A karting driver, then a single-seater driver and Porsche Carrera Cup North America driver, the young Oka driver Thomas Nepveu arrived without any real preparation or experience in the world of NASCAR racing last year. Rookie of the year in NASCAR Canada despite missing an event due to a date conflict with a Porsche Cup race, he decided to compete in the entire season this year.
After four rounds, Thomas was showing promising performances… but also incessant mechanical problems like the inaugural race at Mosport, where a breakdown 8 laps from the end while he was 2nd deprived him of a potential first podium in the series. And it was not much better at Vallée-Jonction then at Terre Neuve where he was each time in the leading group before being the victim of mechanical problems.
In Antigonish last Saturday, Nepveu once again experienced the horrors of a technical retirement but he was also spared from trouble during one of the two races, taking advantage of it to sign his best career result in NASCAR, a 4th place.
Although it was his first races on this oval track, Thomas took advantage of his experience acquired during recent races at Eastbound International Speedway and Autodrome Chaudière to perform on this spectacular circuit, where collisions are frequent, as demonstrated once again in Saturday’s two races.
Driving the No. 24 Richelieu, Home Hardware and Cromwell Ford, Thomas posted a 15.005-second lap in practice, finishing in the middle of the pack. He then improved on his performance in qualifying, placing ninth on the grid ahead of the Pro•Line 150, the first of two races.
As soon as the race began, the Oka native climbed through the pack, notably engaging in a fierce battle with Alex Guénette for a place in the Top 3. When the checkered flag was waved, Thomas crossed the finish line in fourth place, finally collecting a first result worthy of his talent in the Canadian NASCAR series.
Nepveu was therefore eager to tackle the Choko 150, the second race, later in the evening. Unfortunately, a transmission problem forced him to retire early. The assessment is therefore simple for Thomas after 5 races: 4 mechanical problems and a Top 4 when the mechanics did not let him down! “I had a good first race and I am extremely proud of what we achieved. This result was expected for a long time, we finally crossed the threshold of the Top 5. I also had a good pace for the second race, but unfortunately, a mechanical problem occurred. I am looking forward to Ohsweken, it will be fun to come back on this dirt track” commented Thomas without further details.
He is now focused on taking on the challenge of the dirt track at Ohsweken Speedway in Ontario on July 11.
