Lanpher Reigns Victorious In Pro Series 125 At Beech Ridge
Column By: AMY HARROP / RPW – SCARBOROUGH, ME – Fans gathered to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on Saturday night, excited to see the Pro Series drivers take the stage for their longest race of the regular NASCAR Nite season. Drivers from all 3 divisions were ready to put on a show for the fans and provide more racing action, as they do week in and week out throughout the Summer months.
Drivers from the Wildcat division took to the track first for their qualifying heats. Joe Morse and Kristina Nadeau led the field to green in the first qualifying heat, followed by Ryan Lund, Ray Letellier and Phil Chapman. Morse managed to maintain the lead coming to the conclusion of the first lap, but there was a mess behind him as all the drivers stacked up, fighting for position. After a dicey 3-wide pass on lap 3 in turn 4, Lewis Anderson found his way to 2nd place — going from sixth to second in just 3 short laps. Lewis Anderson kept his stride through lap 4, making an impressive move around Lund for the top spot. Zach Nicholson was also charging through the field, making his way up to the runner-up position on lap 8 — an impressive drive after starting dead last in the heat. Nicholson was at Anderson’s heels, hungry for the top spot. After getting bent out of shape on the final lap, Nicholson was able to hold onto second place. Lewis Anderson ran away with the heat victory, followed by Zach Nicholson, Phil Chapman, Joe Morse and Ryan Lund. Chaz Briggs was on the front row for the next heat, followed by Travis Burrows, Jeremy Morais and Adam Lovejoy. Last week’s victor Travis Lovejoy started last in the heat. Chaz Briggs led the first lap, but Morais was at his door and Cameron was at his heels. Adam Lovejoy soon joined the front pack, aggressively fighting for the top position. On lap 7, Lovejoy proved strong, clearing Morais for the top spot in turn 4. Meanwhile, his brother Travis Lovejoy, fought his way from last to 4th in just 10 short laps. Adam Lovejoy went on to capture the heat victory, followed by Jeremy Morais, Dave Cameron, Travis Lovejoy and Zachary Bowie, who was out for vengeance after being DQ’d from last weekend’s competition.
Gary Modugno took the top spot for the first Sport Series heat, followed by Matt Dow, Chad Munro, Reggie Leeman and Ryan Phillips. Matt Dow shot to the early lead in the heat, but Modugno was at his door. Chad Munro joined the fight for the top spot, clearing Modugno and Dow on lap 3 for the top position. By lap 5, Matt Dow had fallen back to the fifth position. Gary Modugno went hard into the wall on lap 5 in turn 3, nursing his car back to the pits as the caution flag waved. Chad Munro and Ryan Phillips started on the front row for the restart, with Phillips getting a good jump on the restart. Chad Munro found his inside, but he wasn’t any match for Ryan Phillips. Nick Campbell also proved strong, fighting his way up from the back of the pack to the fourth position by lap 10. Phillips went on to win the heat, followed by Chad Munro, Reggie Leeman, Nick Campbell and Phil Pinkham. Mike St. Pierre and Mark Pennell lead the field to green in the next heat, followed by Frank Wear, Terry Merrill, Sally Gherardi and Charlie Sanborn. Mark Pennell was immediately pushed to the outside by the leaders, falling back through the field. Mike St. Pierre maintained a steady lead, but Sally Gherardi was fighting her way to the front. She broke the top 3 on lap 6 after a pass to the inside of Clyde Hennessey, fighting for more. She later cleared Frank Wear for second on lap 10, keeping her eyes on the top spot. St. Pierre was able to hold off Gherardi for the heat victory. They were followed by Frank Wear, Clyde Hennessey and Terry Merrill.
