BANGOR – Ron Waples won the 12th North American Driving Championship at Bangor Raceway on Sunday. It was an all-Canadian victory in this year’s NADC final.

Waples who hails from Toronto, Ontario, drove Nightime French, a 4-year-old mare part of the Dean Mills Stable, a Canadian trainer working at Bangor.

Waples, a member of Canada’s Hall of Fame and the Living Hall of Fame at Goshen, N.Y., is one of the most talented drivers in the history of harness racing. Two years ago, Waples co-owned and drove Ralph Hanover, the last horse to win the Pacing Triple Crown.

Since he began his own stable in 1971, Waples has won more than 6,136 races and has purse earnings of $62,265,618 through 1995. He now drives most of the year at The Meadowlands.

On Sunday, Waples had three preliminary drives and won all three races, which placed him first in total points accumulated for the NADC final, with Marvin Maker second and Walter Case Jr. third.

In the 11th race final, Waples hung off the pace as Walter Case Jr. set early leading fractions of :29.2 to the first quarter. He was being challenged by Donny Richards driving Steve Mahar’s 4-year-old mare, She’s Crown’s Hero, to the 1:00 half. At the three-quarter pole in 1:31, Waples made his move.

Waples took control and left no question to racing spectators that he was going to be the best in this year’s NADC as he was the first one across the finish line in 2:02.1. Donny Richards was second and Ruel Goodblood Jr. was third.

Following the race, Waples said the final went the way it had to go for him to have a chance. He said he needed early speed front-runners to make his horse competitive with the others as they raced out the final quarter. Waples and Gary Mosher, last year’s NADC winner, both said they would return for the 1997 driving championship at Bangor Raceway.