Kevin Lepage
Encyclopedia
Kevin Lepage is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #52 car, for Jimmy Means Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Lepage is the only NASCAR driver from Vermont to qualify for the Daytona 500.
, spent the 1980's driving in both the Busch North series and the Vermont
-based American-Canadian Tour series. He drove with occasional success in these series for the better part of 14 years.
debut in 1986 at Oxford Plains Speedway
, starting 41st and finishing 15th in the #09 Buick
. He became a Busch Series regular in 1994, serving as an owner/driver in the #71 Vermont Teddy Bear Company
car. He had a best finish of 9th at New Hampshire International Speedway
, and finished 24th in points. The 1995 season resulted in five Top 10's and finishing 18th in points. At the end of the season, he lost his sponsorship and ran his own car unsponsored until April. Lepage then joined David Ridling and his #88 Ridling Motorports team with sponsorship from Ridling's own Farmer's Choice Fertilizer. He won his first career race at the season finale Jiffy Lube Miami 300. He finished eighth in points with 1 win, 3 Top 5's and 10 Top 10's. He ran most of the 1997 season driving for Ridling before leaving due to the team losing its sponsor. Lepage would finish out the year running for Phoenix Motorsports and ST Motorsports. He finished 12th in points, posting 3 Top 5's and 6 Top 10's. Lepage had his Cup debut by qualifying for the Fall Charlotte race in the #91 LJ Racing car in an impressive 12th. He would also run the Fall Talladega and Atlanta races with a best finish of 17th at Talladega.
of Roush Racing
. Lepage announced his decision to depart LJ Racing in late June 1998 and sat out 6 races to work out the details of the new contract with Roush. He would drive the #16 Primestar
Ford Taurus
in place of Ted Musgrave
, who was released after Lepage's hiring. He earned a pair of top-10 finishes in 13 races for Roush, his best finish being a sixth place at Charlotte
. Despite missing several races, he nearly won the Rookie of the Year
title. Lepage also drove in the Busch series for Doug Taylor's #40 team with sponsorship from Channellock
. Lepage finished 14th in points despite only starting 24 races out of 31. Lepage won his second career race at the August Food City 250
at Bristol and won his first career pole at the June MBNA Platinum 200 at Dover. He finished the year with 1 win, 6 Top 5's and 10 Top 10's.
Lepage returned in 1999 with sponsorship from Primestar which switched to TV Guide
in April after Primestar was sold to General Motors
owned DirectTV. He had two top-tens and won the pole at the season-ending NAPA 500, earning him a 25th-place points finish. Lepage also ran in the Busch Series driving the #99 J&J Racing/Brewco Motorsports
car with sponsorship from Red Man
. He finished 35th in points with 14 starts, 2 Top 5's and 6 Top 10's.
He began 2000 unsponsored, before picking up backing from Familyclick.com. He failed to qualify twice and finished 28th in points with 1 Top 5 and 3 Top 10's. At the end of the year, Familyclick ended its backing and Roush closed the 16 team. That season Lepage restarted his #71 Busch team as Matrix Motorsports with sponsorship from Red Man, Southern Pride Chewing Tobacco and State Fair Corn Dogs. He finished 42nd in points with 10 starts, 1 Top 5 and 2 Top 10's.
In 2001 Lepage returned to the Busch Series to run his own team, Matrix Motorsports, driving the #71 State Fair Corn Dogs Ford. Running 15 races, he had one top-five, four top-tens and a pole at Kansas Speedway
. He also returned to the Cup series, running the #4 Kodak Chevrolet
for Morgan-McClure Motorsports
, replacing Robby Gordon
after five races. Late in the season, he switched to the #7 Ultra Motorsports
Ford, posting a tenth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway
.
, driving their #37 Timber Wolf
Chevy. In 24 starts that year, he had six top-tens and two poles, finishing 25th in points. He also ran three Cup races, two in the #38 Quest Motor Racing Ford, and another for BAM Racing
at Talladega in a car sponsored by Billy Ray Cyrus
. His best finish that year was a 40th at Loudon
.
