Michaels Mercer Raceway
Pegher leads 40 laps at Mercer, collects $6,000
MERCER, Pa. (July 3) — Polesitter Mike Pegher Jr. of Wexford, Pa., led all 40 laps Saturday at Mercer Raceway Park for his richest career victory. Pegher earned $6,000 for the Fastrak Northeast touring event for Crate Late Models, enduring four cautions over the last five laps after the first 35 laps ran caution-free.
"I wasn't liking those cautions very much,” Pegher said. "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.”
Joe Martin of Ringgold, Pa., was second for his best-ever series finish while 10th-starting Max Blair of Centerville, Pa., Mike Blose of Dayton, Pa., and 14th-starting Shane Bambarger. Former Fastrak national champion Royce Bray of Hull, Ga., rallied from 19th to finish seventh.
David Smith of Inman, S.C., ran second most of the race, but he was caught up in an accident on a lap-36 restart when Gary Knollinger spun and collected frontrunners including Smith, Steve Dixon, Doug Horton and Butch Lambert.
Fastrak Northeast @ Mercer: (1) Mike Pegher Jr., (2) Joe Martin, (3) Max Blair, (4) Mike Blose, (5) Shane Bambarger, (6) Bobby Whitling, (7) Royce Bray, (8) Bob Cossell IV, (9) Butch Lambert, (10) Brian Booher, (11) Kyle Zimmerman, (12) Bryan Force, (13) Rocky Kugel, (14) Gary Knollinger, (15) Garrett Mott, (16) Steve Davis, (17) Rick Strickler, (18) Chris Force, (19) David Smith, (20) Steve Dixon, (21) Bud Watson, (22) David Scott, (23) Justin Tatlow, (24) Doug Horton. Fast qualifier (among 39 cars): Martin, 17.607 seconds. Heat race winners: Blose, Pegher, Dixon, Smith. Consolation winners: Force, Tatlow.
