Beers Three-Peats At Lancaster Over Emerling In Nu-Way Auto Parts 150
Story By: MARTY CZEKALA / RPW – LANCASTER, N.Y. – What is it that makes Austin Beers so good at Lancaster Motorplex in the last few years?
Strategy seemed to be the case in addition to a good team that works on the No. 64.
“This team is amazing,” said Beers post-race. “They give me a really good car every time I come out. I just have an advantage on most of the guys other than the locals and we’re able to put ourselves in position to be out front and not make mistakes.”
Beers held off a late charging Patrick Emerling in the final laps to score the win in the Nu-Way Auto Parts 150, his third consecutive in the event.
“Tonight was the hardest of the three for sure,” Beers said. “I was working my butt off trying to keep Emerling, Justin and Matt behind.”
After the first yellow for a spinning John-Michael Shenette, this was when the strategy game began for Beers. He along with Mike Christopher Jr. pitted for fresher rubber and it paid off. A near 50 lap run paid off as Beers climbed up to fourth before a yellow at halfway for Craig Lutz.
While many double pitted under the yellow for fresh rear tires, Beers was one of seven to pit once under the yellow to put him second next to Kyle Bonsignore.
“We figured this would be a long run type event,” Beers said. “I was really free and didn’t have much grip the first 20 laps. I knew we had to come to pit road and make an adjustment or else hang on the rest of the race and go laps down. It stapled our strategy once we got to halfway. Save what you got until you got to go.”
In a race that drivers said was about track position, Beers took the race lead when Kyle Bonsignore made a stop under a lap 93 yellow to change a right front. It was a decision that surprised the winner.
“I was trying to catch him because I’d rather start on the bottom,” said Beers. “I used my tires up for no reason but it all work out.”
With the win being Beers’ first on the Tour this season, he comes the seventh different winner in seven races, tying the season record for different winners to start a year with 1999.
“The quality of competition on the Tour is the best in the Northeast,” Beers said. “With six other guys that can still win this year, we just got to keep fighting. Try to become the first multi-time winner at Monadnock next week.”
Emerling passed Hirschman for the lead with 87 to go before the long run ended. Under his first of two pit stops under the yellow at halfway, Emerling overshot his pit box, losing more track position and restarting 10th. With a fast car on the long run and catching Beers about a tenth on average, it was just not enough.
“I needed track position there,” said Emerling. “We had the car to beat tonight and thought we would go get him but the outside on the restart, guys moved me in the marbles and freight trained me. Just had to work by them and used too much car. In the lead, you don’t have to use your car as much.”
The highlight entry of the night was Ryan Newman making an appearance in Tim Connolly’s No. 4. Newman placed 15th in his maiden appearance at Lancaster and had a car up in the top five at one point before mechanical issues forced the car to run the final third of the race off the mark.
In addition, Ryan’s daughter Brooklyn ran in the Sportsman division at Lancaster and finished 11th after starting 18th.
“Big thanks to Lancaster Motorplex and Mikey Myers to come up here and race,” said Newman. “It was instrumental in helping get my daughter a car to race in Sportsman. Good to see her move forward. Not the finish [I] wanted by any means. Had a tire shaking at the end so backed off for the last 45 laps. I’d like to come back here.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to Monadnock next weekend for a pair of 200 lap shows.
Nu-Way Auto Parts 150 (150 Laps): 1. 64-Austin Beers[9]; 2. 1-Patrick Emerling[2]; 3. 60-Matt Hirschman[1]; 4. 22-Kyle Bonsignore[6]; 5. 14-Jake Lutz[12]; 6. 3-Tyler Rypkema[10]; 7. 7-Luke Baldwin[3]; 8. 51-Justin Bonsignore[5]; 9. 46-Craig Lutz[11]; 10. 165-George Skora III[15]; 11. 54-Tommy Catalano[4]; 12. 84-Tyler Catalano[16]; 13. 56-Trevor Catalano[7]; 14. 77-Michael Christopher Jr[14]; 15. 4-Ryan Newman[13]; 16. 21-Stephen Kopcik[8]; 17. 59-Tyler Barry[17]; 18. 18-Kenneth Heagy[18]; 19. 8-John Michael Shenette[19]; 20. 26-Gary McDonald[20]
