TROIS-RIVIERES, Quebec — Two weeks after presenting their final doubleheader of the season at Edmonton International Raceway, NASCAR Canada Series drivers return to a street circuit this weekend (Aug. 7-9) for the renowned Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.
The entire event will be televised live on SPEED SPORT 1.
Trois-Rivières is also the home race for three-time series champion Louis-Philippe Dumoulin. Driving the No. 47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare | Omnifab car, Dumoulin will be looking to claim his third NASCAR Canada victory at the event, following his wins in 2014 and 2019, in what is expected to be a particularly large and competitive field, with more than 30 drivers anticipated to take to the track.
Dumoulin returned from Edmonton with two top-five finishes, allowing him to retain third place in the championship standings after nine of the 14 races.
“Edmonton was satisfying in terms of the results, but it was still a little disappointing that we couldn’t give the fans a full race in the second event because of the thunderstorms,” Dumoulin said. “I had a few battles with DJ Kennington, an experienced driver whom I have a great deal of respect for, and it was enjoyable to come away with those two top-five finishes.”
The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières is one of the highlights of the season for Dumoulin.
“It’s really a special moment, a very intense weekend and even an entire week every year. For us, this race begins well before the transporter parade on Thursday in downtown Trois-Rivières, which gives us our first opportunity to meet the fans in the Old Port,” he explained. “The entire team behind the No. 47 WeatherTech Canada | Groupe Bellemare | Omnifab car is going there to win. My goal is to score a third NASCAR Canada victory at this event.”
The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières schedule includes a new feature for the NASCAR Canada Series: two qualifying sprint races late Saturday afternoon.
“It’s a new way of doing things, and I’m curious to see how it will turn out. Saturday’s races will be important because they will qualify us for a main event that will be 25 perecent shorter than in previous years on Sunday,” Dumoulin continued. “These two races therefore represent a lot of pressure for the teams and drivers, especially with the Markham event taking place less than a week after the GP3R. We can’t afford to make a mistake or damage any equipment.”
Watch coverage of GP3R beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Friday on SPEED SPORT 1. Sunday’s NASCAR Canada finale will be shown live at 2:15 p.m. ET on SS1.
