10/17/2016
Peck Corrals First Win of 2016 at Jacksonville
(Photo by Brendon Bauman Photos)
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Though the 2016 racing season has been one of ups and downs for Monrovia, Ind. racer Justin Peck, the past weekend saw him break through for a triumph for the first time this year. Competing in the “Shaheen’s Super Weekend” with the POWRi National Midget Series at Jacksonville (Ill.) Speedway, Peck followed his seventh-place effort on Friday night before roaring to victory on Saturday evening.
A slate of 22 national midgets entered to battle within the tight confines of the quarter-mile oval for Friday night’s “Herb Barlow Memorial.” Starting from outside the front row in the second of three heat races, Peck took the lead when the green flag flew and drove to the win.
For the 30-lap main event, Peck lined up in the fourth position. After rapidly shooting to the runner-up spot on lap one, he gave chase to leader Austin Brown, but outside polesitter Tucker Klaasmeyer rallied back by on lap four. Two-time series champion Zach Daum soon entered the picture to make it a four-car battle for the lead. As slower traffic came into play, the race got even hotter. A lone caution in the middle stage of the race shook up the front of the field, as leader Daum and second-place Klaasmeyer were collected in an incident and relegated to the tail. As Jake Neuman had recently gotten by Peck for position, the pair would restart second and third with Brown back at the point. When green-flag racing resumed, Peck lost one position on the restart. Daum and Klaasmeyer were able to pass the majority of the remaining cars on the lead lap to sneak by Peck with two laps remaining to relegate him to seventh at the checkered flag. After the race, Peck’s crew discovered engine issues that would force them to their backup car for the remainder of the weekend.
21 entrants returned to cap off the weekend of racing at Jacksonville. On this night, Peck would start fourth in the final of three heat races. Maneuvering to third on the start, he battled fiercely all eight laps with Andy Malpocker for the second spot, but wasn’t able to clear him for the position and settled for third.
The “Ron Milton Race of Champions” main event would go green with Peck in the eighth starting spot. He flexed his muscle early, driving to sixth on lap one, making the pass for the top five exiting turn two on lap two, and then taking over fourth on lap three. Peck’s lap-ten move past 2012 series champ Andrew Felker for third was relegated by a caution flag, and the duo continued their battle on the restart. However, three more yellows near halfway, the second of which involved nine cars, slowed the pace. Daum, who had been running second, had another strike of bad luck when his left rear went flat under the second yellow. This moved Felker and Peck up behind leader Colten Cottle for the restart at halfway. Peck was finally able to master Felker with a lap-17 slidejob to move into the second spot. Using the tricky Jacksonville cushion to close in on Cottle, Peck used another slidejob to pull even with Cottle on lap 19, then rallied by on the cushion in turn two on lap 20. Two more yellows would bunch up lead margins that Peck had built, including one on the final scheduled lap that set up a green-white-checkered finish. Peck coolly traversed the final two laps without incident en route to the win, and securing him the runner-up spot in POWRi National points with one event remaining.
“After the way this season has gone and after the way this weekend was going, starting last night and going into tonight with blowing the other car up, you know, it’s been a long time coming,” “We felt like we’ve been so close so many times and just wasn’t able to get the job done, but I’ve got to give thanks to my crew. They gave me an awesome car tonight. Dura Coat, Hoosier Tire, Lucas Oil, all those guys that’ve backed me for many years, we’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this and it’s finally starting to pay off… Toyota came on board this year and really stepped it up for us. It’s been nice being able to go for a championship and having two cars that we take to the race track every weekend.”
Peck would like to thank Dura Coat Products, Stanton Racing Engines, Factory Kahne, DRC Chassis, Simpson Race Products, Lucas Oil, Keizer Wheels, Hoosier Racing Tire, Saldana Racing Products, Thomas Railroad Construction, 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.
Peck is next scheduled to compete on October 21 at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, Ill. in the Peck Motorsports No. 5X midget entry.
Quick Results
October 14 – Jacksonville, IL – Midget – Heat: 1st (2); Feature: 7th (4)
October 15 – Jacksonville, IL – Midget – Heat: 3rd (4); Feature: 1st (8)
2016 Stats
40 races, 39 features, 1 win, 4 podiums, 14 top-fives, 22 top-tens, 7 DNFs
Social Media
Website: http://www.justinpeckracing.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/justinpeckracing
Twitter: http://twitter.com/justin_peck5
Instagram: http://instagram.com/justin_peck5
Article Credit: Redbeard Promotions
