Steve Peck readily admits that he was hesitant about taking the next step.
“Even though I love racing,” he says, “I was a little reluctant to get him started to be honest with you, because I know how addicting it is.”
As we now know, once the family headed down this path there was no turning back. He won his second-ever race, and in short order the clan was travelling the country in search of the best competition. While Steve is rightfully proud of what his son accomplished, he isn‘t one to just start rattling off a list of accomplishments.
However, with a bit of prodding he is willing to admit that, “Justin took off pretty quick. I think we won 10 National events in quarter-midgets from California to the Midwest. At one National event he set quick time in three different classes. That‘s a rarity.”
The next natural move was to micros, and here the same general pattern emerged. Justin notes he stayed close to his Indiana home, initially racing at Camden and Linton Speedways, and he also did exceptionally well at US 24 Speedway in Logansport. In 2010, besides the micros, Peck was also back on the pavement winning two Kenyon midget events. At 11 years old he was the youngest ever to score with that well-established group.
Gaining confidence, by 2012 he was racing fulltime in the POWRi micro series and continue to establish new marks. A triumph at Lincoln Speedway made him the youngest-ever winner in that series at the time, but in many ways another victory, on Illinois soil in July, stands out as one of the most memorable.
He signed in at the preliminary night for the Mike Phillips Memorial 66 at Southern Illinois Raceway along with 107 other hopefuls. Landing on top of a field of that size, particularly given the strength of the competition, was noteworthy as it stood. As Peck shares, there was even more to the story.
“That race was cool because that is where I met Christopher Bell,” he says. “Because we won that night and he finished second. He threw a slider on me on a restart and I think he was going to clear me, but he hit the curb hard enough that it threw his front end over it. So, I was able to get by him.”
Even though he was just 13, it seemed time to make another move. His father admits that he tried to steer his son into pavement late models, and he did make three starts. It just wasn‘t his thing. It was then that they decided to go midget racing. In December 2012, Justin travelled north for the annual Rumble in Fort Wayne, and his performance over the two-day indoor show was good enough to leave him the top point man.
That was a good start, but the next step was going to be even steeper. Luckily, the family had a bit of a personal benefactor. Back in Justin‘s quarter-midget days a big win at a Grand National event prompted Kim Peck to give her father a call to share the news. It so happened that her dad was dining with Dr. Myung “Mike” Hong, the founder of Dura Coat Products.
Jupiter Aluminum bought thousands of gallons of industrial paint from Dr. Hong‘s firm, so a natural partnership had developed. The entire thrust of the call piqued Dr. Hong‘s interest. He decided to support Justin‘s racing endeavors and was enthused enough to be found at the track on occasion.
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