NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series press releases

17th Race at Lucas Oil Raceway sees Timothy Peters and No. 17 Truck in Victory Lane

Peters and Red Horse Racing Record First Win of 2011, Peters' third career victory

July 30, Clermont, IN--- If it could go wrong, it did go wrong for Timothy Peters and the No. 17 Toyota Tundra team at Lucas Oil Raceway. Starting from the 16th position Peters methodically worked his way into the top-10. After choosing not to change tires under the second pit stop of the night, Peters had a tire go down and spun the No. 17 truck around on lap 90. A long green-flag run allowed Peters to work his way back into the top-10. Consistently turning faster lap times than any truck on the track Peters saved his equipment and took over the lead with six laps remaining in the 200-lap contest taking the checkered flag for the first time in 2011.

"I can't say enough about this No. 17 Toyota Tundra and this Red Horse Racing team," said Peters in victory lane. "I'm so excited right now. In the middle of the race we spun out, I didn't know it at the time, but we had a tire coming apart. After that we just buckled down and picked off the trucks one by one. I have to thank my owner Tom DeLoach, he believes in me and this team and he makes this whole thing happen week in and week out. I want to thank Apex Tool Group for all of their support. They have a large group of customers and supporters here tonight that cheered us to the win. We've had some tough times the last few weeks, but everyone told me to keep my head up and smile. All the hard work has paid off and here we are. I have to thank the good Lord for watching out for us tonight. What an awesome feeling, winning at Lucas Oil Raceway this is awesome. "

No winner at Lucas Oil Raceway had ever started any deeper in the field than eighth. Peters and the No. 17 team planned to move up through the field one truck at a time. The first caution of the evening waved on lap one, Peters narrowly missed the incident involving two trucks in turn one.

Peters rode in the 14th position fighting a tight-handling truck until the second caution of the evening waved on lap 40. The team changed four tires, added fuel and made several chassis adjustments to help Peters with the handling of the No. 17 machine.

Peters restarted from the 16th position. In an effort to gain positions trucks began slicing and dicing with two and three-wide racing all around the 0.686-mile speedway. Peters had moved into the top-10 when the third caution of the evening waved on lap 79.

The team debated on whether or not to bring the No. 17 truck down pit road. At the last second crew chief Butch Hylton brought Peters down pit road for fuel only and another chassis adjustment. Peters gained valuable track position restarting from the seventh position on lap 88. On the restart Peters began to slide back through the field. On lap 90, Peters spun in turns one and two. With no major damage sustained Peters brought the truck to pit road for four tires, fuel and to go back on the previous stops changes. Peters restarted from the 22nd position. As the laps ticked by Peters began to work his way back up through the field.

By lap 150, Peters had worked his way back into the top-10. Peters consistently ran the fastest laps of any truck on the track. With six laps remaining the No. 17 truck took over the lead. Peters captured his first checkered flag of 2011. The No. 17 truck took the win in the 17th race ran at Lucas Oil Raceway. The win marked the first of the season for Peters and Red Horse Racing. With the victory Peters moved up to fourth in the point standings only 22 markers from the lead position.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action next weekend Saturday, August 6, 2011 at Pocono Raceway for the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 which can be viewed live on SPEED at 1:00 p.m., EST.

Paludo Matches Career-Best Truck Series Finish at Lucas Oil Raceway

July 30, Clermont, IN--- Miguel Paludo made his first laps around Lucas Oil Raceway Friday, taking to the speedway immediately. Working his way through traffic late in the race Paludo had just enough fuel to make it to the end matching his career-best Truck Series finish with a fourth-place run.

"What a great night," said Paludo after the race. "Our Stemco/Duroline truck was great. Rick (Gay) made great calls all night and we had just enough fuel to make it to the end. My guys did such a great job. It feels so wonderful to get a top-five finish. We have been making gains each and every week. I'm so proud of my team. Our first win is just around the corner. I want to congratulate my teammate Timothy Peters on the win tonight. It was a great night for Red Horse Racing."

Action at the 0.686-mile speedway started early as the caution waved for the first time on lap one. Paludo narrowly missed the incident which involved two of his competitors. When the race restarted Paludo radioed to the team that he liked the overall balance of his truck but he was sliding up in the corner. Paludo was unable to make any forward progress from the start continuing to be scored in the 17th position when the second caution of the night waved on lap 40.

