FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 30, 2011

PEGHER WINS FASTRAK NE LATE MODEL TOUR OPENER IN FRONT OF HUGE CROWD AT ROARING KNOB’S HISTORIC EVENT WITH LUCAS OIL LATE MODELS



by Mike Leone
(Markleysburg, PA)…After two failed attempts at Tyler County Speedway due all day thunderstorms, sunshine on Saturday finally allowed the 2011 Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series to get underway. The fifth season kicked off at the beautiful, scenic Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex as FASTRAK joined the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the first time ever in the Northeast. A packed house saw 37 FASTRAK racers from six states plus Canada, which included Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Ontario compete.

Roaring Knob isn’t Mike Pegher, Jr’s home track, but you’d never know it as he made it three-in-a-row in Northeast Touring Series competition winning the 25-lap feature. Pegher passed Rick Strickler on lap 10 and held off a furious charge by Dan Angelicchio to capture the $1,200 victory and tied Max Blair at nine as the Touring Series’ all-time winner. Last season, Pegher won both Touring events at Roaring Knob and was leading the Grand National event before tangling with a lapped car.

“I was following the 48 car (Strickler), but wasn’t going to get around him,” explained the 25-year-old Wexford, Pa. racer. “I knew I had to try a different line as we were both running the bottom. The outside seemed to work for me earlier so I tried it and it worked. Once I got by I knew I had to get back to the bottom as (Dan) Angelicchio was running good down there. I have to thank by crew- Mike, Andy, and Joe and all my sponsors.”

Roaring Knob regulars Rick Strickler and defending champion John Over brought the field to green, but Over got sideways in turn one and collected six other cars. The accident ended the night for Over, Canadian racer Darren Peters, and Ricky Meglaye.

When racing action got underway, Strickler took the lead with Pegher passing Josh Holtgraver for second. A caution for Shane Hitt slowed action with seven laps completed. On the ensuing restart, Angelicchio passed Holtgraver for third, while 13th starter Bobby Cossell IV moved into the top five with a pass of defending Touring champion Max Blair.

After an impressive heat win, Angelicchio looked like he may have the fastest car as he ran down Pegher and was right on him on lap nine. The duo ran side-by-side on lap 10, but Pegher had enough momentum off the outside to hold on to second. A caution for a spin by Stanley Spooner brought out the event’s final caution with nine laps completed.

The caution was a game changer for Pegher. On the ensuing restart, Pegher made the outside work getting a great run off turn two and took the lead down the backstretch entering turn three. Strickler tried one last ditch effort but got in hard in turn four clipping the jersey barrier and shooting across the track. This allowed Angelicchio to slip under for second.

Angelicchio stayed within striking distance over the final 16 laps and ran Pegher down a couple times in lapped traffic, but just couldn’t quite make the pass even though he seemed at times throughout the event to be faster. Pegher’s 35th career overall FASTRAK-sanctioned win came in the Lynn Geisler-owned, #1 Cochran Automotive/Triple-S Auto Sales/Zero Wraps-sponsored #1c. “We’ve struggled the last couple races with this new car, but it feels good to be back in victory lane,” added Pegher.

It was a long road to second place for Angelicchio as the crew went home and changed motors after Lernerville on Friday night only to find an issue with their spare motor before even making it to the track. Angelicchio was the last to arrive and all the crew’s hard work paid off with a fine second place run. Angelicchio, who turned in two runner-ups in 2010 and now has 11 career Touring Series top 5s, just can’t get over the hump for that elusive career first Touring Series win.

Strickler crossed the line in third, but was disqualified in post-race tech for a carburetor spacer infraction. Holtgraver, who ended the 2010 Touring Series with a third at Roaring Knob, once again was credited with third as he hopes to make a run at the 2011 championship. George Kowatic made an impressive FASTRAK debut. The former Super Late Model racer is back in racing in 2011 and after getting caught up in the lap one accident, the Aliquippa, Pa. driver worked his way through the field to a fourth place finish. Blair began his run at his third championship in four years with a fifth place effort.

