It was a critical time and Tom Buch was ready to take action.
“It is like anything else when guys get bored,” he said. “And last year by July they were bored with racing because they weren‘t having fun. Sean and I usually talk on Monday, because that‘s my office day, and he kept repeating he just didn‘t know, he just didn‘t know. They were lost.
“We changed chassis, we got different motors, and what else are you going to do? In August, going into Knoxville, I told them to start watching these kids because I want a kid in the car next year and we‘ve got to get who we want. There aren‘t that many rides out there so we should have our pick of good quality kids. There‘s a lot that goes into that. You look at their family for one thing, because some of these kids have dads that are too hands-on and try to control everything.”
One thing was clear in Buch‘s mind: things were going to have to be different.
Getting straight to the point, Tom says, “If I can‘t go to the race track with a car capable of winning, I don‘t want to go and neither do my guys.” Before the World of Outlaws finale at Charlotte, Tom decided to give Peck a deeper look. He arranged a test at Port Royal, and also brought in Brock Zearfoss and Dylan Cisney to provide a basis for comparison. It went exceedingly well.
Even with this, the team had a big decision in front of them. “We had 22 drivers call for the ride,” Buch reveals. “And we had them all written down on a white board. I wanted Sean and Kurt to be involved in the decision-making as much as me, because they have to work with these guys. So, I said, ‘Let‘s narrow it down to five drivers who have the talent to run at the level we are racing.”
As for what had transpired in Justin‘s past, Buch didn‘t give that a second thought. Given today‘s environment, one emerging consideration is what resources a driver can bring to the team. Buch proclaims that this wasn‘t a road he wanted to travel. “We had some people willing to bring money,” he said. “Justin didn‘t, although a lot of people think that he did. He brought himself, a good attitude, and a desire to win. If you take someone‘s money and you realize it‘s not working after Florida, it‘s hard to get rid of them. I just don‘t think that‘s right. People bring a bunch of money, trailers, or whatever, and you tell them it‘s not going to work and then they are left with nothing.”
As the 2021 season began to pick up speed, it was clear that Buch Motorsports was ready. Wins came at Port Royal and Williams Grove, and the team clicked for the first official All Star point race at Attica, Ohio.
As is so often true, it is work in the shop that can make the difference. “We got our point money from the All Stars in October,” Buch says. “And, usually, we don‘t get it until the PRI (Performance Racing Industry) show in December. So, we had a two-month jump on building cars and getting stuff we needed. I mean, things were hard to get this year, so the moment that money hit our account Sean ordered our cars, ordered our wheels, and all of that. We had everything before Christmas and had cars on the ground. We were way ahead of where we usually are.”
Naturally, all parties are thrilled with the start of the year, and this was punctuated when Peck landed on the podium with the World of Outlaws at Kokomo Speedway. Even Justin is a bit surprised. “I expected to win some races this year,” he says. “But I didn‘t expect to win three this early. If you are hot at the beginning of the year it seems like that should mean we are going to have a good year.”
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