OXFORD — One after another, the Pro All Stars Series’ best took their shot at Reid Lanpher. And, one by one, they fell by the wayside.
Lanpher, of Manchester, led on three different occasions, pulling away with a masterful restart on lap 122 and driving off to win the Speedway Homes 150 on Sunday at Oxford Plains Speedway. It was Lanpher’s first career PASS win and came from the pole after he won his heat race and led the first 54 circuits.
For Lanpher, who was 14-years-old when he got the call to drive a Late Model for the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned JR Motorsports in 2012 and three years later finished second in the Oxford 250 in his first start in the race, Sunday turned into arguably the biggest day of his still young racing career.
The 2015 Beech Ridge Motor Speedway champion debuted a brand new race car this weekend at Oxford.
“It feels pretty good. It’s been a long time,” Lanpher said. “I’m so happy that it’s paid off with all the time and effort we’ve put in. To get a PASS win like this feels pretty good. I’m pumped and ecstatic, and I’m pumped and ecstatic for the crew, as well.”
Canadian driver Cole Butcher finished second for his best career PASS finish, while 2015 Oxford 250 winner Glen Luce, of Turner, finished third. Ben Rowe and multi-time Thunder Road track champion Nick Sweet of Barre, Vermont, rounded out the top five.
Lanpher thought his car’s handling was about to drop off on him in the middle third of the race when Joey Polewarczyk grabbed the lead from him on a lap 55 restart. Polewarczyk set off on a blistering pace reminiscent of his Oxford 250 win in 2012 — riding the third groove and checking out on the rest of the field and begin putting cars laps down at a quick clip.
But Polewarczyk’s day ended off the top of turn one, after he blew an engine on the frontstretch.
“I feel bad for him. That sucks that he lost his engine. It definitely could have been his race,” Lanpher said of Polewarcyk’s misfortune.
Luce took his crack at Lanpher with 57 laps remaining, getting a great jump on a restart to motor out to the lead. The veteran may have shown Lanpher a little too much, however — as on the very next restart, on lap 119, Lanpher took off himself to the lead.
“It could have been. I cleaned my tires off really, really good (before the restart),” Luce said. “I knew he was setting me up and seeing my weaknesses. If it had stayed green, I think I could have held him off.”
But it didn’t stay green, and Lanpher used his very next shot to pull a similar move and get clear to the lead by several car lengths by the time the field hit the backstretch under green.
“Honestly, I don’t know what it was,” said Lanpher, 18, of his restarts. “My timing could have been a little better, but we still won and I’m learning a lot. I can’t ask for much more than that. I kept telling the guys, ‘I’ll do better next time. I’m sorry. Next time — I’ll do better next time.’ I was finally able to get my act together at the end.”
Lanpher’s crew chief, Jason Ricker of Poland, also claimed his first PASS victory with the win. Having grown up at Oxford Plains watching his father, Tommy Ricker, race, it was especially satisfying for him.
Self-doubt seems to be one of the tools crew chiefs carry in their toolbox, right beside the wrenches and tire gauges.
“Always. Every day. Halfway through the feature,” Ricker said, laughing. “It’s only been four years for us. To have won a championship, to finish second in the ‘250’ and to win a PASS race, it feels really good.”
Earlier in the day, Ben Tinker completed a late-race pass of Andy Shaw to win the season-opening 40-lap PASS Modified feature. Gary Shackford finished third. Bryce Mains of Naples held off Kyle Hewins of Leeds and Matt Dufault of Turner to win the 50-lap Street Stock main event.
Travis Barrett — 621-5621
tbarrett@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @TBarrettGWC
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