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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:

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

28 May, 2026

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.

Chrysler’s classy cruiser

22 May, 2026

I first saw our feature car, a 1970 V8-powered Regal 770 hardtop, towing a trailer carrying the tidy Ford Anglia classic racing saloon in Broadspeed racing colours that has featured in these pages. The coupe is comparatively rare here, which means anyone contemplating purchasing one of these big two-doors is sure to see prices continue to climb. The latter Charger has claimed much of the Aussie Chrysler limelight, but the simpler and classier lines of this car, which appeared dated soon after its introduction, now have a more timeless appeal.
Former owner, Balclutha motor engineer, Mike Verdoner, remembers the car well. He believes it came from Dunedin originally.
“I’m not sure about the car’s history, but I bought it off its owner at Kaitangata. Unusually, it was advertised in the local newspaper, the Clutha Leader, which was a surprise as these usually go for a lot more money on the internet. I had it for quite a few years. It needed a little bit of work to tidy it up, so I had to decide whether to spend the money on it to do it up, which could have been twenty grand. Its value at the time was not like it is now, so I sold it to Ewan. It’s probably now worth three or four times what I sold it for.”