NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — A week-long trip to New Smyrna Speedway comes as a full-circle moment for Quebec, Canada native Raphael Lessard.
It was in 2016 during the World Series of Asphalt when Lessard made a solid first impression amongst the U.S. motorsports community. Driving a car prepared by David Gilliland, a solid debut outing for Lessard ended with a fourth-place finish in the Pro Late Model standings, which included a victory in the penultimate event.
That triumph in the Pro Late Model was Lessard’s first on U.S. soil at 14 years old. Now wiser with more experience to his name, Lessard has spent the first few days in New Smyrna diagnosing issues with his Pro Late Model but remains optimistic he can recapture the same consistency from 2016 before the week concludes.
“We wanted to enjoy a week of racing, that’s why we’re here,” Lessard said. “[We’ve been] having some trouble with the engine. It just won’t go. The car is really good in the corners, but there’s something we haven’t figured out.”
RELATED: Follow the World Series of Asphalt
Lessard had plenty of knowledge to rely on for resolving his mechanical problems, some of which stems from his brief stint in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with organizations like Gilliland’s and Kyle Busch Motorsports.
The efficiency Lessard displayed on U.S. short tracks, including accomplishments such as a Super Late Model title the same year of his breakthrough World Series of Asphalt win, kept him on the radar of major teams during the late 2010s. By the end of the decade, Lessard found his way into the Truck Series on a part-time basis.
Lessard’s first full-time Truck Series campaign with Busch was anything but normal. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic meant Lessard could not utilize practice or qualifying to acclimate himself to tracks larger than a half mile, requiring him to lean more on the simulator and his team for guidance.
Despite dealing with some initial struggles, Lessard adjusted to the circumstances around him and began to find his comfort zone. All four of Lessard’s top fives came during the second half of the Truck Series season, including his lone victory at Talladega Superspeedway after he passed Stewart Friesen on the last lap.
Although he planned to run another full Truck Series season in 2021 with GMS Racing, financial issues caused him to vacate the ride after seven starts. While he wishes his time in NASCAR would have endured, Lessard is grateful for everything he learned during that timeframe, particularly in a year dominated by COVID-19 restrictions.
“I learned to adapt,” Lessard said. “It was a new race track every week with no practice. You’re working full-time to develop your skills and craft at racing. There’s a lot of aero stuff at [an intermediate] you don’t have on a short track, but that was really fun to learn.
“In the end, it was too much money for us, but I lived that dream for a year and a half.”
Lessard moved back to his home country of Canada after departing GMS Racing, where he maintains an active presence in the motorsports community.
The start of the 2021 NASCAR Canada Series saw Lessard take home checkered flags in the first two races at Sunset Speedway. Lessard still makes infrequent appearances in the Canada Series, but his focus the past two years has been with Serie ACT Quebec, where he has piloted the No. 48 for LaRue Performance.
Lessard wasted no time showcasing the talent that helped him reach NASCAR’s top levels just a few years earlier. He earned the Serie ACT Quebec championship during his rookie year in 2023 before following it up with an even more dominant run that saw him tally six victories and build a 109-point advantage over Jeff Cote in the final standings.
Cote has known Lessard since his childhood, as they both attended the same school and played ice hockey together. The two also bonded over their family’s passion for motorsports, as Lessard and Cote’s fathers, Francois and Tony respectively, raced against each other during their careers.
Competing against Lessard on a regular basis in Serie ACT Quebec provided Cote a reminder on how accomplished his friend is behind the wheel. There are many qualities about Lessard that Cote believes have contributed to his success in both the U.S. and Canada, the most notable being his versatility.
“It’s his capacity to adjust his driving style to the car he has,” Cote said. “It’s quite impressive with the way he explains what the car is doing. He’s a good driver for many reasons and when you’re at a track practicing with Kyle Busch, it makes you a better driver. He’s a well-rounded race car driver at his age.”
While Cote wants to best Lessard on the track, he also cherishes being able to share ideas and assist him in any capacity. The camaraderie between the two is one reason why Cote accompanied Lessard to New Smyrna for the World Series of Asphalt.
Cote, Lessard and the rest of the crew have been diligently working to rectify the mechanical issue that has plagued Lessard’s No. 48 since they unloaded at New Smyrna. Lessard never cracked the top 20 during practice on opening night Friday evening and placed 24th of 26 cars during the 59-lap Pro Late Model feature.
Sunday’s feature saw Lessard’s struggles continue with a 17th place finish. He did not run the Pro Late Model event Saturday.
The setback is not deterring Lessard, who is exploring every viable option with his team to get the car where it needs to be. Lessard’s goal heading into the World Series of Asphalt was to have fun, all while gathering information that can be utilized ahead of a busy racing season.
“In a week [at New Smyrna], you learn as much as you would in a full racing season,” Lessard said. “We just want to learn more about these Pro Late Models because I think we’re going to run more in the future. They’re a lot of fun, the competition is great and we have some potential to be in the front with these guys.”
Following New Smyrna, the tentative plan for Lessard in 2025 is to venture back into the U.S. again more frequently, primarily in the ACT Late Model Tour that operates in the northeast. He also intends to keep racing in his home country and is currently working on a deal to return to the Canada Series on at least a part-basis.
Cote looks forward to seeing what Lessard accomplishes in both countries and would love to see him start the year with success in the World Series of Asphalt. The mechanical issues have been frustrating on numerous fronts, but Cote said there are still plenty of days left for Lessard to deliver a performance he and the team deserve.
“We want to win, but all these drivers and teams are great,” Cote said. “If we can be in the top five all week, we’ll be good. [Helping Lessard win this week] would be as cool as it was if I were driving the car. At this point, I want everyone to have fun and enjoy our week.
“When the car is right, he’s going to be fast.”
Even if the World Series of Asphalt comes up fruitless for Lessard, he is finding ways to take pleasure in the experience. New Smyrna’s endurance event was where everything began for Lessard a decade ago, which taught him some key fundamentals that are still ingrained into his race craft today.
If his car remains intact, Lessard plans to make a run at a checkered flag during the remaining Pro Late Model events.
“[A win] would be great,” Lessard said. “It’d be like ‘I’m still here’ to the people out here who still know me from when I raced against them in 2015, and 2016 to 2018 in Super and Pro Late Models. I’ve still got the talent to compete.”