Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
On Saturday night, Treyten Lapcevich put on the perfect cap to a great season, scoring the victory in the season finale. With the feature victory trophy in hand, the 11-year-old was crowned the 2015 Signs of Innovation Mighty Mini Champion, becoming Sunset Speedway’s youngest track champion.
“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Lapcevich commented post-race to Spencer Lewis. “It’s been awesome racing in this division this season – I’ve learned more than I ever thought I would. It’s pretty incredible.”
Lapcevich started off the season solidly, posting an eighth place finish on opening night. He then continued to run solidly in the top-10 with four more solid finishes, including a pair of sevenths, to enter July with confidence on his side.
July 18 could be deemed as the turning point of the season, though, as it was that night that the youngster broke out in style. He scored his first career heat victory, and then went out and scored the victory in the feature for his first career win. From there on, the youngster was solid from there on out, scoring top-four in each of the seven following events, highlighted by a pair of victories.
With the solid consistency, Lapcevich entered the season finale leading the standings by a single point over fellow rookie Cameron McGlashan.
“I just came into tonight not wanting to make a mistake,” he explained. “Of course there was pressure, because the points were so close.”
He would win his qualifying heat and the Fast Qualifier’s Dash, setting him up for a strong run in the feature. Starting in the ninth spot, Lapcevich worked his way to the front of the field quickly, moving into second on lap four. He would then track down Chris Allard for the lead, getting alongside him with nine laps to go. He would take the lead the next lap, putting the No. 32 Tim Hortons, Castrol, Cathcart Trucking, Springers Meats, EPIC Racewear and Troy Cove Marine entry out front. From there on, it was total cruise control for the youngster en route to victory lane.
“In the end, my Dad and my team gave me an awesome car, and we were able to finish what we started,” Lapcevich added. “It’s an honour to be a champion here.”
The youngster has already started the next step of his career, running some of the Mini Stock invitational races this year. He has had success there already, posting a sixth place finish in the 35-lap feature in August. He then backed it up with a solid 11th-place finish in September’s 50-lap invitational.
Now scheduled to take part in the season finale Velocity 250 event, he’ll certainly be looking for another strong performance.
