Chicagoland
POST RACE
Kyle Busch (1)
Eric Phillips (CC)
Todd Bodine (2)
Ron Hornaday Jr. (3)
Justin Lofton (R)
PRE RACE
Todd Bodine
Aric Almirola
Ron Hornaday Jr.
Austin Dillon
Timothy Peters and the No. 17 Red Horse Racing team headed to O'Reilly Raceway Park with one goal: Bring home a solid finish and make up some ground in the point standings. Helping to motivate the crew, associate sponsor, Wiss, adorned the hood of their Toyota Tundra.
The team unloaded the Martinsville chassis at ORP, and it was fast from the very first lap. Peters was fastest in final practice and backed up that performance in his qualifying effort. The No. 17 sat on the pole for the first time this season. Peters led the field to green and dominated the first half of the 200-lap event before his Toyota Tundra turned to the tight side.
The team made adjustments and got Peters back in the lead but the tight condition still plagued the No. 17. Refusing to give up, Peters held onto his position in the top 10 and brought home a10th-place finish when the checkered flag waved. It marked his first top-10 at O'Reilly Raceway Park and his ninth top-10 of the season.
The team had two practice sessions on Friday morning to get their Tundra perfect for the race. Peters was impressed with how well his truck was turning in the center of the corners. When final practice concluded, Peters was sitting on top of the speed chart. Later that afternoon, the No. 17 was the fifth truck to take time for qualifying. He put his Tundra on the provisional pole but had to wait out more than 30 trucks who still had to run their qualifying laps. When the session was over, Peters was still on top and earned his first pole of the season.
Despite the triple digit temperatures, Peters played it cool as he led the field to the green flag. The truck got a great start and put some distance on the second place truck. Leading the first lap gave Peters five bonus points. Putting more space between himself and all the trucks behind him, Peters radioed the crew that his truck was really good in turns three and four and a little loose in turns one and two. The first caution came out on lap nine but the No. 17 opted to stay out.
Restarting first once again, Peters led the first 35 laps before he radioed the crew that his truck was starting to get tight in the center of turns one and two. The tight condition worsened and Peters eventually lost the lead on lap 63. By lap 68 he had fallen to the fourth spot and told the crew the truck was so tight in the center that it was creating a tight off condition as well. By the time the caution came out again on lap 84, Peters was in the sixth spot. He hit pit road on lap 85 for four fresh tires, fuel, air pressure and track bar adjustments.
He restarted from the sixth spot. Peters was able to maintain his position but was reporting the tight condition had worsened. He slipped back to the eighth position when the caution came out on lap 118 and crew chief Jeff Hensley took a gamble and brought his driver back to pit road. Taking four fresh tires, fuel, additional air pressure and track bar adjustments, the crew also pulled a spring rubber from the left rear tire.
All the leaders stayed out on the track so Peters found himself in the 13th spot for the restart but the fresh rubber beneath his truck helped him drive through the field. He took over the sixth position just 10 laps later. The caution flew again on lap 141 and Peters opted to stay out. He reported that the No. 17 was feeling pretty good. All the leaders took the opportunity to hit pit road but Hensley told Peters to stay out. That move gave him the lead for the restart.
Peters knew he would have trucks on fresh tires breathing down his neck so he was prepared for a battle. He was able to hold them off for five laps before slipping back to the fourth spot. With just 50 laps remaining, Peters had older tires than all the trucks in the top 10. Unwilling to give up, Peters ran his own race and held on despite slipping back to the seventh spot.
In the final 20 laps, Peters' tight condition had returned and he was struggling once again. The checkered flag waved on the 200-lap event and the No. 17 crossed the line in the 10th spot. Earning his ninth top-10 of the season, Peters is now tied for the fourth spot in the driver point standings with 2009 champion Ron Hornaday.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Long Pond, Pa., this week. The Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, July 31, and will be televised live on SPEED at 1 p.m. ET.
