Holding off Kyle Larson in a two-lap showdown, Justin Peck became the fifth driver in 2023 to win in the High Limit Sprint Car Series at Kokomo (Indiana) Speedway. Peck banked $26,023 for his Tuesday night win.
Lapped traffic and a rough cushion played a significant role in determining the outcome of the race. With 14 laps remaining, Larson banged off the cushion and lost momentum. Peck closed onto his back bumper and watched the traffic jam ahead of him intensify.
“I just feel good to win a damn race,” Peck said afterward. “Everything’s been stacked against us all year. We’d get a lead and blow a tire, blow a motor. I’m fast and stuff myself in the fence or get collected in a pileup. My guys kept grinding it out. It’s kind of what this deal is about. You get to going up and down the road and you get chewed up and spit out pretty easily. It’s rewarding when you can put it all together.”
The final change for the lead came when Larson slapped the wall while trying to get through the field with 10 laps to go. Peck grabbed the lead but was not able to run away from Larson for the next five laps as the two battled side-by-side.
“The curb got massive. I tried to throw my slider and be on the other side of it – the fluff, the cushion, whatever – and got over it and kind of got hung up and I think that’s right when Peck got by me. He was airing it out; he was really good.
“Great race in traffic. Traffic was intense. Those guys were running everywhere and just fast enough that I didn’t think I was ever close enough to throw a slide job. Looking back, I wish I would have tried just to get him to move off the top sooner. Maybe I could have got away from those guys a little bit.”
📹 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 📹@KokomoSpeedway didn't disappoint Tuesday night with @HighLimitRacing in town for a 30-lap main event. Check out the exciting battle for the win between @KyleLarsonRacin and @Justin_Peck5! pic.twitter.com/vNEhiOQD9A
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) August 2, 2023
A spin by Dylan Norris set up the two-lap shootout. Larson had one more shot, but Peck would not be denied as he charged to the checkers to become the third different winner in the last three races and the fifth in series history. Rico Abreu beat Larson last week at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania snapping a three-race win streak for the co-owner of the series.
On the final laps, Abreu edged polesitter Corey Day for the final step of the podium when Day contacted the wall.
Cole Macedo rounded out the top five.
Day led the field to green with Larson to his outside and Peck one row back in third. A pair of early cautions, including a five-lap incident on the opening lap, gave Larson the opportunity take the lead from Day on Lap 2. Peck navigated into second eight laps later when Day got trapped behind slower traffic in the bottom groove.
Five-car crash on Lap 1 immediately thinned the field on a rough Kokomo Speedway including 10th-place starter Zeb Wise. It was triggered when Chase Randall got sideways in front of Wise, who had no place to go except into his left front wheel.
Huset’s Speedway will host Round 8 of the High Limit Sprint Car Series on August 15.
Results
A Feature (35 Laps): 1. 13-Justin Peck[3]; 2. 57-Kyle Larson[2]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu[7]; 4. 7BC-Corey Day[1]; 5. 21T-Cole Macedo[6]; 6. 39M-Justin Sanders[5]; 7. 21H-Brady Bacon[12]; 8. 2MD-Cap Henry[8]; 9. 24S-Logan Seavey[13]; 10. 9P-Parker Price Miller[11]; 11. 11-Cory Eliason[18]; 12. 16TH-Kevin Thomas Jr[4]; 13. 71-Anthony Macri[21]; 14. 17AU-Jamie Veal[17]; 15. 9-Chase Randall[9]; 16. 5R-Byron Reed[20]; 17. 50YR-JJ Hickle[15]; 18. 47BC-Emerson Axsom[22]; 19. 71X-Shane Stewart[16]; 20. 55B-Jake Swanson[19]; 21. (DNF) 19-Dylan Norris[24]; 22. (DNF) 19W-Trent Pigdon[23]; 23. (DNF) 26-Zeb Wise[10]; 24. (DNF) 5T-Ryan Timms[14]
B Feature (10 Laps): 1. 71-Anthony Macri[1]; 2. 47BC-Emerson Axsom[4]; 3. 19W-Trent Pigdon[6]; 4. 19-Dylan Norris[8]; 5. 7N-Darin Naida[5]; 6. 99-Skylar Gee[10]; 7. 77-Geoff Dodge[9]; 8. 16THH-Kevin Newton[2]; 9. 37-Bryce Norris[7]; 10. (DNS) 28M-Conner Morrell; 11. (DNS) 3J-Dusty Zomer
2023 High Limit Sprint Car Series
Race 1: Giovanni Scelzi wins at Lakeside Speedway
Race2: Anthony Macri wins at 34 Raceway
Race 3: Kyle Larson wins at Wayne County Speedway
Race 4: Kyle Larson wins at Tri-City Speedway
Race 5: Kyle Larson wins three in a row at Eagle
Race 6: No longer the bridesmaid: Rico Abreu snaps Larson streak