Driver Strong In Debut Of New Sponsor

High Sierra Photo

In their first season together, David Starr and the Red Horse Racing team have had great success on the short tracks in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with one win and two top-three finishes.

That success continued this weekend at O'Reilly Raceway Park as Starr and his No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra recorded a fourth-place finish on the .686-mile oval in Indianapolis.

"Going into a short track, I am always confident that our Red Horse Racing Toyota will be running out front when the checkered flag waves," Starr said. "Crew chief Jamie Jones really knows how to make my truck turn at the short tracks.

"We're thrilled with how we did today especially since we were able to get a top-five for our new sponsor, TOYOTAFORKLIFT.NET. Indy was their first race, and it's great to give them a solid finish."

After a solid qualifying effort, Starr started in fourth place for the Power Stoke Diesel 200 on Friday night. The team's confidence was high given their previous record on short tracks this season.

At the drop of the green flag, Starr fell back one position and then quickly picked up two spots to third place. At Lap 23, he reported to the team that his truck was tight in the center.

Starr held his third-place spot over the course of the next 40 laps. When the caution waved at Lap 58, the Red Horse Racing team elected to bring Starr down pit road. The team changed four tires, added fuel and made an air pressure adjustment.

Starr returned to the track in eighth place after the pit stop - behind a group of trucks that had pitted earlier.

When the green flag waved at Lap 62, Starr didn't waste any time moving back up through the field. In just 10 laps, Starr had moved into the top five.

At Lap 79, Starr sat in fourth-place. He told his team that the No. 11 truck was a little tight in the center, but that the truck would be ok. Starr moved into third-place at Lap 85.

Over the course of the next 35 laps, Starr held onto his third-place position. At Lap 124, a lap truck wrecked in front of Starr and the Red Horse Racing team. Starr drove into the grass just a little to avoid the accident.

Although Starr thought the truck was ok, the team elected to pit under the caution at Lap 128. The pit crew changed four tires and added fuel. A quick stop put Starr back on the track in fifth-place.

Starr moved into the fourth-place spot on the race track at Lap 150. He reported to the team that his truck was still a little tight in the center.

"We just need to roll through the center a little better," Starr told the crew. "But we're going to get all we can get."

Starr remained in the fourth-spot on the track until the checkered flag waved. It was Starr's third top-five finish in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition this season.

It was also Starr's first ever top-10 at O'Reilly Raceway Park in six starts.

"This has been a tough place for me, so a top five is great for me, for this team and especially for our new sponsor, TOYOTAFORKLIFT.NET," Starr said after the race. "We were just a little tight in the center, but we gave it all we had. The guys were awesome on pit road tonight - everything just went well for us tonight and we got a good finish."

Starr moved up to seventh-place in points with his finish at O'Reilly Raceway Park. He is 270 points behind leader Todd Bodine - and 33 points out of fifth place.

Starr and the Red Horse Racing Team will return to action on Saturday, Aug. 12th at Nashville Superspeedway for the running of the Toyota Tundra 200.