The team brought Paludo to pit road for fuel only and a chassis adjustment. The team gained some track position, but not all of the leaders came to pit road under the yellow. Paludo restarted from the 14th position on lap 57. Paludo struggled to make progress without fresh tires. He managed to hold on to the lead lap when the third caution waved on lap 79 with Paludo scored in the 20th position. The team brought the No.7 truck down pit road for four tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment.

After the stop Paludo began to work his way up through the field. By the half-way point Paludo had broken into the top-15. The No. 7 truck continued to pick off trucks one-by-one with only 20 laps remaining Paludo entered into the top-10. With the leaders on different pit strategies Paludo continued to move up through the running order conserving fuel with each lap. With only six laps remaining Paludo was scored in the fifth position and was able to gain one more position before the checkered flag waved ending the 200-lap event in the fourth position.

The run matched Paludo's career-best Truck Series finish of fourth scored earlier this season at Daytona (Fla.) International Raceway. The run allowed Paludo to move up four positions in the point standings to 15th. Paludo's Red Horse Racing teammate won the event marking the first time in Red Horse Racing history that both trucks scored a top-five finish in the same event.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action next Saturday August 6, 2011 at Pocono Raceway for the Good Sam Emergency Road Service 125 which can be viewed LIVE on SPEED at 1:00 p.m., EST.

Short Track Veteran Sauter Salvages Points By Wheel Skills
Johnny Sauter Leads 46 Laps to Dominate First Half of Race Only to Encounter Right Front Flat & Broken Swaybar; Continues NCWTS Points Lead for Eight Weeks out of 13 Despite Race Struggle

July 29, Indianapolis, IN--- Johnny Sauter, after leading practice laps and qualifying sixth on the grid at Lucas Oil Raceway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the No. 13 Safe Auto/Curb Records/Carrier Chevy Silverado, had an eventful night. Settling into an early second position for 51 laps out of the first 57, he led the next 36 laps to dominate the first half of the race. At one point, Sauter and teammate Matt Crafton were the "one-two punch" in positions until the first pit cycle at lap 81. Coming off pit road in seventh position, he once again moved to the second spot on track behind James Buescher easily for the next 40 laps.

At lap 128, Sauter radioed the crew that he felt he had a flat right front tire - and continued to impressively wheel the No. 13 truck through lap traffic on severe tight conditions as the team waited for weather and debris cautions. Forced to pit at lap 134 for right side tires and fuel as the tire couldn't take any more stress, he emerged in 24^th position only to uncover a broken swaybar. An expert wheelman and veteran short track racer, Sauter hung on to bring it home in the 23^rd position at the checkers when others may have taken it into the wall. He remains the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship points leader going into Pocono Raceway this week, thanks to laps led and dogged determination by the driver.

"Joe and I were working on a lot of forward bite issues all day in practice, but it wasn't anything that worried us on a short track. The 11 chassis won at Martinsville, and we had high expectations for it here in Indy," said Sauter. "We started out loose off, then went tight in the middle but were good off the corner. We had planned on making it on fuel to the end, but the tire going down just ended the charge. I wanted to win this one really bad for my team owner, Duke Thorson, who started ThorSport Racing here for his first race in 1995. It's just bad luck, and we've had some heartbreak this year. There's nothing more to say than we'll get it back together and focus on Pocono."

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series goes to the mountains on August 6^th for the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 at Pocono Raceway.

Crafton and Crew Dodge Rain and Wrecks to Earn Sixth-Place Finish at Lucas Oil Raceway

July 29, Clermont, IN--- Matt Crafton and the No. 88 Menards/Ideal Door team earned a sixth-place finish and closed the gap in the points lead under the lights at Lucas Oil Raceway. After early wrecks and a brief rain delay, Crafton battled hard with his competitors, bringing home his seventh top-10 finish of 2011 and inching himself within 38 points of the championship lead.

Taking the green flag from the eighth position, the yellow flag was in the air before the completion of the first lap for a multi-truck wreck. Restarting on lap six, Crafton immediately improved his position by two spots, then battled into the fourth position on lap 34. Just seven laps later, the yellow flag would wave for rain over the short track, with Crafton still in the fourth spot.

