Pegher wins for sponsor, King wins third of 2014
Jacobs & McPherson steal late race wins
Sarver, PA (July 27, 2014) On a Chamber of Commerce Friday Night, four drivers made triumphant returns to Sheetz Victory Lane and were greeted by our friends from the Twin State Auto Racing Club. Mike Pegher Jr. scored his second Precise Late Model feature win of the season after hosting the folks from Bolea Oil to a pre-race hospitality event. Budweiser Points leader Rex King Jr. extended his lead by netting his third Diehl Mods feature win of the season. Lee Jacobs used a wicked slidejob to steal the Peoples TWP Sprint win away from Bud Points leader Carl Bowser. Two-Time Defending Track Champion Corey McPherson ran down 19-lap leader Rob Shook and passed him on the final lap to record his fourth win of 2014.
Mike Pegher Jr. rolled the #1 Cochran Late Model to the green flag from the front row alongside polesitter Brand Burgoon and rocketed around the top cushion in turns one & two to the early lead. Only a handful of cautions kept the race close as Pegher time and again stretched his lead to half and full straightaways in open air. As mentioned above, car owner Lynn Geisler’s longtime sponsor Bolea Oil was on hand, so a large throng of employees and their families joined Geisler and Pegher in Sheetz Victory Lane. Pegher’s second win of the season is the 17th of his career; 11 Pure Stock wins, three Crate Late wins and now three Super Late Model wins.
John Garvin Jr. and Alex Ferree came from the fifth row to finish second and third respectively. Garrett Krummert came from even further back (16th) to finish fourth ahead of Ken Schaltenbrand. Michael Norris, Russ King, Brian Swartzlander, Gary Lyle and Todd Bachman rounded out the Precise Top Ten, while Mike Pegher Jr. and Russ King won their respective heat races.
2014 has been the year of the Kings at Lernerville Speedway, especially in the Diehl Auto Group DIRTcar Northeast Big Block Modifieds, as Rex King Jr. and Sr. have won a combined four races and have led the points exclusively for the entire duration of the season. Dave Murdick has been as high as second in points, (ahead of Rex King Sr. as recently as three weeks ago), but either “Cooter” or “Bandit” have been the points leader all season.
Friday Night, Cooter brought the field to green from the pole flanked by Jeremiah Shingledecker and took the early lead. Shingledecker put him to task in the early laps before getting passed by Brian Swartzlander on lap 13 and then eventually going up in smoke and rolling to a stop in turn two on lap 17. By that time, Swartzlander was the one putting King to task. On the lap 17 restart, King opened the door ever so slightly by jumping the cushion in turn four, but he just hammered the gas, held the lead at the flagstand and never looked back on his way to Sheetz Victory Lane for the third time this season.
Swartzlander chased him to the checkers to finish second ahead of Dave Murdick and Rex King Sr. Steve Feder turned in one of his best finishes of the season in fifth. Rodney Beltz had his best night of the season and quite some time really, by winning his heat race and then backing it up with his best finish of the season in sixth. Jeff Miller in seventh, Rick Regalski in eight and Shawn Kozar in ninth either matched or beat their best finish of the season. Kyle Fink rounded out the Diehl Top Ten in the #77 car. Brian Swartzlander and Rodney Beltz scored heat race wins.
Budweiser Points leader Carl Bowser was hoping for the same result as King, as he too started the 25-lap feature from the pole and seemed well on his way to winning for the fourth time in the Peoples TWP DIRTcar Sprints. May 9 All Star winner Lee Jacobs had other ideas. Coming from eighth on the starting grid, Jacobs quickly made his way to third past Brandon Matus on lap five, but a caution slowed the race on lap six. Prior to the caution, Bowser had stretched out a huge lead of over a full straightaway and on an open track after the restart, Bowser once again jumped out to a big lead. Jacobs dispatched Kuriger on lap seven and was reeling in Bowser by lap 10, but catching Bowser and passing him are two totally different tasks! By lap 15, Jacobs was right on his tail tank as they caught the top ten, but Bowser’s experience at the Action Track paid off in the heavy lapped traffic. By lap 21, Bowser had a clear track ahead of him and an 8-10 car length lead that Jacobs quickly erased. Jacobs threw a wicked slidejob on Bowser in turns one & two to take the lead down the back straightaway as Bowser wisely checked up to avoid contact. Jacobs and Bowser again were mired in heavy lapped traffic by lap 23, but Jacobs held on as they lapped the whole way up to sixth place to secure his second win of the season.
Carl Bowser settled for second, but it was another solid night in the title hunt as he closes in on his second career Track Championship. The recently wed Eric Williams returned to the Action Track for a podium finish. Dan Kuriger scored his best Lernerville feature finish in fourth, while the Apollo Rocket Ed Lynch Jr. was fifth. Brandon Matus, Daryl Stimeling, Mike Lutz, AJ Flick and Scott Priester rounded out the Peoples TWP Top Ten. Billy Dietrich and Carl Bowser were victorious in heat race action.
Rob Shook jumped out to the lead from the pole of the Millerstown Pic-A-Part DIRTcar Sportsman feature and led 19 laps, but came up just short of his first feature win of the season. After struggling the past few weeks, Corey McPherson pulled and sent his GM Performance 604 Crate Engine to Mike Ingram this week. And while Mike found everything to be in good working order, McPherson seemed to have his swagger back as he came from the fifth row and slowly but surely made his way to the front. After chasing Shook and second running Aaron Easler for 11 laps, McPherson took advantage of a lap 18 restart to pass Easler and then made a last pass on Shook down the back straightaway. He almost threw it away in turn four as he brushed the wall and threw sparks in the air, but stood on the gas and beat Shook to the checkered flag for his fourth win of the season.
Rob Shook scored a bittersweet second place finish; his third of the season. Jim Fosnaught came from 12th to finish on the podium in third, while Aaron Easler let one slip away by finishing fourth after challenging Shook for the lead before the final caution waved. But despite the disappointing finish, Aaron has officially arrived as a weekly contender in the ultra-competitive Pic-A-Part Sportsman division and will likely win a bunch of races once he wins his first! Mike Miller was strong all night and finished fifth ahead of Mark Sanders, Terry Young, Joey Zambotti, Brett McDonald and Pat Hanley. Heat races were claimed by Corey McPherson and Mike Miller.
Before the final four Fast Fridays of Fab Four Racing determine our 2014 Budweiser Track Champions, we’ll open our gates this Tuesday, July 29 for “Summer Vacation” School Bus and Kids Bike Races along with Trailer Races and $1,000-to-win Enduro 100. Tickets are just $12 for Adults, $8 for Seniors, $5 for Students 11-17 and as always, kids 10 & under will be admitted FREE and are invited to bring their bikes and helmets to race on the Action Track after School Bus heat races. Fab Four drivers Carl Bowser, Brandon Matus, AJ Flick, John Garvin Jr., Michael Norris, Corey McPherson, Jim Fosnaught and Rob Shook are all trying to clear their schedules to join us Tuesday to hand our trophies and ribbons to bike race winners. Gates open at 5:00, racing starts at 7:30.
As mentioned above, Fab Four Racing will continue through Championship Night on Friday, August 22. Next Friday, August 1 is Pittsburgh Circle Track Club Night, August 8 is Nostalgia Night and the MRO Injured Driver’s Benefit Auction, August 15 is Turner Dairy Farm Night and August 22 is Championship Night.