PEGHER EARNS $6,000 AT MERCER IN RICHEST FASTRAK NORTHEAST LATE MODEL TOURING SERIES EVENT EVER

By Mike Leone

July 3, 2010                        

Mercer, PA…The FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series made their first appearance of the season to Mercer Raceway Park on Saturday night for race #8 of 20 on the 2010 slate.  The “National” Event drew 39 drivers from eight states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Georgia.

 

After going winless on the Northeast Touring Series since May 23, 2009, Mike Pegher, Jr. has turned up the wick of late.  Saturday night Pegher scored his third Touring Series win in the past four events, which was the biggest of his racing career in the richest Touring Series event in the four-year history of the Series.  The $6,000 victory came in the 40-lap “Summer Nationals”. 

 

“I wasn’t liking those cautions very much,” described the Wexford, Pa. driver about the four cautions in the last five laps after 35 non-stop laps.  “I looked up and seen we were at lap 32 and was hoping we would go green the whole way.  We were pretty good.  We needed to be a little bit tighter, but otherwise the car was on a rail.”

 

Pegher drew the pole position from the top two finishers in each of the four heats and raced to the early lead.  South Carolina invader David Smith tucked in behind Pegher with Joe Martin using the outside to get around Steve Dixon for third.  The laps ticked off as Pegher caught lapped traffic on lap nine.  At this point he had a half-straightaway lead.  Pegher slowly picked off lapped cars, while maintaining his lead.

 

On lap 17, Pegher found himself in heavy lapped traffic, while Martin closed on Smith for second.  The laps continued to tick off as Smith then distanced himself from Martin, but by lap 27 Martin was right on the southern star.  Dixon was able to run down Smith and Martin and made it a three-car race for the lead on lap 33. 

 

A spin by Rocky Kugel with 35 laps completed slowed action for the first time.  After another lap was completed, a four-car accident involving defending Series champion David Scott slowed action.  On the ensuing restart, Dixon made the move on Martin to grab third before Gary Knollinger spun and collected several top running cars including Smith, Dixon, Doug Horton, and Butch Lambert. 

 

The accident moved Martin to second with 10th starting Max Blair third.  One more caution with 38 laps completed slowed action before the final two laps could be run off.  With Martin and Blair now on Pegher’s tail, they were unable to contest the leader as Pegher went on for his sixth career Northeast Touring Series win in the Lynn Geisler-owned, #1 Cochran Automotive/Triple-S Auto/MonaVie-sponsored #1c.  The victory came in Pegher’s first 2010 appearance at Mercer and was his seventh in FASTRAK competition there.  (The victory is pending the post-event teardown of Pegher’s confiscated motor, which will take place early this week.)

 

It was quite a night for Joe Martin.  Martin started off the night setting fast time over the 39-car field with a lap of 17.607 then turned in his career best Northeast Touring Series event finish in second (worth $2,500) ironically at the track he scored his first career win at in 2009.  Point leader Blair finished third and earned $1,250.  Mike Blose, who led the Touring Series points early on this season, returned to the Tour after missing the past three events with motor issues.  Shane Bambarger came from 14th to place fifth for his career best Northeast Touring Series effort. 

 

Bobby Whitling made his first Mercer start of the season and second Touring Series start a successful one finishing sixth.  Georgia’s Royce Bray, the 2008 $50,000 FASTRAK Grand National Champion, charged from 19th to finish seventh.  Bob Cossell IV, Lambert, and Brian Booher rounded out the top 10.  Blose, Pegher, Dixon, and Smith won the heat races, while Bryan Force and Justin Tatlow won the two B mains. 

 

 

FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series Race #8 (40 laps, $6,000 to-win): 1. MIKE PEGHER, JR. (Geisler 1c)  2. Joe Martin (55)  3. Max Blair (111)  4. Mike Blose (5)  5. Shane Bambarger (68B)  6. Bobby Whitling (7W)  7. Royce Bray (Harris 21)  8. Bob Cossell IV (50C)  9. Butch Lambert (27)  10. Brian Booher (Hoover 00H)  11. Kyle Zimmerman (z17)  12. Bryan Force (31)  13. Rocky Kugel (7KRT)  14. Gary Knollinger (38K)  15. Garrett Mott (43X)  16. Steve Davis (13)  17. Rick Strickler (Lake 48)  18. Chris Force (68)  19. David Smith (11)  20. Steve Dixon (50)  21. Bud Watson (2)  22. David Scott (Powell 100)  23. Justin Tatlow (81)  24. Doug Horton (46). 

 

B main 1 Non Qualifiers: 3. Dwayne Pond (Bidwell B1D)  4. Ben Black (27B)  5. Darin Henderson (22)  6. Matt Cobb (75)  7. Leigh Wheeler (Smith 717)  8. Josh Holtgraver (00)  9. Ike Fanton (Kratts 41)  10. Jim Long (71)

 

B main 2 Non Qualifiers: 3. Josh Double (38)  4. Ricky Meglaye (5)  5. Joel Prosser (77)  6. Justin Kreider (29)  7. Jason Stanke (44)  8. Tony Giglio (16)  9. Jamie Brown (135)

 

Qualifying (Track Record David Scott 17.065 10/3/09): 1. Joe Martin 17.607  2. David Scott 17.693  3. Bryan Force 17.731  4. David Smith 17.777  5. Mike Blose 17.781  6. Mike Pegher, Jr. 17.784  7. Chris Force 17.842  8. Max Blair 17.864  9. Bob Cossell IV 17.881  10. Jamie Brown 17.893  11. Steve Dixon 17.988  12. Doug Horton 18.108  13. Dwayne Pond 18.124  14. Bobby Whitling 18.164  15. Butch Lambert 18.185  16. Steve Davis 18.195  17. Justin Tatlow 18.266  18. Shane Bambarger 18.287  19. Brian Booher 18.300  20. Darin Henderson 18.347  21. Kyle Zimmerman 18.375  22. Gary Knollinger 18.417  23. Tony Giglio 18.443  24. Ben Black 18.443  25. Bud Watson 18.456  26. Ricky Meglaye 18.461  27. Royce Bray 18.842  28. Garrett Mott 18.486  29. Leigh Wheeler 18.556  30. Rocky Kugel 18.566  31. Ike Fanton 18.596  32. Joel Prosser 18.726  33. Matt Cobb 19.075  34. Jason Stanke 19.141  35. Jim Long 19.212  36. Josh Double 19.465  37. Josh Holtgraver 22.862  38. Justin Kreider 31.085  39. Rick Strickler 40.780.

 

Heat winners: Blose, Pegher, Dixon, Smith

B main winners: B. Force, Tatlow

Lap leaders: Pegher (1-40)

Car count: 39

 

The FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series will resume action this Saturday, July 10 for a $10,000 to-win National event at West Virginia Motor Speedway before heading to Tri-City Speedway on Sunday, July 18.


You can reach co-directors Vicki Emig and Mike Leone at the FASTRAK Northeast office at 724-964-9300.  E-mail to info@fastraknortheast.com and snail mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143.  The office is open daily late mornings and after 1:30 p.m.  For more information, check out the FASTRAK Northeast website at www.fastraknortheast.com.  Become our fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fastraknortheast.

 

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