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| Auto racer Garrett Lamb captured the checkered flag at Oxford Plains Speedway on July 4, winning in only his second time competing at that racetrack. He began his career at age 4 by racing go-karts at Victory Lane indoor karting in Portland. PHOTO COURTESY OF GARRETT LAMB |
He
may have only just graduated last month from high school, but Windham’s Garrett
Lamb isn’t letting youth stand in the way of racing success.
In
just his second time competing at the Oxford Plains Speedway, Lamb, 18, won in
a 12-car 30-lap Street Stock division race on July 4. It’s just another
accomplishment for the young racer, who began by racing go-karts at age 4 at Victory
Lane indoor karting in Portland.
His
win at Oxford came in just his seventh overall career Street Stock race following previous starts at Scarborough's Beech Ridge Motor Speedway's entry-level Thursday Thunder events.
“As
a young kid I always looked up to drivers like Dan Mckeage, Trever Sandborn,
and Reggie Leeman,” Lamb said. “I have always looked up to the way these
drivers have raced and conducted themselves on the racetrack. “I’ve also
raced at Richmond Karting Speedway for about five years. My father has been
involved in racing his whole life, so I was brought up around it and I have
been involved with it for most of my life.”
Lamb currently is racing in a Street Stock/Wildcat, a 1982 Chevrolet Camaro with a 602-crate motor. He will attend Southern New Hampshire University this fall to study mechanical engineering.
Street
stock racing division features a rough and tumble class of production-based
race car. It’s the most competitive type of racing because the fewest number of
modifications are authorized to be made to the race car and cars can be easily
brought up to division racing standards.
“My
favorite thing about driving a race car is just being able to hang out with my
friends and family,” Lamb said. “Our entire race team is just a huge family and
it is so awesome to be able to hang out with my friends at the racetrack.”
Lamb
said that the most challenging aspect about racing at this stage of his career
is his lack of experience in a full-sized car compared to most of the
competitors that I he races against.
“I
have only been in a full-sized car for three full seasons and this will be my
first full season in this type of race car,” he said.
In
addition to his two races so far at the Oxford Plains Speedway, Lamb also
competed in last year’s Ikey Dorre Memorial race at Speedway 95 in Bangor and
finished 11th in the 100-lap race there.
To
support his career, Lamb works in the grocery department at Walmart and is
sponsored by Dodo’s Hot Rods; Libby’s Septic; Portland Speed; Top
Gun Construction; Mad Mikes Custom Detailing; DynaMaxx Training
System; B&D Burner Service; ASM Graphics; Chasing The
Checkered; East Coast Communication; Jay and Brenda Robinson;
Lucille Brockman; David and Josh Childs; Black Flag
Podcast; Night Owl Creations; Naughty 40 Racing; and Shamrock
Farms.
“I
typically race in the Wildcat division at Beech Ridge on Saturday nights,” Lamb
said. “However due to the pandemic, we ventured to Oxford Plains Speedway for a
couple races this year and ended up picking up a victory in the street stock
division.”
While
competing at Beech Ridge, Lamb finished second overall in the points standing
during his first season but went back the following year and won two races there
and the overall championship.
“It
is one of the most special accomplishments in my racing career,” Lamb said.
The
Lamb Family has been involved in racing for most of their lives.
“My
dad Scott Lamb maintains all of my cars and is my biggest supporter,” Lamb said.
“My mom Amy Lamb is another huge supporter that lets me love my dream out and
race.”
He
competes for Naughty 40 Racing, a racing team owned by Dan Mckeage.
“I
have known Dan as a family friend my entire life and now he’s given me the
chance to love my dream and race one of his cars. I cannot thank him enough for
every he has done for me and provided for me,” Lamb said. “I can’t thank
everybody on Team Naughty enough as well. We are all a huge family and they
deserve as much credit for my racing as anybody and that includes Greg Emerson,
David Boucher, Chris Robbins, Steve and Missy Taylor, Tim Bennet, Jason and
Wade Kennedy, Shawn, Laura and Daniel Mckeage."
According
to Lamb, Dan Mckeage also owns a Super Late Model that Team Naughty has raced
all around the Northeast.
“I
am the tire guy on his car and my father is the car chief on the car,” Lamb
said. “We all work together just about every weekend of the year whether I am
racing or not.”
For
Lamb, he said he’s found that the worst aspect of being a race car driver is the
ability to keep a clear mind inside of the car while driving.
After
the summer he’ll head off to college, so Lamb’s racing plans for the future are
unclear.
“We
will continue to race the Wildcat/Street Stock as long as we can until another
opportunity presents itself to move up in division,” he said.
And
for those seeking to following in his footsteps in a career in racing,
Lamb has some simple guidance.
“Some
advice that I would give to an upcoming racer would be to stay focused and stay
determined,” he said. “With every opportunity that you are presented, you need
to take advantage of it immediately because you never know when it might go
away.” <
