Raphael Lessard Teaming Up With BMR for K&N Debut at Bristol

Fresh off his first career Gander Outdoors Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway for Kyle Busch Motorsports, Raphael Lessard will be making a foray into the K&N Pro Series East at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The St.-Joseph de Beauce, Quebec, native will drive for K&N Pro Series West team Bill McAnally Racing in the Zombie Auto 150 on Saturday, April 6. Having raced at Bristol twice in a super late model and winning one event, he‘s excited for the opportunity.

“I really enjoyed the Pensacola ARCA race in the powerful and heavy car, and I do not expect any problems adapting to Bristol with a K&N car that is very similar to the ARCA in weight and power,”  Lessard said in a release. “I really feel comfortable and love to drive on this high banked half-mile. The track always tilts inwards and helps you to stay on track. Diving deep into Turns 1 and 3 takes your breath away.”

Lessard finished eight at Pensacola earlier this season in the ARCA Menard’s Series. The 2016 CARS Super Late Model champion competed in 16 super late model events for KBM last season, winning two races, earning seven top fives and 13 top 10s. He won the U.S. Short Track Nationals at The World‘s Fastest Half-Mile and led 60 laps at the Snowball Derby before being sidelined with a mechanical issue.

Racing-Reference: Raphael Lessard Career Statistics

“This race will be special for me in terms of experience and fun,” Lessard said. “A highlight of my season I am sure. I will attack until the end of the 150 laps, always aiming for victory with the team and our partners.

Team owner Bill McAnally had nothing but praise for the young driver under the Toyota umbrella.

“We are excited that Raphael Lessard will be racing a BMR Toyota Camry at Bristol,” he said in the release. “He‘s a talented young driver and we look forward to playing a role in his development.”

Last season, Cole Rouse finished 21st for BMR at Bristol. Patrick Staropoli has the best finish in team history at BMS of sixth in 2014.

Despite being a teenager, Lessard is experienced at Bristol and on short tracks specifically. He understands the mental preparation racing at The Last Great Coliseum entails for a driver.

“Driving all out at Bristol means focusing on perfection,” he said. “Because of the higher corner speeds due to the high banking, we stay on the accelerator longer than on other half-mile, using the banking and change of direction to slow the car down in the corners. We can also reaccelerate earlier when exiting the corner, as the banking pushes the car into the track and increases tire grip. You have to stay totally focused at all times.”

After starting seventh and finishing 14th at Martinsville Speedway, Lessard has two more NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series starts scheduled with KBM at Dover International Speedway and Bristol later this year.

“I think it was pretty good,” he said in a release of his Gander Trucks debut. “We qualified seventh — which was amazing for my first time. I was thinking that making the top 24 would be good. I just needed more grip everywhere. I had never seen the place before, didn‘t know what to expect during the race, what the truck was going to do, how the pace was going to slow down and everything once the track got rubber on it. I was fighting for grip the whole race, but I‘m happy. I would‘ve liked to finish inside the top 10, but this was good for my first race. Now it‘s in the books and I‘m going to focus on the next one with my Spectra Premium race team at Kyle Busch Motorsports.”