On Dec. 17, 2016, Jason Best, senior vice president, aftermarket, Spectra Premium, and Jean-François Dumoulin, in the presence of more than 700 Spectra Premium employees, took to social media to announce a two-year partnership. The culmination of negotiations that began in September, this partnership will see the No. 04 Spectra Premium/Bernier Crépeau/Groupe Bellemare/MIA/Trois-Rivières Mitsubishi car on track across Canada for a minimum of 10 of the scheduled 2017 NASCAR Pinty’s Series races.

A first meeting in 2014 set the stage for a synergy of goals and values for Best and Dumoulin that led to the realization of a business affiliation in 2015 and a first appearance for the new partners at the most coveted event of the season, the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. During the 2016 season, Spectra Premium partnered with Jean-François to participate in six NASCAR Pinty’s Series events. For the 2017 and 2018 seasons, this formidable partnership will focus on maximizing logistical and mechanical achievements in collaboration with crew chief Robin McCluskey (three road circuits, seven oval circuits).

“We are honored to extend our relationship with Jean-François Dumoulin for the next two NASCAR Pinty’s Series race seasons,” said Best. “While working with Jean-François last season we saw that he rapidly became an excellent ambassador for our company, which we are very pleased will continue in the future. In addition, we are confident that through the development of a Spectra Premium racing radiator, we will proudly showcase our company’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities as well as the differentiation and quality of our products.”

“A major two-year partnership is a first for me and, from the onset of this relationship I wear the Spectra Premium colors with great pride. This agreement, in conjunction with our other partners who have supported us for so many years not only enables us to take part in more events, but it allows us to think differently about our objectives. In 2017, we will be competing in the first three races of the season, at Toronto, in Western and Eastern Canada and of course, at the Grand Prix Trois-Rivières; it will be a great experience for the entire team,” said Dumoulin.

Throughout the 2016 season, Spectra Premium engineers worked closely with Dumoulin Compétition crew members to develop a specially-designed racing radiator. “Working with an advanced team like Spectra Premium is really motivating and rewarding. Improvements to the prototype are still ongoing and we look forward to performance testing on the track in the near future,” added .