Reid Lanpher Tacks Down Win at Thursday Thunder Round 1
Scarborough, ME – On Thursday, the Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour entered the gates of Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for Round 1 of the NAPA Auto Parts Thursday Thunder series, a favorite of both drivers and fans! The points for “TT” were separated from the Tour a couple of years ago, so it was a fresh start for all, in hopes of contending for a championship at Maine’s NASCAR Track. A healthy field of 19 cars, representing 3 states, looked to put on a spectacular show for the packed grandstands on opening night. One of the most noticeable differences was the absence of three-time and defending Thursday Thunder Champion, Mathew Bourgoine, who decided to cut back his racing schedule on Thursdays to focus on other things, but still intends on continuing to compete for the Tour crown.
Due to the fast-paced procedure of Thursday Thunder, no heat races are run, so a random draw set the field. The 59 of Reid Lanpher, runner up in the points and a two race winner a year ago, started on the pole, with his legend car mentor, Bob Weymouth in the 399, alongside. Lanpher grabbed the lead right away, and was followed through by the Circle 2 of Ryan Hammar, who was making his first race start since the 2013 season finale at Oxford. Lanpher and Hammar distanced themselves from the rest of the group, as Weymouth settled into 3rd and fended off all challengers. Good, hard 2 and 3 wide racing took place all over the historic 3/8 mile, until the first yellow of the 25-lapper was displayed on lap 10 for a solo spin in turn 1 by the 80 of Windham driver Dylan Varney. Lanpher and Hammar restarted on the front row and jumped out front again when the green lights returned, but 3rd place Weymouth now had company in the form of Matt Grant in the 84, who climbed to 4th place after starting 11th, and Kevin Girard Jr. in the 19, who was now 5th after starting back in 8th. Girard was able to power his black and yellow machine around both Grant and Weymouth to take over the final podium spot and pursue the leaders who were able to scramble away while the battle for 3rd-5th ensued. The front of the field spread themselves out, with nobody able to make gains at advancing their position. Further back in the mix, some good battles were still going on, but things got a little too close on lap 23 when contact between the 27 of rookie driver Roger Edgecomb and the 45 of road course specialist Patrick Dillon, sent both cars spinning off turn 2, bringing out the second yellow flag of the evening. This set up a 3 lap shootout to the checkers, giving Hammar and company one more shot at getting around the primer gray 59. The front 4 quickly filed into a line, bumper to bumper waiting for the guy in front to slip.’
At the checkers, it was Reid Lanpher taking the victory in an exhilarating finish, earning his third checkered flag in Thursday Thunder competition! Ryan Hammar ran an impressive race in his return behind the wheel of the Johnson Racing Team entry, in a one-off appearance before returning to Florida where he attends college, Kevin Girard Jr. earned himself a 3rd place finish as well as the Semi-Pro victory in his G.O. Motorsports coupe, Matt Grant kept his MGM #84 car within striking distance with a solid 4th place run, as his 5 race podium streak came to an end, and Tylar Braunschweig continued to rack up the top 5 finishes in his 70 machine, as he looks for a top 5 points finish at TT for the first time, after coming so close the past few seasons. A tip of the hat to Joey Pastore, who passed nearly twice as many cars as anyone else (12) advancing his Puzzled Racing #96 from the 19th starting spot to finish 7th, as the super late model veteran made his first laps in a legend.
There won’t be any Tour racing this weekend, giving teams ample time to prepare their cars for battle again next Thursday for Round 2 of Thunder!
Special Thanks to all our sponsors for their contributions to the organization; Amsoil Four Season Synthetic, Puzzled Racing for Autism Awareness, New England Legends Sales & Service, and Dysart’s Truck Stop.
Find us online for anything related to legends cars in Northern New England by checking out www.NELCAR.net, and Like NELCAR on Facebook!
Feature Finish
1-59 Reid Lanpher – Manchester – P
2-2 Ryan Hammar – Pembroke, NH – P
3-19 Kevin Girard Jr. – Old Orchard Beach – S
4-84 Matt Grant – Windham – P
5-70 Tylar Braunschweig – W. Newfield – P
6-399 Bob Weymouth – Topsham – M
7-96 Joey Pastore Jr.* – Gorham – P
8-33 Alan Smith – Lincoln – M
9-72 Mike Humphrey – Cornish – M
10-10 Ed Getty – Gray – M
11-17 Terry Kirk – Durham – M
12-7 Steve Benincasa* – Buxton – M
13-8 Matt Chagnot – Derry, NH – M
14-42 Steve Johnson – N. Conway, NH – M
15-60 Anthony Pagliarulo – Groveland, MA – P
16-92 Colby Meserve* – Buxton – S
17-45 Patrick Dillon – Portland – M
18-27 Roger Edgecomb* – Hiram – M
19-80 Dylan Varney – Windham – Y
Sources: Matt Grant/NELCAR PR