For the second time in less than 24 hours, Shane Pecore proved why he’s the driver to beat in the DIRTcar Sportsman Series North Region.
The Cornwall, ON driver took the lead from Dave Rogers on a Lap 14 restart and never looked back, winning Sunday’s 50-lap Feature at Cornwall Motor Speedway.
Pecore won all three races he’s entered over the last three days and earned his second consecutive North Region championship, beating Gavin Eisele for the title by 26 points.
“We might head up to the bar a little early and start celebrating,” Pecore said. “What a race car. What a streak we’re on. We kind of hit on something there. It’s just been phenomenal.
“Especially on a day race like this where the track is unpredictable, [the car’s] usually not that good. But we were good tonight.”
Rogers took the lead at the drop of the green flag, moving ahead of Jacob Nadeau and Donovan Lussier as they exited Turn 2. Behind them, Pecore started moving forward, taking the third spot from Eisele before a caution fell on Lap 8 for Elliot Gamache’s flat tire.
When the race resumed, Pecore followed Rogers into Turns 1 and 2, taking the runner-up spot away from Lussier as Pecore chased the No. 44 down the backstretch. Rogers held on for another five laps before a caution on Lap 13 became the turning point of the race.
Pecore surprised Rogers when the green came back out, taking the lead away as he searched for his second straight Series victory.
During a long green flag run, Pecore started pulling away from Lussier, who took over second on Lap 15. But with the close-quarters of Cornwall’s track layout, the St. Denis-sur-Richelieu, QC driver started catching Pecore in traffic with 15 laps to go.
Unfortunately for Lussier, his bid for a second Series win in five days came to a halt when he tangled with a lap car, bringing out the race’s final caution on Lap 39.
From there, Pecore cruised to the $1,500 (CAN) prize, scoring his 13th career Series victory.
“(I’m) just really proud of my small team,” Pecore said. “It’s been an incredible weekend.”
Nadeau crossed the line in second, after inheriting the spot when Lussier brought out the caution. It’s the Yamaska, QC driver’s first career DIRTcar Sportsman Series podium.
Bobby Herrington rounded out the podium, earning his best DIRTcar Sportsman Series finish of the season. The Elginburg, ON, driver said that while the daytime conditions were different, it’s something he didn’t mind racing in.
“We didn’t really know what to think about the racetrack because it looked really bitey,” Herrington said. “We don’t race in the day really much. We can see really well.”
Eisele finished fourth, and Rogers rounded out the top five.
UP NEXT: The DIRTcar Sportsman Series returns to action on Saturday, July 19, with a stop at Land of Legends Raceway. The race will be a combined event between the Central and West Regions.
If you can’t make it to the track, catch the action LIVE on DIRTVision.
For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Northeast Facebook page and the Series’ X/(Twitter) page.
DIRTcar Sportsman Series North Region Feature (50 Laps): 1. 0-Shane Pecore[6]; 2. 95JR-Jacob Nadeau[3]; 3. 88H-Bobby Herrington[16]; 4. 18-Gavin Eisele[5]; 5. 44-David Rogers[1]; 6. 8KL-Karl Letendre[12]; 7. 88K-Dylan Kirkland[28]; 8. 92T-Tristan Ladouceur[8]; 9. 52-Jessica Power[26]; 10. 48D-Sylvain Dupuis[7]; 11. 03-Joshua Jock[29]; 12. 12T-Trey Ladouceur[15]; 13. 16X-Savannah Laflair[25]; 14. M70-Billy Cook[13]; 15. (DNF) 61L-Donovan Lussier[2]; 16. (DNF) 16-Matt Barbour[4]; 17. (DNF) 88-Jeffrey Lapalme[27]; 18. (DNF) 98H-Domonick Merkley[14]; 19. (DNF) 72B-Brandon Beauregard[11]; 20. (DNF) 35D-Dylan Moore[23]; 21. (DNF) 35B-Brennan Moore[22]; 22. (DNF) 51-Bryan Preville[21]; 23. (DNF) 20-Elliot Gamache[24]; 24. (DNF) 1R-Ricky Thompson[20]; 25. (DNF) 29D-Justin Desrosiers[30]; 26. (DNF) 17M-Justin Cyr[10]; 27. (DNS) 338-Pascal Payeur; 28. (DNS) 95-Dan Jalbert; 29. (DNS) 2X-Martin Lessard; 30. (DNS) 108-Billy Bleich Jr
