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By Mike Leone
Mercer, PA…The FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series held event #3 of 17 at Mercer Raceway Park on Monday night as part of the "Steel Valley Memorial Day Classic". The first of two appearances of the season at Mercer brought out 33 cars from four different states.
Max Blair survived some close calls, scrapes, and near misses to win his first FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series event of the season in the 25-lap, $1,200 to-win. "I will take responsibility for that deal on the next to last restart," admitted the 19-year-old Centerville, Pa. driver. "I came up the race track and didn't mean it. I thought I had him cleared and I didn't do that intentionally. The track really came around after the first few laps. It was a really nice track that you could race all over it."
Making his first ever Northeast Touring Series start, Jason Rider used the outside to race into the lead at the start of the feature with Bill Thomas and Gary Knollinger in tow. Knollinger, Tom Snyder, Jr., and Bud Watson passed Thomas for second through fourth respectively on lap two. David Scott, who started 10th, quickly made his way into contention taking fourth from Watson on lap three.
Snyder used the inside to pass Knollinger for second on lap four then ran down Rider by lap nine. The leaders were entering lapped traffic on lap 12 before the caution was displayed for Shawn Jett. On the ensuing restart, Knollinger and seventh starting Blair were able to get past Snyder for second. After a caution with 12 laps completed, Blair would make the winning move getting by Rider and bringing Knollinger and Snyder with him.
Snyder moved back to second on lap 14 past Knollinger. Mike Pegher, Jr., who was looking to make it three-for-three in Touring Series competition in 2009, started all the way back in 22nd, cracked the top five on lap 16 getting by Dan Angelicchio and then moved to fourth on lap 18 dropping Scott back to fifth.
Following a restart with 19 laps completed, Blair made contact with Snyder and ensued a five car accident. The accident moved Pegher to third and on the restart grabbed second from Knollinger. Pegher was all over Blair looking for a way around. Pegher dove low on the final lap in turn four trying to get under Pegher, but looped his mount doing a 360.
Blair's victory was his third of the season and sixth of his career at Mercer in his Eagle Hoist & Winch/Specialty Products/Loney Timber/Moody Welding-sponsored #111. Knollinger, who finished second to Blair on April 11 at Mercer, came across the finish in second and was followed by Scott, 12th starting Dan Angelicchio, and 16th starting Bobby Powell. Completing the top 10 were Mike Anderson, Jr., Thomas, Carl McKinney, Pegher, and Shane Bambarger in his first ever Mercer start.
Knollinger, Watson, Blair, and Angelicchio won the heat races as the 33 cars on hand was a season high at Mercer. Jay Watson and Pegher won the B mains.
FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series Race #3 (25 laps $1,200 to-win): 1. MAX BLAIR (111) 2. Gary Knollinger (38K) 3. David Scott (Powell 100) 4. Dan Angelicchio (14) 5. Bobby Powell (Powell B1D) 6. Mike Anderson, Jr. (72) 7. Bill Thomas (McDaniel 22) 8. Carl McKinney (6M) 9. Mike Pegher, Jr. (Geisler 1C) 10. Shane Bambarger (68B) 11. Ben Black (27B) 12. Bud Watson (2) 13. Garrett Mott (43X) 14. Bryan Force (69) 15. Tom Snyder, Jr. (1F) 16. Jay Watson (7x) 17. John Watson (Horton 48) 18. Jason Rider (Johnson 76) 19. Joel Prosser (77) 20. Butch Lambert (27) 21. Joe Martin (55) 22. Dennis Lunger, Jr. (Schwartz 17L) 23. Shawn Jett (1J) 24. Steve Hollabaugh (3H) DNQ: Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr. (8s), Jamie Brown (135), Chris Haines (35H), Kyle Layton (99*), Mike Laughard (38L), Sean Puz (66), Tom Copeland (98), Jon Law (14), Bob Kish (5).
Lap leaders: Rider (1-12), Blair (13-25)
Heat winners: Gary Knollinger, Bud Watson, Max Blair, Dan Angelicchio
B main winners: Jay Watson, Mike Pegher, Jr.
Car count: 33
The FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series will off for a month until Saturday, June 27 when new weekly-sanctioned Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex will hold their first ever event. $1,200 will be on the line at the Markleysburg, Pa. oval.
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