Justin Peck outduels Spencer Bayston for Muskingum County Speedweek victory
DRESDEN, Ohio (June 17, 2021) – Round six of Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires did not disappoint on Thursday evening at Muskingum County Speedway, as Monrovia, Indiana’s Justin Peck and recent Sam McGhee Motorsports acquisition, Spencer Bayston, battled until the fat lady sang, dueling hard in the final four circuits of the 25-lap contest with Peck earning the edge. Forced to utilize a last-ditch effort slider in the final corner, Peck’s FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory bumped his season total to three; four over the course of his career. Snapping a recent dry spell, the Muskingum triumph, a $6,000 accomplishment, resulted in Peck’s first visit to victory lane since Sharon Speedway’s Buckeye Cup in early May. Peck now owns All Star victories at four different facilities.
“Hats off to Spencer. That was fun,” Justin Peck said in victory lane, driver of the Buch Motorsports/Coastal Race Parts/No. 13 sprint car. “Hats off to these guys. We’ve been struggling for a couple of weeks now, but to finally figure things out is pretty awesome. It wasn’t all on their end. I needed to figure some stuff out on my end, as well. To be a winner during Speedweek is pretty special. Growing up wanting to be a sprint car driver, you dream of having the chance to race Speedweek. So to get a win is pretty cool.”
Forced to start the race, officially, in single-file formation, a decision made by the officials after four consecutive double-file cautions, including a red flag incident, halted action, Spencer Bayston earned the initial jump, getting the best of pole sitter, Cale Conley. Bayston and Conley battled hard for the first three circuits with Bayston finally earning some separation on lap four. Meanwhile, Peck, who started fourth on the grid, battled his way to second by lap six, getting by Tyler Courtney and Cale Conely in consecutive fashion to secure the position. A caution on lap nine would halt the field one last time.
Although Bayston and Peck would run one-two through lap 21, action did not hit high gear until lap 20, as Bayston found himself trapped behind a wall of lapped cars. The roaming roadblock forced Bayston to check up which allowed Peck to pull even with the Mike McGhee and Associates No. 11 the following circuit. Lap 22 is when Peck made his move, sliding by Bayston at the exit of turn four to lead the lap. Despite the rapid change, Bayston refused to give up, keeping Peck within a car length during the next two trips through traffic.
The final lap would see Bayston pull even with Peck through turns one and two, ultimately powering by the Buch Motorsports entry down the backstretch. In return, Peck dove to the bottom of turn three, slid across the nose of Bayston, then kissed the turn four cushion, all before beating the Lebanon, Indiana-native in a drag race back to the checkers.
“I felt like we had a stellar car all night long. I just felt really, really good,” Bayston said on his second night piloting for Mike McGhee. “These Sam McGhee Motorsports guys did a fantastic job all night and they made my job a lot easier.”
Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires will continue Friday evening, June 18, at Limaland Motorsports Park in Lima, Ohio. The eight-race/nine-day campaign will then conclude on Saturday evening with the third running of the Dean Knittel Memorial at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The largest payday on the Ohio Sprint Speedweek schedule, the 2021 Knittel Memorial will award $17,554 to the main event winner.
