OSWEGO, NY – The Gander Outdoors Friday Night Lights Triple 30s brought the huge crowd to their feet with fantastic drives from winners Peter Britten, Danny Johnson, and Gary Lindberg. Graham Motorsports won two out of the three qualifiers making them the hot team of the weekend. NAPA Super DIRT Week surprise Gary Lindberg timed in the Top 6 and went on to win his 30-lap qualifier.
Peter Britten is looking to redeem his last lap loss from last year’s Billy Whittaker Cars 200 with a comeback NAPA Super DIRT Week in 2018. The win did not come easy as he raced wheel to wheel with pole sitter Jimmy Phelps to take the win.
“I was racing right there with Jimmy [Phelps] and that team [HBR] is always tough. We were working pretty hard and trying to make sure we came here competitive,” noted Britten in Victory Lane. He continued, “It’s just good to be out there and have a race work out in your favor for once. It was a little backwards and forwards there with the lapped cars. I was pretty pleased to come away with a win.”
Although the $4,000 to-win Triple 30 victory felt good, Britten remains focused on Sunday. “It’s good to get momentum on your side and get a win. You just gotta try and keep that momentum coming on Sunday. To win a Heat Race on Friday night is great but it isn’t $50,000 on Sunday.”
Britten’s teammate Danny Johnson came away with a win in the second Triple 30. He had to get around a fast Keith Flach to get it done. “I had a good run on the outside and he slid up a little bit in turn one. I was able to drive underneath him [Keith Flach] on the bottom. The car was hooked up pretty good. I gotta thank Billy Colton, Troyer, Peter Britten, and Ray Graham for letting me run their hot rods. I’m ecstatic to be up here on the stage.” Johnson has come on strong in the second half of the year and with a few breaks going his way, he could be a serious threat to Matt Sheppard’s Championship Points lead.
The hard work starts long before the cars hit the track. Johnson noted, “I went into Billy’s tent and asked him for some help and he hooked me up. I gotta thank him for that.”
Out of left field came Gary Lindberg to NAPA Super DIRT Week. He timed in the Top 6. Lindberg had a lucky break with a caution canceling out a potentially winning pass by Stewart Friesen but that shouldn’t take anything away from his Cinderella story. He noted, “I thought he had me [Stewart Friesen] there. I got caught behind a lapped car. I was patient and thought I got a good run there, and I know I had to get around him otherwise Stew was going to get around me. I went to go around him and Stew ducked under me. That was lucky that the caution came out and they gave it back to me”
With that the Top 30 drivers in this year Billy Whittaker Cars 200 is set. The weekend’s finale rolls off on Sunday, October 7.
