TRENTON, N.J. — The CURE Insurance Arena witnessed a night of electrifying racing action as Anthony Perrego defied the odds to claim victory in the BELFOR Property Restoration East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals.
Starting from the 11th position, Perrego showcased his skill and patience, navigating through a field of 24 cars to seize the prestigious $5,000 top prize and the esteemed Rob Vivona Memorial Trophy in front of a record crowd.
Navigating the challenging multi-groove track alongside seasoned 600cc sprint car competitors, Perrego found himself amid intense battles.
“I’ve never driven one of these cars, and man, these guys wheel the hell out of these things,” Perrego said. “Brian Carber is one of the best and when he rolls up next to you, you’re in trouble.”
The race started with Christian Bruno and Briggs Danner leading the field to the green flag. Bruno, with masterful control, jumped into the early lead and held off relentless pressure from Kyle Lick. However, early caution periods slowed the action multiple times shuffling the running order and setting the stage for what was to be an exciting race.
Bruno and Danner swapped the top spot corner after corner as the halfway mark ticked away in the 50-lap main event before Bruno made contact with Zack Bealer – who was challenging for the position – and removed both drivers from contention.
Danner led the field down to a lap 40 restart rim-riding the outside of the clay oval while Perrego closed in quietly around the bottom.
“The race track got tricky and the bottom was a lot like it is in upstate New York race tracks and I race on these style of tracks day in and day out,” Perrego said in victory lane. “The more patient you can be the better the car works.”
Patience was the key to as the race progressed, Perrego steadily worked his way through the field, showcasing his prowess on the challenging indoor dirt track.
As laps ticked down, Perrego found himself locked in a fierce duel with Danner for the lead, when the action slowed for the final time on lap 48. Perrego, with veteran 600cc sprint car driver Carber on the outside, calmly hugged the bottom line to fend off his challengers.
Carber finished in the second position with Danner in third, Steven Snyder Jr. in fourth and Luke Thomas in fifth.
Feature Finish (50 Laps)
1. Anthony Perrego 2. Brian Carber 3. Briggs Danner 4. Steven Snyder Jr. 5. Luke Thomas 6. Anthony Tramontana 7. Alex Bright 8. Kyle Lick 9. Bobby Butler 10. Pat Bealer 11. Billy Pauch Jr. 12. Rob Pierce IV 13. Marty Brian 14. Zack Bealer 15. Tim Buckwalter 16. Billy Koch 17. Kyle Spence 18. Tyler Lindsay 19. Dan Lane 20. PJ Williams 21. Christian Bruno 22. Dylan Kontra 23. Connor Gross 24. Jesse Maurer