Matt Dow Captures First Sport Series Victory Of ’17 At Beech Ridge

Column By: AMY HARROP / RPW – SCARBOROUGH, ME – Coming into the night with just 3 weeks of competition left in the 2017 Beech Ridge NASCAR Nite season, points were starting to mean more than they have all season to drivers from all 3 divisions. As heavy fog loomed in the distance, drivers took to the track for the first qualifying heats of the night.

The Wildcats drivers were up first with their qualifying heats. Joe Morse and Phil Chapman started on the front row for the first heat, followed by Lyman McKeage, Dylan Varney and Ray Letellier. Phil Chapman was shuffled to the outside on the first lap in turn 4, powering Dylan Varney into the early lead. The #40 of Lyman McKeage was on the move early, clearing Joe Morse for the runner-up spot on lap 3 in turn 2. He was all over Dylan Varney’s back bumper on lap 7, later making his way to Varney’s inside on lap 8. The two made contact in turn 3, resulting in Varney taking a spin. The field remained green and Lyman McKeage drove away with the heat victory. Ryan Lund, Ray Letellier, Chaz Briggs and Joe Morse followed, rounding out the top five. The #21 of Zach Nicholson started on the pole for the final Wildcats qualifying heat, followed by Travis Lovejoy, who was debuting a brand-new #19 car for Lovejoy Racing. Lewis Anderson, Jeremy Morais and Adam Lovejoy followed. The leaders were even coming out of the first lap, but the #21 of Zach Nicholson got the edge over Travis Lovejoy on lap 2 in turn 2, pulling away with the lead. Travis Lovejoy pulled back to Nicholson’s inside in turn 4, but he was unable to complete the pass. By lap 7, Nicholson had pulled away with a 5 car length lead, displaying power at the front of the pack. Dave Cameron was making moves behind him, fighting into the top 3 on lap 8. The #81 of Lewis Anderson went around on lap 10 in turn 4, collecting Jeremy Morais and Adam Lovejoy in the midst. The field stayed green and Zach Nicholson took home another heat victory. Travis Lovejoy, Dave Cameron, Nate Leavitt and Tucker Cole followed, rounding out the top five.

Travis Buzzell and Dan Winter started on the front row for the first Pro Series qualifying heat, followed by Evan Beaulieu, David Oliver and Dan McKeage. Travis Buzzell charged to the front of the pack, pulling away with the early lead. Evan Beaulieu was on the charge behind him, finding his way to Dan Winter’s inside on lap 3 in turn 3 for the runner-up spot. Dave Oliver decided he wanted the spot, clearing Beaulieu for P2 on lap 5 in turn 2. Oliver continued his pursuit to the front, making his way to Travis Buzzell’s outside on lap 8. He eventually cleared him on lap 11 in turn 1, taking the heat victory. Travis Buzzell, Evan Beaulieu, Dan Winter and Dan McKeage followed, completing the top five. Gary Smith and Corey Bubar led the field to green in the final Pro Series qualifying heat, followed by Mike Rowe, Dalton Gagnon and Curt Gerry. Gary Smith pulled away with the early lead, but the field was gridlocked behind him. Curt Gerry was on the move, clearing Corey Bubar for P3 on lap 2 in turn 2. Reid Lanpher made his way to Gerry’s outside on lap 4, challenging him for the third spot. It was a stalemate from first to fourth place from lap 4-on, with side-by-side battles for first/second and third/fourth carrying through until the finish. Mike Rowe edged out Gary Smith for the heat victory, followed by Reid Lanpher, Curt Gerry and Corey Bubar.

Curt Gleason started on the pole for the first Sport Series qualifying heat, followed by Ryan Villacci, Mike St. Pierre, Frank Wear and Ryan Phillips. Ryan Villacci powered ahead on the outside line, leading the first lap. Frank Wear was on the move early, clearing Curt Gleason for the runner-up spot on lap 2 in turn 3. He made his way to Villacci’s inside on lap 6, challenging him for the lead. Meanwhile, the #84 of Matt Dow was fighting his way through the field, making his way from last to fifth by the completion of lap 10. Frank Wear eventually cleared Ryan Villacci on lap 11 in turn 3, pulling away with the lead. Wear went on to win the heat, followed by Ryan Villacci, Mike St. Pierre, Matt Dow and Ryan Phillips. Reggie Leeman and Alex Lacognata led the field to green in the final qualifying heat, followed by Terry Merrill, Richard Pelton and Clyde Hennessey. Leeman pulled away from the field early, but Terry Merrill was on the move. Merrill made his way to Leeman’s outside on lap 5, eventually clearing him for the lead on lap 6 in turn 2. Sally Gherardi was fighting through the field, breaking the top 5 on lap 8. Terry Merrill took home the heat victory, followed by Reggie Leeman, Richard Pelton, Alex Lacognata and Sally Gherardi.