In 2003, Lepage ran his own team at the Cup level for one race, finishing 32nd at the Coca-Cola 600
. He ran two races that year for CLR Racing, where he had a fourth place start at Michigan
, before returning to Morgan-McClure to finish the year, his best finish a fourteenth at Atlanta
. He teamed with Morgan-McClure again in 2004, but after six races, Lepage departed due to a lack of sponsorship. He then signed with Competitive Edge Motorsports
, posting a best finish of 41st twice, before leaving the team. He ended the season with R&J Racing
, where he had a best finish of 27th at Phoenix International Raceway
. He also ran eleven races in the Busch Series for MacDonald Motorsports
, where he had two top-fifteen finishes.
In 2005, Lepage returned to R&J, and started the season off with a third-place finish in the Gatorade Duels and a ninth-place finish at the Daytona 500
. Unfortunately, the closest Lepage came to another top 10 was a 12th place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway
in the Coca-Cola 600
, and was released from the ride after the Brickyard 400. He signed with Peak Fitness Racing
for the balance of the year, and had a sixth-place qualifying effort at Kansas. He finished the season 39th in points. He also ran six races with MacDonald in the Busch Series as well, posting a ninth-place finish at Lowe's. That year, Lepage made his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series
for Green Light Racing
at Dover
finishing 19th.
Lepage returned to Peak for 2006, but due to a lack of funding, the team was sold to Front Row Motorsports
in April. Lepage ran a couple of races for FRM before leaving for BAM Racing
. He ran 12 races for BAM with a best finish of 21st at Bristol Motor Speedway
before leaving them. Lepage then rejoined Front Row Motorsports making two of the final eight races in their #34 and #61 cars. He ended up 40th in points even with missing 14 races. He also ran a limited schedule in the Busch Series for Mac Hill Motorsports with a best finish of 19th in seven races. Lepage ran two races for Green Light Racing
in the Craftsman Truck Series
with a best finish of 21st at Michigan
. At the end of the year, Lepage sold the remnants of Matrix Motorsports to start a lawn care business called Matrix Lawn and Landscaping.
In 2007, Lepage started the year driving the #34 Front Row Motorsports car in the races where the team could afford to run two cars. Starting in late April, Front Row would mainly run the #37 car with Lepage making most of the attempts. In 27 attempts, Lepage was only able to make two races; at Darlington
and New Hampshire
. He also drove a part-time schedule for a few teams in the Busch Series
including the #52 Means Racing
Ford, as well as some additional races for Randy MacDonald
and D.D.L. Motorsports with a best finish of 28th at Watkins Glen
. Lepage also had two starts for Team Racing
in the Craftsman Truck Series
with a best finish of 35th at Texas
.
Lepage returned to driving full time in the Nationwide Series (formally known as the Busch Series) in 2008
, driving for Specialty Racing
. While racing for Specialty, Lepage made one of most controversial moves in the history of NASCAR when he proceeded to pull off pit road and directly in front of the entire field. Lepage blamed it on the spotter for every other team stating "nobody recognized my car was damaged and vastly underpowered." Lepage was released by Specialty after the July Daytona race and was replaced by Brandon Whitt
. The following race at Chicagoland he failed to qualify a car brought by Front Row Motorsports
. After he failed to qualify Lepage drove the #52 Means Racing
entry for Brad Teague
in order to maintain his position in the driver's points. He then attempted to race at Gateway
in Mike Harmon's #84 Chevrolet
, but failed to qualify. Later in the season, he was hired to drive the #73 for Derrike Cope
, and finished the season 28th in driver's points, despite missing 8 races. Lepage ran one Truck Series race at Homestead for Green Light Racing
finishing 35th.
He began the 2009 season without a fulltime ride, but after running Derrike Cope
's #73 at Bristol
, Lepage joined Jimmy Means
' team at Texas
in April until leaving after the June race at New Hampshire
. He then joined Derrike Cope
's team for the rest of the season at Chicago
primarily driving the #78, but also occasionally driving the #73. Lepage also ran one race for Green Light Racing
at Dover
in the Camping World Truck Series finishing 33rd.
Lepage announced on February 5, 2010, that he would be returning to Mac Hill Motorsports for the 2010 season with sponsorship from Revolucion World Wide/Start Energy Drink. Unfortunately the sponsorship deal fell through after four races and the team was forced to "Start and Park" races in order to keep costs down. Even with this measure, finances forced the team to start skipping races by mid year. The team partnered up with RaceDaySponsor.com in order to give local sponsors an opportunity to be a sponsor each week. This earned the team finances to get to the track, but not enough to run full races. When the Mac Hill team was unable to get to the track, Lepage got to run some races for #52 Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet (made four out of five attempts) and #04 Davis Motorsports Chevrolet Elkhart Lake. Even with the limited finances, Lepage was able to make 25 out of 31 race attempts and ended up 40th in points.