The Pro Series drivers were up next with their qualifying heats for the upcoming 125 lap race. The first heat would determine the inside row for the main feature, whereas the second heat would determine the outside row. The #75 of Gary Smith started in the top spot of the first heat, followed by Nick Cusack, David Oliver, John Peters and Evan Beaulieu. Gary Smith maintained the lead, but Nick Cusack went around in turn 4 on the initial lap, collecting John Peters in the midst. Both cars were sent to the rear of the field for the restart. David Oliver got a good jump on the restart, but Gary Smith was right there at his door. Smith wrangled his way back to the lead as David Oliver fell back to second with a hungry Evan Beaulieu at his heels. Evan Beaulieu cleared Oliver for the runner-up spot in turn 3 on lap 7, showcasing strength that he’s been struggling to find in his frustrating early weeks of the race season. Gary Smith went on to win the heat, followed by Evan Beaulieu, David Oliver, Dan McKeage and Rusty Poland. Corey Bubar and Reid Lanpher started on the front row for the second qualifying heat, followed by Curt Gerry, Jacob Dore and Brandon Barker. Lanpher immediately shot to the outside of the #12 of Bubar, but Bubar was holding on tight to the top spot. Bubar and Lanpher remained neck & neck, neither car giving up an inch to the other. Curt Gerry joined the battle for the top spot on lap 7, favoring the inside while the #59 of Reid Lanpher was favoring the outside line. Bubar managed to fight off everyone coming into the checkered, but Lanpher and Gerry battled it out until the very end. Lanpher managed to hold Gerry off by a nose, capturing the runner-up position. Following them were Garrett Hall and Jacob Dore.
The Wildcat division took to the track first for their feature. Leading the pack were the #81 of Lewis Anderson and the #21 of Zach Nicholson. Following them were Phil Chapman, Joe Morse and Ryan Lund. Notably missing from the field was the #35 of Kristina Nadeau. Lewis Anderson got a great jump on the restart, but Nicholson wasn’t far behind. Coming into the conclusion of lap 1, a handful of cars got caught up in a wreck that started at the start/finish line and carried over into turns 1 and 2. This wreck collected Chaz Briggs, Travis Lovejoy, Travis Burrows and others. Lovejoy lost his wheel coming into the pits with extensive damage on his racecar — this incident, sadly, ending his night and his fight for a third consecutive win. The #81 of Lewis Anderson once again proved strong on the restart, pulling away from Zach Nicholson for the second time. Nicholson had his hands full, attempting to block the #2 of Adam Lovejoy on the outside. Lovejoy managed to get Nicholson out of shape in turn 2 on lap 2, later capturing the runner-up spot on lap 3. Dave Cameron was making moves, fighting his way up to the top 4 on lap 6 after a pass to the inside of Phil Chapman in turn 4. Adam Lovejoy cleared Lewis Anderson for the top spot on lap 9 in turn 4 after making his way to the inside of the #81 machine. Zachary Bowie was on his revenge tour, finding his way to third place after an inside pass on Lewis Anderson on lap 18. Dave Cameron and Lewis Anderson got tangled on lap 19 in turn 3, drawing out another caution. Lovejoy chose the outside line for the restart, quickly pulling away as the green flag dropped once again. Dave Cameron and Zach Nicholson were fighting for the third spot a little further back, with Cameron nearly turning Nicholson around in turn 2 on lap 20. Nicholson managed to hold onto the spot, but Zachary Bowie was out for blood, passing both Nicholson and Cameron for the runner-up spot. Adam Lovejoy ran away with the victory, followed by Zachary Bowie, Zach Nicholson, Dave Cameron and Lewis Anderson. This was win #2 for Adam Lovejoy on the season — and another emotional one, at that. In Victory Lane, Adam Lovejoy explained to Rob Steele that he and his team over-adjusted the car last week, but he didn’t make that mistake again. “It actually came to me…and it was really fast.” he said of his car. He also took time to thank his family and friends — dedicating his win to fellow competitor Chad Munro and his family, who are dealing with the difficult loss of a loved one in their family.
The Sport Series feature was next, with Ryan Phillips and Chad Munro leading the field to green. Reggie Leeman, Nick Campbell and the #91 of Phil Pinkham followed. Noticeably missing from the feature was Gary Modugno, who faced extensive damage after wrecking his car in the qualifying heat. Ryan Phillips quickly pulled away with the lead, but Chad Munro was threatening to his outside. Sally Gherardi was hungry for the top spot, finding her way up to the fifth position on lap 15. The tight battle for the top spot carried on through lap 20 with neither car giving up any room on the track. Munro finally found his way around Phillips on lap 20, taking the lead by just one car length. A cluster formed at the front of the pack, with Chad Munro, Ryan Phillips, Reggie Leeman, Phil Pinkham and Sally Gherardi all neck & neck with each other, battling it out for position. Sally Gherardi made her way up to second on lap 30 after clearing Reggie Leeman in turn 2. Chad Munro pulled off the feature win, followed by Reggie Leeman, Sally Gherardi, Clyde Hennessey and Ryan Phillips. The battle for second was intense coming into the checkered, with Reggie Leeman inching out Sally Gherardi for the position. Chad Munro was very emotional and struck with disbelief in Victory Lane. He explained how he didn’t think he’d even have the strength to compete this weekend, but he managed to pull it off. “I barely have any words.” he said, holding back tears. He also took the time to thank his family, friends and the Lovejoy family for all of their help, love and support during the difficult times that he and his family are facing.
