Harold "Harry" Peek (April 12, 1945 – February 5, 1998) was an American stock car driver. Track announcers coined his driving style as the "Patented Peek Charge", as he would wait until the end of the race to make his move to victory.[1]
| Harry Peek | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harold W. Peek Jr. April 12, 1945 Schenectady, New York |
| Died | February 5, 1998 (aged 52) |
| Retired | 1997 |
| Motorsports career | |
| Debut season | 1966 |
| Car number | 27 |
| Championships | 5 |
Racing career
editHarry Peek began racing in the support division at Lebanon Valley Speedway in 1966. He moved to late model division at Fonda Speedway in 1968, capturing 23 feature wins in a little over three years and a division championship in 1969.[1]
The following year, Peek stepped up to the modified division, winning his first feature. He went on to win the Fonda track championships in 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1976. Peek also found success at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta NY, Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven VT, Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge NY, and the Weedsport Speedway NY.[2][3][4][5][6]
Harry Peek was inducted into the New York State Stock Car Association Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 2003.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Szczerba, Ron (May 3, 2003). "Peek set to join Motorsports Hall of Fame Sunday". The Daily Gazette. Schenectady NY. p. C6. Retrieved May 1, 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Peek survives 10-car pile pileup to win Weedsport feature". The Citizen. Auburn NY. August 1, 1972. p. 10. Retrieved May 1, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
- ^ "Rolling Wheels has scheduled 100-lap event". The Post-Standard. Syracuse NY. August 3, 1972. p. 12. Retrieved May 1, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
- ^ "Peek wins initial victory of season at Fonda oval". The Altamont Enterprise & Albany County Post. NY. July 27, 1973. p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2024 – via NYS Historic Newspapers.
- ^ Boggie, Tom (August 22, 1992). "Peek captures first modified win at Malta". The Daily Gazette. Schenectady NY. p. C6. Retrieved May 1, 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Boyd, Lew (2002). Fonda! An Illustrated and documented history of the legendary Fonda Speedway. Coastal 181. ISBN 0970985428.