In 2010, Lepage was in a Sprint Cup car for the first time since 2007. Lepage joined back up with Morgan-McClure Motorsports
to run the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol with sponsorship from Alpha Natural Resources
/Joy Mining Machinery
. Lepage was unable to qualify for the race.
On November 20, 2010, Mac Hill Motorsports announced that it was discontinuing its Nationwide Series team, allowing Lepage to seek another ride.
On January 10, 2011, Lepage announced that he would drive for Team Rensi Motorsports
#24 team in the Nationwide Series, bringing sponsorship from RaceDaySponsor.com. This marks the first time since 2008 that Lepage would attempt a full season and full distances in all races. However, Lepage was forced to withdraw from Bristol as his car was involved in a crash in practice and with no back up car was unable to continue through the weekend. After the spring Texas race, and many races of start and park for the team, they closed down until sponsorship is found to run complete races. On April 26, Lepage announced that he would be joining Means Racing
starting at Richmond and would work with the team to procure more sponsorship for the rest of the season. He has a best finish so far of 21st, at Darlington in the Means car, and looks to continue the partnership with the team as the season progresses.
Early career
Lepage, one of the few NASCAR drivers from New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, spent the 1980's driving in both the Busch North series and the Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
-based American-Canadian Tour series. He drove with occasional success in these series for the better part of 14 years.
Early Busch Series Career
Lepage made his Busch SeriesBusch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
debut in 1986 at Oxford Plains Speedway
Oxford Plains Speedway
Oxford Plains Speedway is a racetrack in Oxford, Maine, USA. Established in 1950, it has been home to various NASCAR Nationwide Series events, including the True Value Oxford 250, Oxford 250 and True Value 250. With 14,000 seats, the speedway has the largest seating capacity of any sporting venue...
, starting 41st and finishing 15th in the #09 Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
. He became a Busch Series regular in 1994, serving as an owner/driver in the #71 Vermont Teddy Bear Company
Vermont Teddy Bear Company
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is one of the largest producers of teddy bears and the largest seller of teddy bears by mail order and Internet. The company handcrafts each of its teddy bears and produces almost 500,000 teddy bears each year...
car. He had a best finish of 9th at New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
, and finished 24th in points. The 1995 season resulted in five Top 10's and finishing 18th in points. At the end of the season, he lost his sponsorship and ran his own car unsponsored until April. Lepage then joined David Ridling and his #88 Ridling Motorports team with sponsorship from Ridling's own Farmer's Choice Fertilizer. He won his first career race at the season finale Jiffy Lube Miami 300. He finished eighth in points with 1 win, 3 Top 5's and 10 Top 10's. He ran most of the 1997 season driving for Ridling before leaving due to the team losing its sponsor. Lepage would finish out the year running for Phoenix Motorsports and ST Motorsports. He finished 12th in points, posting 3 Top 5's and 6 Top 10's. Lepage had his Cup debut by qualifying for the Fall Charlotte race in the #91 LJ Racing car in an impressive 12th. He would also run the Fall Talladega and Atlanta races with a best finish of 17th at Talladega.
Winston Cup 1998-2002
Lepage made the move to Winston Cup Series in 1998, driving for the now-defunct LJ Racing team. Despite the team's lack of sponsorship, Lepage posted two fourteenth-place finishes, catching the eye of Jack RoushJack Roush
Jack Roush is the founder, CEO, and co-owner along with John Henry of Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises....
of Roush Racing
Roush Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
. Lepage announced his decision to depart LJ Racing in late June 1998 and sat out 6 races to work out the details of the new contract with Roush. He would drive the #16 Primestar
PrimeStar
PrimeStar was a U.S. direct broadcast satellite broadcasting company formed in 1991 by a consortium of cable television system operators. PrimeStar was the first medium-powered DBS system in the United States but slowly declined in popularity with the arrival of DirecTV in 1994 and Dish Network in...
Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
in place of Ted Musgrave
Ted Musgrave
Theodore Musgrave is an American race car driver.-Pre-NASCAR:Musgrave's father, Elmer, was a famous short-track racer in the Midwest who raced for over 25 years at Soldier Field, O'Hare, Waukegan, and Wilmot, Wisconsin before moving into asphalt late models in the American Speed Association and...
