Lovejoy Becomes First Four-Time Winner In ’17 At Beech Ridge

Story By: AMY HARROP / RPW – SCARBOROUGH, ME – Drivers returned to Beech Ridge for NASCAR Nite competition this past Saturday, just one week after all 3 divisions found repeat winners at the top of the leaderboard.

The Pro Series division took to the track first for their qualifying heats. Evan Beaulieu started on the pole for heat #1, followed by Dan Winter, Brandon Barker, Dan McKeage and John Peters. The leaders (Barker, Beaulieu and Peters) were 3-wide coming into the first turn, but Barker maintained an edge over the #56 and #51 machines, pulling away from the pack. Behind him, John Peters was fighting towards the front, clearing Evan Beaulieu for the runner-up spot on lap 2 in turn 1. Jacob Dore was also on the move, finding his way to P4 by lap 5 after starting dead last in the heat. It was smooth sailing for Brandon Barker, who pulled away with the heat victory. John Peters, Evan Beaulieu, Jacob Dore and Nick Cusack followed, rounding out the top five. Gary Smith and Corey Bubar lead the field to green in the second qualifying heat, followed by Mike Rowe, Dalton Gagnon, Reid Lanpher and last week’s winner, Curt Gerry. The #94 of Garrett Hall, a constant contender every week, was noticeably absent from competition this week at Beech Ridge. Corey Bubar powered to the front of the pack on the first lap, running away with the lead. But, the battle for the runner-up spot was heating up behind him between Mike Rowe, Gary Smith, Reid Lanpher and Curt Gerry. Mike Rowe eventually cleared Gary Smith for P2 on lap 4 in turn 4, but Reid Lanpher was at his bumper by lap 5, challenging him for the spot. On lap 8, Lanpher eventually got to the inside of Mike Rowe, clearing him for the second spot in turn 3. Defending champion Curt Gerry was also right there to challenge Mike Rowe on the final lap, coming into the start/finish line neck & neck with the #24 car. Corey Bubar went on to win the heat, followed by Reid Lanpher, Curt Gerry, Mike Rowe and Gary Smith.

Joe Morse and Phil Chapman started on the front row for the first Wildcats qualifying heat. They were followed by Dylan Varney, Ryan Lund and Travis Burrows. Morse managed to edge out Chapman on the first lap, beating him out for the lead in turn 4. By lap 2, Ryan Lund was at Chapman’s door, battling him for the second spot. Chapman managed to escape him, later pulling to Morse’s door for the lead on lap 5. He cleared him in turn 3, pulling away from the pack. By lap 6, the #69 of Lund had found his way into the runner-up spot, wanting more. He made his way to Chapman’s outside on lap 7, later clearing him for the lead on lap 8 in turn 1. Chapman slowed from there, bringing his car down to the pits on the final lap. Ryan Lund went on to win the feature, followed by Dylan Varney, Travis Burrows, Ray Letellier and Joe Morse. The #21 of Zach Nicholson made his return to the track in the second heat, following a hard wreck in the feature last week that left him with a minor foot injury. Nicholson, who celebrated his sixteenth birthday this past week, worked hard with his crew this past week to get his car back onto the track and ready for competition once again. Following Nicholson were Lyman McKeage, Chaz Briggs, Travis Lovejoy and Lewis Anderson. Noticeably missing from competition was Dave Cameron, who showed up to the track but was unable to get his car race-ready. McKeage fell to the rear on the start, powering Zach Nicholson to the lead. Travis Lovejoy was on the move, making his way up to P2 on the second lap after suffering from transmission issues during practice. The #81 of Lewis Anderson and the #2 of Adam Lovejoy were going hard, bumping each other on laps 3 & 4 before Adam managed to capture third place on lap 6 after starting last in the heat. Zach Nicholson ran away with the heat victory, followed by Travis Lovejoy, Adam Lovejoy, Lewis Anderson and Chaz Briggs.

Ryan Villacci and Ryan Phillips led the field to green in the first Sport Series heat, followed by Chad Munro and Curt Gleason. After the first start was waved off by race control, Villacci got a good jump on the next start, clearing Phillips in turn 1 for the lead. Chad Munro was all over Phillips’ back bumper on lap 2, challenging him for the runner-up spot. The #21 of Taylor Pierce went around on lap 3 in turn 2, bringing out the first caution of the night. Ryan Villacci pulled ahead on the restart once again. Meanwhile, another Birthday boy, Kyle Kramlich, was powering through the field. He broke the top 4 on lap 7, clearing Gleason for the spot on lap 7 in turn 1. Ryan Villacci pulled off the heat win, followed by Ryan Phillips, Chad Munro and Kyle Kramlich. Matt Dow started on the pole for the second qualifying heat, followed by Reggie Leeman, Frank Wear, Mike St. Pierre and Richard Pelton. Dow cleared Leeman for the lead on lap 1 in turn 2, breaking away from the pack. Meanwhile, Sally Gherardi was on the move, battling her way up to the fourth spot by the second lap. Matt Dow faced issues on lap 4, falling to the back of the pack. The #71 of Reggie Leeman spun around on lap 4 in turn 3, collecting last week’s winner Charlie Sanborn in the midst. Both cars headed to the pits, with the #1 car having to be pulled away on the wrecker, ultimately ending his night before the feature race. The #20 of Frank Wear blew past Matt Dow on the restart, with Dow falling to the rear of the pack once again. Richard Pelton made his way to Frank Wear’s inside on lap 5, later clearing him for the top spot on lap 6 in turn 2. From lap 7-on, Sally Gherardi and Clyde Hennessey put on a wild battle for the third place position. Pelton went on to win the heat, followed by Frank Wear, Sally Gherardi, Clyde Hennessey and Mike St. Pierre.

