Feathers Leads Most Laps, Takes 2nd at Bedford

For the second week in a row, Trever Feathers went head-to-head with one of the hottest Dirt Late Model drivers in the country, Gregg Satterlee, on Friday at Bedford Fairgrounds Speedway.

On April 23, the 29-year-old outdueled the recent Lucas Oil Series winner for a $3,500 win at hometown track Winchester (Va.) Speedway.

At the big half-mile clay oval last Friday, Feathers led a race-high 25 laps from the outside pole of the 86th annual Billy Winn Classic but couldn’t muster the late-race strength to counteract Satterlee’s $12,086 romp.

While Satterlee led the final 12 laps, Feathers finished four seconds behind and content in the runner-up position aboard the No. 20 Larry Royston’s Septic Services / Martins Pumping Service / Feathers & Sons Roofing / Fastenal of Winchester, VA / McFarland Custom Painting & Wall Coverings / Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic / MB Sports Collectibles / Leggett Engine Research / Coffelt Graphics / Larry Royston Properties / Larry Royston Equipment / Bilstein Shocks / Longhorn Chassis.

April 29: Billy Winn Classic / Bedford Speedway / Bedford, PA

     (31 cars, Qualifying 2nd in group/3rd overall, Heat 2nd, A-main 2nd)

“We were one adjustment away from starting outside the pole and leading the whole thing. It is what it is,” Feathers said. “(Bedford) is difficult. Satterlee has been rolling the past four or five years here; I think he’s won just about every big race you can (at Bedford). It is what it is, tonight was a good night all the way around.”

“That’s about the best we’ve been here,” Feathers added. “We generally suck at this place. This is my worst racetrack we go to. It’s somewhat of a win tonight even though we ran second.”

Satterlee, the 17th-ranked driver in DirtonDirt.com’s weekly poll, was the only driver that stood in the way of Feathers last Friday — qualifying quick time while Feathers time-trialed second of 31 cars and winning heat two with Feathers in tow.

Much like his Winchester sweep on April 23, Feathers needed little time to get going. By lap five, Feathers built a 1.5-second advantage ahead of polesitter Ross Robinson, where the Winchester, Va., native paced the opening 16 laps. On lap 17, reigning Bedford track champion Jeff Rine caught Feathers backpedaling off turn four to complete the race’s first of three lead changes.

photo credit: Travis Trussell / WRT SpeedWerx

Feathers regathered himself on lap 18, racing by Rine to lead through lap 26.

“I don’t want to say I was screwing around, but I was trying to find the line the car needed to be able to get back away from Rine,” Feathers said. “I was watching (my father Bo Feathers providing signals) and when I ran my normal line, I was pulling away a bit. When I started to get in traffic, I was trying to find a line that would suit the car a little bit better, because I knew I was killing my tires.”

“We had a good car to start; a good car until halfway. Then I started to get tight; it was getting tight and then I was burning the rear tires up trying to free the car. It just wasn’t our night.”

Friday marked Feathers’ fifth top-five finish in six races this season.

Feathers logged his seventh race of 2022 on Saturday at Port Royal, which did not go according to plan. The 2021 Opening Day winner at The Speed Palace got caught up in a mid-race incident that knocked him out of the 25-lap feature.

Additionally, the incident issued frame damage to Feathers’ primary race car that will sideline him and Larry Royston Racing for at least this weekend.

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