Everyone understands that there will be ups and downs over the course of a long season, but Steve Peck has detected one reason things have gone so well. “What helps is that they listen to him,” he says. “Over the years, even back to quarter-midgets, he tested tires for Hoosier. We were getting paid and sometimes there would be three engineers there and they interviewed him after every set of tires. He also tested shocks for Corey and Chet Fillip (Advanced Racing Suspensions). With Corey, he really learned how to break down a turn — the entry, the middle, and the exit.
“Now, with Sean and Kurt, the three of them have a pow-wow to discuss how things are going. It isn‘t like he tells them he needs this bar or that, but they try to make adjustments and give him what he wants. With experienced crew chiefs that is sometimes hard to do. Many of them say, ‘This is what you need because this is what worked with a guy five years ago.‘ I think the more they work together the better it is going to get.”
Having the chance to work with a veteran team gives Peck the chance to focus on racing when he is at the track and still get home and work for Mike Allgaier and Tony Burkhardt at Hoosier Tire. His ultimate desire is still to race with the World of Outlaws and, thankfully, it is a goal shared by his entire team. Tom Buch realizes that taking that step is a process and, more than anything, it requires cash.
For now, the primary focus is on the All Star tour and making a solid run at the title. “Our plan all along was to run for the All Star championship,” Justin says. “And the stuff we were doing in Pennsylvania earlier this year was to gear up for the season, because there are a lot of point races there. Hopefully that is where we can stretch out a point lead or get a few points back.
“There are 11 other good guys on the tour, so it is going to be a dogfight all the way to the finish. I think we can do it, but we think it is important to be tough in Pennsylvania. We are just going to take it race by race. If you can win a couple of races and run up front night after night the points will take care of themselves. We have a contract to run the All Stars for two years, so we will do our best and try to win a couple of championships and then reevaluate and see where we are at. Maybe then we will make a jump.”
In the long run, perhaps the best approach for this 22-year-old racer is simply to take it one day at a time. By all accounts, it would seem that everything is in place for Peck to move his career forward and realize his dreams.
As for his owner, Justin says, “He‘s awesome. He treats us well and gives us what we need to go racing. I think it is just a good fit.”
Overall, the best news of all is that Peck is in a good spot.
“I have been through the wringer, and I was at ground zero and had to work myself up the ladder. I think I am in a really good place mentally right now. You know, this is what you work for, but the job isn‘t finished. It is great to get off to a hot start but the ultimate goal is to win a championship and we won‘t be satisfied until that happens.”