Roaring Knob Mtsprts Complex
Pegher's victory rekindles RUSH points battle
Mike Pegher Jr. heads for victory at Roaring Knob. (Tommy Michaels)
MARKLEYSBURG, Pa. (Oct. 19) — Rebounding from a disappointing weekend at his home track the previous week, Mike Pegher Jr. of Wexford, Pa., led all 30 laps of Friday’s Sweeney Chevrolet RUSH Dirt Late Model Series main event Friday night at Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex to earn $2,000 for his fifth victory of the season on the first-year Crate Late Model tour.
Jacob Hawkins of Fairmont, W.Va., was second at the finish with Michael Lake of Unionton, Pa., third. Chad McClellan of Stoysown, Pa., and John Over of Uniontown, Pa., rounded out the race’s top five finishers.
Pegher, who went from leading the tour’s standings 18 points to trailing by 17 after an Oct. 11-12 doubleheader at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, will enter the tour’s season finale Oct. 25-26 at Lernerville (Pa.) Speedway trailing Ryan Montgomery of Fairmont, W.Va., by seven points after Montgomery finished sixth in Friday’s event.
"We're good friends with Montgomery," Pegher said. "We had a bad weekend last week at Pittsburgh with a 10th and a 17th. He's a good racer and hopefully we can get it done next weekend. We've (chased a championship) the last few years and have never been this close so hopefully we can get it done. We haven't had near as many DNFs this year so that's always a good thing."
The event was originally scheduled as a two-day program but was condensed to a single-day show due to forecasts calling for cool weather Saturday night.
RUSH @ Roaring Knob: (1) Mike Pegher Jr., (2) Jacob Hawkins, (3) Michael Lake, (4) Chad McClellan, (5) John Over, (6) Ryan Montgomery, (7) Cody Dawson, (8) Shane Weaver, (9) Mike Lewis, (10) Dennis Lunger Jr., (11) Greg Lemley, (12) John Waters, (13) Garrett Paugh, (14) Joe Moyer, (15) Butch Lambert, (16) Nico Dabecco, (17) John Imler, (18) Jeremy Zufall, (19) W.L. Stile, (20) Mike Thorne, (21) Bryan Rankin, (22) Eric Wilson. Fast qualifier (among 22 cars): McClellan, 16.860 seconds. Heat race winners: Dawson, Pegher, McClellan. Dash winner: Pegher.