For those who can not witness the All Star Circuit of Champions live and in person, FloRacing.com, the official media partner and broadcast provider of the All Stars, has you covered. To access live and on-demand racing action from the All Star Circuit of Champions, visit FloRacing.com and become an annual PRO subscriber. Race fans can see all the USAC and dirt late-model action they want in addition to Eldora Speedway’s slate of races and those of the All Star Circuit of Champions. The subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
Contingency Awards/Results: Muskingum Co. Speedway | Thursday, June 17, 2021:
Event: Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires
Entries: 39
C&R Racing Hot Laps: Tyler Courtney | 13.228
Dixie Vodka Fast Qualifier: Tyler Courtney | 12.818
Ford Performance Heat #1 Winner: Justin Peck
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2 Winner: Kyle Reinhardt
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3 Winner: Brinton Marvel
Mobil 1 Heat #4 Winner: DJ Foos
Kear’s Speed Shop Dash #1 Winner: Cale Conley
Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts Dash #2 Winner: Spencer Bayston
Classic Ink USA Screenprinting & Embroidery B-Main Winner: Cale Thomas
Rayce Rudeen Foundation First Non-Transfer: Trey Jacobs
FloRacing A-Main Winner: Justin Peck
Hercules Tires A-Main Hard Charger: Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (+15)
FloRacing A Feature (30 Laps): 1. 13-Justin Peck[4]; 2. 11-Spencer Bayston[2]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[3]; 4. 16-DJ Foos[5]; 5. 3C-Cale Conley[1]; 6. 4-Cap Henry[13]; 7. 17B-Bill Balog[9]; 8. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[23]; 9. 22H-Jac Haudenschild[16]; 10. 25R-Jordan Ryan[15]; 11. 28-Tim Shaffer[20]; 12. 48-Danny Dietrich[19]; 13. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[10]; 14. 1-Nate Dussel[17]; 15. 5-Paul McMahan[8]; 16. 21BP-Brinton Marvel[7]; 17. 18T-Tanner Holmes[24]; 18. W20-Greg Wilson[18]; 19. 10-Zeb Wise[6]; 20. 26-Cory Eliason[11]; 21. 49X-Cale Thomas[21]; 22. 70M-Henry Malcuit[12]; 23. (DNF) 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[22]; 24. (DNF) 24-Rico Abreu[14] Lap Leaders: Spencer Bayston (1-21), Justin Peck (22-25)
Classic Ink USA B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 49X-Cale Thomas[2]; 2. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[10]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[7]; 4. 18T-Tanner Holmes[5]; 5. 70-Trey Jacobs[3]; 6. 23E-Jordan Harble[9]; 7. 4S-Tyler Street[8]; 8. 2L-Landon Lalonde[14]; 9. 18-Cole Macedo[4]; 10. 24W-Garet Williamson[15]; 11. 15-Mitch Harble[11]; 12. 12-Kyle Capodice[19]; 13. 23-Chris Andrews[16]; 14. 22B-Ryan Broughton[12]; 15. 08-Brandon Conkel[18]; 16. 4X-Bradley Ashford[13]; 17. (DNF) 101-Lachlan McHugh[1]; 18. (DNF) 07-Skylar Gee[6]; 19. (DNF) 59-Bryan Nuckles[17]
Kears Speed Shop Dash 1 (4 Laps): 1. 3C-Cale Conley[2]; 2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[4]; 3. 16-DJ Foos[1]; 4. 21BP-Brinton Marvel[3]; 5. 17B-Bill Balog[5]
Elliotts Custom Trailers and Carts Dash 2 (4 Laps): 1. 11-Spencer Bayston[1]; 2. 13-Justin Peck[2]; 3. 10-Zeb Wise[3]; 4. 5-Paul McMahan[4]; 5. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[5]
Ford Performance Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 13-Justin Peck[1]; 2. 17B-Bill Balog[2]; 3. 4-Cap Henry[5]; 4. 5-Paul McMahan[3]; 5. 10-Zeb Wise[4]; 6. 18-Cole Macedo[8]; 7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[9]; 8. 101-Lachlan McHugh[6]; 9. 49X-Cale Thomas[7]; 10. 08-Brandon Conkel[10]
