Cayuga: Race notes

LYNCH TAKES OPPORTUNITY AND WINS SUBWAY 300

NELLES CORNERS, Ontario (Sept. 1, 2007) -- Derek Lynch (No. 77 Allied Steel Buildings/Canadian Shield Dodge) played the role of opportunist to win the Subway 200 presented by Sicard Holiday Campers at Cayuga Speedway Park.

Peter Gibbons (No. 1 Canadian Tire/Master Craft Chevrolet) and Jim Lapcevich (No. 25 EMCEA Transport/Tim Hortons Chevrolet) exchanged the lead five times in the final 37 laps, but on the final turn of the final lap the two locked bumpers sending both cars spinning out of contention. Lynch was more than happy to fill the void and pick up his first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio victory. He was able to outdistance runner-up Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Wal-Mart/Tide Ford) to the finish line by just over a half second.

Last lap passes for the win are some of the most exciting in racing and the Canadian Tire Series has made it routine. Five of the last six races have been determined on final lap lead exchanges.

"Gibbons and Jim (Lapcevich) were going at each other pretty hard there for a long time," said the victorious Lynch. "I wasn't going to stick my nose in there. I had a top five car and I wanted to bring it home that way."

Lynch, out of Warkworth, Ontario, was racing under the colors of a new sponsor -- Allied Steel Buildings -- and he was happy to bring them on board with a win.

"It really could not have worked out better," Lynch said. "It's the perfect ending for their first race. The car looked great, but more importantly it drove great. It hasn't been our best season, but this gives us some great momentum for the last three races."

Polesitter Don Thomson Jr. (No.4 Home Hardware Chevrolet) had his sights set on taking both ends of the Cayuga doubleheader in 2007 after having won the May race, but that bid was foiled on just the eighth lap. As the field was heading into turn three, Kerry Micks (No. 02 Beyond Digital Imaging Ford) made contact with Thomson which sparked a multi-car accident. Involved in the accident beyond Thomson was his Fitzpatrick Motorsports teammate J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Milwaukee Electric Tools Chevrolet) and Doug Brown (No. 10 Haldex/NAPA Dodge). All three cars were knocked from contention. Only Fitzpatrick was able to make repairs and re-enter the race despite being 85 laps down.

With Thomson and Fitzpatrick sitting second and third, respectively, in the championship point standings, the beneficiary of the accident was Ranger. As the current points leader, Ranger found himself in the second position on the track after the smoke cleared.

Ranger took the ball and ran with it by wrestling the race lead away from D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol/Krispy Kreme Dodge) on lap 35. He did not surrender that lead until he headed to pit road for service on lap 130 along with most of the other leaders.

The changes made to the Ranger machine by the Jacombs Racing team did not have the desired effect. The car did not seem as strong once the green flag racing resumed.

"No, the car did not like the changes at all," stated Ranger. "But second place is a great finish for us here."

The pit stops shuffled the field, but Gibbons, who was running second to Ranger prior to the stops, quickly worked his way through the pack and assumed the race lead on lap 138. He went on to lead 41 of the final 62 laps of the race. However the final lap incident with Jim Lapcevich relegated him to a seventh-place finish.

Kennington started the race in the third position and stayed among the leader all evening and collected the third-place trophy and snapped a brief two-race slump.

Micks rebounded from the early race incident to finish fourth -- his fourth consecutive top-five finish. Brad Graham (No. 19 Full Throttle Energy Drink/Challenger Freight Dodge) earned his first top five of the season with his fifth-place effort.

Jeff Lapcevich, Gibbons, Jim Lapcevich, Jason Hathaway and Randy MacDonald rounded out the top 10.

The race was slowed six times for 40 laps. The lead changed hands 14 times with 10 different drivers out in front.

In the unofficial championship point standings, Ranger's second-place finish certainly didn't hurt, but his case was further aided by the suffering of Thomson and Fitzpatrick. Ranger stretched his lead from 91 points coming into the race to 112. Micks and Kennington now share the second spot, but Micks gets the nod due to his two victories compared to Kennington's one. Thomson and Fitzpatrick dropped to fifth and sixth, respectively.

The Canadian Tire Series visits the cozy confines of Barrie (Ontario) Speedway for the ATTO 300 next Saturday evening.

-credit: nascar