Lampman Last To Lead In DIRTcar 358-Mod Series Thriller At Merrittville
*Alex Bruce Photo Attachment
Thorold, ONT – May 18, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
It took three extra weeks to find a winner in the Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series opener at Merrittville Speedway, and still one additional lap before officials could finally bestow the coveted crown on Monday.
That was just enough time for local favorite Larry Lampman Jr. to charge past American invader Jimmy Phelps and roll on to capture his first career tour triumph in the ‘Spring Sizzler 50’ to begin his own Victoria Day celebration.
Not only is Lampman the current points leader at the storied Thorold, Ontario third-miler, the two-time Merrittville champion now stands atop the standings after round one of the 2009 Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series.
“Racing here every week definitely helps,” stated Lampman, 33, who stole the lead from Phelps just before the yellow lights flashed for the fifth and final time to produce a green-white-checkered flag finish. “And the lapped traffic definitely helped out tonight.”
“Phelps, Planck, Bicknell and Brachmann … all these guys are some of the best short-track racers in the country. And its always an honor to race against them. Jimmy got me on that one restart high, it was a good race for him. The track was pretty slippery so some of my experience certainly paid off at the end,” remarked Lampman, who finished eighth in this same race last spring after starting at the rear of the field in the borrowed ride of owner Dan Miller’s Players Athletic Lager Co./Bicknell entry.
This time around recognized as the first-string driver in Miller’s yellow no. 22 CMH Leasing/BRP mount, Lampman remained up front throughout the race, overtaking front row partner Phelps on the second circuit and swapping the point four more times before warming the capacity crowd with a dramatic story-book finish. Phelps settled for runner-up honors followed by last year’s race winner Dale Planck, hard charger Stewart Friesen and all-time Merrittville winner Pete Bicknell, who was placed fifth after Frenchman David Hebert was penalized from jumping on the last restart.
Fifty-five 358-Modifieds signed in at Merrittville on April 25 before rain intervened to delay the show until the Canadian holiday. Finishing second in his heat to co-fast time trialer Robbie Krull, Lampman took advantage of the customary pre-race draw to select the pole. He joined Phelps on the front row when activity resumed three weeks later with still 41 cars making the tow to the fan-friendly Highway 50 facility.
While Lampman and Phelps paced the 32-car starting field for the duration, top-10 positions fluctuated behind them as smooth track conditions prevailed to provide plenty of side-by-side battles in every corner. Veteran drivers mired deep in the all-star line-up were among the biggest movers on the day with no less than a half-dozen of the most seasoned chauffeurs improving at least 16 positions in the 33-minute main.
While 20th starter Planck broke the top-10 with 20 laps scored, third-generation standout Friesen made his way from 26th into the first 10 spots by the halfway point. Lampman and Phelps held a commanding lead ahead of Scott Wood ---fresh off his recent Saturday night victory at Merrittville--- and Hebert while Planck powered his way into the front-five with 30 laps complete.
Just as Lampman had ducked under Phelps for first-place on an earlier lap 13 restart, Phelps nearly mirrored the move on the lap 32 restart yet after just one more lap around the Baldwinsville, New York speedster was out front for the third time. Planck and Wood traded paint in pursuit of the show position while Bicknell and Friesen dialed in their mounts as the final laps clicked off.
The same green flag conditions that allowed Phelps to build up a seemingly comfortable lead with 10 laps to go proved to be the deciding factor as traffic grew thicker in the closing stages. Phelps made a bold move splitting the machines of New Yorker Lance Willix and New Jerseyman Rich Scagliotta on lap 42 to find some room, yet with five laps still to go Lampman was back in his shadow in pursuit of his second win of the season at Merrittville.
With the white flag ready to drop on the lead duo as they exited turn four, Lampman got the needed bite and nosed ahead across the line just as Wood’s day came to an abrupt with a spin out of the third corner to force out the final yellow. The two-lap dash to the checkers was hardly enough for Phelps to challenge the Port Colborne, Ontario pilot with Lampman opening up a two car-length advantage as he crossed the stripe to collect the $4,000 top prize.
“The track definitely fooled us a little bit tonight,” admitted Phelps, who registered his first career 358-Modified Series win last September at Canandaigua (NY) Speedway after dominating the Big-Block tour stop at Merrittville just one month prior. “We should’ve tightened it up for this deal.”
“It was a fun race out there, could’ve went either way. Larry did a helluva job, he kept digging on those restarts. He just jumped out there on that last one and I couldn’t stay with him. He had the best car and did a great job so congratulations, he deserves it,” added Phelps, after leading 21 laps aboard the potent no. 99J J&B Installations-Town Mechanical/Troyer entry.
Returning to Merrittville after lapping up to the runner-up car of Danny O’Brien in last year’s 100-lap romp, Planck settled for the show position steering the RezX Racing no. 77X Grow It Hydroseeding/TEO mount.
“We knocked out the pan-hard bar and after that all we could do was just hang on for the ride,” noted Planck, who owns four victories on DIRTcar Racing Northeast’s premier tour for Small-Block Modifieds. “So I’m really happy just to be here.”
“The track was super and slickened up which was good because we raced at Cornwall (Ont.) last night and left in the same set-up. We didn’t get any hot laps tonight so its hard to complain about the way things went for us,’ Planck added.
Racing in the Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series continues back in the states later in the summer when Ransomville (NY) Speedway hosts round #2 of the premier Small-Block Modified tour in the Northeast on Friday, July 31. Coors Light and Hard Copy Wholesale present the 25th Alex Friesen Summer Nationals with $4,000 on the line for the 100-lap feature winner.
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