6/19/2019
Stergios Makes Return to NEMA Lites Victory Lane at Star Speedway
This past Saturday evening, PJ Stergios made a return to victory lane in the NEMA Lite series in the first 50 lap event of the season. It was Bobby Webber’s Star Speedway “Pack the Track” evening, which featured $5 grandstands passes and produced a great crowd under sunny skies.
It has not been an easy ride for Stergios the last eighteen months, as he has been in and out of the seat, fighting issues from a concussion nearly a year and a half ago. Earlier in the evening, Ben Mikitarian made his return to the Lites to take down a heat race win and Richie Coy also took down a heat race win.
When the feature rolled around to the green flag, Matt Merry in the #69 took the lead. He would continue to lead through the first fifteen laps, running a quick 12.83 second circuit on lap nine. Behind Merry, Lee feature winner Anthony Marvuglio, in the Cabral 35 was gaining ground, and Marvuglio would blast into the lead on lap fifteen, and on lap seventeen, Richie Coy would bolt into the second position.
Further back, PJ Stergios was working his way through the field, and would settle into fourth on lap twenty two, with Ben Mikitarian running strongly in the third spot. Stergios would make a successful bid for the runner up spot on lap thirty two. As the laps began to wind down, Stergios would get faster and faster, eventually running down and passing Marvuglio for the lead – running the fastest lap of the feature event on lap forty five, a blistering 12.79 lap time.
Stergios would go on to take down the victory over Marvuglio, Ben Mikitarian, Ryan Locke, Jake Trainor, Jim Chambers, Randy Cabral, Chase Locke, Jim Cataldo and Dominic Elicone.
The NEMA and Lites Series picks back up with one of the biggest races of the season at Seekonk’s Open Wheel Wednesday and the Boston Louie Memorial.
Article Credit: Timothy Bertand
