Raphaël Lessard

Raphaël Lessard (pronounced "less-ar"; born July 5, 2001) is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for GMS Racing. He has also driven for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series, and Kyle Busch Motorsports and DGR-Crosley in the Truck Series.

Racing career
Lessard started racing in an old Honda Civic, winning his first race on the day of his twelfth birthday. He then ran Quebec sportsmans and super late models in Canada before moving to America.

His first American racing experience came in the CARS Super Late Model Tour, driving the 2015 season for Toyota Racing Development and David Gilliland Racing. In 2016, at age 15, and in grade 10, he became the second non-American to win the CARS Super Late Model series championship, the other being Mario Gosselin, also a Canadian from Quebec, who accomplished the feat in 1997. It was Lessard's first championship. He won four of ten races during the season, including the season finale at Southern National Motorsports Park. Lessard continued with Toyota and David Gilliland Racing to run late model racing in large events like the Winchester 400, Snowball Derby and various PASS Late Model, CRA Racing Series and ARCA Racing Series events. He was disqualified from an April 2017 PASS race for intentionally wrecking other drivers, illegally passing under yellow, and inappropriate actions by his crew.

He debuted in the ARCA Racing Series in 2017 driving for Venturini Motorsports. He made the top ten in his second start at Winchester Speedway.

On February 15, 2019, it was announced that Lessard will drive three races in the No. 46 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series. Lessard started 7th and finished 14th in his Truck Series debut at Martinsville. In June, he joined DGR-Crosley's No. 17 truck for the Iowa Speedway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park races.

In 2020, Lessard joined KBM for the full Truck season in the No. 4 Tundra. Despite missing the playoffs, he won his first career Truck race at Talladega Superspeedway when he was leading as the caution came out on the final lap, becoming the first French Canadian to win in a NASCAR national series.

Lessard lost his KBM ride to John Hunter Nemechek in 2021 and subsequently moved to GMS Racing on a 12-race schedule.

Personal life
Lessard's father was a race car driver but sold his cars to help move Raphaël's racing career.

NASCAR
(key) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )

ARCA Menards Series
(key) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )

$$ Season still in progress $1$ Ineligible for series points