June 5, 2010, KOMOKA, ON – Jeff Lapcevich dodged last-lap accidents to score an impressive third place finish in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series opener at Delaware Speedway Saturday night. Scattered showers all around the London area speedway made track conditions difficult, but the Grimsby, Ontario, driver overcame adverse conditions to find the podium.
"I don't think I've ever had to dodge so many accidents," said the Tim Hortons/Castrol-sponsored driver after the race. "There was two on the last lap alone.
"This really feels good. We had the cars rebuilt in North Carolina this winter, and we've made changes on the crew and in the shop. It's a big morale booster to come out and run this strong. I couldn't be happier for Tim Hortons and the rest of our sponsors."
Lapcevich qualified a disappointing 12th in time trials, but he steadily moved to the front early in the race. With rain looming over the speedway Lapcevich's new crew chief Rob "Bucket" Torrey elected to gamble by staying on the race track when most cars pitted for fresh tires. The gamble forced Lapcevich to drive a loose handling race car, but it saw him lead briefly mid-race.
After being shuffled back on a restart, Lapcevich finally pitted for fresh tires with less than 50 laps to go. The chances of regaining a top spot seemed slim for Lapcevich, but opportunity knocked in the closing laps.
"The late race restarts were crazy," said Lapcevich. "Everyone was racing really aggressively. The last restart with two laps left was wild."
Lapcevich restarted seventh with two laps remaining. The ensuing carnage was a challenge. With one lap remaining Lapcevich was outside the top five, but two separate accidents on the closing lap changed everything. Lapcevich narrowly avoided the carnage to come home third behind DJ Kennington of St. Thomas, and JR Fitzpatrick of Cambridge.
"I was happy to just keep the car in one piece on that last lap," he said. "When I realized we finished third I was pretty excited."
Lapcevich returns to one of his favourite race tracks next weekend when the Canadian Tire Series heads to Mosport International Raceway. The veteran road racer always shows well on the road course, and momentum is a big factor in stock car racing.
"We've finished our last few seasons fairly wellg," recalled Lapcevich. "It's reassuring to start this strong. The crew has worked hard for this."
For more information on Lapcevich and his Fastline Motorsports team visit
www.LapcevichRacing.com .
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