Dirty Dozen Cup: Reid Lanpher
Southern Nat’l Motorsports Park Race Preview
THE STORY
MANCHESTER, Maine – Reid Lanpher of Manchester, Maine, makes his third consecutive Dirty Dozen Cup start in a JR Motorsports Late Model this Saturday, April 6, in the Southern National Twin 100s at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, N.C. The 14-year-old Lanpher posted his first career Top-5 last time out in the No. 8 JRM Chevrolet for the team owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. In four total starts for JR Motorsports, Lanpher hasn’t finished worse than 12th in the 26-car fields, with finishes of sixth and fifth, respectively, in his last two outings. The Dirty Dozen Cup consists of 12 races – six each at Southern National and Motor Mile Speedway in Virginia.
THE FACTS
WHO: Reid Lanpher, Manchester, Maine
TEAM: No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
CREW CHIEF: Seth Kooika, Mooresville, N.C.
BEST CAREER SOUTHERN NATIONAL FINISH: 5th
LAST RACE AT SOUTHERN NATIONAL: 5th
WHAT: Dirty Dozen Cup Southern National Twin 100s
WHERE: Southern National Motorsports Park, Kenly, N.C. (.4-mile banked oval)
WHEN: Saturday, April 6 – 2 p.m., practice; 5 p.m., qualifying; 7 p.m., race
Dirty Dozen Cup
LAST RACE: March 16, Southern National Twin 100s, Southern National Motorsports Park, Kenly, N.C. (5th)
NEXT RACE: April 27, Motor Mile Twin 125s, Motor Mile Speedway, Radford, Va. (.416-mile banked oval)
DID YOU KNOW?
Reid Lanpher became the youngest driver in history (14) to win an event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when he won an Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour race on the road course at the facility last May.
Reid Lanpher finished fifth in just his fourth career Late Model Stock start while driving for JR Motorsports at Southern National Motorsports Park last month.
Reid Lanpher won the Super Late Model feature at the Wiscasset Speedway’s “Fall Brawl” last October, earning a victory in just his third career Super Late Model start.
Reid Lanpher will compete as a teammate at JR Motorsports to Josh Berry. Berry won the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track championship at Motor Mile Speedway in Fairlawn, Va.
Just 14 years old, Reid Lanpher has already won Super Late Model, Modified, Legend, go-kart, Mini-Cup, motocross and snowmobile feature events in his career.
Reid Lanpher will also compete in PASS-sanctioned Super Late Model races this season with his family-owned team at both Oxford Plains Speedway and Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, as well as compete in select weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series races at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
REID LANPHER, Driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, On his confidence level heading into his third trip to Southern National Motorsports Park: “It feels so much better every time I go – I get more and more excited every time I go back. When we went back there last time, we had gained on the car so much. We went back to the shop (after the first race) knowing what we wanted for the next week. We were able to make a lot of changes, and we gained a ton.
“I’m hoping we can go back having made some more changes and be even better than we were last time.”
On how his goals continue to evolve with each race weekend: “After finishing in the Top-5 last time – to show up there, in my second week and be able to do that – my only goal has always been to do better than my last finish there. I just want to keep getting better. Even if we’re faster but we don’t necessarily finish as well, as long as we have this momentum going forward, that’s all I really want.”
On having three weeks between races: “It’s only been an extra week this time. I don’t think it’s going to impact it a whole lot. I mean, all it does is make me more anxious, more excited after just not being down there racing.
“The biggest thing with the track is the temperature. It was a lot warmer the second race, and the track was a lot slower than the first time. It was at least two- or three-tenths (of a second per lap) slower. It’s all weather-related, but it should be really close this weekend to what it was.”