4/14/2015
Peck Combats Engine Trouble at Kokomo Grand Prix
(Photo by TeeJay Crawford Photography)
KOKOMO, Ind. – Another night battling tough breaks told the tale for Justin Peck’s bid at the Kokomo Grand Prix on Saturday night. The USAC event at Kokomo Speedway has become one of the more prestigious early-season events in midget racing, and 30 drivers signed in to take their crack at the legendary three-eighth mile Indiana facility.
Though he was the 26th of the 30 cars to hit the track for qualifying, Peck nonetheless made his Dura Coat sponsored DRC #5x extremely quick on a 13.719 trip around the speedway, good for ninth-fastest on the speed chart. With four heat races on tap, Peck was scheduled to start fourth in heat race one after the front three rows in each race were inverted. It soon became apparent that the engine wasn’t at full strength, and Peck fell out of the fourth and final position to transfer to the feature, and couldn’t muster the power to get back to fourth.
In the B-Main, Peck took off from the pole position and captured the win, albeit fighting through the same engine problems that arose in the heat race. Due to the issues, Peck forfeited his ninth-starting position for the main event, electing to start at the tail of the field instead. As the problem persisted, Peck retired his car to the pits when the red flag flew with two laps complete, not wanting to cause any damage to the Esslinger powerplant.
Though the weekend’s racing action was complete, Peck took the opportunity on Sunday afternoon to climb aboard Rex Norris’ #63 sprinter for some practice laps at Paragon Speedway. “It was a blast,” the 16-year-old exclaimed. “I can’t wait to race it at Putnamville Saturday.”
Peck would like to thank Dura Coat Products, Factory Kahne, Simpson Race Products, Lucas Oil, Keizer Wheels, Hoosier Racing Tire, Saldana Racing Products, Pit Stop BBQ & Grill, and Spider Graphix, as well as his parents, Joe Devin, Carl Thomas, Rich Gabel, Jon Steed, Mike Gass, Zack Burks, and all of his fans for their continued support.
Peck is next scheduled to compete on April 18 at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Indiana in the #63 410ci wingless sprint entry.
Quick Results
April 11 – Kokomo, IN – Midget – Qualifying: 9; Heat: 5th (4); B-Main: 1st (1); Feature: 22nd (9)
2015 Stats
5 races, 3 features, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top ten, 2 DNFs
Social Media
Website: http://www.justinpeckracing.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/justin.racing.9
Twitter: http://twitter.com/justin_peck5
Instagram: http://instagram.com/justin_peck5
Article Credit: Redbeard Promotions
