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Hayden Pedersen secures a spot in Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge

16 June, 2014

 


Hayden Pedersen is getting closer and closer to his dream of becoming a professional Nascar driver. The 19-year-old from Rotorua has made the shift to the United States and raced his first Nascar season last year in California.

NZV8 featured an interview with Pedersen in Issue No. 107 where he talked about his passion for motor sport and his goals in the United States. And he’s only headed onwards and upwards since then.

During last year’s Nascar season he raced in the lower sanctioned series and hopes to move up the ranks this year. This looks likely as he has recently earned a place in the final of the 2014 Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge which could see him moving up the ranks even faster than expected.

The Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge is aimed specifically at up-and-coming drivers who want to make a name for themselves within Nascar. It’s a televised three-day challenge which sees contenders being coached by the likes of Clint Bowyer, Danica Patrick, and Michael Waltrip.

“Thousands of people entered to try and be one of the 18 that get to compete at the Charlotte Motorsport Speedway, and I was chosen as one of the 18,” says Pedersen.


“I have been dreaming about making it to the top and have done many things to try to get there, so it’s amazing for Peak to give me a chance to prove my skills.”

“[The challenge is] in the public eye like crazy so it will get my name out there as well,” Pedersen says. 

With the winner receiving a Peak Racing sponsorship in a 2014 Nascar K&N Pro Series race, it provides a huge opportunity for the winner to achieve their Nascar goals.

“That is a good step up,” Pedersen says. “It is getting me closer to that goal of racing in the Sprint Cup.” The Sprint Cup is the top tier of racing in Nascar, which is Pedersen’s big goal.

“We will aim for that series and keep moving along. Hopefully it is only five years away but if it takes 10 years, it takes 10 years. But I have to keep pursuing that dream.”

The 2014 Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge will be held from June 11–13 and the young driver could do with his home country’s backing. To support him, visit his Givealittle page, and like or message his Facebook page.

Check out the video Pederson entered to make sure he was selected as one of the 18 contenders in the challenge:

“Gotcha!’’ The continuing tale of a Nissan/Datsun tragic – part two

8 May, 2026

In 1996, I was on a mission to buy a suitable pavement scorcher and visited the now-defunct Manukau City Car Fair. Unbelievably, among the sea of four-door utilitarian Japanese compacts was the absolute jewel in the crown, my automobile wet dream — a 1985 two-door R30 RS Nissan Skyline FJ20 Turbo five-speed manual in nice condition. The owner wanted $10,000 — a great deal.
But what did I do? I bailed out, paralysed by indecision. The money would have been a stretch, but it was the worst automotive choice I ever made. Instead, I went for a rusty Toyota Sprinter 8 Valve Twin Cam Coupé, which was pretty terminal from the get-go. I know. We’ve all done it, but there was really no excuse for passing up the Skyline, and I was haunted by that for years.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

30 April, 2026

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.