Lyman McKeage and Ryan Lund started on the front row for the 30-lap Wildcats feature, followed by Ray Letellier, Chaz Briggs and Joe Morse. The #19 of Travis Lovejoy pulled onto the pits before the race began, returning to the back of the pack for the start of the feature. Lyman McKeage pulled into the early lead, leading the first lap. Chaz Briggs was all over his back bumper by lap 3, challenging for the top spot. Ryan Lund took a spin in turn 4, leaving Dave Cameron with nowhere to go. Cameron plowed into the #69 car, leading to an extended caution. Both drivers were okay and got out of their cars under their own power. Chaz Briggs immediately challenged Lyman McKeage for the lead on the restart, clearing him on lap 3 in turn 3. Adam Lovejoy was dicing through the field quickly, breaking the top 5 on lap 5. He continued his fight toward the front on lap 6, clearing Travis Burrows for P4 in turn 4. The #42 of Dylan Varney went around on lap 8 in turn 1 after making contact with Phil Chapman, leading to another caution. Chaz Briggs got a good jump on the restart, pulling away from the field once again. Dylan Varney took another spin at the start/finish line on lap 9, drawing out another caution. Adam Lovejoy got a good jump on the restart, pulling ahead of Chaz Briggs on lap 10 in turn 2. Travis Lovejoy came to a slow on lap 11 in turn 3 after cutting down a tire, nursing his car back to the pits. Zach Nicholson was on the move, Clearing Travis Burrows for P4 on lap 12 in turn 3. He pulled to Lyman McKeage’s back bumper on lap 18, challenging him for the third spot. After giving McKeage a little bump, Nicholson cleared him for the spot on lap 18 in turn 4. By lap 25, Adam Lovejoy was displaying dominance once again, leading by nearly an entire straightaway. Lovejoy took home the feature victory, followed by Chaz Briggs, Zach Nicholson, Lyman McKeage and Nate Leavitt. This was Adam Lovejoy’s fifth win of the season, and he was a man of few words in victory lane. “She was rolling tonight,” he said, also thanking his friends, family and crew for their support over the course of the season.

David Oliver started on the pole for the 40-lap Pro Series feature, followed by Travis Buzzell, Evan Beaulieu, Dan Winter and Dan McKeage. Coming into the race, it was a tight points battle between Reid Lanpher and Curt Gerry, with Lanpher holding a 4-point lead over Gerry. David Oliver pulled away with the early lead, but there was trouble brewing behind him. The #75 of Gary Smith slowed in turn 3, holding up the #81 of Dan Winter and championship contender Curt Gerry. This shake-up moved Evan Beaulieu into the runner-up spot, who then set his sights on the #21 of Oliver. Lanpher showed strength earlier, breaking into the top 5 on lap 7 after starting 11th in the feature. Curt Gerry was making up lost track position quickly, breaking into the top 10 on lap 11 after the incident on lap 1. Lanpher continued his pursuit toward the front, clearing Brandon Barker for the third spot on lap 15 in turn 2. He pulled to Evan Beaulieu’s back bumper, clearing him for the runner-up spot on lap 16 in turn 2. Brandon Barker also made his way around Beaulieu, clearing him for P3 on lap 20 in turn 1. By lap 21, Reid Lanpher was at Oliver’s door, challenging him for the top spot. He made his way around him on lap 22 in turn 4, pulling away with the lead. Nick Cusack was on the move, breaking the top 4 on lap 25 after passing Beaulieu in turn 2. Curt Gerry broke the top 5 on lap 28, making his way around the #56 car. He continued his voyage to the front, making his way to the outside of Cusack for P4 on lap 30 in turn 2. Brandon Barker also fell victim to Curt Gerry on lap 36 in turn 2, powering Gerry into the third position. By lap 34, Reid Lanpher reached the tail end of the pack and began lapping slower cars. Curt Gerry continued fighting, clearing Oliver for the runner-up spot on lap 39 in turn 2. Reid Lanpher ran away with the victory, making it the second consecutive 1-2 finish for Reid Lanpher and Curt Gerry. David Oliver, Brandon Barker and NIck Cusack followed, rounding out the top five. This is Reid Lanpher’s seventh win of 2017 and his fifth win at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, including his 300 win. “It’s a team effort for sure…I feel very lucky,” he said in Victory Lane. With the 1-2 finish, a tight points battle in the Pro Series still remains between Lanpher and Curt Gerry.

Frank Wear and Ryan Villacci led the Sport Series field to green in their 35-lap feature, the final race of the night. With heavy fog rolling in, drivers took a few practice laps around the track to test visibility. The green light was given from race control and Ryan Villacci and Frank Wear were side-by-side coming out of the first lap. Ryan Villacci eventually cleared Frank Wear on lap 4 in turn 2, powering to the front of the field. Matt Dow was on a mission, making his way to Villacci’s inside on lap 10. He cleared Villacci for the lead on lap 11 in turn 2, pulling away from the rest of the field. Sally Gherardi was on the move, breaking into the top 5 on lap 12. After making contact with Frank Wear on lap 13, Ryan Villacci took a spin in turn 2. This led to the first caution of the night and both Frank Wear and Ryan Villacci headed to the pits after the incident. Last week’s winner Charlie Sanborn made his way up to fifth place for the restart after starting the feature from the rear, showing strength in his #1 machine. Matt Dow pulled away once again on the restart, setting his sights on the open track in front of him. Charlie Sanborn continued his pursuit toward the front, clearing Mike St. Pierre for P4 on lap 15 in turn 2. Frank Wear was making his comeback from his earlier incident in the race, clearing Clyde Hennessey for P6 on lap 24 in turn 1. By lap 30, the top five cars had made a single-file breakaway at the front of the pack. Matt Dow sailed away with the feature victory, followed by Richard Pelton, Sally Gherardi, Charlie Sanborn and Terry Merrill. This was Matt Dow’s first win of the season, which has been an up & down season for the #84 team. Dow had a tough day at the track, blowing his engine during practice earlier in the day. They were still putting the engine in when the Modified cars were on track for their heat races, coming down to the wire. “That one was definitely well deserved…we got it done,” he said in Victory Lane, sending thanks to his family, friends and crew for their hard work and dedication.

With just two weeks left in competition, Saturday night racing is sure to heat up even more at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.

Join us next Saturday, August 26th, for more NASCAR Nite racing action! Heat races always begin at 7:00 pm.