Monday

David Starr 2010 NextEra Energy 250 NCWTS Race Preview

David Starr

• This Week’s Tundra… The No. 81 Zachry Tundra team and driver David Starr will race chassis RMM-26 during Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. This is the first race for chassis RMM-26.
• Zachry Returns with Starr… Zachry Holdings Inc., returns as primary sponsor for David Starr during the 2010 NCWTS season.  The construction giant has backed Starr since the 2008 season.
• Starr’s First Race with Randy Moss Motorsports… Starr will make his first start on Friday night for Randy Moss Motorsports in the No. 81 Zachry Toyota Tundra.  Daytona International Speedway will also mark the first race for Starr to work with veteran crew chief Doug Wolcott. 
• Speed Skating… The driver of the No. 81 Zachry Toyota Tundra spent time on another type of wheels when he was young. Starr was a nationally recognized speed (roller) skater and spent time at the Olympic training center. That sport introduced him to U.S. Olympic athlete, gold, silver and bronze medal winner, Chad Hedrick who will participate in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver beginning this week.
• Watch and Listen… The NextEra Energy Resources 250 will be seen live on Friday, February 12 on SPEED with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. The event will also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 128.

David Starr on driving at Daytona International Speedway

“Each time I drive through the tunnel here at Daytona [International Speedway] I can’t believe I have the opportunity to race here.  It’s magical, even as a kid I always dreamed about racing here.  Even though I’ve raced here before, every time is like Christmas times 100. As with any driver, it would be a dream to win here and put my name on the trophy with the great drivers who have won before.”

Crew Chief Doug Wolcott on racing at Daytona International Speedway

“I am really excited about this season.  David [Starr] brings a wealth of talent and experience to the No. 81 team.  He knows what he wants in a race truck and knows how these races play out.  We are taking a great truck to Daytona [International Speedway].  If David [Starr] and Mike [Skinner] can get hooked up at the end of the race I think we will be in really good shape.  Our Zachry Toyota Tundra team has put in a great effort over the last several months getting these trucks prepared and I am as confident as I have ever been about the direction of our team.”

David Starr

Birthdate: October 11, 1967
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Residence: Irving
Status: Married to Kim

As it is for so many of the people involved in racing, it doesn’t take much to see how NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver David Starr initially got hooked on the sport. From an early age, Starr spent every minute he could hanging out at race tracks watching his father, Jimmy, work his crew chief magic for big name drivers like Tony Bettenhausen Jr., and Ronnie Chumley. It didn’t take long for Starr to decide to make a career out of racing as well.

A native of Houston, Texas, Starr ran his first race at a local dirt track when he was 14 years old. The youngster took the Street Stock division by storm and won the track championship at Big H Speedway in 1993. Starr continued to compete in late models for the next seven years, and earned 20 victories along the way.

In an effort to continue his already successful racing career, Starr began working for his uncle at Team Texas High Performance Driving School. Learning the intricacies of stock cars, Starr spent two years at the school, both teaching and learning as much as he could about the cars. During that time, Starr was able to make several starts in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. He also served as a test driver and crew member for a NASCAR Nationwide Series headed by NASCAR legend Donnie Allison and, once in a while, still got behind the wheel of his late model car.

In 1996, Starr competed full-time in the Texas International Drivers Association (TIDA) and earned the honor of becoming the first rookie to win a TIDA event. Starr followed that up with a victory at the Texas Race of Champions at Texas World Speedway and went on to win three more races the next season.

Starr got his first chance in a major NASCAR Series in 1998 driving in the NASCAR Camping World (formerly Craftsman) Truck Series. Starr competed in five races that season for owner Buddy Morrison and landed a full-time ride in the series not long after. Driving for several owners in 1999, Starr finished 22^nd in the point standings.

2002 proved to be a breakout year. Starr earned his first and second NCWTS poles and won the event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Perhaps more importantly though, Starr proved that he was a force to be reckoned with every weekend. Leading the standings at times, Starr finished the season in an impressive fifth place in the points battle driving a Chevrolet for owner Wayne Spears.

Starr remained with Spears through 2005 and the pairing was a success. During his four seasons racing with the Spears Manufacturing team, Starr posted 25 top-five finishes, 55 top-10 finishes and three pole positions. En route to three top-10 points finishes, Starr also earned three victories.

Starr made the move to Red Horse Racing for the 2006 season and found immediate success. Taking the checkered flag for a victory early in the season at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Starr scored six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes that season on the way to a career high fourth in the championship point standings. Starr remained with Red Horse Racing through the 2009 season.

With a total of 240 starts and four series victories, Starr will embark on something new for 2010. Making the move to Randy Moss Motorsports, Starr will be paired up with veteran driver Mike Skinner at the multi-truck team and hopes to take his Zachry Toyota Tundra back to victory lane.

- Rising Star Management Group for Randy Moss Motorsports, Press Release