PETE BERNER FIGHTS THE OBSTACLES TO ASCEND TO THE TOP

MARTIN, Mich. – Peer pressure can lead a drag racer to do some pretty incredible things. For Pete Berner, it inspired him to go to the No. 1 spot during provisional qualifying at the IHRA Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan.

Berner leads the Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock division with a 6.409 elapsed time at 218.51 miles per hour. That was a remarkable feat considering that he seriously wounded his primary engine on Tuesday. If not for the incredible heroics of his crew, this feat couldn’t have happened.

At least that’s how Berner sees it.

“I owe this one to them and there was no way I was going to let them down today,” Berner said. “They pulled the motor out of the car and took it to Jon Kaase’s shop. They worked on it all day and then drove straight back.”

Talk about a thrash. Berner’s crew traveled from Chicago to Georgia and back. Sleep was minimal and the project was completed an hour before the first session.

“That’s why I tell you that my crew is the best out there,” Berner said. “They never got any sleep and they are like zombies but there was no way I was letting them down tonight. That’s the stuff championships are won on.”