Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour: Reid Lanpher
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Race Report
SCARBOROUGH, Maine – Reid Lanpher of Manchester, Maine, finished second in the Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour 25-lap VIP Thursday Thunder feature event at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Thursday, August 1. The finish was the fourth consecutive podium finish for the 15-year-old Lanpher, who won at Wiscasset Raceway on July 13 and then finished second twice in a span of three days at both Beech Ridge and Oxford Plains Speedway. Lanpher started 19th in the 20-car field and deftly worked his way through traffic to the runner-up spot. With one lap remaining, Lanpher had pulled to the rear bumper of the race leader when the field was given the combined yellow/checkered flags for a blown engine on another competitor’s car.
WHO: Reid Lanpher, Manchester, Maine
TEAM: Team EJP No. 59 Eastern Township Docks/Scott’s Recreation Coupe
CREW CHIEF: Bob Weymouth, Topsham, Maine
WHAT: VIP Thursday Thunder 25
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
STARTED: 19th
FINISHED: 2nd
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REID, WERE YOU HOPING THE RACE WOULD BE RESTARTED WITH ONE LAP REMAINING?
I could have won it, maybe. It’s just one of those things that could have gone either way. It could have played against me or it could have played for me. I would have liked to see a caution, but that’s racing. We’ll take that. We started 19th and got all the way to second in 25 laps. I’m pretty pumped about that.
Big thanks to everybody, really, that makes this possible. I just feel so fortunate to be a 15-year-old kid out here doing what I do. Big, big thanks to everybody.
DID YOU THINK THE CAR WAS GOING TO BE THAT GOOD AFTER FINAL PRACTICE?
We made some gains from the first practice, and we were selective in our adjustments. I think that worked out good. I was fairly confident going into the feature after the first practice session. Did I think we’d be good enough to get all the way to second? Maybe I’d have questioned that a little bit, but I’ll take it.
It is what it is. It’s so frustrating to get second eight times this year, but I can’t complain. There were 18 other cars out here that would have liked to have finished where we did.
HOW MUCH DID THE EARLY CAUTION FLAGS HELP YOU WITH TRACK POSITION?
Not being involved in the wrecks was big. I was going to take all the cautions I could get, to be honest, without being involved in any of them. I didn’t care if I had to restart on the outside lane or on the inside behind slow cars – I was going to take any cautions we could get and try and use them to my advantage.