PORT HOPE, ON (July 24, 2017)- Winning is important, but consistency is a key component of weekly racing success. In the highly competitive Organics & Glass Late Model division at Peterborough Speedway, Port Hope, Ontario’s Bryan Mercer scored his second straight second place finish on Saturday, July 22.
After winning the night’s first qualifying heat and finishing sixth in the next round, the 44-year-old, second generation racer took the main event green flag from outside of the front row. Looking for a spot in the preferred lower line of the venue known as Canada’s Toughest 1/3-Mile Paved Oval, Mercer relied on a little help from his spotter to help him settle into third spot in the running order. From there, he found his rhythm and ran some comfortable laps while looking for a chance to move closer to the front of the field.
“You have to be careful to not push the car too hard to chase a spot that isn’t really within your reach,” Bryan Mercer said. “We dropped back a little as the leader pulled away, but in a 30-lap feature there are bound to be some yellow flags. They’ll help bring the field closer together and give a driver the chance to put together a new game plan.”
The caution he was looking for, the only one of the race, came on lap 20 and brought the frontrunners back in touch with the leader. On the restart, Mercer lined-up directly behind the first-place car, but more importantly, on the preferred inside line. The feature race had become a 10-lap shootout and the #81 machine was in contention for the win.
In the final stages, Bryan Mercer stayed close to the leader and kept looking for an opening. As the pack was running the final lap, a door opened coming off the second turn, but as quickly as the opportunity presented itself, it was gone. Second place was as good as his night would get, but the driver looked at the big picture after the event.
“We started the night about a dozen points behind the first-place car in the overall standings and finished a couple of spots ahead in the main event. We’re gaining ground week-by-week and that’s what its all about.”
For the 2017 season, Bryan Mercer’s program is supported by Sine’s Flooring, Durmach Tooling, Beyond Signs & Design, Cressman Tree Service, Glass One Autoglass, Facility Services, National Shunt Services, MASS Environmental, Everwood Property Maintenance, Murray O’Brien – Re/Max, Eric’s Auto Body and Pioneer Gas Bar – Port Hope. Clarke Motorsports Communications provides media and public relations services for the #81 Late Model team.
Bryan Mercer returns to action Saturday, July 29th at Peterborough Speedway. Follow the team behind the scenes and at the track by liking the Mercer Motorsports page at www.facebook.com.
Prepared by: Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media
clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com, www.facebook.com/clarkemotorsports
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