Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour: John Peters
Beech Ridge/Speedway 95 Race Preview
THE STORY
WESTBROOK, Maine – John Peters of Westbrook, Maine, and the Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour hit the track for another double-dip this week, with the VIP Thursday Thunder 25 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Thursday, June 27, followed by a return trip to Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine, for a 25-lap event on Saturday, June 29. Peters turned in a pair of outstanding runs last weekend – driving all the way from the rear of the field to finish eighth in a caution-free event at Beech Ridge on Thursday, June 20, and then rallying from the 16th starting position to finish third at Wiscasset Speedway. In his last four races in the No. 51 Cash For Clunkers/Derek Kneeland Racing Sedan, Peters has one win, three Top-3s and four Top-10 finishes.
THE FACTS
WHO: John Peters, Westbrook, Maine
CREW CHIEF: Greg Peters, Westbrook, Maine
TEAM: No. 51 Cash For Clunkers/Derek Kneeland Racing Sedan
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: 1st (June 2013)
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: 8th (June 2013)
WHAT: VIP Thursday Thunder 25
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: Thursday, June 27, 7 p.m.
BEST CAREER SPEEDWAY 95 FINISH: 6th (April 2013)
LAST RACE AT SPEEDWAY 95: 6th (April 2013)
WHAT: Amsoil NELCAR Legends 25
WHERE: Speedway 95, Wiscasset, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: Saturday, June 29, 6 pm.
Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour
LAST RACE: June 22, Wiscasset Speedway, Wiscasset, Maine (3rd)
NEXT RACE: July 4, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 7th
DID YOU KNOW?
John Peters won his first career Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour race at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway on the opening night of VIP Thursday Thunder on June 13.
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 is just four points out of the Amsoil NELCAR Legends Thursday Thunder Series point lead with a win and two Top-10s in two starts.
John Peters sits seventh in the overall Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour standings, the highest-ranking rookie in the field.
John Peters Motorsports fields a new No. 51 Cash For Clunkers/Derek Kneeland Racing Sedan 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 Sedan, On which performance last weekend meant more to him – the eighth-place run at Beech Ridge or the Top-3 finish at Wiscasset Speedway: “Beech Ridge was better for a couple of reasons. At Wiscasset, there was lots of beating and banging and lots of cautions, so it was hard to get into a rhythm in that race. The track at Wiscasset – I like the speed of it, but it’s really hard to drive. It’s physically taxing trying to hold onto the car over the bumps.
“The Beech Ridge race went a lot smoother. I picked a line, I went to the outside and did as much as I could out there, and for the most part it worked for me. Technically, I passed more cars at Beech Ridge, and it definitely felt that way. I’m more proud of that Beech Ridge finish.”
On where he’s seen the greatest improvement in the first half of the season: “It’s a pretty good combination of things. First of all, it’s me as a driver. I’m improving and starting to figure out the cars a little bit better. I know with the knowledge that my dad has and the setups he’s giving me, the car is going to be really good, and I need to be able to make the most of that.
“It’s up to me to get us from where we’re capable of running as a team to where we’re finishing. We’ve hit on the setup the past few weeks. The car has been so good. I’ve been getting compliments from former Legend drivers and drivers in other series – they’ve noticed that the car has been on point. After the races, I’d like to be able to get out of the car and say, ‘Boy, that was a hard race to run,’ but it just hasn’t been the case at all. The car has been great.”
On heading back to Speedway 95 this weekend after finishing sixth there in April: “I like Speedway 95 – but I still have to learn from some of the other guys when it comes to that place.
“We were pretty good there last time. I was happy with a fourth, which was where I ran for most of the race before the engine let go. The car was just good enough for me where I was comfortable with it. I know I left some on the table there. We have a good setup for that place. We ran Top-5 with an engine that was on three cylinders. We did run good there, and I think we have more.”
UP NEXT
John Peters joins the Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour when it heads to Round No. 4 of the VIP Thursday Thunder Series at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Thursday, July 4… Peters won the 2013 VIP Thursday Thunder season opener at the track on June 13 and hasn’t finished outside the Top-10 in three races there this season.