FCA Canada: Sixteen-Year-Old Rookie Dodge Driver Cayden Lapcevich Wins NASCAR Pinty's Series Title

  • Canadian Cayden Lapcevich is now youngest champion ever in any NASCAR national or touring series
  • Andrew Ranger, the official driver of the #27 Team Mopar car, finished 2016 season strong, second in points
  • FCA has been an integral part of the NASCAR series in Canada since their inception in 2007 and traces its support back to the former CASCAR Series
  • The majority of full-time 2016 NASCAR Pinty's Series competitors used Dodge Challenger bodies for their racing machines; more than half of the 12 races this season were won by a Dodge driver
  • Dodge is the official car of the NASCAR Pinty's Series; Dodge and Ram brands again provided series’ support vehicles
  • Dodge/Mopar Quick Three and Dodge/Mopar-powered Quick Three contingences awarded after every race
September 20, 2016 , Windsor, Ontario -  Rookie Dodge driver Cayden Lapcevich, age 16, has become the youngest person ever to win a NASCAR national or touring series, claiming the Driver’s Title in Canada’s NASCAR Pinty's Series this past weekend.
 
The Grimsby, Ontario, teenager won the series title after taking the green flag at Sunday’s Kawartha 250 at Kawartha Speedway in Fraserville, Ontario. Lapcevich, who initially planned to compete only part-time this season, finished the year with three wins and was the only driver to finish in the Top 10 in all 12 events. He claims the title of youngest champion in NASCAR from former Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano.
 
As with the majority of the full-time 2016 NASCAR Pinty's Series competitors, Lapcevich crossed the finish line at Kawartha Speedway at the wheel of a Dodge Challenger-bodied racing car. More than half of the races this season were won by a Dodge driver, with over half of the Top 20 final points positions held by Dodge drivers.

Andrew Ranger, the fan-favourite driver for Team Mopar, closed out the 2016 season strong, second in the overall Pinty's Series points after finishing in 14th place at Kawartha. The Roxton Pond, Quebec, native drove the #27 Mopar Parts Dodge to two wins and nine Top 10 finishes this season. Ranger has won the series championship twice previously.
 
“We want to congratulate both Cayden and Andrew on very successful seasons,” said Jim Kiritsis, Senior Manager, National Service and Parts for Mopar Canada. “Cayden has a bright future ahead and Andrew continues to drive home very strong results as our official #27 Mopar wheelman. FCA Canada’s support of the NASCAR Pinty's Series, through its Mopar, Dodge and Ram brands, continues to be a perfect conduit for us to connect with Canada’s dedicated motorsport fans.”
 
FCA has been an integral part of the NASCAR series in Canada since their inception in 2007 and even traces its support back to the former CASCAR Series. Dodge was again at the forefront this season as the official car of the series and again provided the official pace car – a 2016 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat – alongside a Dodge Grand Caravan for track-side promotional efforts. The Ram Truck brand supplied a Ram 1500 and 3500 as safety vehicles.
 
As in the past nine seasons, contingency funds were offered for the Dodge/Mopar Quick Three and Dodge/Mopar-powered Quick Three. Awarded after each race, they recognize the fastest drivers in Dodge-bodied cars and those using a proven, race-winning Mopar 5.9-litre V-8 under hood. At the Pinty’s 250 at Kawartha Speedway, Lapcevich received the Dodge award and Ranger the Mopar-powered award.
 
About the NASCAR Pinty’s Series
The NASCAR Pinty’s Series is the premier motorsports league in Canada, where capacity crowds enjoying hotly-contested racing fuel Canada’s tremendous support for the NASCAR brand. With events held at a variety of road courses and oval tracks across the country, it is truly Canada’s national series.
 
About Mopar Brand
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product, but it truly made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era. From Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, the brand soon expanded to include technical service and customer support.
 
Today, Mopar is FCA’s service, parts and customer-care brand and distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centres and 27 customer-contact hubs globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for FCA brands.
Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles. This offers a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.
 
FCA Canada
Founded as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, FCA Canada Inc. is based in Windsor, Ontario, and celebrates its 97th anniversary in 2022. FCA Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of FCA, a North American automaker based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA Canada has approximately 440 dealers that sell Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram, FIAT and Alfa Romeo products, as well as SRT performance products. The company also distributes Mopar and Alfa Romeo parts and accessories. In addition to its assembly facilities, which produce the Chrysler Pacifica, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Chrysler Voyager and Chrysler Grand Caravan (Windsor) and Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger (Brampton), FCA Canada operates an aluminum casting plant in Etobicoke, a research and development centre in Windsor, and has sales offices and parts distribution centers throughout the country.  
 

Contact Information

LouAnn Gosselin
Office: (519) 973-2253
Cell: (519) 984-2600
Bradley Horn
Office: (905) 821-6156
Cell: (416) 702-6022
Download Video Embed