Lattomus Adapts Through Crew Transition and Tough Breaks, Keeps Foot on the Gas

The last six weeks have tested the depth of Preston Lattomus’s program as much as his driving. Despite a crew chief departure, a scheduling crunch, and a pair of hard-luck DNFs alongside genuine speed and two notable recovery drives, Lattomus found creative ways to keep himself in a seat every weekend.

A Changing Crew

At the end of August, crew chief Kyle Reinhardt stepped away from the team for the remainder of the season for the birth of his and his wife’s first child. Scott McClaren, who has helped fill in as lead wrench, is unable to cover Friday races due to his son’s football schedule, limiting the team’s availability on certain nights through the rest of the year.

“I’m very thankful for those guys. They put in countless hours to get us to the track every night,” Lattomus said. 

“Kyle has helped me get better every night, with just little insights and things he saw to help me improve. I’m incredibly happy for Kyle to move on to the next chapter of his life and continue to make everyone around him proud to know him.“

Three Races, One Borrowed Ride

With the team unable to run its own No. 91 on Fridays for the rest of the season, the search for a way to keep Lattomus racing led to an opportunity with car owner John Westbrook, whose No. 1w became available after regular driver Buddy Schweibinz moved over to the 69k for a series of events. 

The arrangement with Westbrook was planned as a three-race stint — Williams Grove on September 18th, BAPS Motor Speedway on September 19th, and Williams Grove again on September 25th — with no further Westbrook dates currently planned.

“I actually really enjoyed the way the 1w felt. The car was very balanced and pleasant to drive,” Lattomus said. 

“It was definitely a learning experience as far as getting to try something new and experience something different.“

Six Weeks on Track

The stretch opened at Lincoln Speedway on September 5th, where Lattomus qualified 15th and rallied from 18th to 16th in a tough A-Main. The following night, back at Lincoln, the No. 91 was arguably the best car on the track entering the feature after Lattomus started 2nd.

“The car was on point most of the night and felt like the best car on the track come feature time,” he said — but about 15 laps in, a part failure in the steering sent him into the wall, ending the night early.

Lattomus made his first start in Westbrook’s No. 1w on September 18th at Williams Grove, qualifying 8th in his group and winning his heat race outright. His night ended on the opening lap of the A-Main when another car changed lanes in front of him entering the back stretch, collecting him in the process.

“It sucked that it happened, and it was in John Westbrook’s car,” Lattomus said. 

“I feel we had a great shot at moving forward in the feature and didn’t get an opportunity to even try.“

The next night at BAPS Motor Speedway, a solid car led to a 5th-place heat finish, but an early-race incident in the A-Main sent Lattomus to the back of the field. He fought forward to a 14th-place finish.

“There were still things I felt I needed to learn in the 1w,” he said. 

“Restarted in the back and passed a good amount of cars. Learned a lot for my first full feature in the car.”

Back at Williams Grove on September 25th, a steering issue in qualifying and limited passing room in the heat sent Lattomus to the B-Main, which he won from the pole to transfer into the feature. Starting 19th in the A-Main, he passed five cars in the first two laps before the track rubbered up, locking the field into a single fast line and limiting further passing for the rest of the race. He finished 13th.

“I knew we had a good car from running fast laps in the heat, so the B-Main was just to try something while being out front and learn,” he said.

The stretch closed back at Lincoln Speedway on September 30th, where Lattomus qualified 4th and started on the pole of his heat race, but dropped from 1st to 4th on the opening lap before settling for a 5th-place finish. He started 14th in the A-Main and finished 17th.

“The last six weeks have been just like the rest of the season — up and down,” Lattomus said. 

“We’ve had some really good moments with speed and car handling, but we just couldn’t put a night together.“

Looking Ahead

Lattomus will close out the season back in the team’s own No. 91, with stops planned for a Saturday show at Selinsgrove Speedway, the season finale at Lincoln Speedway, the final two shows of the year at BAPS Motor Speedway, and the Dirty Jersey Saturday show at Bridgeport Speedway.