Pete Cozzolino | Driver Bio
Peter began racing at age eleven and won more than seventy-five races kart races before his sixteenth birthday, as well as two New England Championships (1983 and 1984). Looking back, Peter says, "I've wanted to race for as long as I can remember. My dad was very supportive. I didn't appreciate until much later how much he sacrificed to help get me started."
At age sixteen, Peter stepped up to Formula Fords, winning a pair of championships with the Eastern Motor Racing Association and the Race Car Club Of America. He also won the Vanderbilt Cup in the Tommy Thompson Memorial race.
At eighteen, Peter moved to SCCA National Formula Fords, winning three times and setting a track record at Mosport, Canada. He competed in the SCCA National Championship at Road Atlanta finishing fourth after breaking a gear box.
After completing high school, Peter enrolled at Waterbury State College to study Mechanical Engineering. During the summer of 1990, he traveled to Canada to compete in the Export-A Formula 2000 Challenge, his first professional experience. Finishing eleventh in points, he drove a factory backed Van Diemen RF-90 to "Rookie of the Year" honors, becoming the first American to win that award in the history of the series.
After college, Peter relocated to Indianapolis to drive Sprint cars. His first season's efforts earned him the 1992 "Sprint Driver Rookie of the Year" award from Hoosier Auto Race Fans, an organization composed of track owners, promoters, and series sponsors.
From 1993 to 1995, Peter continued to race Sprint cars on paved tracks throughout the Midwest. He won several heat races and recorded several top five finishes. Peter also set an unofficial track record at historic Winchester Speedway.
1995 proved to be a year of decision for Peter. "Because they look so primitive, most people are surprised at how expensive Sprint cars are to race. I felt that I had the talent to compete with people like Tony Stewart and Doug Kalitta, but I sure didn't have the resources."
Near the end of the season, Peter decided to explore switching to stock cars. He traveled to North Carolina to work with Randy Baker for two days. "My first laps in a stock car were at Rockingham. My experience at tracks like Winchester and Salem made the high banks less intimidating."
Peter attended the last few American Speed Association ACDelco Challenge Series races, where he met Ron Nott, owner of the Valvoline Ford driven by Joe Nott. At the beginning of 1996, Peter went to work for Nott Motorsports, moving to Spring Lake, Michigan. "Not driving in 1996 was tough, but it was definitely was a good decision. I learned a great deal about the cars, the tracks and the series."
In 1997, while continuing to work for the team, Peter got his first racing experience in ASA, competing in four races in a team car. He completed 1,083 of 1,100 possible laps (98.5%) with his best result a tenth place at Indianapolis Raceway Park, where he finished in front of all six of the rookie drivers in the race.
After the season, the entire Nott team came to Indianapolis to attend Peter's wedding to his fiancée, Christina Casper.
Peter feels that his two years with Nott Motorsports were excellent preparation for his future. "I'm really grateful to Ron Nott for the opportunity he gave me, especially the chance to get my first ASA driving experience."
During the 1997 season, Peter met Denny Crookston, a successful concrete contractor from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Denny entered his Chevrolet Monte Carlo in several ASA races. Denny wanted to run a full season in 1998 and was looking for a driver. After the season ended, they reached an agreement to form a new team. Peter had a successful 1998 season with several top ten finishes and second place honors in rookie points.
During the 1999 racing season Peter competed in the Kendall Indiana Late Model series finishing 6th in driver points and also earned 1999 Rookie of the Year honors. He also finidhed 6th in points for the 2000 season.
