North Carolina Crate standout dies at 57
Crate Late Model veteran Kent Peckham of Statesville, N.C., a two-time champion at Friendship Motor Speedway in Elkin, N.C., died Saturday after a battle with renal and abdominal cancer. He was 57.
Peckham was a frequent winner in his No. 75 car at Friendship and 311 Motor Speedway in Pine Hall, N.C., winning 2009 and ’11 titles at Friendship. His racing career began in go-karts and then modified action in his native New York, where he was the 1994-95 champion in the modified sportsman division at Genesee Speedway in Batavia.
Formerly a mechanical engineer at Eastman Kodak, he moved to North Carolina in 1996 to work in NASCAR jobs with drivers including Richard Petty, Bill Elliott and Jimmy Means. He began focusing on classic car work in 2015 and worked with longtime friend Uwe Wittkamp to build motorcycles and classic cars.
Survivors include his wife Christian and son Kyle and daughter-in-law Danielle. Visitation is 2-3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, followed by a 3 p.m. funeral at St. Therese Catholic Church in Mooresville, N.C. Visit cavin-cook.com for a complete obituary.
