BOWMANVILLE, ON- NASCAR Canadian Tire Series veteran Jeff Lapcevich capped off a late-race run with a last-lap move to finish 2nd in the Pinty’s presents the Clarington 200 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The runner-up finish, the fourth of Lapcevich’s NCATS career at the 10-turn road course, kicks off what promises to be a busy season for the Fastline Motorsports camp.
“I’m proud of what our team put together on Sunday, we had to work for that one,” said Lapcevich of the May 17th event. “The car was really good, but we suffered some mid-race contact that tightened us up a lot. From there, the car was a bit of a handful, but we didn’t give up”
The Grimsby, ON driver took advantage of last-lap contact between leaders Scott Steckly and Andrew Ranger, wasting little time maneuvering through the corner-10 fracas to position his Tim Hortons No. 76 into the runner-up spot at the finish line.
“When I saw the leaders come together, it felt like equal parts disaster and opportunity,” explained Lapcevich. “I just wanted to make sure we got through the wreck. As soon as I was through, all I was focused on doing was getting to [eventual winner] Gary Klutt’s back bumper. There wasn’t much time for a sigh of relief”
When asked to reflect on his team’s performance as a whole, Lapcevich noted that, although they were kept out of victory lane, the Fastline Motorsports effort reached every other goal they had set forth entering the event.
“My guys did virtually everything I asked of them this weekend – it’s tough not to be happy with that. We wanted to be better on pit road, and we were. There’s still some room for improvement there, but we certainly took a step in the right direction this weekend”
“They gave me a great car,” continued Lapcevich. “It feels like every time we unload here we’re a little bit better than we were before. We came out and laid down the fastest lap of the race, which gives us a ton of confidence for the rest of the season”
“At the end of the day, finishing second with a tight front end and a beat up fender is a huge positive. We learned a lot about our racecar this weekend, and we’ll go home and see how we can apply that to be better for the future”
In addition to Jeff’s runner-up effort, his son – and Fastline Motorsports teammate – Cayden Lapcevich raced his way to a 17th place finish in his NCATS debut.
“I was incredibly proud of the effort that Cayden showed,” smiled Lapcevich. “He kept the fenders on and finished on the lead lap in not only his first series start, but also his first race ever on a road course”
“There’s a ton of positives that we’re taking home after Cayden’s debut,” continues the veteran. “I can’t wait to see him on an oval in a few weeks at Chaudiere. Don Thomson has done a fantastic job of leading our team already – and he already has a list of things to help make us better”
“It’s going to take some long nights in the shop, but our team isn’t afraid of a little hard work.”
Jeff Lapcevich’s 2015 campaign would not be possible without the support of Tim Hortons, Castrol, Cathcart Trucking, Springers Meats, EPIC Racewear and Troy Cove Marine.
For more information on Jeff and the rest of the Fastline Motorsports team, visit LapcevichRacing.com or follow @LapcevichRacing on Twitter.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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