Fortunately, the brief shower passed without the need for a red flag, and the jet dryers had the track ready to race by on lap 58. Concerned that more rain was coming, Crafton opted not to pit under the long caution, restarting in fourth. With a strong restart, Crafton elbowed his way up to second on lap 59, maintaining his position until the caution flew on lap 81 for a two car wreck.

Running lap times faster than the leader, the No. 88 team opted for no changes when Crafton brought his truck down pit road for service. After providing him with four tires and fuel, Crafton took the green flag on lap 85 from 13th behind several competitors who chose not to pit. Only seven laps later, the yellow flag waved for the fourth and final time with Crafton in 10th.

The track went green on lap 94, and Crafton quickly advanced to eighth by lap 95. Over the course of the next 40 laps, Crafton battled side by side and three wide, making the pass for third on lap 134. Crafton maintained the third spot until lap 181, running lap times faster than the leaders. On lap 182, fuel mileage calculations indicated that Crafton would have to pit, and he brought the Menards/Ideal Door machine in for two tires and a top off on fuel. Crafton returned to the track even better than before, but with several of the leaders gambling on fuel, Crafton could only advance to sixth before the checkered flag waved on lap 200.

"God that was fun," said Crafton after the race. "We should have had a better finish tonight, because we were clearly one of the best trucks in the field, but it still was a really good race for our team, both on track and in the points. The guys worked all day to improve our Menards/Ideal Door truck through practice and qualifying, and they really got it right when it came down to crunch time. It was a lot of fun to run like we did."

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series hits the track next on Saturday, August 6^th for the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 at Pocono Raceway.

RACE RECAP:

July 29, 2011

Lucas Oil Raceway

Race: 13 of 25

Started: 8th

Finished: 6th

Driver's Point Standings: 6th (-38)

Up Next On The Truck Series Schedule:

Date: August 6, 2011

Track: Pocono Raceway

Event Name: Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125

Broadcast: SPEED at 12:30 p.m.

NCWTS Recap : Timothy Peters spins and wins at Lucas Oil Raceway
By Jim Pedley
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

July 29, Clermont, IN--- A flat tire turned out to be one of the biggest breaks of Camping World Truck Series driver Timothy Peters’ career.

That flat tire occurred just before the halfway point in Friday night’s AAA Insurance 200 at Lucas Oil Raceway. It put him off cycle in terms of pit stops, allowed his crew to improve his truck and paved the way for Peters to take the lead with six laps to go.

Once in the lead, Peters went on to get his first victory of the season and third of his career.

"That’s what saved our night right there," Peters said.

The truck he passed with six laps to go belonged to James Buescher, who led from just past the halfway point until being overtaken by Peters.

Buescher, 21, was going for the first victory of his career in his 60th start.

"It’s definitely frustrating when you lose the lead that late," said Buescher, who led a race-high 97 laps. "Can’t get any closer to a win than that. But we had nothing for him."

David Starr was third, his first top five since October 2009 at Talladega. Rookie Miguel Paludo finished fourth, and Ron Hornaday Jr. was fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 were Matt Crafton, rookies Joey Coulter and Cole Whitt, polesitter Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain, who was making his first start.

Coulter was the last car on the lead lap as the final 107 of 200 laps were run under green. The race set a record for fewest cautions—four—for a truck race at the .686-mile track. The second caution, for 17 of the 28 laps run under yellow, was because of rain.

Peters’ fateful flat occurred just before he made contact with Steve Arpin. Peters said he didn’t even realize he had cut the tire until much later.

During the ensuing pit stop, crew chief Butch Hylton and his crew went to work with a series of adjustments to the track bar and tire pressures. Peters’ Toyota Tundra, which was slow off the truck Friday morning, came alive.

Points leader Johnny Sauter also suffered a cut tire, but he finished 23rd. He also damaged a track bar. Before those troubles, Sauter, who started the race leading the standings by 18 points over Dillon, had led 44 laps and appeared to be the driver to beat.

Dillon led 36 laps and closed to four points of Sauter. He also closed in on a postrace confrontation with Todd Bodine. The two tangled late in the race, and Dillon didn’t like it. He blocked Bodine’s way on pit road after the cool-down laps.

Bodine, who finished 12th, took the blame for the incident and apologized.

"I thought I was clear (of Dillon)," Bodine said. "Austin is the last person in the world I would do that to."