Owner DeLoach Calls Timothy Peters ‘Breath Of Fresh Air’
Red Horse Racing and owner Tom DeLoach haven’t tasted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory since 2006, but everything points to win No. 3 being just over the horizon.
DeLoach was able to bring aboard Timothy Peters to drive the No. 17 Strutmasters.com Toyota in mid-June.
Success was both immediate and lasting.
Peters, without a top-five finish in 43 starts entering the 2009 season, posted fourths in two of his most recent three starts, with his first NCWTS Keystone Light Pole tossed in for good measure at Nashville Superspeedway.
To say that DeLoach is delighted would be understatement.
“I am thoroughly pleased with what I have seen in Timothy,” he said. “His work ethic, demeanor and personality make him a pleasure to have here on our team. He can work on the trucks and really understand all the mechanics. You don’t find that very often in a driver.
“Timothy is a wonderful person and a breath of fresh air.”
Crew chief Chad Kendrick echoes the owner’s sentiments.
“I haven’t worked with very many drivers but I have never seen one as hands-on as he is. He is here at the shop at seven every morning when the guys get here and he comes all the way from Virginia,” said Kendrick. “He has worked on his own equipment for so long, it’s hard for him to let go and let us take care of it.”
Peters, a native of Providence, N.C., honed his racing skills in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. He got his NASCAR national series break in 2005-06 competing in 33 races for Bobby Hamilton Racing. Peters moved to Nashville to work on Hamilton’s Dodges between races, gaining experience inside the cockpit and out that he’s putting to good use at Red Horse Racing.
The 28-year-old Peters and Kendrick started the season with Premier Racing, a team on a tight budget. They joined DeLoach’s team when Johnny Benson was released in June.
“Our equipment and the people have really made the difference for us. It’s not just one thing or one person but a combination of everything that has made us better,” said Peters. “I have great equipment under me at the race track each and every week.”
Peters likes working on his trucks but the difference is that now, it’s not a necessity.
“Our team before consisted of me and (Chad) working on the trucks. Now neither of us is responsible for so many different things so we can both concentrate on our jobs,” he said. “I can focus on being a driver and getting better each week.”
Newman Goes For the ‘Quad’ At Bristol
Bristol Week is going to be a very busy time for Ryan Newman — especially opening Wednesday.
Newman will drive four completely different pieces of racing equipment for as many owners. That includes a return to Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 2 Pringles Chevrolet. That’s the same chassis that carried Newman to his 2008 victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Newman will compete in the track’s first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race that precedes the NCWTS O’Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline. He’ll add starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events to complete a marathon weekend consisting of 1,100 laps.
It’s believed no driver has won four races in a NASCAR national series weekend at the same track but one — Steve Park — who gave it a great shot when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first time in 1996.
Park, recent NASCAR Camping World Series East winner, competed in five different races during the weekend, winning a Whelen Modified Tour race and finishing second in one of two Camping World Series East starts. Park finished fourth in the truck race.
The UNOH Perfect Storm 150 marks the first modified race since Bristol’s banking was raised in 1969.
Loop Data: Stats Mirror Raybestos Rookie Standings — So Far
The Raybestos Rookie of the Year battle is a tight one – and it’s about to get even tighter.
The scoring system states that only the best 14 finishes by a Raybestos rookie candidate will count toward their final points total in the rookie standings.
With the 14th race officially in the books, bad finishes from here on out will be tossed.
In other words, rookies better make it count.
Currently, Tayler Malsam (No. 81 One Eighty Toyota) holds a mere four-point lead over Johnny Sauter (No. 13 Fun Sand/Rodney Atkins/Curb Records Chevrolet) in the Raybestos Rookie standings. Statistically, he has been the best rookie as well, though again by the slimmest of margins over Sauter.
Here’s the tale of the tape between the two rookie front-runners:
Driver Rating: Malsam’s 82.9 leads Sauter’s 81.3
Average Running Position: Malsam’s 12.9 leads Sauter’s 13.3
Fastest Laps Run: Malsam’s 57 leads Sauter’s 46
Laps in the Top 15 percentage: Malsam’s 68.2% leads Sauter’s 65.6%
Sauter does lead one key statistical category: Laps Led. Sauter has led 45 laps, which is ninth-most in 2009. Malsam has led 12 laps this season.
James Buescher (No. 10 International MAXX FORCE Diesel Ford) sits third in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, 15 points behind Malsam. Through the first 14 races, Buescher has a Driver Rating of 69.3, an Average Running Position of 17.1, two Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 37.7%.
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