BOWMANVILLE, ON- Jeff Lapcevich returned to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park eager to follow up on his season-opening runner up finish. The Grimsby, ON veteran once again did not disappoint, kicking off the weekend earning the pole position with a fast lap of 84.087 seconds at 105.277 mph.
“The car was working really good in time trials. I was real happy with the way our crew came together to give us a strong piece after the damage we took in Trois-Rivieres”
Lapcevich wasted little time in the race’s early stages, jumping out to an impressive lead as soon as the green flag waved over the 36-car field.
“I didn’t feel like we were pushing the issue early on in the race, the car just felt comfortable. It’s always good to be at the front, it felt like it had been forever since we’ve been there”
Lapcevich would forfeit the lead after pitting early for tires and fuel, and after cutting his way through the pack, was running 8th and making a move for the top-5 when the eventual race-ending red flag was displayed for a hard wreck involving Steven Mathews and Ray Courtemanche Jr.
“Unfortunately, we ended up a little behind on our track position after our pit stop. It hurt us”, explained Lapcevich. “We had to come from behind. I think at one point we were all the way back in 29th. To end up 8th in a shortened race is certainly not bad at all. We could have used those last 8 laps, but that’s how it goes sometimes”
Post-race, Lapcevich was all smiles, lamenting that despite the event being cut short, his Fastline Motorsports team is able to cap their road course program for 2013 with their heads held high.
“I think our car would’ve had something for the leaders if we had stayed green, it would’ve been exciting for sure. When we left here in the Spring, I felt as though we had the best car. We made some slight changes because we were struggling getting out of 5B, and that made a huge difference. It’s hard to say what the car would have done on long runs, because we never got one, but I feel as though we were every bit as good as any car out there”
Lapcevich’s Tim Hortons/Castrol/Cathcart Trucking/Troy Cove Marine/Springer’s Meats supported entry will return to action with the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on September 21st at Kawartha Speedway for the Pinty’s 250.
To keep up with Jeff and the rest of the Fastline Motorsports team, be sure to visit LapcevichRacing.com all season long.
By Spencer Lewis
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