Feder on slow, sure drive to racing success
BUFFALO TWP — Steve Feder is climbing the ladder.
He's just doing so at a slower pace than he'd prefer.
Feder, 27, of Butler is in his fourth year of racing the No. 45 Modified at Lernerville Speedway and he might be a candidate for the track's annual Hard Luck Award.
"I don't feel like I've had that kind of season — at least not all the time," Feder said. "But on nights we are running well, stuff seems to happen.
"We'll spin out, get caught in lapped traffic, get inadvertently bumped by somebody, whatever. Pill draws haven't exactly gone our way, either."
The numbers don't indicate any such problems. They show Feder is progressing on schedule.
He finished 15th in Modified points at Lernerville with 196 in 2008. He was 10th last year with 225. With two nights of points racing remaining this summer, Feder stands ninth with 251, nine behind eighth-place Carl Murdick.
Last week, Feder had season-best finishes of fourth in the Modified feature and second in his heat race. He owns eight top-10 finishes at Lernerville, but last Friday marked his first in the top five.
"I feel like I'm on a par with guys like Dean Pearson and Mike Turner (sixth and seventh in points standings) right now, though my overall results may not show it," Feder said.
"Our goal is to become a consistent top-five car in this division."
Feder's primary crew members are his family. His father, Harold, mother, June, and 23-year-old brother Matt regularly help out with the car.
"I was involved in dirt track racing back in the '70s, but it's a totally different game now," Harold Feder said.
"It's been a great experience for me," Matt Feder said. "I'm learning as we go, but we've picked up on playing around with the setup, positioning of certain things. ... It's amazing how small adjustments can make such a big difference on the track."
Feder's uncle, Don Gallagher, and cousin, Brad Gallagher, are involved with the race team as well.
"Having family doing this with me has really been cool," Feder said "We've all gotten into it."
Feder's car this year is a 2007 model previously owned by Brian Swartzlander.
"We work at it week after week," Harold. Feder said. "With a little more luck, we'd be higher in the standings right now. Still, we know we have a long way to go."
Down the road, Feder hopes to bump up to the Late Model division. He won't do so until he's consistently successful with a Modified.
"Late Models have bigger payoff races," he said. "But if I can't get to the top in a Modified, there's no sense taking that next step."
