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By Jeff Brown, for Granite State Pro Stock Series
Photo: Jeff Brown
WALPOLE, N.H. – With only two weeks left to settle the Granite State Pro Stock Series championship, the series heads north of the border for one of the most anticipated races of the season.
The GSPSS makes its debut Saturday at Autodrome Chaudière for the inaugural Centre Lavertu Honda 150, the penultimate race in the 2025 championship chase.
Situated in Quebec’s Beauce region, a gateway between the state of Maine and Quebec City to the north, Chaudière was opened in 1992 as a dirt oval. The high-banked quarter-mile was resurfaced in 2005 as a paved track, becoming a haven for Late Model Sportsman racing and even visits from the NASCAR Canada Series beginning in the 2010s. Chaudière’s name roughly translates to “boiler,” hinting at the high-pressure, hot-tempered short track showdowns inspired by the tight oval.
While Late Model racing remains popular in Quebec, Chaudière has hosted plenty of Pro Stock events in the past, celebrating winners like Kyle Busch, Ross Kenseth, and 2023 GSPSS titlist Travis Benjamin.
Saturday’s race, though, is the first Pro Stock/Super Late Model event for a U.S.-based series since 2015, offering something of a clean slate for those making the trip north.
Points leader Cole Robie brings a healthy advantage in the standings and experience from his Monadnock Speedway victory to his first competition in Canada. The Windham, Maine, teen has a 42-point lead courtesy of fine fortune last week at Lee USA Speedway, and could mathematically clinch the championship with a good performance up north.
Evan Beaulieu is a distant second in the standings, but the Durham, Maine, native rallied from disaster at Lee in July to post his second win of the year in the next race. After a 19th-place run at Lee, perhaps Beaulieu can pull together a commanding performance in his own Canadian debut.
Two-time GSPSS feature winner Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. has visited Chaudière’s winner’s circle before, and wants to pick up his first series win since 2022. Both of Renfrew’s series wins came at similar quarter-mile ovals. Massachusetts veteran Eddie MacDonald has Quebec starts at Autodrome Montmagny and the dormant Sanair Super Speedway, but this weekend marks the first Chaudiere visit for “The Outlaw.”
Wiscasset Speedway racer Matt Beers made his GSPSS debut two weeks ago at Speedway 95, and plans to travel north for his second series race this weekend. Nick Cusack, the 2022 GSPSS championship runner-up, returns for his second race of the season as well, following a fifth-place run in July at Lee.
Jackman, Maine, racers Andy and Marco Gilbert may be the closest American racers to file entries for this weekend. Marco has ample racing experience in Quebec, competing on dirt and pavement. Andy won his first Pro Stock race at Wiscasset Speedway this month. Both will be making their first GSPSS attempts this weekend.
While any of the series’ regulars would make history as the first GSPSS driver to win in Canada, a handful of drivers are poised to make history twice, becoming the first Canadian to win in the GSPSS ranks since the series’ inception in 2011.
Leading the charge is Patrick Laperle, the veteran from St. Denis, Que., outside Montréal. “Le Grand Laperle” is a multi-time champion in his home province and a 13-time winner at Chaudière, including the 2019 Bacon Bowl 200 and a Late Model feature earlier this year. Laperle has a pair of Super Late Model wins at Chaudière, making him the odds-on favorite to excel on home turf.
Chaudière is not quite home turf for Alex Labbé, but the St.-Albert, Que. racer has four wins of his own at the track, including one last year. A former Late Model and NASCAR Canada Series champion, Labbé spent years as a NASCAR journeyman and road course ace in the United States. Labbé’s last Super Late Model start came in 2021, driving for that season’s eventual GSPSS champion, Gabe Brown.
Alexendre “Fireball” Tardif, meanwhile, has had this event marked on his calendar all season. The Notre-Dame-des-Pins native grew up racing at Chaudière, graduating to touring racing in the United States while making select starts closer to home. Tardif has spent this season gaining experience in a Pro Late Model for longtime car owner Arold Roy, and a big win in his own backyard would be a big step forward for both driver and team.
William Roberge is another Canadian entrant with years of experience racing in his native Quebec. Roberge has road-tripped to the World Series at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida, and remains a contender in weekly competition at the bullring near his Lévis, Que. home.
Autodrome Chaudière is a true wildcard in the championship race, and with $10,000 on the line for Saturday’s feature winner, the big-picture title battle will take a back seat in this historic GSPSS showdown!
Autodrome Chaudière welcomes the Granite State Pro Stock Series for this weekend’s first-ever visit to “La Belle Province.” The Centre Lavertu Honda 150 caps off an afternoon of Quebec competition including Chaudière’s NASCAR Sport Compact, Vintage and Truck divisions. Grandstands open shortly before 10:00am with a post time of 1:00pm. Adult tickets for the day’s racing (in CAD) are $55; student tickets (12-17) are $30 and children under 11 are admitted free.
For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
