First Time Competing at Track Larger than 1.5 Miles
HANOVER, Penn. (July 30, 2013) – Todd Peck will make his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of the 2013 season this weekend at Pocono Raceway. He will pilot the No. 07 Arthritis Foundation Chevy in the Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway. The 2.5-mile track will be the largest that the team has competed on to date. Peck, a Pennsylvania native, looks to continue his growth as a NASCAR driver by tackling the unique configuration of the “tricky triangle.”
Last month, Peck made his first start at an intermediate track when he competed at Kentucky Speedway. He ran as high as 17th place at the 1.5-mile oval before overheating problems forced him to make an early exit. Saturday’s race will mark Peck’s seventh-career Truck Series start. His best finish came at Phoenix International Raceway last season, scoring an 18th-place finish.
Peck and his team will host some very special guests at the track. The Arthritis Foundation is bringing two children who have been diagnosed with arthritis, along with their families to see the race from an insider’s point of view. The families will be honorary crew members and get to tour the garage, watch the crew prepare for the race and see the main event from the team’s pit stall.
Peck comments on making his first start at Pocono:
“This is a really important race for our team. First off, Pocono is our home track. All of our team members are from Pennsylvania and we’ve always dreamed of competing in a NASCAR race at Pocono. It’s awesome to know we’ll be racing in our home state in front of all of our friends and family members. It’s also very gratifying to make our first start at a two-and-a-half mile track. We’ve made a lot of progress over the last two seasons and it’s nice to see us reaching our goals and growing as a team.
“I know that the ‘tricky triangle’ is more than just a catchy nickname. There are plenty of veterans that have a tough time getting around the track. It’s so unique and there’s nothing that compares to it. It’s going to take some time to get acquainted and learn my marks. My goal is to learn and absorb as much as I can about the track. There’s three different turns, each with its own flare, so I’ve got a lot of work to do this weekend to get the hang of it.
“As always, we’re thrilled to have guests from the Arthritis Foundation join us at the track. It’s really neat to see how much fun they have. The kinds get to see everything that goes into a race up close and personal. As someone who’s been diagnosed with arthritis, I hope that they realize that it doesn’t have to slow them down or limit their possibilities.”
Crew Chief Keith Wolfe comments on preparing for Pocono:
“These races are building blocks for our team as we head to the larger faster tracks of the series.  Like any successful team, we need data to build our program at each one of these tracks.  We always show up to win, but we also realize that we are rookies to the 1.5-mile and larger tracks. As our program grows, so does our success as we move forward.”
About Peck Motorsports
Peck Motorsports is the only professional NASCAR race team headquartered in central Pennsylvania. Founded in 1988, Peck Motorsports is a family operation. Brothers Dr. Mike Peck and Tom Peck operated the team with success throughout the 90s. Today the team is still led by Dr. Mike Peck, but this time with son Todd Peck behind the wheel.
The family has a long, trusted history in the sport. Tom Peck has numerous top-10 and top-five finishes in the highest ranks of NASCAR. Todd Peck is the next generation of Peck Motorsports hoping to carry on the legacy of proud Pennsylvania racers. The team is currently looking for primary sponsorship in 2012 to support their collaboration with the Arthritis Foundation.
About the Arthritis Foundation
Striking one in every five adults and 300,000 children, arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability. The Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) is committed to raising awareness and reducing the impact of this serious, painful and unacceptable disease, which can severely damage joints and rob people of living life to its fullest. The Foundation funds life-changing research that has restored mobility in patients for more than six decades; fights for health care policies that improve the lives of the millions who live with arthritis; and partners with families to provide empowering programs and information.
Juvenile Arthritis (JA) affects more than 300,000 children in the U.S. JA is a term to describe the many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions that can develop in children ages 16 and younger. There are several different types of JA.