, who was released after Lepage's hiring. He earned a pair of top-10 finishes in 13 races for Roush, his best finish being a sixth place at Charlotte
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
. Despite missing several races, he nearly won the Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Rookie of the Year
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year....
title. Lepage also drove in the Busch series for Doug Taylor's #40 team with sponsorship from Channellock
Channellock
Channellock is an American company that produces hand tools. It is best known for its pliers—the company manufactures more than 120 types of pliers—particularly its eponymous style of tongue-and-groove, slip-joint pliers...
. Lepage finished 14th in points despite only starting 24 races out of 31. Lepage won his second career race at the August Food City 250
Food City 250
The Food City 250 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series stock car race that takes place each August under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It is held the night before the Sprint Cup Series Sharpie 500...
at Bristol and won his first career pole at the June MBNA Platinum 200 at Dover. He finished the year with 1 win, 6 Top 5's and 10 Top 10's.
Lepage returned in 1999 with sponsorship from Primestar which switched to TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
in April after Primestar was sold to General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
owned DirectTV. He had two top-tens and won the pole at the season-ending NAPA 500, earning him a 25th-place points finish. Lepage also ran in the Busch Series driving the #99 J&J Racing/Brewco Motorsports
Brewco Motorsports
Baker Curb Racing, formerly known as Brewco Motorsports, is a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, it is owned by Gary Baker, former owner of Bristol Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, and record executive Mike Curb...
car with sponsorship from Red Man
Red Man
Red Man is a leading brand of chewing tobacco in the United States, produced since 1904. Red Man has traditionally come as leaf tobacco, in contrast to twist chewing tobacco or the ground tobacco used in snuff, and became a leader in that form of oral/dental/mouth tobacco. It is made by the...
. He finished 35th in points with 14 starts, 2 Top 5's and 6 Top 10's.
He began 2000 unsponsored, before picking up backing from Familyclick.com. He failed to qualify twice and finished 28th in points with 1 Top 5 and 3 Top 10's. At the end of the year, Familyclick ended its backing and Roush closed the 16 team. That season Lepage restarted his #71 Busch team as Matrix Motorsports with sponsorship from Red Man, Southern Pride Chewing Tobacco and State Fair Corn Dogs. He finished 42nd in points with 10 starts, 1 Top 5 and 2 Top 10's.
In 2001 Lepage returned to the Busch Series to run his own team, Matrix Motorsports, driving the #71 State Fair Corn Dogs Ford. Running 15 races, he had one top-five, four top-tens and a pole at Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
. He also returned to the Cup series, running the #4 Kodak Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
for Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Morgan-McClure Motorsports is an American auto racing team that competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full time until 2007 and now occasionally attempts races. It has been in operation for 27 years, starting in 1982. The team is most notable for running the #4 from 1983 to 2009.-Starting...
, replacing Robby Gordon
Robby Gordon
Robert W. "Robby" Gordon is an American racecar driver who currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as an owner-driver, driving the No. 7 Speed Energy Dodge Charger for Robby Gordon Motorsports, and also competes part-time in the Nationwide Series...
after five races. Late in the season, he switched to the #7 Ultra Motorsports
Ultra Motorsports
Ultra Motorsports was a NASCAR Winston Cup & Craftsman Truck Series racing team. Jim Smith helped start the team and the Craftsman Truck Series. It ran full time in the Craftsman Truck Series from 1994 to 2005, earning many wins and a 2005 championship with Ted Musgrave...
Ford, posting a tenth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
.
Recent years 2002-present
Early in 2002, Lepage's team went inactive due to a lack of sponsorship, even though he had an 8th at Daytona and a 4th at Las Vegas. He soon joined Brewco MotorsportsBrewco Motorsports
Baker Curb Racing, formerly known as Brewco Motorsports, is a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, it is owned by Gary Baker, former owner of Bristol Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, and record executive Mike Curb...
, driving their #37 Timber Wolf
Timber Wolf
Timber Wolf, Timberwolf, Timber Wolves or Timberwolves might refer to:-Animals:* Any subspecies of Canis lupus, the Gray wolf, which inhabits forested areas...
