Timothy Peters picked a good place to win his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.
Peters, who lives within 15 minutes of Martinsville Speedway, captured Saturday's Kroger 200 at the historic Virginia short track, in his Strutmasters/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra.
It was the first career victory for Peters in 64 career starts in the Truck Series. He has followed to the checkered flag by Todd Bodine, Colin Braun, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Kevin Harvick.
Mike Skinner started from the pole in his No. 5 PC Miller Navigator Toyota, but series points leader Hornaday took the lead on the opening lap, the No. 33 VFW Chevrolet looking stout in the early going.
The first caution flew on Lap 33, when Burt Myers spun in Turn 2. The lead three trucks — Hornaday, the No. 4 Bounty Chevy driven by his teammate and owner Harvick and Skinner — all stayed out, but the rest of the field pitted.
Hermie Sadler brought the second caution when he got squeezed into the backstretch wall. This time the three leaders pitted, and all three got caught speeding on pit road.
That put Denny Hamlin, David Starr and Brian Scott in the lead, with Harvick, Hornaday and Skinner 17th-19th, respectively, on the Lap 58 restart. Soon after, Harvick got a flat left-rear tire, going two laps down.
Two more cautions followed by the midway mark, one for debris and one on Lap 94 when Johnny Sauter and Skinner made contact in Turn 1.
The race restarted on Lap 100, with Hamlin leading Starr, Scott, Timothy Peters, Skinner, Hornaday, Terry Cook, Matt Crafton and Colin Braun. Those two cautions allowed Harvick to get back on the lead lap.
On Lap 115, Max Papis bounced off the curb and hit Myers, bringing out another yellow that saw leader Hamlin, Crafton and others pit. On the restart, Tayler Malsam missed a shift, bringing out another yellow.
Sauter spun due to a flat right-rear tire and the caution came out again on Lap 128.
The green waved on Lap 134, Peters leading Bodine, Hornaday and Skinner. And that's the way the field stayed for quite some time. But with 33 laps to go, Skinner tore up a front fender after backmarkers Myers and Chris Fontaine made contact.
Peters was leading with 27 to go when the green came out, although he was unsure if he'd have enough gas to hold off Bodine, Hornaday and Braun, the three trucks behind him.
But from there, Peters was able to nurse his truck to the finish to score an emotional victory.
Peters, who lives within 15 minutes of Martinsville Speedway, captured Saturday's Kroger 200 at the historic Virginia short track, in his Strutmasters/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra.