By Ken de la Bastide

(October 29, 2013) - Noblesville driver Mark Lambert has been close to scoring a victory at Anderson Speedway, but that win remained elusive.

That all changed last Saturday night in the McGunegill Engine Performance Late Model season ending event with Lambert leading the final 54 laps of the 100-lap event.

Jeff Marcum, looking for his fourth win in five races set fast time during qualifications with young sensation Chris Hacker starting on the outside of the front row.

Marcum jumped into the lead at the start trailed by Hacker, Danny Trent, Steve Stacy and Lambert. Josh Poore broke into the top five on lap five with a pass of Stacy entering turn one. Poore’s night would end on lap 14 with an overheating problem.

The race went caution free until lap 46 when Trent, who has taken the lead from Marcum on lap 44 with an inside pass coming off the fourth corner, spun by himself in turn two.

After inheriting the lead, Lambert was followed by Hacker, Stacy, Marcum and 2013 track champion Ronnie Rose.

The yellow flag waved again on lap 58 when Tyler Marsh spun in turn four and for the second time Trent was sent to the tail of the field.

After the Aerco Heating & Cooling restart, Marcum slowed on lap 62 just before the caution flag waved two laps later for a spin by Ronnie Phipps.

There were two more yellow flags on lap 66 for a spin by Stacy and when Lambert and Hacker battled for the lead on the back straight, they made contact with Hacker spinning to a stop.

The final caution came on lap 86 when Stacy spun on the back straight which set up a 14-lap dash to the finish.

Lambert started with Rose on the outside with Trent, Marsh and Phipps rounding out the top five.

Trent and Stacy passed Rose on lap 92 but neither was able to catch Lambert, who won by two-seconds. Hacker and Phipps rounded out the top five.

In was Lambert’s seventh appearance of the year at Anderson Speedway havig not finished lower than fourth in MEP and CRA competition.

“Finally got a win here,” Lambert said in the Tim Thompson Nationwide Insurance Winner’s Circle. “This track has owed us a win for about five years; we’ve probably raced here 20 times.

“I was having a good race with the 24 (Hacker) but I don’t know what happened on the back straight,” he said. “If I got into him, I’m sorry for that.”