The Pro Series kicked off the feature events, with Brandon Barker and John Peters starting on the front row for the feature. They were followed by Evan Beaulieu, Jacob Dore and Nick Cusack. Brandon Barker held on to the lead through lap 1, maintaining an edge over the rest of the field. But, Curt Gerry was on the move, making his way into the top 5 by lap 5. Reid Lanpher was right there on his bumper, ready to strike. Nick Cusack was also on the move, finding his way to John Peter’s door on lap 15, battling it out for the runner-up spot. Peters managed to hold onto the spot, briefly pulling away from the #2 car. The #59 of Reid Lanpher was still on Curt Gerry’s tail, stealing P4 from him on lap 17 in turn 4. But, Curt Gerry was having none of it, stealing the spot back from him on lap 22. He continued his drive toward the front, clearing Peters for the third spot on lap 23 in turn 2. By lap 25, he was at Nick Cusack’s outside, challenging him for the runner-up spot. He succeeded in turn 4, setting his sights on Brandon Barker. He found his way to Barker’s back bumper on lap 28, clearing him for the lead on lap 29 in turn 1. Reid Lanpher wasn’t giving up, clearing Cusack for P3 on lap 31 in turn 4. By lap 36, he went to Barker’s inside, hoping for the runner-up spot to come to him. Curt Gerry drove away with his second consecutive Pro Series win, followed by Brandon Barker, Reid Lanpher, Nick Cusack and Mike Rowe. This was Gerry’s third win on the season.

Ryan Lund and Dylan Varney led the field to green in the Wildcats feature, followed by Travis Burrows, Ray Letellier and Joe Morse. Ryan Lund powered to the front of the pack, pulling away with the early lead. Meanwhile, the #21 of Zach Nicholson briefly tangled with the #23 of Joe Morse in turn 1, but both drivers were able to save it and continue on the race track. Travis Lovejoy was on the move, clearing Burrows for P3 on lap 3 in turn 3. He later found his way to the inside of Dylan Varney on lap 7 for P2, eventually capturing the lead on lap 16. Adam Lovejoy was also navigating through the field, making his way to the inside of Lund on lap 18 for the runner-up spot. The #33 of Travis Burrows went around on lap 18 in turn 4, bringing out the caution. Travis elected the outside line for the restart, with his brother Adam on the inside. Adam pulled away from Travis on the restart, capturing the lead. He pulled away from the pack, coming into the checkered flag with a ½ of a straightaway lead over Travis. They were followed by Lewis Anderson, Ryan Lund and Zach Nicholson. This was win #4 on the season for Adam Lovejoy, who continues to show dominance in the Wildcats division every week at Beech Ridge.

Ryan Villacci and Ryan Phillips started on the front row for the final feature of the night in the Sport Series. They were followed by Chad Munro, Curt Gleason and Richard Pelton. The top 2 got a huge jump on the rest of the field, with Ryan Villacci pulling away from the field on the start. Sally Gherardi was on the move early, clearing Chad Munro for the fourth spot on lap 5 in turn 3. The #27 of Richard Pelton was steadily driving through the field, capturing the runner-up spot from Ryan Phillips on lap 7 in turn 3. Sally Gherardi continued her voyage to the front, making her way around the #89 of Ryan Phillips for P3 on lap 8 in turn 4. By lap 12, Richard Pelton had found his way to Ryan Villacci’s back bumper, challenging him for the lead. He made his way to his outside, clearing him for the lead on lap 13 in turn 4. Sally Gherardi followed suit, passing the #08 of Villacci for the runner-up spot on lap 15. By lap 25, the leaders were setting the pace, catching the tail-end of the pack. Pelton pulled into a 5+ car length lead over Sally Gherardi by lap 32, displaying dominance over the rest of the field. Pelton took home the feature win, followed by Sally Gherardi, Reggie Leeman, Mike St. Pierre and Clyde Hennessey.

Adam Lovejoy was the big winner on the night, taking home his fourth win of the 2017 NASCAR Nite season at Beech Ridge. Defending champion Curt Gerry continues to show strength, bringing home back-to-back victories for the #7 team. This was also win #2 on the season for Richard Pelton, who continues to be a constant competitor in the Sport Series. As the points battles continue to heat up in each division, who knows what could happen next week at Beech Ridge.

Join us next Saturday, August 5th, for the ACT Tour 150 at Beech Ridge, which will still host feature races for all 3 NASCAR Nite divisions. Racing action starts at 7:00 pm!