NASCAR Pinty’s series returns to Sunset Speedway

IndyCar racer Alex Tagliani hopes this year’s race is a repeat of last year’s dominating performance.

Tagliani took the lead on lap 108 and never looked back on the way to his second career series win. He also made series history by becoming the first driver the 10 seasons of the series to lap the entire field during a race with the win.

The Lachenaie, Quebec, native scored his lone other series win on the road course in Edmonton in 2008.

Tagliani passed teenager Cayden Lapcevich during a long green-flag stretch on the .333-mile oval that enabled him to drive away from the field for his first career oval track win. The popular racing veteran was making his 27th career start in the NASCAR Canada series.

The competition

Jason Hathaway picked up a pair of wins on ovals last year and ran second to Tagliani at Sunset. And Cayden Lapcevich finished third at his home track as a 16-year-old after leading more than 40 laps.

Rookie Josh Collins will make his first career start in the NPS this Saturday at Sunset and will be joined by fellow Jostens Rookie of the Year contender Kevin Lacroix.

Alex Labbé, Gary Klutt and two-time series’ champion Andrew Ranger will also be in the fight for victory.

Innisfil, Ontario’s Sunset Speedway opened in 1968 as a quarter-mile oval. The track was resurfaced and expanded to .333-miles in 2009.

The Leland Industries 300 presented by Dickies will be the second of 12 events on the NASCAR Pinty’s Series schedule, and the second consecutive season for NASCAR Canada to visit Sunset Speedway.

The race will be held this Saturday, June 18. The race is scheduled to go green at 6:30 pm ET.

From NASCAR