Until a week ago, Timothy Peters had been regarded as a short-track ace by many. But when he shot past Todd Bodine on the final lap to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season-opener at Daytona, Peters put all of those thoughts to rest.
Now he has a Truck Series win on the sport's shortest track, Martinsville Speedway, and one of its longest, Daytona International Speedway. With two wins in the last five Truck Series races, the 29-year-old Peters has emerged as a weekly contender, a trend that will continue in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway on March 27.
"I hope the win at Daytona wiped the slate clean. I think I have proven I can get the job done anywhere," said Peters, who for the first time sits atop the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings. "I think I surprised everybody by winning there. I knew it was a big deal, but to do it makes you realize exactly how big it is."
Peters' two Truck Series wins have come in totally different fashion. At Martinsville in the Kroger 200 last fall, he dominated, leading the final 84 laps for his first big-league win. At Daytona he lurked around the top 10 all night, moved to second late in the race and then dodged past Bodine on the final circuit.
"Neither one of these wins have been easy," said Peters. "Every win in the Truck Series is hard to come by.
"When I won at Martinsville last fall, I was out front for a long time, but I had to hold a lot of people off," recalled Peters. "At Daytona I was just hoping to get out of there with a second. I went up to block and the opening was there."
For most, a win at Daytona would be a career-topper. For Peters, though, the Martinsville and Daytona wins are equal. Daytona is the World Center of Racing, but Martinsville is home for Peters. He grew up less than an hour from the track and now lives less than a half-hour away with his wife Sarah.
He cut his racing teeth at Martinsville in the Late Model Stock Car division and won NASCAR's biggest Late Model race, the Bailey's 300 in 2005. It was a breakout victory for Peters which helped land him his first Truck Series ride with the late Bobby Hamilton.
Since joining Red Horse Racing midway through last season, Peters has gone from middle-of-the-pack runner to a driver everyone has an eye on from the time he hits the track for the first practice session each week. He admits success ramps up the stress, especially when you are coming back to your home track after visiting victory lane there a few months earlier.
"Anytime you go race in your back yard, there's a lot of pressure, especially after a win," said Peters, already tabbed as a favorite in the Kroger 250 next month. "But we took the truck we won Martinsville with to New Smyrna (FL) and tested there and things went really well for us. I'm looking forward to getting back to Martinsville, getting back in front of family and friends."
Tickets for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 on Sunday, March 28, the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, March 27 and the Duracell Battery Kroger Pole Day on Friday, March 26 are on sale and can be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.racetickets.com.
Tickets for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 begin at just $25.