Cossell was a fine sixth place for his career best Touring Series finish bettering his eighth at last year’s National event at Mercer Raceway Park on July 3. Butch Lambert was seventh after starting 14th. Shawn Jett worked his way through the B main to qualify for the feature. Jett then started 22nd and had a strong run to finish eighth. Troy Shields was ninth after starting 19th. Wayne Robertson was the last driver to qualify for the feature through the B main. The Corning, New York driver moved up from his 24th starting spot to finish 10th in his Touring Series debut.

New Jersey racer Steve Davis made the tow again to western Pa. where he finished 13th in his #13 as the last car on the lead lap and earned the Utsinger’s Towing FASTRAK Hoosier Tire giveaway. The Contingency Connection program presented by Original Pizza Logs began and winning the $1,000 packages were Pegher and Meglaye. These packages will be awarded at every Northeast Touring Series event to different racers.

A call goes to 14-year-old Shane Weaver, who finished 15th and was the highest finishing “Futures Cup” contender in the Cliff Ruffner-owned #325x. Weaver is entering his second season of FASTRAK competition and Saturday was just his third career Touring Series start; however, the Marion Center, Pa. teen has qualified for the feature in all three attempts with finishes now of 15th to go along with last year’s 16th at Central PA Speedway and 17th at his home track Dog Hollow Speedway.

It wasn’t what Kyle Zimmerman had in mind after finishing second in last year’s Touring Series finale and fresh off his first career win at Lernerville Speedway on Friday night; however, the Albion, Pa. racer ended the night on somewhat of a high note capturing the eight-lap non-qualifiers race as part of the “Wheelman” Bonus Event Challenge Series. Zimmerman led from green-to-checkered in his Whitehill’s Garage/Simon Racing Supply-sponsored #z17 earning the $125 prize for his first ever win in the second-year program and took the early point lead. Fourth starting Russell Baird, Jr. passed Kevin Keene on lap seven to finish second. Keene dropped to third. Rookie Jimmy Kreger came from ninth to place fourth over Joe Moyer.

Heat winners included Angelicchio, Meglaye, Peters, and Over. The two B mains were won by two-time Sharon Speedway Weekly Series winner Joe Martin and Jett.

Sweeny Chevrolet Buick GMC FASTRAK Late Model Northeast Late Model Touring Series Race #1 (25 laps, $1,200 to-win): 1. MIKE PEGHER, JR. (Geisler 1c) 2. Dan Angelicchio (14) 3. Josh Holtgraver (00) 4. George Kowatic (5) 5. Max Blair (111) 6. Bobby Cossell IV (50c) 7. Butch Lambert (27) 8. Shawn Jett (137) 9. Troy Shields (11) 10. Wayne Robertson (20) 11. Dusty Hamrick (X) 12. Robbie Marhefka (Fetsko 99) 13. Steve Davis (12) 14. Steve Dixon (50) 15. Shawn Weaver (Ruffner 325X) 16. Stanley Spooner (3) 17. Joe Martin (55) 18. Shane Hitt (2*) 19. Bud Watson (Powell 100) 20. Cody Hardesty (Groves 32) 21. John Over (K2) 22. Darren Peters (1P) 23. Ricky Meglaye (5) 24. Rick Strickler (Lake 48)-DSQ (carburetor spacer).
Non-Qualifier Bonus Event (8 laps, $125 to-win): 1. Kyle Zimmerman (z17) 2. Russell Baird, Jr. (17B) 3. Kevin Keene (56) 4. Jimmy Kreger (29K) 5. Joe Moyer (LeComte 32) 6. Michael Hughes (79) 7. Scott Beitzel (21B) 8. Mike Opalinski (66) 9. Lauren Longbrake (27) 10. Ryan Montgomery (12)-DNS 11. Mike Laughard (38L)-DNS 12. Mike Lewis (98)-DNS 13. Billy Stile III (51)-DNS.
Heat winners: Angelicchio, Meglaye, Peters, Over
B main winners: Martin, Jett
Lap leaders: Strickler (1-9), Pegher (10-25)
Car count: 37

Original Pizza Logs “Contingency Connection” $1,000 package winners: Mike Pegher, Jr. Ricky Meglaye
Utsinger’s Towing “Hoosier Tire” Giveaway: Steve Davis