1/22/2016
Peck Narrowly Misses Chili Bowl Main Event
(Photo by TeeJay Crawford Photography)
TULSA, Okla. – For the second consecutive year, heartbreak struck for a Monrovia, Ind. racer and his team. Eerily similar to what happened in the 29th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals event, the 30th edition came to a close for Justin Peck with a B-Main crash, just moments from making the main event.
The week started off for the 17-year-old gasser on Thursday evening for preliminary action. Starting near the rear of his heat race, he expertly navigated his way to a third-place finish there to sit 12th in points out of the 84 entries on the night. With the top 24 in points inverted for qualifier action, Peck started fourth in qualifier four, but slipped one position to finish fifth.
Just missing out on an automatic bid for the preliminary feature, Peck began the night’s B-Main from outside the front row. Taking the lead early, Peck handily took the victory in his family’s Esslinger-powered DRC Chassis No. 5x. In the main event, he capped his impressive night in the 25-lap main event. It was obvious from the start that Peck would be finishing much higher than he had started. From 18th, Peck set a blistering pace matched by few on the racing surface. Soon in pursuit of NASCAR star Ricky Stenhouse Jr, who started 13th, Peck couldn’t manage to make the pass, but rather, crossed the finish line nearing his rear bumper, ultimately taking home seventh, just as he had in prelim action one year ago.
The strong run on Thursday helped Peck bypass much of the mains on Saturday, which began with N-Mains bright and early at 9:30 AM. Over 11 hours later, Peck was finally on track for his 20-lap B-Main event, which took the top six finishers to the 55-lap finale, paying $10,000 and year-long bragging rights to the winner. Just as in 2015, Peck began from seventh position. On the opening lap, Peck jumped into the sixth and final transfer position, being challenged by multiple competitors. Surrendering the spot momentarily, Peck was not going down without a fight. Soon, he was back into sixth and pulling away, with his first Chili Bowl main event appearance in sight. The yellow flag waved with five laps to settle the score, and on the restart, calamity ensued. The leader’s right rear tire had slowly been losing air, and when it came time to take the green flag, the lead car didn’t come up to speed. Several of the frontrunners piled in, and Peck’s machine was pushed from behind, forcing it up the retaining wall and onto its lid. Though damage onboard the Dura Coat Products-backed entry didn’t force Peck out of the race, he was forced to restart 13th with still five laps remaining. In the end, the machine’s handling was off and the rising star was out of the Chili Bowl.
“I had an awesome Chili Bowl going up until then,” Peck grimaced. “We almost made it into the big dance.” He went on to make a huge announcement for the future of his race team regarding their engine package. “Peck Motorsporst is officially partnered with Toyota Racing for 2016!” While Esslinger has powered the No. 5x for multiple years with great results, the team looks forward to their new engine program for the upcoming season.
Peck would like to thank Dura Coat Products, Brase Yourself, Factory Kahne, Simpson Race Products, Lucas Oil, Keizer Wheels, Hoosier Racing Tire, Saldana Racing Products, Pit Stop BBQ & Grill, Kwik Change Products, and Spider Graphix, as well as his parents, crew, and all of his fans for their continued support.
Quick Results
January 14 – Tulsa, OK – Midget – Heat: 3rd (7); Qualifier: 5th (4); B-Main: 1st (2); Feature: 7th (18)
January 16 – Tulsa, OK – Midget – B-Main: 16th (7)
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
