worked through the field to capture his first-ever NASCAR Canada Series win. Along with the victory, Larue set the fastest lap of the race and earned both the Evirum Fastest Lap of the Race and Jostens Rookie of the Race honors.
Veteran Donald Theetge, who dominated early by leading a race-high 114 laps, finished second after losing pace in the later stages. Kevin Lacroix battled his way from 10th to round out the podium in third, salvaging a strong result after a difficult weekend at Calabogie.
Other notables included D.J. Kennington’s charge from 13th to 4th—earning him the Gulf Race Fuels Move of the Race award—and Mathieu Kingsbury, who led 37 laps and finished fifth. Defending champion Marc-Antoine Camirand, Andrew Ranger, and the Dumoulin brothers all faced challenging outings. Alex Labbé fought to a respectable 6th, while local favourite Maxime Gauvreau was sidelined early.
As the series hits the halfway mark, the championship fight is heating up. Kennington leads with 239 points, Camirand sits close behind at 236, and Lacroix holds 226. The next stop—Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières on August 10—promises more action as the battle tightens.
At Critical Path Security, we’re proud to stand behind Ryan and the Léargas Security team as they continue to fight forward. If there’s one takeaway from Chaudière, it’s clear: speed isn’t the question. Now it’s about converting that pace into the results we know this team can deliver.