Pit Strategy Pays Off For Starr And Red Horse Racing Team

David Starr (High Sierra Photo)

David Starr once again proved his short track prowess as the driver of the No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota scored a third-place finish at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway on Saturday afternoon. The third-place finish was Starr's second top-five on a short track this season.

With qualifying being washed out due to torrential rain on Friday afternoon, the field was set by owner's points which meant the No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota started seventh.

Starr and the Red Horse Racing team had a simple strategy for the race - to pit once early in the race and battle their way back to the front by the drop of the checkered flag. The strategy had resulted in a win for the young team earlier in the season at Martinsville Speedway.

"We had a good strategy - the same strategy that we used at Martinsville earlier this season to win - and that helped us to finish third today," Starr said. "I didn't really know that we were going to be able to run that long on a set of tires, but we had good tires that didn't go away. I really love racing here at Mansfield, and I hope that we can come here again and again through the years."

Just one lap after the drop of the green flag, Starr was already making his move through the field. By Lap five, Starr was sitting in fifth-place. At the race's second caution at Lap 26, Starr told his crew that the truck was pretty good.

Starr restarted in fourth place and held his position until the fourth caution flag waved at Lap 43. Starr told his crew that the truck still felt good. He brought the No. 11 Toyota down pit road, and the Red Horse Racing crew ripped off a very quick stop for four tires and fuel.  After the pit stop, Starr restarted in 24th place.

A caution-filled race and a limited racing groove made it difficult for the drivers to make on-track passes. Instead, Starr would settle to pick up positions as other drivers and teams made pit stops and the No. 11 Tundra continued on the race track.

As the laps ticked off the board, Starr slowly moved up through the field. At a Lap 75 caution, Starr was recorded in 15th place. He reported to his team that the truck was a tick tight in the center, but he was happy with it overall.

By the restart at Lap 81, Starr moved into the Top 10 due to several trucks making pit stops. But it continued to be difficult to pick up positions on the race track. As other trucks made pit stops under the flurry of yellow flags, Starr moved into the third spot on the race track at Lap 136.

Starr would make an effort to gain more spots on the track, but he would remain in third place until the checkered flag.

"We really had a good truck tonight, but this is just a tough track to pass on," Starr said after the race. "We got close to Jack Sprague, and we had a good race going between the two of us. But the only way to pass on this track is a bump and run, and I wasn't going to do that to my Toyota teammate."

Starr's third-place finish helped him to gain three spots in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings, moving him up to fourth-place. It was the second top-five and third top-10 finish for the Red Horse Racing team in just seven races.

Starr and the No. 11 Red Horse Racing team will return to action this Friday, June 2 and Dover International Speedway. The green flag drops at 4:45 p.m. ET on the AAA Insurance 200. It can be seen on Speed Channel (tape-delayed until 8 p.m. ET) and heard Live on MRN and XM Satellite Radio.