Sanborn Shines in Second Week of Beech Ridge Competition

Column By: AMY HARROP / RPW – SCARBOROUGH, ME – As the clouds rolled into Scarborough, fans and race teams rolled into Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for the second week of NASCAR Nite competition. Overcast skies were matched with overwhelming emotions and intense competition on the track.

This past week, the Beech Ridge family was rocked by the news of the sudden death of Chad Dionne, crew chief for Sport Series’ driver Nick Campbell. Campbell was noticeably (and understandably) absent from competition in week 2. But, teams, fans and drivers showed overwhelming compassion for the entire Campbell crew throughout the night.

The night started with the typical 12-lap qualifying heats for each division. Unlike week 1, of which the starting lineups were decided by random draw, week 2’s starting lineups were chosen a little differently. The first qualifying heat for each division contained low points drivers, whereas the second qualifying heat for each division contained the higher points drivers. The Pro Series drivers took to the track first, fighting for the top starting position for the feature.

Joey Doiron and Evan Beaulieu started on the front row of the first qualifying heat, followed by Dan Winter, David Oliver, Brandon Barker and John Peters. Joey Doiron pulled away from the field early, maintaining an edge over Evan Beaulieu. After making contact with John Peters in turns 1 & 2 on lap 3, Evan Beaulieu made contact with the #88 of Brandon Barker in turn 3, collecting them both. After the on-track incident, Barker brought his car to the pits, but Beaulieu stayed out on the track. The on-track tension then simmered down, with Doiron leading the field to the Checkered. The second qualifying heat began with Nick Cusack taking a wild spin on the first lap at the start/finish line. Cusack was able to collect himself, but wound up riding in the back of the pack. Mike Rowe broke out into the lead after passing the #12 of Corey Bubar on lap 4, never looking back. Rowe took home the heat win, but fan-favorite Reid Lanpher turned heads as he made his way up to 5th place after starting in the rear of the field.

The Wildcat division took to the track next, with the #24 of Ray Letellier and Phil Chapman leading the field to the green. Travis Burrows went around in turn 1 on lap 1, bringing out the caution. 16 year old Zach Nicholson made his march through the field, capturing the 3rd place spot on lap 5 after starting in eighth. Lap 6 brought more intense racing, with Travis Burrows, Ryan Lund and Kristina Nadeau all being collected in an accident in turn 4, bringing out another caution. Dylan Varney pulled away at the restart, with Zach Nicholson at his door. The 2 were still door to door on lap 11, with Nicholson pulling off the win by a nose. Adam Lovejoy and Lewis “Dirty Lew” Anderson led the field to green in the second Wildcat heat. Lewis Anderson immediately pulled away from the field, but Adam Lovejoy was following him in hot pursuit. On lap 6, Lovejoy eventually passed Anderson on the outside lane in turns 3 & 4. Lovejoy went on to win the feature, but the conclusion of the heat was met with extreme on-track emotions, with Lewis Anderson and Cole Watson making contact post-race, after the two had made contact on-track during the heat.

Chad Munro and Richard Pelton led the field to the green in the first Sport Series heat. The #1 Charlie Sanborn machine found his way to 2nd place on lap 8 in turn two, making his way around Pelton. Although Sanborn was making his pursuit to the front, Munro ran away with the heat win. The second heat was led by Phil Pinkham and Frank Wear. From the beginning, Pinkham pulled away from the pack and never looked back. Pinkham took the second heat win, followed by Frank Wear. Last week’s winner Sally Gherardi finished fifth in the heat.

