Six months ago, Louis-Philippe Roy was just getting his feet wet at Rideau Carleton Raceway. Now, the native of Mont-Joli, Que., is atop the drivers’ standings.

With 29 wins at the Ottawa track since Jan. 1, Roy has a one-win lead over Guy Gagnon, from fewer starts, and is second to Gagnon in money won so far with $108,223.

“Did I expect this? Absolutely not. But things kept going better and better. A lot of trainers put their confidence in me, and I enjoy driving on a five-eighths track,” said Roy, 26, in just his second year as a professional driver.

He still works full-time as a financial analyst for telecommunications company Telus, but moved to Montreal from Mont-Joli a month ago, shaving six hours from his commute to Rideau.

Louis-Phillipe, Pierre-Luc & Jean-Marc Roy (Trot Photo)

He’s also now conveniently situated for racing at Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivières, which kicks off its 2016 season on Sunday.

Roy, who started on the fair circuit and this month notched his 150th career victory, managed to climb to seventh in the Hippodrome 3R driver standings by the end of the 2015 season, thanks to supportive trainers like Jean Tourigny and Nathalie Migneault. Some think he’ll contend for the title there in 2016.

“It’d be like the [New York] Islanders winning the Stanley Cup this year. Possible, but still an underdog,” he said. "I’ll probably have to pass on some of the late races on Sunday (matinees) to get to Rideau on time. But I’ll certainly be giving it a shot."

(A Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)