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Preston Peltier has long been one of the top names in Super Late Model racing, with a career that has taken him to both coasts with marquee wins along the way.  Now, he’s ready to take the next step in his career.

 

Peltier has accepted the position of Director of Racing Operations with Sigma Performance Services and will join their racing operation for the 2020 season.  Peltier is excited about the new role as it will allow him to compete at a high level behind the wheel while also building a driver development program.

 

“At the level, we’ve been racing the last few years here with the Vecchiarellis, it’s almost just too much for what we have going on,” Peltier told Speed51.  “They didn’t really want to grow beyond where we were, and that’s fine.  I’m still driven and I still want to win races and I have some unfinished business in the motorsports industry.  For years now, I’ve been trying to put together a driver development program or some kind of service.  We just really couldn’t put anything together; it was a difficult time.”

 

While Peltier will no longer be driving for Ed Vecchiarelli, he will still be working with the Vecchiarellis and other West Coast teams through the Sigma program, headed by Joe Farre.

 

“Joe reached out and gave me the opportunity to work for him at Sigma Engineering and his company, Sigma Performance.  I thought this was going to be a great opportunity and I could mold this into the best of both worlds, not only for me but for the Vecchiarellis.”

 

Farre says those partnerships will be the most rewarding part of the new union, rather than any on-track success Peltier might enjoy in 2020 and beyond with the team.

 

“Some of the first words that came out of our mouths were about careers in racing,” Farre said. “It’s not just about running a season, or about Preston being a driver for this team.  It’s about putting careers together.  That’s rare on the West Coast.  You don’t hear a lot about that out here.  I’m very proud to be a part of this.”

 

While Peltier is excited about the next chapter of his career, he is grateful to the Vecchiarellis and everything they have done to further his racing career.

 

“I’m so thankful for those guys,” Peltier said.  “They’re more than friends.  To me, they are like family.  They’ve taken care of me before I even moved out here.  They really did a good job and cared about my future and where we were going. This has really worked out to be a win-win for everybody.”

 

The driver development possibilities on the table with Sigma offer Peltier new avenues for his career, but he still has plenty of boxes he wants to check as a racer before fading away and considers himself as competitive as ever.

 

The team plans to make its first appearance of the year at the Winter Showdown at Kern County Raceway. There is no set schedule beyond that for now, but Peltier and Farre have aspirations for the year, including the biggest Super Late Model race of them all.

 

“I still have the drive and the passion and it’s still challenging,” Peltier stated.  “One of the things that’s incredibly difficult is the Snowball Derby.  That’s the one that’s at the top of the bucket list.”

 

Farre has also floated the possibility of competing at some major races in the Eastern United States later in the year, after the team has found its footing.

 

“Joe has mentioned he’s been wanting to run some back east,” said Peltier.  “He’d like to go to Winchester or the All American 400.  If we could possibly make that happen and put a deal together, I’ve been talking to some sponsors that have been good to us in the past and work a program that will not only help them but help us.

 

“If we can get that squared away, which is a tall order.  We’re uprooting in 30 days from Denver and going to Las Vegas.  There’s a lot going on.  It’s going to be a matter of time to say, ‘This is where we’re going to go.’”

 

“Without Preston’s experience and guidance, it was something further on our radar,” Farre said.  “It is a real possibility this year.  We want to give everyone a chance to find their rhythm, but I think there’s a really good chance you’ll see us doing that stuff this year.”

 

-Story by: Zach Evans, Speed51 Content Supervisor – Twitter: @ztevans

tentative race schedule 2021

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