Catchfence

Red Horse Racing

THUS FAR: As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series approaches the mid-point of the 2011 season, Timothy Peters and the No. 17 team find themselves fifth in the Truck Series point standings. However, that number alone does not tell the story of Peters’ season.

According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Peters ranks among the top 10 in 11 of the 14 measured categories. Peters is eighth among the top drivers with an average running position of 11.932. The 30-year-old Danville native is also considered a closer, ranking ninth amidst his competitors gaining an average of 1.1 positions in the final 10 percent of the race. Peters’ has gained eight positions total in 2011 as the race comes to a close. Peters also places in the top 10 in the categories of fastest driver early in a run, fastest driver late in a run, green flag speed, quality passes, laps spent in the top-15 and laps led.

Although Peters and the No. 17 have not had all the results they would have liked in 2011, the team has shown strong performance throughout the race as reflected in the data collected by NASCAR.

KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE: Since joining Red Horse Racing in 2009, Peters has been able to put a tally in the win column each season. In 2009, Peters scored his first career Truck Series victory at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in October. Last year he and the No. 17 team struck early winning one of the sport’s crown jewel races at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Currently winless in 2011, Peters’ hopes to build off momentum gained at Charlotte Motor Speedway and last week at Kansas Speedway to find his way back to victory lane.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 17 team will utilize chassis No. 103 this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Chassis No. 103 last competed a week ago at Kansas Speedway where Peters and the No. 17 team earned a 14th-place finish.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last weekend at Kansas Speedway Peters and the No. 17 team fought an ill-handling truck all day but were able to save one set of tires for a run at the end to bring home a 14th-place finish. The run marked Peters’ career-best finish at the 1.5-mile track.

Timothy Peters

You and the No. 17 team participated in a Goodyear tire test back in May. Do you feel this gives you an advantage for this weekend? What were you able to learn?

“Anytime you have the opportunity to make more laps around a track that you are going to compete on for points it becomes an advantage. We were able to see in advance how the tire was going to react to the surface of Texas Motor Speedway. We learned a few things we are definitely going to use during the race weekend. The biggest thing we learned was that a lot of things do not work, so that will save us time and gives us a good direction to go in.”

Several drivers have compared Texas to Charlotte. You sat on the pole and had a great run going at Charlotte a few weeks ago. How do you think the two tracks compare?

“Although some people may lump Texas in as a “cookie cutter” track, to me it is very unique. Texas drives a lot different than Charlotte or Atlanta to which it is sometimes compared. You have to have a very neutrally balanced truck in Texas. The driver who can pick up the throttle at key points on the track is the one that will win the race.”

About Red Horse Racing:

Founded in 2005 by former Mobil Corporation executive Tom DeLoach and NASCAR veteran Jeff Hammond, Red Horse Racing aims to be a professional racing team that strives for excellence on and off the race track. Red Horse Racing hopes to build and maintain solid, mutual relationships with its partners to win races and championships and to represent itself in a professional manner. The team has four victories and five poles in its brief existence. DeLoach and Hammond also own Performance Instruction Training (PIT), the number one pit crew training center in the world that also has many corporate training options that include team-building, lean manufacturing, motorsports demonstrations and more.

- Red Horse Racing Press Release