Darrell Peckham

 Jim Shampine's bleakest hour came on December 28, 1976 when his sister, Betty, died tragically at age 23. Her death absolutely devastated Jimmy's parents, Lyndon and Helen. Jimmy's mother was on the verge of an emotional breakdown and The Pine was desperate to find help. He turned to an unexpected source: Darrell Peckham.
Peckham was an obscure backmarker at Oswego, the kind of so-so racer that fans could ridicule, not knowing what a sweet gentleman he was. Peckham was the son of a Methodist minister and Helen Shampine was a devout Methodist. More importantly, however, Peckham was a certified social worker.
Armed with a bachelor of arts degree from Lycoming College and a master's degree in social work from Syracuse University, Peckham was especially skilled in grief counseling. "I had only known Jimmy casually before Betty died," Peckham reflects. "But then, in the middle of the night, I got a call from him. 'I hate to bother you,' Jimmy said, 'but my mother and father are having a real tough time over my sister's death, and I was wondering if you could help.'"
Darrell immediately hopped out of bed, got dressed, and went to the Shampine farm to comfort Lyndon and Helen. Jimmy's mother, unfortunately, would grieve over her daughter's death for the rest of her life and Peckham became a recurrent visitor whenever Helen needed somebody to talk to. The gesture was forever appreciated by The Pine, who felt indebted to Peckham.
Peckham was the last driver to race The Wedge in 8-ball livery. Pine had already made a deal to sell the car to Tom Heveron, who was to field it for son Doug's 1978 rookie campaign. Jimmy had always tried to bolster Peckham, saying he'd be a top runner if he just had better equipment. To prove his point, Jimmy asked Darrell to drive the car in the 1977 World Series at Thompson, Conn. Jimmy even went the extra mile to rent Fulton Speedway one afternoon, the week of the Thompson race to give both Peckham and young Heveron practice. Then he bought Peckham three new tires for the Thompson show. Darrell started dead last and came home sixth. Jimmy was more elated than even Darrell over the showing. "I just knew you could do it. I always knew you had it in you," Jimmy repeatedly told his teammate.
Oh by the way, Shampine won the race in his Radical Offset car, but he was far happier for Peckham than for himself.
  . . . From the book, "The Pine" by Andy Fusco with George Caruso, Jr.