Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour: John Peters Beech Ridge/Wiscasset Speedway Race Review
WISCASSET, Maine – John Peters of Westbrook, Maine, posted back-to-back Top-10 finishes in Amsoil NELCAR Legends Tour action last weekend, finishing fourth in a 25-lap event at Wiscasset Speedway in Wiscasset, Maine, on Saturday, July 6, just two days after finishing eighth in a 25-lap feature race at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine. Peters, 16, started at the rear of the field on both race days after posting podium finishes in the previous events, and he now sits fifth in the overall NELCAR standings – despite missing one race early in the season – and second in the 10-race VIP Thursday Thunder Cup standings at Beech Ridge in his rookie season on the Tour. In his last eight races, Peters has two wins, four Top-3s, five Top-5s and eight Top-10s.
WHO: John Peters, Westbrook, Maine
TEAM: No. 51 Cash For Clunkers/Derek Kneeland Racing Sedan
CREW CHIEF: Greg Peters, Westbrook, Maine
SPONSORS: Cash For Clunkers, Derek Kneeland Racing, Digby’s Variety, Top Gun Construction, Beaulieu Construction, Traxside Racing Supplies
WHAT: VIP Thursday Thunder 25
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
STARTED: 21st
FINISHED: 8th
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 2nd
WHAT: NELCAR 25
WHERE: Wiscasset Speedway, Wiscasset, Maine (.375-mile oval)
STARTED: 15th
FINISHED: 4th
NEXT RACE: Thursday, July 11, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 5th
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JOHN, YOU HAD ANOTHER PRETTY GOOD WEEKEND OVERALL.
It wasn’t a great weekend, but it was still a good weekend overall. Thursday (at Beech Ridge), I was just a little bit upset. Things don’t always go your way, but there were opportunities there where I thought I could get more from it. But like you say, in weekly racing, you can’t always get everything you want.
At Wiscasset, it was a hot day and the feeling Saturday in practice with the track wasn’t even close to the speed we’d felt before when we were there. In the heat race, it was more of the same. I got caught in a box and wasn’t making a lot of headway. In the feature, I finally got some breaks and was in the right places to capitalize. I ended up where I wanted to be, so I can’t complain.
HOW MUCH OF THIS KIND OF RACING IS ABOUT TRACK POSITION?
A lot of it is, especially at Thursday Thunder. So much has to do with the luck of the draw. I’ve been fortunate to get in the Top-5 quite a bit. We’ve got a pretty good baseline setup where, with minor adjustments, we know we can be competitive and get toward the front.
Still, so much of it is playing the up and down of track position and what lane you get in on the restarts. There’s not much you can do about that.
ARE YOU GETTING A HANDLE ON TIRES AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON?
I think so. It’s a lot different than with other types of cars. These tires, it takes them two or three races if you don’t scuff them in by the book to really get them worked in where they’re at their best. After that, you probably have two races of primo performance, and then the next two races or so you can really start feeling the lack of grip.
Running up front, I’ve probably abused them more than I would have liked. We’ve gone through tires more than we probably thought we would, but it helps knowing that we’re running up front.
DOES BEECH RIDGE CHANGE FROM WEEK TO WEEK?
It’s funny, because in practice there I always come in and say the track is so different than it was the week before. The track does tend to change a lot, grip-wise, and the speed will vary a couple of tenths (of a second) from week to week. When it comes time for the feature, you get in a rhythm, and you almost don’t even notice it anymore.
It does change, but it hasn’t really affected us. When you get to the feature, it’s the same thing over and over.