Speedway: 'Highside Hustler' want to be one up on fellow American

American Jason Feger checks out his tyres in the countdown to tonight's meeting at Meeanee. Photo/Duncan Brown

American Super Late Model racer Jason Feger watched the rain fall in Meeanee last night.

"Hopefully it stops. I want to be able to return home and tell Bobby I got to race at Meeanee ... I want to be one up on him and I also want a win before I go home," Feger, 39, said referring to fellow American Super Late Model racer Bobby Pierce, who missed out on his Meeanee-hosted round in the Burger King-Pro Dirt Super Saloon Series last summer because it was rained off.

Tonight's ninth and final round in the series will be Feger's fourth round. He had a DNF in Auckland when he collected a pile of damage to Aucklander Ben Harding's car when he was running seventh. He finished 11th in Huntly and fifth in Palmerston North.

From Bloomington Illinois, Feger, is known as the "Highside Hustler" in the United States where he has had more than 120 feature wins in his class. He pointed out the Super Saloons are different to what he is used to.

"I've struggled because the brain tells the body what to do but I have to do a different thing. I've had some bad luck so hopefully that changes."

He pointed out there is no shortage of fast drivers in the series and singled out Hawke's Bay's Flynn brothers, Grant and Steve, Mount Maunganui's Dan Corrin and Huntly's Craig Cardwell as the drivers to beat tonight.

Feger has always wanted to come to New Zealand and said he is grateful to sponsors Burger King, Palmerston North Holden and Lucas Oils for making it happen.

"The Kiwi drivers have been very good. They take it very seriously. I've also done plenty of sightseeing and that luge at Rotorua was a blast."

Hawke's Bay Speedway Club life member Mike Flynn, who has been involved in saloon racing since the 1970s, has watched Feger in two of his three rounds to date and said he is just as fast as what Pierce was when he was in New Zealand last season.

"Like Bobby, Jason, loves racing high on the fence line," Flynn added.

Feger will be one of 30 starters in his class tonight. Grant Flynn is leading the series by 203 points from Corrin. Wellingtonian Mark Pitcher completes the top three.

Two-time national champion in the class Steve Flynn is in fourth place. Johnny Browne, Chace Rodda and Darren Melling are the other Hawke's Bay-contracted drivers in the series and Hawke's Bay-based Palmerston North-contracted Mick Quin won't be short of supporters tonight. Other classes in action will be superstocks, stockcars, production saloons and ministocks.