9/15/2015
Peck Reigns in First POWRi Victory
(Photo by POWRi)
LEWISTOWN, Ill. – For Justin Peck, 2015 has been a tumultuous season to say the least. But his luck turned at Spoon River Speedway on Saturday night, when he earned the first POWRi National Midget Series win of his career. The effort followed up a solid finish of sixth from the previous night at Jacksonville Speedway.
Friday’s event at Jacksonville, the Herb Barlow Memorial, showcased the POWRi midgets and micros as well as MOWA sprint cars; 23 midgets convened for action at the tiny quarter-mile oval. Peck began the night from the rear of his heat race in eighth, and moved forward three positions to finish fifth.
The 30-lap feature race lineup put Peck rolling off from the inside of row five. The start was rocky, as Peck and another driver made contact on the opening lap, sending the Dura Coat Products No. 5x plummeting in the running order. Falling to 14th, Peck struggled to gain ground back early, but directed his DRC Chassis to the top of the speedway. The high side proved to be the ticket, and Peck rallied past several cars with ease. When the checkered emerged, he had narrowly missed out on a top-five, finishing sixth. “We probably didn’t have a winning car, but we probably could have ran top-three,” Peck said of the opening-lap incident.
Another memorial race on Saturday, the Tom Knowles Memorial, moved the POWRi midgets to Spoon River Speedway. Making his first visit to the facility, Peck would face off against 20 other drivers. In the final of three heat races, he started from the outside pole and nabbed the victory.
The heat win earned Peck a front-row starting spot for the 30-lapper. It was Peck who would take the point on the start ahead of Friday night winner Christopher Bell. Lapped traffic came into play just eight laps into the race; Peck had built a significant advantage, but was held up by a slower car just before halfway, allowing Bell to reel him back in. Third-place Tyler Thomas picked off the pair in consecutive corners to take the lead just before a caution on lap 16. On the restart, all three went back to the top side, and Peck wanted the lead back on lap 24. A Peck slidejob took the lead, though Thomas regained the spot on the backstretch. A second slider from the Monrovia, Ind. native came entering turn three, but the pair touched and Thomas slid to a stop for the race’s second and final yellow. Restarting with six to go and the lead, Peck faced relentless challenges from Bell. The race came down to the final corner as Bell went to the bottom attempting to sneak by, but Peck kept his momentum around the high side and reached the line first. “I want to apologize to Tyler Thomas. I didn’t mean to get into him,” Peck acknowledged of the contact between the two. “I’ve got to thank my guys. They gave me a great race car,”
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, Quick Change Products, 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 September 19 at Montpelier Motor Speedway in Montpelier, Ind. in the No. 5x midget entry.
Quick Results
September 11 – Jacksonville, IL – Midget – Heat: 5th (8); Feature: 6th (9)
September 12 – Lewistown, IL – Midget – Heat: 1st (2); Feature: 1st (2)
2015 Stats
25 races, 18 features, 2 wins, 4 top fives, 11 top tens, 7 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