Chevy. In 24 starts that year, he had six top-tens and two poles, finishing 25th in points. He also ran three Cup races, two in the #38 Quest Motor Racing Ford, and another for BAM Racing
BAM Racing
BAM Racing is a NASCAR racing team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, owned by Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau. The team began in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2000, moving to NASCAR in 2001 to 2008 before sitting out 2009 due to the economy...
at Talladega in a car sponsored by Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
. His best finish that year was a 40th at Loudon
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
.
In 2003, Lepage ran his own team at the Cup level for one race, finishing 32nd at the Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
. He ran two races that year for CLR Racing, where he had a fourth place start at Michigan
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
, before returning to Morgan-McClure to finish the year, his best finish a fourteenth at Atlanta
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
. He teamed with Morgan-McClure again in 2004, but after six races, Lepage departed due to a lack of sponsorship. He then signed with Competitive Edge Motorsports
Competitive Edge Motorsports
Competitive Edge Motorsports is a former NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team. It fielded the #51 Marathon Oil Chevrolet. Its principal owner was former NFL player Joe Auer....
, posting a best finish of 41st twice, before leaving the team. He ended the season with R&J Racing
R&J Racing
John Carter Racing was a NASCAR Sprint Cup team. The team currently fields the 08 U.S. Chrome/SoBe Ford Fusion/Toyota Camry for Terry Labonte. It is owned by John Carter...
, where he had a best finish of 27th at Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
. He also ran eleven races in the Busch Series for MacDonald Motorsports
MacDonald Motorsports
MacDonald Motorsports is a NASCAR team owned by former driver Randy MacDonald and his wife Pat. They field the #81 Eagle Convenience Stores/Heartland Harley Davidson Dodge Challenger for Donnie Neuenberger, Scott Wimmer and rookie Blake Koch in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
, where he had two top-fifteen finishes.
In 2005, Lepage returned to R&J, and started the season off with a third-place finish in the Gatorade Duels and a ninth-place finish at the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
. Unfortunately, the closest Lepage came to another top 10 was a 12th place finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
in the Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
, and was released from the ride after the Brickyard 400. He signed with Peak Fitness Racing
Peak Fitness Racing
Peak Fitness Racing was a former NASCAR team. It was owned by Hermie Sadler from 2001-2004, and Jeff Stec from 2005-2006, before it was sold.The team was formed in 2001 by Hermie Sadler as SCORE Motorsports. Sadler fielded the #13 Ford Taurus sponsored by the Virginia Lottery for three races that...
for the balance of the year, and had a sixth-place qualifying effort at Kansas. He finished the season 39th in points. He also ran six races with MacDonald in the Busch Series as well, posting a ninth-place finish at Lowe's. That year, Lepage made his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
for Green Light Racing
Green Light Racing
SS-Green Light Racing is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. Owned and operated by businessmen Ken Smith and Steve Urvan and former driver Bobby Dotter, the team fields the #07 Toyota Tundra for several drivers and the #81 Zachry Industrial, Inc. Toyota for David Starr...
at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
finishing 19th.
Lepage returned to Peak for 2006, but due to a lack of funding, the team was sold to Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is a team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partnership with Jimmy Means and restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, with Jenkins becoming the full team owner in 2005...
in April. Lepage ran a couple of races for FRM before leaving for BAM Racing
BAM Racing
BAM Racing is a NASCAR racing team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, owned by Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau. The team began in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2000, moving to NASCAR in 2001 to 2008 before sitting out 2009 due to the economy...
. He ran 12 races for BAM with a best finish of 21st at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
before leaving them. Lepage then rejoined Front Row Motorsports making two of the final eight races in their #34 and #61 cars. He ended up 40th in points even with missing 14 races. He also ran a limited schedule in the Busch Series for Mac Hill Motorsports with a best finish of 19th in seven races. Lepage ran two races for Green Light Racing
Green Light Racing
SS-Green Light Racing is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. Owned and operated by businessmen Ken Smith and Steve Urvan and former driver Bobby Dotter, the team fields the #07 Toyota Tundra for several drivers and the #81 Zachry Industrial, Inc. Toyota for David Starr...
in the Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
with a best finish of 21st at Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. At the end of the year, Lepage sold the remnants of Matrix Motorsports to start a lawn care business called Matrix Lawn and Landscaping.