The 40-lap Pro Series feature took off with Joey Doiron, John Peters, Dan Winter and Dan McKeage leading the field to green. At the conclusion of lap 1, John Peters made his way around Doiron in turns 3 & 4, securing him the temporary front spot. After making contact in turn 2 on lap 3, Dan Winter and Brandon Barker made contact, collecting others, including Reid Lanpher. A noticeably frustrated Brandon Barker climbed out of his car, marching his way back to the pits. Lanpher pitted with right front damage, managing to stay on the lead lap as the field found the green flag once again. By lap 10, Mike Rowe had found the back of John Peters’ car, eventually passing him on lap 15 at the start/finish line. With cosmetic damage, Lanpher made his way up to 7th place on lap 20, navigating his way through the field. 66 year old Mike Rowe pulled away with the win, followed by Curt Gerry, John Peters, Gary Smith and Reid Lanpher. Rowe thanked his friends and family in his post-race interview, also giving kudos to John Peters. “That lil’ Peters was going real good…I didn’t know if I was going to get caught up to him there.”, he said with a grin on his face as he stood next to his winning car.

Next up was the 30 lap Wildcat feature. Zach Nicholson and Dylan Varney led the field to green, followed by the cars of Burrows, Chapman and Adam Lovejoy. Noticeably missing from the feature was Cole Watson, who had made contact with Lewis Anderson after the conclusion of their qualifying heat. Nicholson immediately took off away from the field, but the cars mid-pack were scrambling as they fought for position. By lap 7, Adam Lovejoy made his way up to 2nd place. On lap 12, Lovejoy found his way to the back of Nicholson’s car, finally clearing him for the lead on lap 16. On lap 17, Kristina Nadeau and the #19 of Travis Lovejoy made contact in turn 3, with both cars suffering damage from the incident. Adam Lovejoy opted for the outside line on the restart, pulling away from the field. That lap, another on-track incident occurred, this time with both Chaz Briggs and Travis Burrows getting turned around. The next restart led to a huge jump for Lovejoy. He led the field to the finish, followed by Dave Cameron, Zach Nicholson, Lewis Anderson and Ray Letellier. In his post-race interview, Lovejoy commented on the track surface, saying, “This place is like an ice rink…there’s absolutely no grip out there.” He was crying as he thanked his wife and family for their support. Still in tears, he dedicated his win to Chad Dionne and his family. These overwhelming emotions carried on to the Sport Series feature — the main feature of the night.

Chad Munro and Charlie Sanborn led the field to the green in their 35 lap feature, followed by Richard Pelton and Ryan Villacci. Coming into turn 1 after the green flag dropped, Munro and Sanborn were already side by side, fighting for the top spot. Sanborn led the first lap, but fully cleared Munro in turn 2 on lap 2. On lap 4, the #84 of Matt Dow faced some issues in turns 3 and 4. But, he eventually regained control of his car, filing back in at the rear of the pack. On lap 9, Villacci kissed the wall in turn 3, but he regained control of his car as well. By lap 21, Sally Gherardi had cruised into 5th place after starting toward the rear of the field. Munro was still in hot pursuit for the lead, but Sanborn managed to edge him out for the victory — his first since 2012. He was followed by Munro, Frank Wear, Clyde Hennessey and Sally Gherardi. Sanborn, coming from an underfunded team with no title sponsor, was completely overcome by emotions in his post-race interview. He was incredibly overwhelmed and tripping over his words as he talked about how amazing the support of his family, friends and team have been throughout his racing career and the journeys he’s made over the past few years between Maine and Ohio. He talked about using his refund checks from college for his race career and never giving up on his dreams, no matter how tough times have gotten. “I about wanna cry.”, he mustered out as he shook his head in disbelief and wonder. After his post-race interview, “Happy Half Hour” began at the track and Charlie shared an embrace with his father, Chuck Sanborn, as the two fought back tears. Charlie was also congratulated by many fellow drivers, including Lewis Anderson and John Peters. Sanborn was happy to take photos with his team and his trophy, visiting with fans that celebrated his triumph and excitement with him. Charlie had a lot to prove tonight, but he really showed everyone out there that giving up on your dreams is never an option, no matter how hard times get. Perseverance, drive and heart will drive you to victory — which is bittersweet.

We send our condolences to Nick Campbell and the friends & family of Chad Dionne — he will be missed by many in the racing community.

Join us next week (Saturday, June 10th) for Autograph Night at Beech Ridge! Racing action starts at 7:00 pm.