Jeff Pearl

Jeff Pearl raced go-karts before joining his father Jerry in the Speedbowl’s SK Modified divisions in 1994. Jeff would lose out to Todd Ceravolo for Rookie of the Year, but finished one spot ahead of Jerry in the final standings.

Jeff’s first win came in the biggest race of his rookie season, the Z-Rock 125. Unfortunately for Jeff, that race is more remembered for a huge fire that broke out after a wreck on the frontstretch, instead of a rookie driver winning a 125 lap race. It would be the first of many extra distance race wins during his career.

Jeff would win the 1998 SK Modified Championship, becoming the 4th driver to join his father on the Speedbowl Championship list. Jeff would win 38 races from 1994-2012, only Dennis Gada would have more during that 19 season span.

Jeff’s most memorable win came in 2007 when he beat Rob Summers on a late race restart, then held off Matt Hirschman to win the Budweiser Modified Nationals SK 150 and it’s $5,000 winner’s purse. Pearl also won the Finale 100 in 1997 and the 100 lap SK portion of the Pepsi 300 in 2007.

In the mid-to-late 2000s, Jeff Pearl’s website hosted an active forum that became the unofficial hub for all things Speedbowl. In the pre-social media era, the site served as an early example of how the web could build interest in race teams and racetracks.

After finishing 2nd to Tyler Chadwick in a battle for the 2012 SK Modified championship, Jeff Pearl quietly left the Speedbowl scene to concentrate on his sons’ racing careers. Always good at restarts as a competitor, many racers visited Pearl’s shop for transmissions long after he stopped racing.

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JEFF PEARL
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