Leighton edges Santerre for victory in Busch 125 Low air in right-side tires hurts Maine driver

LOUDON, N.H. – When New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahre decided to add 12 feet of pavement in two different areas of the track, he was hoping to create another racing groove leading to more side-by-side racing.

The Busch [North] 125 duel between Center Harbor, N.H., native Brad Leighton and Cherryfield’s Andy Santerre epitomized side-by-side racing at its best.

Leighton passed Santerre on a restart with two laps to go and survived a pedal-to-the-medal challenge by Santerre to nip him by .021 seconds or approximately one foot.

It was Leighton’s 18th career Busch North Series win and deprived Santerre of winning his second straight Busch North start. It was Leighton’s sixth victory at NHIS.

“I knew Brad was going to try to duck down inside me on the restart. That’s what the new apron is for,” said Santerre. “I tried to get down as low as I could [to block him] but my car worked better up top, especially on the restarts. He was able to get his nose up under me and he got into me just enough to wiggle me. Once they get their nose up under you, you pretty much have to let them go.”

Santerre planned to take one last run at Leighton on the last lap and it almost paid off.

“I figured I’d have one last shot to get him on turn three. I gave it everything I could. I got up beside him. We were swapping paint and we got a bit sideways. We were fighting for all we could. I put my right front on his left rear [panel]. He was a little loose and I heard him back out of the throttle. I stuck the pedal down and didn’t let off. I almost got him. He beat me by a nose,” said Santerre.

Santerre said he and his crew “goofed a little bit” by not putting enough air in his right-side tires when he pitted on lap 20.

“That’s why I couldn’t run on the restarts. I hoped we didn’t see a caution at the end but we did,” Santerre added.

“I had a pretty good lead on him at that point. He wouldn’t have caught me. I knew with my tire pressures the way they were, I was terrible on restarts,” he said. “I didn’t have any grip. It took me two or three laps to get going and then I’d drive away. My car was so good on long runs. If we had four laps instead of two, I probably would have won.”

The two-lap finish is required by Busch North rules if a caution occurs that would last until the end of a race. In Winston Cup racing, events can finish on a yellow.

Leighton acknowledged he got into Santerre’s left-rear panel and nudged him when he made his decisive pass on the inside.

“His car had quite a motor. I’ll have to hit him harder the next time,” quipped Leighton.

Leighton added that he didn’t know it was the final lap.

“I really thought there was another lap left,” said Leighton.

Santerre said he had no problem with Leighton’s bump.

“Brad did a great job. He roughed me up a little but I’d have done it to him [if the roles were reversed],” said Santerre. “That’s just good racing. You don’t get any better racing than that.”

Santerre had started 24th after a poor qualifying run on Friday.

“After Friday, things couldn’t have gotten any worse. I had food poisoning and was really sick Friday,” said Santerre.

“I was pleased to come out second. The car’s in good shape, it’s in one piece. Now we’ll go to Nazareth [Pa.] and try for a win there,” said Santerre, whose pit stop on lap 20 was the only one he made in order to gain track position.

Scarborough’s Kelly Moore, the pole-sitter, finished third.

Moore was in the hunt at the end also as Leighton and Santerre dueled.

“I saw the bottom open up while they were racing side by side but I couldn’t get there,” said Moore. “Then when they slid up the track in turn three, I got in there [low] but I just couldn’t hold it.”

Strong’s Tracy Gordon, who started34th because his racing fuel failed to pass Busch Grand National inspection, was running fourth with three laps left. But Dale Quarterley had slid to the inside groove and when Gordon went for the low groove, Quarterley spun him and Gordon slid up the track into the top wall creating the final caution.

“He plain-ass spun me,” said an irate Gordon. “What goes around comes around.”

Gordon felt he had a “top four car.” He wound up 24th.

As for the other Maine drivers, Yarmouth’s Billy Penfold was 10th, Sanford’s Mike Gallo finished 14th, Morrill’s Travis Benjamin was 19th, Eliot’s Carey Heath, the only female, was 20th, Scarborough’s Robbie Harrison finished 23rd and Turner’s Mike Rowe was 32nd after a lap-21 accident.