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Mike Leone
MERCER, Penn. (July 3) - For the first Saturday race night since April 3 there were sunny skies, warm temperatures, and zero chance of rain at Mercer Raceway Park. It was the FASTRAK "Summer Nationals" and celebrating in the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic victory lane were Mike Pegher, Jr.-4 Your Car Connection FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series, Carl Bowser & Pete Miller III-Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars, Steve D'Apolito-Big Daddy's Speed Center Stock Cars, & Bill Fuchs-M&D Paving Mini Stocks. There were drivers from eight states plus Australia represented. Marvel's "Iron Man" made his first ever appearance at The Park.
Mike Pegher, Jr. made his first start of the season at Mercer a profitable one as he captured the biggest win of his racing career in the richest FASTRAK Northeast Late Model 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 5 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 third Northeast Touring Series win in the past four races in the Lynn Geisler-owned, #1 Cochran Automotive/Triple-S Auto/MonaVie-sponsored #1c. The victory was Pegher's seventh in FASTRAK competition and 17th overall all-time at Mercer. (The victory is pending the post-event teardown of Pegher's confiscated motor, which will take place early this week.)
Martin turned in his season best run and career best in a Northeast Touring Series event. Blair was third over Mike Blose. Shane Bambarger came from 14th to place fourth for his career best Northeast Touring Series effort. Bobby Whitling made his first Mercer start of the season and came home 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. Martin set fast time over the 39-car field with a time of 17.607.
Carl Bowser wasn't about to let this front row starting spot go to waste. For the fifth time in the past seven events, Bowser has found himself on the front row of the Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Car feature, but hasn't been able to pull off the victory. On Saturday night, Bowser finally drove to victory lane in an exciting opener to the Twin 15s holding off Ed Lynch, Jr. for the $1,000 win plus the Goodyear Tire certificate. The event went non-stop in 4:04.89.
"Fifteen laps went pretty fast…I didn't even know the checkered came out," admitted the Sarver, Pa. racer. "I was just trying to get around those lapped cars. I knew Ed was there and you couldn't lift, you just had to get everything you could get. I could hear his engine and I was just trying to throw everything I could at it and I'm glad to be here. Ed is definitely the best around. You can learn so much from racing with him because you know when he's on the track he's going 110% so when you beat him you know you've done something."
With Lynch alongside, Bowser got a great start and held the lead over Lynch through turns one and two. Rod George was able to get around Ralph Spithaler, Jr. and Jeff Taylor on opening lap for third. Jack Sodeman, Jr., who started seventh, was racing his way forward as he grabbed fourth from Sodeman on lap two.
Lynch began to close on Bowser on lap five and was right on the leader on lap six. Lapped traffic came into play on lap seven, but Bowser continued to hold on. Sodeman continued his progression to the front driving by George in lapped traffic for third on lap 10. With the laps ticking off, Lynch threw everything he could at Bowser as he was looking for his fourth straight win on the western Pa. circuit.
On the last lap, Bowser went low in turn four to try to protect the bottom and clear the lapped cars. Lynch shot high. Bowser though was able to move up in time on the frontstretch to kill Lynch's momentum and hold on by less than a car-length for his fourth career Mercer win in his Terry Bowser Excavating/Reesman Body Shop-sponsored #10. Sodeman was third over George and 10th starting Dan Kuriger. Danny Holtgraver was sixth. Bob Felmlee came from 13th to seventh to earn the Goodyear Tire hard charger certificate. Jeff Taylor, Pete Miller III, and Spithaler completed the top 10. Todd Bauer was the last car on the lead lap and earned a Goodyear Tire certificate.
4 Your Car Connection FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series (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) DNQ: Dwayne Pond (Bidwell B1D), Josh Double (38), Ben Black (27B), Ricky Meglaye (5), Darin Henderson (22), Joel Prosser (77), Matt Cobb (75), Justin Kreider (29), Leigh Wheeler (Smith 717), Jason Stanke (44), Josh Holtgraver (00), Tong Giglio (16), Ike Fanton (Kratts 41), Jamie Brown (135), Jim Long (71).