In 2007, Lepage started the year driving the #34 Front Row Motorsports car in the races where the team could afford to run two cars. Starting in late April, Front Row would mainly run the #37 car with Lepage making most of the attempts. In 27 attempts, Lepage was only able to make two races; at Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
and New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. He also drove a part-time schedule for a few teams in the Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
including the #52 Means Racing
Means Racing
Means Racing is a NASCAR Nationwide Series team. It is owned by former driver Jimmy Means. The team primarily runs without sponsorship, and fields the #52 Chevrolet Impala.-Busch/Nationwide Series:...
Ford, as well as some additional races for Randy MacDonald
Randy MacDonald
Randy MacDonald , is a driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, as well as the car owner of the full-time #81 MacDonald Motorsports car in the Nationwide Series. He is a veteran of all three major NASCAR Series...
and D.D.L. Motorsports with a best finish of 28th at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen can refer to:* Watkins Glen, New York, a village in New York state* Watkins Glen International, a race course near the village* Watkins Glen State Park, a state park in Watkins Glen, New York...
. Lepage also had two starts for Team Racing
Team Racing
Team Racing is a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team. It is owned by driver Phil Bonifield. The team has fielded multiple trucks, usually with sponsorship from Red Line Oil and the Coverall Carports.- Truck #23 history :...
in the Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
with a best finish of 35th at Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Lepage returned to driving full time in the Nationwide Series (formally known as the Busch Series) in 2008
2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series
The 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series began on February 16, 2008, at Daytona International Speedway with the Camping World 300, and ended on November 15, 2008, at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 300. This was the first season in which NASCAR's second-tier series was known as the Nationwide...
, driving for Specialty Racing
Specialty Racing
Specialty Racing, LLC is an auto racing team that competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Based in Statesville, North Carolina, it is owned by Doug Taylor and Charles Shoffner. In 2011, Specialty Racing will field the #61 Ford Mustang...
. While racing for Specialty, Lepage made one of most controversial moves in the history of NASCAR when he proceeded to pull off pit road and directly in front of the entire field. Lepage blamed it on the spotter for every other team stating "nobody recognized my car was damaged and vastly underpowered." Lepage was released by Specialty after the July Daytona race and was replaced by Brandon Whitt
Brandon Whitt
Brandon Whitt is a third-generation race car driver. He has run in all three of NASCAR's top divisions...
. The following race at Chicagoland he failed to qualify a car brought by Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is a team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partnership with Jimmy Means and restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, with Jenkins becoming the full team owner in 2005...
. After he failed to qualify Lepage drove the #52 Means Racing
Means Racing
Means Racing is a NASCAR Nationwide Series team. It is owned by former driver Jimmy Means. The team primarily runs without sponsorship, and fields the #52 Chevrolet Impala.-Busch/Nationwide Series:...
entry for Brad Teague
Brad Teague
Brad Teague is a veteran of the NASCAR Busch Series and the Nextel Cup Series. He was born November 9, 1947 in Buladean, North Carolina. He resides in Johnson City, Tennessee.- Nationwide Series :...
in order to maintain his position in the driver's points. He then attempted to race at Gateway
Gateway International Raceway
Gateway Motorsports Park is a race track in Madison, Illinois, USA, just east of St. Louis, Missouri. After being shuttered by former owner Dover Motorsports Inc., on Nov. 3, 2010, it was announced Sept. 8, 2011, that the facility would re-open and host an NHRA Full Throttle Series event Oct. 5-7,...
in Mike Harmon's #84 Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
, but failed to qualify. Later in the season, he was hired to drive the #73 for Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope is a NASCAR driver. He is best known for his win in the 1990 Daytona 500. He currently drives the #28 Chevrolet for Jay Robinson Racing in the Nationwide Series and the #75 Chevrolet/Dodge for his own team in the Sprint Cup Series.-Early years:Cope was born in San Diego, California...
, and finished the season 28th in driver's points, despite missing 8 races. Lepage ran one Truck Series race at Homestead for Green Light Racing
Green Light Racing
SS-Green Light Racing is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. Owned and operated by businessmen Ken Smith and Steve Urvan and former driver Bobby Dotter, the team fields the #07 Toyota Tundra for several drivers and the #81 Zachry Industrial, Inc. Toyota for David Starr...
finishing 35th.
He began the 2009 season without a fulltime ride, but after running Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope is a NASCAR driver. He is best known for his win in the 1990 Daytona 500. He currently drives the #28 Chevrolet for Jay Robinson Racing in the Nationwide Series and the #75 Chevrolet/Dodge for his own team in the Sprint Cup Series.-Early years:Cope was born in San Diego, California...