The Pro Series main event was the final event of the night, with drivers taking to the track for their 125 lap event. All drivers pulled up on the frontstretch and got out of their cars, being met with cheers and waves from people in the crowd as the track announcers introduced each driver by name, starting position and car number. Gary Smith and Corey Bubar started on the front row, followed by Evan Beaulieu, Reid Lanpher and David Oliver. Gary Smith initially pulled to the front, but Reid Lanpher quickly made his way to his back bumper, challenging for the top spot. Garrett Hall was also making moves, breaking the top 5 after passing the #56 of Evan Beaulieu on lap 6 in turn 4. Corey Bubar was challenging both Gary Smith and Reid Lanpher at the front of the field, eventually passing them both for the lead on lap 11. By lap 18, Curt Gerry had made his way to Bubar’s back bumper, eventually capturing the top spot on lap 18 after challenging Bubar on the inside. By lap 30, the #7 of Curt Gerry was displaying pure dominance, leading by nearly half a straightaway and lapping cars by lap 42. The #21 of David Oliver shocked fans as he suddenly dove to the pits on lap 50, seemingly ending his chance of a podium finish. Lap 63 was astonishingly more shocking, with the caution flag coming out as the #7 of Curt Gerry went up in smoke after a truly dominating performance. This completely changed the game for everyone. Minimal drivers elected to pit during the caution, but Dan McKeage (to some surprise) decided that he would be one of those drivers. After the initial restart was waved off, Garrett Hall got a good jump on the second restart. Nick Cusack took another spin on lap 63 in turn 3, drawing out another caution and bringing the field together once again. Hall got yet another good jump on the restart, pulling away from the field. Further back, Mike Rowe was making his way through the field, breaking the top 3 on lap 64 after starting the race from 12th. Lap 72 was met with another caution as Brandon Barker got into the wall in turn 1. Lanpher and Hall once again took the restart from the front of the pack. This time around, Lanpher was at Hall’s door, refusing him another opportunity to break away from the rest of the pack. Lanpher eventually cleared Hall for the lead on lap 77 in turn 1, fighting to keep the top spot. On lap 85, the #40 of Dan McKeage and the #56 of Evan Beaulieu made contact in turn 3, causing Beaulieu to fall back through the field, losing the positions that he had just fought to get back. By lap 90, Garrett Hall had found Reid Lanpher’s bumper once again, hungry for the top spot. Gary Smith went into the dirt in turn 2 on lap 98, drawing out another caution. This set the stage for a 26-lap dash to the finish, with Lanpher electing to take the outside line for the restart. The #94 of Hall and the #59 of Lanpher were neck & neck at the restart, but Lanpher managed to clear him by lap 103 by just one car length. By lap 108, Garrett Hall was at his back bumper once again. A little further back, Mike Rowe and Corey Bubar nearly took each other out in turns 1 and 2 on lap 119, causing the two drivers to fall back to 5th/6th place behind John Peters and Evan Beaulieu. Lanpher went on to secure the victory, followed by Garrett Hall, John Peters, Evan Beaulieu and Mike Rowe. Beaulieu put up a fight to earn his highest finish of the season, which is also the highest finish in a long time for he and his team, who have been endlessly fighting to make the #56 car competitive again. The #56 crew struck the right chord tonight, impressing many fans with their determination and their endless strive to perform better. In his Victory Lane speech, Reid Lanpher said, “I had plenty of doubts throughout the race.” and explained that he didn’t think that anyone was a match for the #7 of Curt Gerry. He went on to say that the race was, “Definitely the most exciting race this season for sure.” His victory in this race also stamped his entry into the $10,000 to win Pro Stock Nationals at Seekonk Speedway on Wednesday, July 12th.
Every NASCAR Nite at Beech Ridge continues to excite the fans as drivers from every division continue to showcase more strength as the season rolls on. Join us next Saturday, July 1, at 7:00 PM for the annual Fourth of July Fireworks presentation and plenty more racing action!
Our condolences, thoughts and prayers also go out to Chad Munro and his family & friends during this difficult time.
