ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. – It took all year, but Matt Campbell finally found his way Saturday at Lincoln Speedway.
The 23-year-old completed his first full season at the three-eighths-mile dirt track in Jerry Parrish’s No. 21 with a long-awaited trip to victory lane.
How Campbell finally manifested the moment, in the ride made famous by nine-time Lincoln champion Brian Montieth, evoked the compelling spirit of his predecessor.
Strong-willed and with zeal, Campbell outgunned fellow Pennsylvania Posse young guns Devon Borden, Anthony Macri and Chase Dietz in a high-octane showdown decided by .156 seconds and a drag race to the finish line.
It took 29 starts for Campbell and the new-look Premier Racing Team group to obtain Lincoln glory.
The next day, at the Premier Autoworks shop five minutes from their Saturday night home, Campbell set the record straight.
“You can’t like or celebrate it like it only happens every once in a while,” Campbell said. “We would like to be contending all the time. You just move forward on it. You pat yourself on the back about it and move on to the next race. You try to keep improving anyway you can.”
Campbell is one of many fresh faces that entered the Central PA 410 sprint car scene full-time this year.
Borden, who nearly defeated Campbell with a last-lap pass Saturday, is a 410 rookie in Mike Heffner’s No. 27. Dietz took over John Trone’s historic No. 39 machine this year. Macri has raced 60 times or more the past five years, but leads the youthful wave in PA as the nation’s youngest double-digit winner this season at 22 years old.
Statistically, Campbell hasn’t been as good as Borden, Dietz and Macri.
But those comparisons don’t preoccupy him, much less influence the meaning of Saturday’s win versus the aforementioned trio even if his second victory of the year added some claim to his name.
“We’ve been content with how the cars have been recently,” Campbell said. “We’ve had some bad luck. I haven’t [qualified] good. That hurts you. But the cars are handling the way they are, the way we want at the end of the year going into next year. We have a base now to build off of. That’s what I’m excited for.”
Campbell’s next race is also his last of the year: the Sprint Showdown Nov. 14 at BAPS Motor Speedway.
This Saturday, he’ll miss Central PA’s penultimate event at BAPS for a wedding, arrangements Campbell agreed upon more than a year ago.
Still, the three-week layoff that’s practically brought him into the offseason isn’t a reason to ease into the week.
On Tuesday, Campbell labored through another long day as a mechanical contractor. He’s currently part of a large construction project in Fawn Grove, Pa.
Even then, opting for relaxation over a typical night at the Premier shop wasn’t an option.
“We won, and it’s cool, and I’m happy about it, but I’m already thinking about getting ready for the next race because this is what we do: we work, we put in the wrench-time all the time, to go out and get good runs,” Campbell said. “You win, you’re happy, you’re satisfied, but you don’t dwell on it too long because there’s always the next race.
“It’s satisfying, your work is paying off,” Campbell said. “You have to stay on top of it. That’s how you build a consistent, winning race team.”
Campbell is genuinely trying to find his way. He’s competed 55 times this year, one race more than his entire workload from 2018 to ‘20 in his family car (54 races the previous seasons).
The program’s longtime crew chief, Scott Zellers, left the team midway through the year to spend more time with family and help his son at the karting level.
Kirk Dewease has assumed the role Zellers excelled in for so many years.
The 2021 body of work – two wins and seven top fives in 54 races – doesn’t look appealing, but Campbell and Dewease have improved Premier Racing Team’s win count from one to two this year.
“We should definitely hope to be not only more consistent but definitely want to contend for more wins next year and I think if we keep doing what we’re doing, if everything works out, we can get to that point,” Campbell said.
“You don’t build a program overnight,” Campbell added. “It takes time. We’ve put in the time. I’ve surrounded myself with good people to do it.
“Next year should be fun,” Campbell said.