's #73 at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Lepage joined Jimmy Means
Jimmy Means
James "Jimmy" Means is a former Winston Cup/Nextel Cup owner/driver. Currently, he is an adviser for Front Row Motorsports and owns his own team, Means Racing. He competed in NASCAR for eighteen years in mostly his own equipment, posting seventeen career top-tens...
' team at Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in April until leaving after the June race at New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. He then joined Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope is a NASCAR driver. He is best known for his win in the 1990 Daytona 500. He currently drives the #28 Chevrolet for Jay Robinson Racing in the Nationwide Series and the #75 Chevrolet/Dodge for his own team in the Sprint Cup Series.-Early years:Cope was born in San Diego, California...
's team for the rest of the season at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
primarily driving the #78, but also occasionally driving the #73. Lepage also ran one race for Green Light Racing
Green Light Racing
SS-Green Light Racing is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. Owned and operated by businessmen Ken Smith and Steve Urvan and former driver Bobby Dotter, the team fields the #07 Toyota Tundra for several drivers and the #81 Zachry Industrial, Inc. Toyota for David Starr...
at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
in the Camping World Truck Series finishing 33rd.
Lepage announced on February 5, 2010, that he would be returning to Mac Hill Motorsports for the 2010 season with sponsorship from Revolucion World Wide/Start Energy Drink. Unfortunately the sponsorship deal fell through after four races and the team was forced to "Start and Park" races in order to keep costs down. Even with this measure, finances forced the team to start skipping races by mid year. The team partnered up with RaceDaySponsor.com in order to give local sponsors an opportunity to be a sponsor each week. This earned the team finances to get to the track, but not enough to run full races. When the Mac Hill team was unable to get to the track, Lepage got to run some races for #52 Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet (made four out of five attempts) and #04 Davis Motorsports Chevrolet Elkhart Lake. Even with the limited finances, Lepage was able to make 25 out of 31 race attempts and ended up 40th in points.
In 2010, Lepage was in a Sprint Cup car for the first time since 2007. Lepage joined back up with Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Morgan-McClure Motorsports is an American auto racing team that competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full time until 2007 and now occasionally attempts races. It has been in operation for 27 years, starting in 1982. The team is most notable for running the #4 from 1983 to 2009.-Starting...
to run the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol with sponsorship from Alpha Natural Resources
Alpha Natural Resources
Alpha Natural Resources is a large American producer of metallurgical and thermal coal. It also provides services relating to equipment repairs, road construction and logistics . It doesn't produce all of the coal it sells, some is purchased and resold. Alpha operates in Virginia, West Virginia,...
/Joy Mining Machinery
Joy Mining Machinery
Joy Mining Machinery is a manufacturer of surface and underground mining machinery based in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, United States. They are an operating subsidiary of Joy Global Inc.-Parent Company Overview:...
. Lepage was unable to qualify for the race.
On November 20, 2010, Mac Hill Motorsports announced that it was discontinuing its Nationwide Series team, allowing Lepage to seek another ride.
On January 10, 2011, Lepage announced that he would drive for Team Rensi Motorsports
Team Rensi Motorsports
Team Rensi Motorsports is a NASCAR Nationwide Series team owned by Ed Rensi, Gary Weisbaum, and formerly Sam Rensi. The team has also competed in the Winston Cup Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and ARCA racing series...
#24 team in the Nationwide Series, bringing sponsorship from RaceDaySponsor.com. This marks the first time since 2008 that Lepage would attempt a full season and full distances in all races. However, Lepage was forced to withdraw from Bristol as his car was involved in a crash in practice and with no back up car was unable to continue through the weekend. After the spring Texas race, and many races of start and park for the team, they closed down until sponsorship is found to run complete races. On April 26, Lepage announced that he would be joining Means Racing
Means Racing
Means Racing is a NASCAR Nationwide Series team. It is owned by former driver Jimmy Means. The team primarily runs without sponsorship, and fields the #52 Chevrolet Impala.-Busch/Nationwide Series:...
starting at Richmond and would work with the team to procure more sponsorship for the rest of the season. He has a best finish so far of 21st, at Darlington in the Means car, and looks to continue the partnership with the team as the season progresses.