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[1]; 2. 26-Cory Eliason[2]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[4]; 4. 22H-Jac Haudenschild[3]; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich[5]; 6. 70-Trey Jacobs[6]; 7. 4S-Tyler Street[7]; 8. 15-Mitch Harble[9]; 9. 2L-Landon Lalonde[8]; 10. 59-Bryan Nuckles[10]
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 21BP-Brinton Marvel[1]; 2. 11-Spencer Bayston[4]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu[3]; 4. W20-Greg Wilson[6]; 5. 28-Tim Shaffer[5]; 6. 18T-Tanner Holmes[2]; 7. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[10]; 8. 22B-Ryan Broughton[7]; 9. 23-Chris Andrews[9]; 10. 12-Kyle Capodice[8]
Mobil 1 Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 16-DJ Foos[1]; 2. 70M-Henry Malcuit[3]; 3. 25R-Jordan Ryan[7]; 4. 1-Nate Dussel[2]; 5. 3C-Cale Conley[4]; 6. 07-Skylar Gee[6]; 7. 23E-Jordan Harble[9]; 8. 4X-Bradley Ashford[8]; 9. 24W-Garet Williamson[5]
Dixie Vodka Qualifying: 1. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 00:12.818[15]; 2. 10-Zeb Wise, 00:12.835[6]; 3. 5-Paul McMahan, 00:12.855[3]; 4. 17B-Bill Balog, 00:12.878[5]; 5. 22H-Jac Haudenschild, 00:12.925[11]; 6. 26-Cory Eliason, 00:12.993[17]; 7. 13-Justin Peck, 00:12.997[9]; 8. 91-Kyle Reinhardt, 00:13.016[13]; 9. 11-Spencer Bayston, 00:13.081[30]; 10. 4-Cap Henry, 00:13.090[7]; 11. 101-Lachlan McHugh, 00:13.141[10]; 12. 49X-Cale Thomas, 00:13.143[4]; 13. 48-Danny Dietrich, 00:13.146[20]; 14. 70-Trey Jacobs, 00:13.207[14]; 15. 24-Rico Abreu, 00:13.209[26]; 16. 18-Cole Macedo, 00:13.324[8]; 17. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 00:13.373[1]; 18. 18T-Tanner Holmes, 00:13.451[21]; 19. 4S-Tyler Street, 00:13.481[18]; 20. 3C-Cale Conley, 00:13.487[31]; 21. 70M-Henry Malcuit, 00:13.489[37]; 22. 2L-Landon Lalonde, 00:13.525[12]; 23. 1-Nate Dussel, 00:13.527[35]; 24. 16-DJ Foos, 00:13.549[33]; 25. 21BP-Brinton Marvel, 00:13.552[24]; 26. 28-Tim Shaffer, 00:13.560[25]; 27. 24W-Garet Williamson, 00:13.578[32]; 28. 15-Mitch Harble, 00:13.649[16]; 29. 07-Skylar Gee, 00:13.669[38]; 30. 59-Bryan Nuckles, 00:13.770[19]; 31. W20-Greg Wilson, 00:13.860[23]; 32. 22B-Ryan Broughton, 00:13.937[28]; 33. 25R-Jordan Ryan, 00:14.109[39]; 34. 08-Brandon Conkel, 00:14.147[2]; 35. 12-Kyle Capodice, 00:14.557[29]; 36. 4X-Bradley Ashford, 00:14.568[34]; 37. 23E-Jordan Harble, 00:14.660[36]; 38. 23-Chris Andrews, 00:45.887[22]; 39. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg, 00:59.999[27]
Speedweek Outline:
Friday, June 18:
Limaland Motorsports Park
Lima, Ohio
Driver’s Meeting: 6:15 p.m. | Hot Laps: 7 p.m.
$6,000-to-win
Saturday, June 19:
Portsmouth Raceway Park
Portsmouth, Ohio
Driver’s Meeting: 6:15 p.m. | Hot Laps: 7 p.m.
$17,554-to-win
*Rain Date set for June 20
2021 All Star Circuit of Champions Winners:
1. Screven Motor Speedway, Georgia (January 29, 2021): Donny Schatz
2. Screven Motor Speedway, Georgia (January 30, 2021): Aaron Reutzel
3. East Bay Raceway Park, Florida (February 2, 2021): Donny Schatz (2)
4. Volusia Speedway Park, Florida (February 3, 2021): Logan Schuchart
5. Volusia Speedway Park, Florida (February 4, 2021): Carson Macedo
6. Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (April 3, 2021): Justin Peck
