Special from Master Gassers - After taking over the seat of the iconic Chiappelli no. 98 in Central PA midway through the year, Ricky Peterson Jr has been named the full-time driver of the car for the 2025 season. The team capped off their season with a 10th place run at Sharon in the Lou Blaney Memorial race against a strong, 38-car field. With the 2025 season on the horizon, Peterson and the Chiappelli team are already preparing.
The plan is to “ramp up” the schedule that the 98 has traditionally run the last few seasons. Tom & Fran Chiappelli have been involved in racing since 1976 and have fielded cars for drivers since 2002. In recent years, they scaled back their schedule and have not been racing as much. That will all change next season and Peterson will primarily be competing in Central PA with added races and potential travel in the cards.
“I am super excited for the opportunity and so grateful for Tom & Fran (Chiappelli), ” said Peterson. “They are really going all-in for 2025.”
Going “All-in” might be an understatement. The team is already working on building new cars, refreshing equipment and spending long hours in the shop. They are all on the same page and have come up with a solid plan for the 2025 season.
“Even though the 2024 season isn’t over for me yet, we’re already hard at work for 2025.”
Prior to the 2024 season, Peterson spent most of his career racing locally in Ohio. He earned multiple opportunities this season to branch out and race in the midwest and Central PA. The results were mixed, but there is no doubt that Peterson learned a ton and became a better driver from it.
Still, Peterson picked up two wins at Wayne County and finished inside the top 10 in 18 of his starts. For racing at a bunch of new tracks in a few different cars, finishing inside the top 10 in 40% of his starts is something that he can build off of for next season.
Last weekend, Peterson picked up a top 10 finish at Skyline Speedway and a top 5 finish at Atomic. He was the hard charger in the GLSS 360 A-Main at Millstream two weeks ago after going quick-time and breaking a shifter going out for the heat race.
With big changes taking place at all levels of the sport, it’s refreshing for Peterson to have his plans secure for 2025.
“I’ll still have the no. 2 available for random shows or 360 races but the main focus for me now is going to be the 98.”
While he and the 98 crew get ready for 2025, Peterson is getting his own no. 2 car ready for the season finale at Atomic on 10/26. Coming off a top 5 finish in his last appearance, he hopes to be a few spots better and end his season with a win.
Stay tuned for any updates regarding Peterson and his schedule for 2025!
Story - Master Gassers
Photo - Rick Rarer, SprintCarNews.com
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