Justin Peck Doubles Down With ASCS In Volusia

Justin Peck celebrates in victory lane Friday at Volusia Speedway Park. (Emily Schwanke photo)

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Justin Peck showed no signs of slowing down Friday night at Volusia Speedway Park as he and Rudeen Racing continue to acclimate to one another.

The 27-year-old from Monrovia, Ind., led all 25 laps at the half-mile dirt oval for his second straight American Sprint Car Series National Tour victory to open the season.

Peck joined the Washington-based organization last October and, though the team is known mainly for its 410 sprint car prowess, their 360 program has shown plenty of steam in the opening act of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.

Two wins in as many starts is a testament to that.

“That was the goal,” Peck said. “I knew after yesterday we had a really strong package, and if we could just keep it rolling and be consistent, we were gonna be tough to beat.”

Peck was never seriously challenged during the main event and won by 1.181 seconds, but admitted he wasn’t perfectly comfortable in the latter stages with his white-and-blue No. 26.

“Two nights in-a-row, I’m dialing myself out come the end of the race and getting myself too tight,” Peck noted. “Our stuff is really fast, but I think Tyler (Tessemaker, crew chief) and I kinda found a little something there in that feature that we need to work on.

“We were trying to make some tweaks, and I think we tweaked the wrong way at some point in that feature. Still hung on, though, which is good.”

New Two-C Racing driver Cole Macedo, a 24-year-old from Lemoore, Calif., started third and chased Peck most of the way after taking second place on lap 11. He never could get close enough to make a bid for the win, however.

“I felt like my car was better a little bit lower on the track,” said Macedo. “I was hoping that Peck would get up in the dirty stuff and spin a little bit, and hopefully I’d be close enough to pounce, and I just never really was.

“I saw him jump the cushion there in (turns) three and four with three (laps) to go, and I smelled blood in the water, but I just never got quite close enough.”

Justin Peck en route to victory Friday at Volusia Speedway Park. (Emily Schwanke photo)

Peck was strongest on restarts, but faded back a bit toward the rest of the field as the runs wore on.

“I knew that my takeoff was really good, like I could grip-up and I could take off really well,” Peck said. “I knew I was going be fine in clean air; my worry was in traffic.

“[Thursday] night, I said that I got my wing too far back late in that race and it hurt me in traffic. Well, I did a good job and thought about it today and didn’t do that,” he continued. “Then we had another restart with six or seven (laps) to go, and I overthought it and pulled it back too far again, got way too tight and really ruined my last six- or seven-lap run there. But the result worked out.”

Missouri’s Brian Brown completed the podium, driving forward from 10th on the grid, while Indiana’s Emerson Axsom earned hard-charger honors with a charge from 21st to fourth after transferring in out of the Last Chance Showdown.

The 20-year-old blew a right-rear tire and failed to finish his heat race, setting up his need to rally, but heads into Saturday’s $12,000-to-win finale second in event points behind only Peck.

At the end of Saturday night’s program, the driver with the most combined event points will earn the first Big Gator championship trophy of the DIRTcar Nationals.

Pennsylvania veteran Danny Dietrich finished fifth Friday night, followed by Daison Pursley, Scotty Thiel, Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, and Cameron Martin.

Five-time ASCS champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. started fifth but was never a factor and came home 11th.

The results:

A-Feature (25 laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck [1]; 2. 2C-Cole Macedo [3]; 3. 21-Brian Brown [10]; 4. 27A-Emerson Axsom [21]; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich [2]; 6. 13P-Daison Pursley [4]; 7. 51T-Scotty Thiel [7]; 8. 44-Chris Martin [8]; 9. 20-Brady Bacon [11]; 10. 4-Cameron Martin [12]; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [5]; 12. 6S-Tyler Clem [18]; 13. 52-Blake Hahn [9]; 14. 88M-Austin McCarl [6]; 15. 2J-Zach Blurton [14]; 16. 95-Matt Covington [22]; 17. 24M-Danny Martin Jr. [17]; 18. 34-Sterling Cling [16]; 19. 28F-Davie Franek [20]; 20. 71-Brady Baker [19]; 21. 6G-Bryan Gossel [24]; 22. 77T-Tyeller Powless [23]; 23. 16TH-Kevin Newton [15]; 24. 20D-Danny Sams III [13].

Lap Leader(s): Justin Peck 1-25.

Hard Charger: 27A-Emerson Axsom (+17)