Lanpher, Gherardi & Lovejoy Crowned 2017 Track Champions At Beech Ridge

Column By: AMY HARROP / RPW – SCARBOROUGH, ME – The official 2017 NASCAR Nite point standings from Beech Ridge Motor Speedway were posted on Tuesday afternoon, solidifying which drivers from each division will get an invite to the awards banquet in the Fall.

One thing was clear after Saturday night’s finale; Reid Lanpher, Sally Gherardi and Adam Lovejoy were the new track champions in their respected divisions. But, the official results on the top-10 finishers from each division were still up in the air at the conclusion of Saturday night.

After taking home his fourth consecutive win in the final weeks of Beech Ridge competition, Reid Lanpher was crowned the 2017 Pro Series Champion over the defending Pro Series champion, Curt Gerry. “I am one lucky kid and I couldn’t be more thankful for how this year has played out,” Reid said in a statement on Facebook. Throughout the season, Reid collected a total of 6 feature victories on NASCAR Nite and 9 total wins on the season, including a PASS 300 win in May. This was Reid’s second championship in three years, giving both he and the Reid Lanpher Racing team plenty to be proud of.

Defending Pro Series champion Curt Gerry had the win of a lifetime just a few short weeks ago, taking home his first-ever PASS victory in the Oxford 250. He finished runner-up in the point standings, collecting 3 wins on the season and 11 top-5 finishes in 14 weeks of competition. Maine racing legend Mike Rowe also had an impressive season, taking home 1 win and 8 top-five finishes, resulting in a third place finish in the point standings. Corey Bubar finished fourth in points and also took home another much-needed win this season. Nick Cusack rounded out the top five in the point standings. Nick didn’t take home a feature victory during the season, but his consistent top ten and top five finishes week in & week out got him into the top five at the end of the season. After taking a year off from racing, Evan Beaulieu had an impressive first year back in action, taking home six top-10 finishes and finishing tenth in the point standings.

Official Pro Series Point Standings:
1. Reid Lanpher 780
2. Curtis Gerry 733
3. Mike Rowe 677
4. Corey Bubar 617
5. Nick Cusack 610
6. Gary Smith 608
7. Jacob Dore 608
8. Brandon Barker 596
9. Dan McKeage 568
10. Evan Beaulieu 515
11. David Oliver 503
12. John Peters 485
13. Garrett Hall 411
14. Dan Winter 399
15. Travis Buzzell 381
16. Dalton Gagnon 244
17. Joe Doiron 202
18. Ryan Olsen 77
19. Kevin Kimball 70
20. Craig Weinstein 56

Sally Gherardi had a solid year in the Sport Series, earning her the 2017 Sport Series championship title. This is her second championship in the division, with her first coming in 2008. “We had an awesome car every week and luck seemed to be on our side,” she shared in an end-of-season post on social media. Sally’s one win on the season came on opening night, but she also took home 10 top-5 finishes over the course of the season.

This was Reggie Leeman’s final year of competition in the Sport Series. He wound up with one win and 5 top-five finishes, earning him a sixth place finish in the point standings. Charlie Sanborn III was the standout driver all season in the Sport Series, earning four victories in his first nearly-full season back in a handful of years. If it weren’t for Sanborn missing two weeks of competition, he would have easily been a threat for the championship title. Charlie took home a ninth place points finish and 7 top-5 finishes, making 2017 his best season to-date in the Sport Series. Ryan Villacci also had an impressive year, earning himself two wins and 9 top-10 finishes over the course of 14 races. Villacci took home an eighth place finish in the points. Kyle Kramlich took home “Rookie of the Year” honors in the Sport Series, showing strength in his “Shark Racing” #6 car over the course of the season.

Official Sport Series Point Standings:
1. Sally Gherardi 733
2. Richard Pelton 710
3. Terry Merrill 698
4. Clyde Hennessey 697
5. Frank Wear 678
6. Reggie Leeman 667
7. Mike St. Pierre 636
8. Ryan Villacci 632
9. Charlie Sanborn 599
10. Matt Dow 593
11. Ryan Phillips 574
12. Chad Munro 519
13. Alex Lacognata 379
14. Nick Campbell 324
15. Phil Pinkham 295
16. Kyle Kramlich 273
17. Gary Modugno 232
18. Curtis Gleason 218
19. Taylor Pierce 167
20. Robert Herrick 105

Adam Lovejoy had a season for the ages in his #2 Lovejoy Racing Wildcat. Lovejoy had his championship locked in at the conclusion of week 13, displaying pure dominance in his division. Lovejoy took home 6 feature victories and 12 top-5 finishes over the course of the season, earning his first career Wildcats championship. Although this is his first career NASCAR Nite championship, Lovejoy was the 2011 Mad Bombers Junior Varsity champion at Beech Ridge. Following his third place finish this past Saturday, Lovejoy took his trophy and gave it to a young fan, displaying an act of pure class and admiration toward the younger generation of fans that look forward to seeing their favorite drivers each and every week at the track.

2016 Wildcats “Rookie of the Year” Zach Nicholson had an incredible sophomore season in the division, earning his first career feature win in the final week of competition after taking home a handful of heat race victories over the course of the season. His win in the final week propelled him into second place in the point standings, something that he was definitely not expecting but definitely grateful for. In addition to his victory, Zach took home a total of ten top-five finishes on the season. 2016 Wildcats champion Lewis Anderson took a third place finish in the point standings, earning himself 8 top-five finishes over the course of the season. Dave Cameron walked away with fourth in points, along with three wins on the season and 8 top-five finishes. Chaz Briggs rounded out the top five in points, coming home with one win and 5 top-five finishes on the season.

Official Wildcats Point Standings:
1. Adam Lovejoy 785
2. Zachary Nicholson707
3. Lewis Anderson 699
4. Dave Cameron 696
5. Chaz Briggs 685
6. Travis Lovejoy 677
7. Travis Burrows 649
8. Ray Letellier 602
9. Ryan Lund 571
10. Dylan Varney 534
11. Joe Morse 490
12. Phil Chapman 463
13. Lyman McKeage 353
14. Jeremy Morais 216
15. Kristina Nadeau 191
16. Zachary Bowie 144
17. Daniel Bean 127
18. Tucker Cole 122
19. Cole Watson 101
20. Nate Leavitt 80

Although the regular race season at Beech Ridge is over, PASS weekend still remains. Join us at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on Friday, September 15th and Saturday, September 16th for two more days of racing action!