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Before the mechanical failure, Lapcevich embraced a solid start to his second appearance in the Snowball Derby. Through the week leading into the high-pressure qualifying session on Friday night, his No. 32 Evirum | Allrem Racing Ford Mustang showcased speed with competitive lap times in the several practice efforts leading up to the two-lap time trials run.
Lapcevich easily qualified for the 57th annual Snowball Derby after delivering the 13th fastest lap for his family-owned Fastline Motorsports team. With his strong performance locked into the race, Lapcevich could concentrate on the final practice session on Saturday for final adjustments before focusing on the 300-lap feature on Sunday afternoon.
From the drop of the green flag, Lapcevich tried to throttle forward. Still, while many expected the track to be soaked in sunshine, Mother Nature threw a curveball at the competitors and instead blanketed the track in cloud cover, which affected the handling of many race cars, including Lapcevich.
Despite Lapcevich’s struggle to get the grip he needed to accelerate off the corners, the zMAX CARS Tour winner found himself slipping through the field. However, his team’s unwavering support and commitment to combat his handling woes provided him with reassurance.
The opportunity to adjust the handling of the No. 32 Evirum | Allrem Racing Ford Mustang came before Lap 100 with a routine pit stop that included tires, fuel, and a significant chassis adjustment.
On the restart, Lapcevich was on the move with the speed back in his race car and began charging through the field, attempting to make up the ground lost early in the race.
The former NASCAR Canada Series champion fought back to his initial starting position of 13th when smoke poured out of the tailpipes before a brief fire erupted as Lapcevich’s car rested in Turn 2.
The dejected driver climbed from his race car visibly frustrated. The engine failure left the 20-year-old with a disappointing 28th-place finish after just 115 of 300 laps completed.
“Unfortunately, we had to end our season this way,” said Lapcevich. “I cannot begin to thank my family-owned team enough for their hard work. We didn’t have the balance we needed at the start of the race, but we knew what we needed to do to get back on track.”
“Luckily, that opportunity came, and we were able to make the necessary adjustments and make the climb back through the field before the engine let go. It’s a major bummer, but we’ll be back, and hopefully, the third time’s a charm next December.”
Treyten Lapcevich and brother Cayden Lapcevich were two pairs of brother siblings who participated in Sunday’s Snowball Derby alongside Caden and Carson Kvapil.
Unfortunately, the older brother also suffered hardship in the historic Super Late Model, even after being collected in a multi-car restart accident on Lap 83. This resulted in a dejecting 35th-place finish for the elder Lapcevich.
Treyten Lapcevich’s plans for the 2025 racing season will be announced in due course.
For more on Treyten Lapcevich, like him on Facebook (treyten.lapcevich) and follow him on Instagram (@treytenlapcevich) and X | Twitter (@TreytenL).
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