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Photo Michael Jaworecki/Myracenews
Center Moriches, NY Oct 28th
For the second time in young racing career, Allan Pedersen of Center Moriches secured a New York State INEX Legend Race Car championship in 2021 by winning the Pro Division title in the Empire State. Previously Allan, 22 scored the 2015 Semi Pro New York State title. The path to the state championship was paved at Riverhead Raceway where some 30-35 INEX Legend Race Cars enter the weekly competition.
Pedersen and his CheckerWon Motorsports team had to overcome some obstacles on their way to the New York State championship, chief among them and engine failure that nearly ended not only a run at the state laurels but his 2021 season in general. However as the old Beatles song goes Allan, a graduate with an accounting degree from Arcadia University “got a little help from his friends”. On August 28th with his power plant still under repair at US Legend Race Cars in Charlotte, NC Allan wheeled the Paul Dodorico owned machine to victory on August 28th, his sole win in seventeen starts at his home track in 2021.
Allan would finish third in the 2021 INEX Legend Race Car championship chase at Riverhead Raceway, placing in the top five eight times along the way. George Tomko Jr. of Aquebogue won the Riverhead Raceway title, first of his career. While many teams that compete for state and national championships make some 30-40 starts a season, Allan started the required minimum of 20 races, three off his native Long Island. In the final 2021 INEX Legend Race Cars national rankings Pedersen wound up sixth in the nation for the Pro Division. Luke LeBrun of West Newton, Ma., who also drove to the Seekonk Speedway championship captured the 2021 Pro Division national championship.
For the Pedersen family winning track or regional championships is nothing new with Allan’s older brother Artie Pedersen bringing home the 2017 New York State Pro championship. This past summer their uncle Scott Pedersen of Shirley won the 2021 Figure Eight championship at Riverhead Raceway, the second of his long career having won the crown in 2011.
With point championships for the year all decided, the Pedersen family has one more event on their mind, the big Islip 300 Saturday November 13th at Riverhead Raceway. Current plans call for Artie to run his CheckerWon Manufacturing/Meade’s Fabricating Tour Type Modified in the $7,000 to win spectacular. Artie is also slated to jump back into the family INEX Legend Car for the day joining his younger sibling Allan who has been tabbed to run the 40-lap race for Paul Dodorico.
The Islip 300 program will be completed by a 50-lap Crate Modified race. For further Islip 300 information please visit www.riverheadraceway.com.
