Peltier races to 4th Summer Showdown title
Published 1:30 am Sunday, July 24, 2022
MONROE — Preston Peltier was back in the winner’s circle of Evergreen Speedway’s premier race.
The Colorado driver returned to his winning ways at Evergreen late Saturday night, outdueling Californian Derek Thorn to win the 10th annual Summer Showdown and claim the $25,000 winner’s purse.
Peltier, who won the 200-lap race for Super Late Models every year from 2017-19, finished eighth last year following a series of mishaps that derailed his chances at contention. Then he exited Friday night’s 100-lap Pro Late Models main event after leading at the 77-lap mark.
But Peltier was near perfect Saturday. Peltier, who started in the No. 2 position, grabbed the lead early. Thorn, who started at the back of the race after finishing in the top three of Friday’s Pro Late Model Race, quickly moved through the pack and moved into the lead just after the 100-lap restart. But Peltier regained the lead several laps later and went on to finish 1.585 seconds ahead of Thorn to claim his fourth Summer Showdown title.
Thorn, who also placed second in Friday’s Pro Late Model race, took home a $10,000 bonus for placing in the top three of both races. Former Evergreen track champion Tyler Tanner, who’s now based in North Carolina, finished third in both the Super Late Model and Pro Late Model races and also collected a $10,000 bonus.
Thomas Stanford, currently second in Evergreen’s Pro Late Models points standings, won Friday’s main event. Stanford did not compete in the Super Late Model race, meaning there was no chance of a driver earning the $35,000 bonus for winning both races.