Luxaire Heating & Cooling (410) Sprint Cars Feature 1 (15 laps, $1,000 to-win): 1. CARL BOWSER (10) 2. Ed Lynch, Jr. (2L) 3. Jack Sodeman, Jr. (23Jr) 4. Rod George (4) 5. Dan Kuriger (08) 6. Danny Holtgraver (D4) 7. Bob Felmlee (6) 8. Jeff Taylor (17T) 9. Pete Miller III (3) 10. Ralph Spithaler, Jr. (56) 11. Andy McKisson (0) 12. Arnie Kent (Dionise 15) 13. Matt Reed (Fitzpatrick 92) 14. Chris Shuttleworth (11) 15. Todd Bauer (45) 16. Jimmy Seger (25) 17. Brandon Matus (13) 18. Brian Steinman (24s) 19. Chris Best (66) 20. Brent Matus (33) 21. Jack Helget (Taylor 71c) 22. Mike Lutz (Chappel 8)-DNS 23. Jimmy Light (23)-DNS 24. John McCracken, Jr. (79)-DNS.
Luxaire Heating & Cooling (410) Sprint Cars Feature 2 (15 laps, $1,000 to-win): 1. PETE MILLER III (3) 2. Bob Felmlee (6) 3. Jack Sodeman, Jr. (23Jr) 4. Danny Holtgraver (D4) 5. Dan Kuriger 6. Ed Lynch, Jr. (2L) 7. Rod George (4) 8. Ralph Spithaler, Jr. (56) 9. Carl Bowser (10) 10. Andy McKisson (0) 11. Arnie Kent (Dionise 15) 12. Matt Reed (Fitzpatrick 92) 13. Todd Bauer (45) 14. Jeff Taylor (17T) 15. Chris Best (66) 16. Brent Matus (33) 17. Brandon Matus (13) 18. Jack Helget (Taylor 71c) 19. Jimmy Light (23) 20. Chris Shuttleworth (11) 21. Brian Steinman (24s) 22. Jimmy Seger (25) 23. Mike Lutz (Chappel 8)-DNS 24. John McCracken, Jr. (79)-DNS.
Big Daddy's Speed Center Stock Cars (15 laps, $300 to-win): 1. STEVE D'APOLITO (84) 2. Jeff Walters (35) 3. Dwight Boice (528) 4. Charlie McMillen (61M) 5. Shaun Hooks (Janovick 65) 6. Clay Ruffo (14R) 7. Russ Byler (06R) 8. Chris Haines (35H) 9. Terry Wheeler (2W) 10. Earl Snyder (65E) 11. Russ Coyne (8c) 12. Bryan Wagner (56) 13. Travis Walsh (1) 14. Chip Walsh (36)-DNS.
M&D Paving Mini Stocks (12 laps, $150 to-win): 1. BILL FUCHS (10) 2. Mike McConnell (31) 3. Wally Stearns, Jr. (33) 4. Lucas Sprouse (24s) 5. Randy Sprouse (23s) 6. Brad Shaffer (17) 7. Rudolph Troples III (28) 8. Nick Lucanski (28) 9. Merle Black (76) 10. Jeremy Double (83) 11. Ed Haylett (8-ball) 12. Josh Ehrenberg (3T1) 13. Jeff Little (42) 14. Pete Blazczak (77) 15. Jordan Ehrenberg (JD57) 16. Tim Callahan (54).
Upcoming Events:
07/10 All Star Late Models "Steel Valley 40" ($4,000) presented by McCandless Ford & Mercer/New Castle NAPA plus STAR's Mod Lite Series & Mini Stocks.
07/14 Open practice from 5 PM til dark.
07/17 Sprints, Mods, FASTRAK Late Models, Stocks & Mini Stocks plus the "KABOOM 100" Enduro. Free Ohio Night and Venango County Night presented by Spanky's Tobacco World. Dean Dairy Corp. Night.
Grandstands at 4:30 PM. Hot laps at 6:15. Racing at 7.
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