Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour: John Peters
Wiscasset Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
WESTBROOK, Maine – John Peters of Westbrook, Maine, begins his season when the Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour kicks off its 2013 campaign with a 25-lap feature event at the Wiscasset Speedway in Wiscasset, Maine, on Saturday, April 6. Peters, who made his series debut last September at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, will attempt to earn Rookie of the Year honors in his first full season on Tour. Last year, Peters entered an exhibition race at Wiscasset in the No. 51 Digby’s Variety/Cash For Clunkers Coupe and finished fifth in that event.
THE FACTS
WHO: John Peters, Westbrook, Maine
TEAM: No. 51 Digby’s Variety/Cash For Clunkers Coupe
CREW CHIEF: Greg Peters, Westbrook, Maine
BEST CAREER WISCASSET SPEEDWAY FINISH: 5th
LAST RACE AT WISCASSET SPEEDWAY: 5th
WHAT: Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour 25
WHERE: Wiscasset Speedway, Wiscasset, Maine (.375-mile oval)
WHEN: Saturday, April 6 – 11 a.m., practice; 1 p.m., qualifying; 3 p.m., race
Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour
NEXT RACE: April 20, Speedway 95, Hermon, Maine (.333-mile oval)
DID YOU KNOW?
- John Peters won the 2012 Beetle Bug JV championship at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, making him the youngest driver in track history to win a championship at the 65-year-old oval.
- John Peters has made two career Legends starts with finishes of 10th and sixth, including a 10th-place finish in his debut at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway last September after starting at the rear of a 21-car field for a 50-lap event.
- John Peters Motorsports will field a new No. 51 Digby’s Variety/Cash For Clunkers Coupe in 2013 after running an older sedan model in his NELCAR debut in 2012.
- In addition to racing, John Peters is an avid golfer and member of the golf team at Westbrook High School.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
JOHN PETERS, Driver of the No. 51 Digby’s Variety/Cash For Clunkers Coupe, On making his full-time NELCAR Legends Tour debut this weekend at Wiscasset Speedway: “I’m not sure totally what to expect. I know I’d like to win a race. That’s the big one. We’ve got 25 races to try and do that. I think we showed last year that we’re knowledgeable enough and have enough (racing) experience to be able to do that.
“I’d like to win a race and be competitive every week.”
On his impressions of Wiscasset Speedway: “I really liked it. The one thing I noticed was the banking, for sure. With banking, you have a lot of speed. The feeling of coming out of (turn( two with the banking shooting you down the backstretch was cool, and but then get right on the brakes to slow down enough to avoid the bumps getting into Turn 3. It’s the most unique track I’ve ever been to and raced on, and it’s definitely my favorite already.”
On the transition from entry-level Beetle Bug cars last year to Legend cars this year: “The biggest thing is just that it was easier to be more aggressive in Beetle Bugs. There were only a certain number of us out there and the races were pretty quick. But with the Legends, you have to be able to judge the pace and the speed of the race a lot earlier. You want to save the right front tire as much as you can, but there are also times where you may want to go for it early and maybe risk wearing out your right front for the sake of gaining some track position.
“It’s kind of a mind game thing you have to play, with what decisions to make and when to make them. In that sense, Legends are a lot tougher to drive.”
On his goals for this weekend: “I’d like a Top-10, considering where we have to start – rookies have to start at the rear for their first three races with NELCAR – and only having 25 laps to do it. Considering what we learned last year, I think we’re capable of that. Still, there are a lot of cars and not a lot of time, so I wouldn’t be shocked if it didn’t happen. But if we could come out of it with a Top-10 to start the year, that would be a successful weekend for us.”
UP NEXT
John Peters returns to Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour action with a doubleheader weekend April 20-21… Peters will join the series for an event at Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine, on April 20 and then the following day at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine. In both cases, Peters will be making his first career trips to those tracks.