When Brad Peck started the Gasroots Project seven years ago, he wanted to exhibit his passion for local auto racing through the lens of his camera. Today, the one-man band is at a crossroads.
“I’m considering putting a bow on the Gasroots Project and wrapping it up,” Peck, of Madison, Wisconsin, said. “I just released the film about Jim Krahn. There are no more.”
Peck’s father, David, drag raced and worked at Wegner Automotive. He instilled a love of the sport in Peck. When they attended Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, Peck wanted to share his passion with the world.
“I watched NASCAR on TV, but I got more excited to be going to our local tracks,” said Peck. “I grew in love with short-track racing.”
His creative skills took him to Mercury Marine, where he worked for 22 years using his talent.
“I had bounced around, working on films for charities and political campaigns,” Peck said. “But racing was still my passion. I wanted those things I loved about racing to inspire others to be involved in racing.”
Seven years ago, he took his Nikon D750 and one 24-120mm lens and set out to document what he loved about local auto racing.
“That was my thing — one man, one camera, one lens,” said Peck. “Nothing fancy. All the footage and all the stills at the track were mine except when I hired a drone pilot a couple times to do some aerials. I wanted to do documentaries as I encounter people in my life. There were stories to tell from racing.”
When Peck started the Gasroots Project, he had lofty goals. He even offered scholarships for racers in need of sponsorship.
“The scholarships were offered from 2019 to 2022,” Peck said. “It was something I set up to be crowdfunded. One track donated to the scholarship fund and then the rest came out of my pocket.”
The Gasroots Project showcased people in racing such as Hanna Raley, who raced pavement late models and worked as a teacher. Charlie Johnson, a blind crew chief who worked on his son Tyler Noble’s car. And Jerry Eckhardt, a veteran racer at Jefferson Speedway and Slinger Super Speedway.
“Jerry never had sponsors,” said Peck. “He got a lot of attention from the film and now has quite a few sponsors. He’s still racing in the limited late models at Jefferson Speedway.”
For fans of the Gasroots Project, Peck offered a glimmer of hope for more.
“I’m open to doing more projects,” Peck said. “I want to hear ideas and proposals. After all, a creative never stops creating.”
You can email Brad Peck with your ideas or contributions to Gasroots Project at [email protected].
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
