Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour: John Peters
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
WESTBROOK, Maine – John Peters of Westbrook, Maine, hopes to rebound from engine troubles last time out when the Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour competes in a 25-lap feature at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, May 4. Peters finished sixth last time out at Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine, two weeks ago – but was sidelined by a blown engine for the date the following day at Oxford Plains Speedway. Peters made his NELCAR debut at Beech Ridge with a 10th-place finish last September, just weeks after becoming the youngest champion in track history at 15 years old when he won the Beetle Bug JV title for entry-level cars as part of the 10-week VIP Thursday Thunder series.
THE FACTS
WHO: John Peters, Westbrook, Maine
CREW CHIEF: Greg Peters, Westbrook, Maine
TEAM: No. 51 Cash For Clunkers/Derek Kneeland Racing Coupe
SPONSORS: Cash For Clunkers, Derek Kneeland Racing, Digby’s Variety, Top Gun Construction, Traxside Racing Supplies, Beaulieu Construction
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: 10th (September 2012)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 10th (September 2012)
WHAT: Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour 25
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: Thursday, May 2 – 12 noon, practice; Friday, May 3 – 12 noon, practice; Saturday, May 4 – 11:30 a.m., practice; 3 p.m., qualifying; 5 p.m., race
Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour
LAST RACE: April 21, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (DNS)
NEXT RACE: May 11, Star Speedway, Epping, N.H. (.25-mile oval)
DID YOU KNOW?
- John Peters won the 2012 Beetle Bug JV championship at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, making him the youngest driver (15) in track history to win a championship at the 65-year-old oval.
- John Peters Motorsports fields a new No. 51 Cash For Clunkers/Derek Kneeland Racing 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 first start this weekend at his home track of Beech Ridge Motor Speedway: “I am very excited, considering it’s my home track and a track that we all know well and have some experience at. We’ve shown speed here in the past, and I really think we can make something happen this weekend.”
On what sets Beech Ridge Motor Speedway apart: “It’s definitely a finesse track, as opposed to some other tracks. Places like Speedway 95 and Oxford Plains are more motor tracks. Beech Ridge is a momentum track.
“Beech Ridge brings in more of the driver than the actual car itself. There’s a certain skill set that you have to bring you don’t take other places.”
On how the game changes this weekend with so many Legends teams having lots of experience there: “I don’t believe it changes at all. We approach every race now like everybody has more experience than us, but we know we have a further jump ahead at this track than some other places we go to.
“I don’t really compare myself to other guys – in the end, we’re all racing against each other not with each other. I believe if we do our own thing, we’re capable of doing something good this weekend.”
UP NEXT
John Peters joins the Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour when it holds a 25-lap main event at Star Speedway in Epping, N.H., on Saturday, May 11… Peters has never competed at the tight quarter-mile track before.