7. Virginia Motor Speedway, Virginia (April 15, 2021): Tony Stewart
8. Williams Grove Speedway, Pennsylvania (April 16, 2021): Kyle Larson
9. Port Royal Speedway, Pennsylvania (April 17, 2021): Logan Wagner
10. Bedford Speedway, Pennsylvania (April 18, 2021): Anthony Macri
11. Sharon Speedway, Ohio (May 1, 2021): Justin Peck (2)
12. Tri-City Raceway Park, Pennsylvania (May 2, 2021): Sam Hafertepe Jr.
13. I-96 Speedway, Michigan (May 14, 2021): Tyler Courtney
14. Dirt Oval at Route 66, Illinois (May 15, 2021): Kyle Reinhardt
15. Circle City Raceway, Indiana (May 20, 2021): Tyler Courtney (2)
16. Circle City Raceway, Indiana (May 21, 2021): Tyler Courtney (3)
17. Gas City I-69 Speedway, Indiana (May 22, 2021): Cap Henry
18. Kokomo Speedway, Indiana (May 23, 2021): Zeb Wise
19. Port Royal Speedway, Pennsylvania (May 31, 2021): Lance Dewease
20. Fairbury Speedway, Illinois (June 3, 2021): Tyler Courtney (4)
21. Wilmot Raceway, Wisconsin (June 4, 2021): Tyler Courtney (5)
22. Plymouth Dirt Track, Wisconsin (June 5, 2021): Bill Balog
23. Angell Park Speedway, Wisconsin (June 6, 2021): Bill Balog (2)
24. SW Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (June 11, 2021): Ian Madsen
25. SW Fremont Speedway, Ohio (June 12, 2021): Cole Duncan
26. SW Wayne County Speedway, Ohio (June 14, 2021): Kyle Larson (2)
27. SW Sharon Speedway, Ohio (June 15, 2021): Danny Dietrich
28. SW Waynesfield Raceway Park, Ohio (June 16, 2021): Kyle Larson (3)
29. SW Muskingum County Speedway, Ohio (June 17, 2021): Justin Peck (3)
2021 All Star Circuit of Champions Driver Standings (as of 6/17/21):
1. Tyler Courtney – 3346
2. Cory Eliason – 3100
3. Hunter Schuerenberg – 3086
4. Zeb Wise – 3072
5. Bill Balog – 3058
6. Cap Henry – 3032
7. Paul McMahan – 2662
8. Ian Madsen – 2926
9. Kyle Reinhardt – 2732
10. Rico Abreu – 2686
2021 Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires Standings (as of 6/17/21):
1. Tyler Courtney – 838
2. Justin Peck – 806
3. Danny Dietrich – 804
4. Cory Eliason – 778
5. Cap Henry – 776
About the All Star Circuit of Champions:
All Star Enterprises, LLC, wholly owned by Tony Stewart, d/b/a the All Star Circuit of Champions, is a winged sprint car series. The All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series is one of the oldest traveling 410 sprint car organizations and is a staple of grassroots, open-wheel racing. Formed in 1970 by Bud Miller, the series has largely been considered the first ‘outlaw’ Sprint Car organization of the modern era. Motorsports entrepreneur Tony Stewart agreed to terms with Guy Webb to become the sole owner of the original winged sprint car tour in January of 2015.
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About Mobil 1:
The world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, Mobil 1™ features anti-wear technology that provides performance beyond our conventional motor oils. This technology allows Mobil 1 to meet or exceed the toughest standards of car builders and to provide exceptional protection against engine wear, under normal or even some of the most extreme conditions. Mobil 1 flows quickly in extreme temperatures to protect critical engine parts and is designed to maximize engine performance and help extend engine life. For more information, visit mobiloil.com, on Twitter @Mobil1 and, on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mobil1. Mobil, Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 Racing are registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
About Cometic Gasket:
Cometic Gasket is the Official Gasket of the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions. Cometic is a leading worldwide supplier of gaskets and engine sealing solutions for the Automotive Performance, Powersports, Original Equipment and Remanufactured Engine Industries. Cometic gaskets are must-haves for championship-winning teams across the globe. Cometic Gaskets are proudly made in the USA. For more information, log on to www.cometic.com. Cometic Gasket. Sealing championships since 1989.
About Hercules Tires:
Hercules Tires is widely recognized as the industry’s premier value brand with a comprehensive selection of passenger, UHP, light truck, medium truck and specialty tires. Since 1952, independent tire dealers and distributors have trusted Hercules to deliver outstanding quality, exceptional support, and unsurpassed value. Hercules is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Tire Distributors, Inc. American Tire Distributors is one of the largest independent suppliers of tires in the North American replacement tire market. The company offers an unsurpassed breadth and depth of inventory, frequent delivery and value-added services to approximately 80,000 customers across the U.S. and Canada.
Sources: Tyler Altmeyer/FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 PR
Photo: Paul Arch