Raphael Lessard Wins ACT Kancamagus 150 at White Mountain in Thrilling Finish

Raphael Lessard won Saturday's Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour Kancamagus 150 in a dramatic fashion, taking the lead on a late-race restart for the victory at White Mountain Motorsports Park.

Lessard lined up to the inside of D.J. Shaw on a restart with four laps to go. The two drivers raced side-by-side for two laps before contact in turn one washed both competitors up the hill.

Shaw was shuffled into the third lane of the race track as a result, falling back in the pack. Meanwhile, Lessard was able to hold off Kasey Beattie and William Larue over the closing laps for the win.

Lessard entered Saturday's race as the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour points leader. He leaves with an even larger points advantage, as well as his first ACT win on American soil. Previously, the St.-Joseph de Beauce, Quebec driver had two series wins, both at Autodrome Montmagny in 2022 and 2024.

"First of all, I want to thank my guys," said Lessard. "They gave me an awesome car again. This is an all-new racetrack for us. To come here the points leader and leave with my first win in U.S. territory with the ACT is amazing."

Shaw led nearly 100 of the race's 150 laps before the decisive restart, first taking the lead on lap 29 and later on lap 59. However, Lessard was biding his time in hopes of a late-race restart, which set the stage for the final four laps.

"I was saving my stuff, because I knew I couldn't pass D.J. on the inside. The end got a little bit crazy, but I tried to hold my line on the bottom. He was pinching me down, which made it harder for me to hold my line."

Kasey Beattie, last year's ACT Rookie of the Year, picked up a runner-up finish on the chaotic restart.

"We had a really good car tonight," said Beattie. "I just picked the bottom on the restart when I should have picked the top. Track position was key at the end. The track was just one-groove and it was impossible to run the bottom."

William Larue finished third, putting a pair of Larue Motorsports entries on the podium.

"It was a fun race," said Larue. "Everyone was really clean. A little bit of door, but at the end, it was a really fun race."

The next stop for the Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour takes the international tour north of the border to Autodrome Chaudiere. The Quebec facility hosts the Claude Leclerc 150 on Saturday, June 21.

-Photo credit: Connor Sullivan

Milton CAT American-Canadian Tour – Kancamagus 150

1 48QC Raphael Lessard St-Joseph, QC
2 45NH Kasey Beattie St. Johnsbury, VT
3 45QC William Larue Quebec City, QC
4 97NH Joey Polewarczyk Hudson, NH
5 47NH Gabe Brown Center Conway, NH
6 18VT Kaiden Fisher Shelburne, VT
7 25NH Jesse Switser W. Burke, VT
8 60BH DJ Shaw Center Conway, NH
9 41QC Jonathan Bouvrette Blainville, QC
10 04VT Justin Prescott Fairfax, VT
11 91QC Patrick Laperle St-Denis, QC
12 00NH Jimmy Renfrew Jr. Candia, NH
13 77AZ Brandon Lambert Alton Bay, NH
14 17NH Kyle Goodbout Lincoln, NH
15 46VT #Taylor Hoar South Hero, VT
16 54VT Colin Cornell East Burke, VT
17 92ME #Colby Meserve Buxton, ME
18 29NH Aaron Fellows Croydon, NH
19 03QC Sebastien Couture Kannapolis, NC
20 33QC Remi Perreault St. Paul, QC
21 36NH Erick Sands Derry, NH
22 22VT Peyton Lanphear Waterbury, VT
23 78NH Quinten Welch Groveton, NH
24 55VT Keegan Lamson Berlin, VT
25 31CT Alexendre Tardif Notre Dame des Pins, QC
26 03MA Derek Gluchacki Dartmouth, MA
27 27NH Cam Huntress Rochester, NH
28 47MA #Justin Storace Seabrooke, NH
29 73MA Cole Littlewood Orange, MA
30 23NH Craig Smith Newport, NH