Timothy Peters
No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra
Start: 14th
Finish: 8th
Final Point Standings: 2nd (-6)
Homestead, FL (Nov. 17, 2012)- The 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday night delivered an exciting battle between Red Horse Racing driver Timothy Peters and the rest of the championship competitors as they battled for the championship title in the Ford EcoBoost 200. Peters entered the evening just 11 points out of the lead, with all three contenders separated by a 12 point spread. After racing in close proximity to his closest competitors, Peters dodged several bullets and pulled off an eighth place finish, securing second place in the final point standings.
In the opening stages of practice on Friday morning, Peters’ No. 17 Tundra broke loose on the exit of turn four, pushing him into the outside retaining wall. Sustaining some cosmetic damage to the right side of his Toyota, Peters remained in the garage area for approximately 30 minutes while his Red Horse Racing crew swiftly and effectively corrected the damage and sent him back out for the remaining on-track practice. With the repairs made, Peters was pleased with his Tundra on race runs, and put together a 14th place qualifying effort later in the afternoon.
Remaining silent over the radio for the majority of the first green flag run of the night, Peters eventually radioed to crew chief Butch Hylton with a calm voice before the first pit stop that his Tundra was too tight through the center of the turns. Receiving a round of changes and four tires under the first caution period on lap 37, Peters continued to maintain his position just outside the top-10 for the next segment of the race. Two dicey restarts with three wide racing over the next 15 lap run served up a challenge for Peters that he easily cleared.
Driving through the halfway mark of the 200 mile event, Peters consistently ran lap times as fast as the leaders, but needed track position to move forward. Hylton set up another round of adjustments and a four tire stop for Peters on lap 90 for his second stop of the night, hoping to bring a little more speed to the No. 17 Tundra. Peters reported just a few laps later he was a little loose this time, and received the chance to come back down pit road once again on lap 104 under caution for some more changes. With a fast pit stop completed, Peters peeled out of his pit box and gained several positions, breaking into the top-10 for the first time.
With the track position he had hoped for, Peters took the restart from the 10th position on lap 108. After dropping two positions a few laps later, he reported to Hylton he felt a vibration inside his Toyota Tundra. Hylton instructed Peters to hang on and feel it out, getting the opportunity to come down pit road to assess the situation under the fourth caution on lap 126. The Red Horse Racing pit crew went to work on their No. 17 machine, changing four tires and discovering a loose wheel that was the culprit of the vibration. With the issue resolved, Peters returned to the field for the restart in the 13th position with five laps remaining.
Just before the white flag was displayed, a multi-truck incident involving several competitors in the top-10 stopped the field on the backstretch under the red flag. Steering clear of the trouble, Peters moved up several positions and held strong through the green-white-checkered finish to pull away with an eighth place finish.
“It was definitely an eventful race tonight for the season finale,” Peters recounted. “All in all, this Red Horse Racing team put together a great effort and I’m so proud of how they pulled together and fixed up this Toyota Tundra after our incident in practice.”
Peters closes out his best career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season to date with two victories, two poles, 10 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. Placing ahead of his fellow championship competitors helped Peters move to just six points out of the lead, taking home runner-up honors in the championship standings.
“This is the best year I’ve ever had, and every year I’ve been a part of this Red Horse Racing organization, we’ve gotten better and better. We’ll have a ton of momentum going into next year, and as my crew chief Butch Hylton told me, ‘You have to lose one of these to win one.’ It’s pretty cool to come home second though and I couldn’t be any happier.”
Parker Kligerman
No. 7 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra
Start: 1st
Finish: 7th
Final Point Standings: 5th (-30)
Homestead, FL (Nov. 17, 2012) — Looking to close out the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season with a solid statement, Parker Kligerman and the No. 7 Red Horse Racing team traveled to Homestead-Miami Speedway with a brand new Toyota Tundra chassis and the confidence necessary to contend for a win. Showing his speed by capturing the pole position for the Ford EcoBoost 200, Kligerman remained in the top-five for the majority of the evening before slipping through traffic on the final restart and coming home with an eighth place finish.
Topping the speed charts during most of Friday’s practice session, Kligerman followed up his efforts during qualifying by capturing his second pole of the season, both coming since his move to Red Horse Racing in August. Relinquishing the lead after the first few laps of the race, Kligerman settled into position inside the top-five and remained there through the first green flag run while searching for a good line on the high side of the track to help the tight handling condition of his Camp Horsin’ Around Toyota Tundra.
After taking four tires and receiving his first round of adjustments under the first caution of the night on lap 37, Kligerman rejoined the field in the fourth position and pushed forward to the second spot as the field engaged in three wide racing on the restart. As the field settled after the next caution and restart just a few laps later, Kligerman resided in fifth and reported to crew chief Chad Kendrick his Tundra was still a little tight, but the changes were helping. His comments were reflected in his lap times near the end of the fuel run, as he consistently clicked off the fastest times in the field.
Under the lone green flag pit stop of the night on lap 90, Kligerman received another round of changes and promptly returned to the field to maintain his top-five running position. The third caution period came on lap 106, giving Kendrick the opportunity to provide Kligerman with four fresh Goodyear Wrangler tires for the final stages of the race. With some competitors choosing to take only two tires, Kligerman restarted from the eighth position and immediately went to work.
A multi-truck incident involving several trucks in front of Kligerman ignited just before the final lap of the race, halting the field on the backstretch under the red flag. While avoiding the incident, Kligerman’s No. 7 Tundra was clipped by another competitor and sustained damage to the right rear quarter panel. Though he was able to continue through the green-white-checkered finish, the damage affected the handling of his Tundra and relegated him to a seventh place finish.
“Our No. 7 Tundra was top-three to start off and throughout the night and I really felt like we were a top-three truck tonight. We fought a tight handling condition most of the night, and the cautions near the end of the race really didn’t fall in our favor. But Chad Kendrick and this crew showed like they always do what kind of speed we have and it was really cool to start on the pole. It just wasn’t our night; and after the damage from that last incident it was hard to make up any more ground on the final restart,” Kligerman concluded.
Kligerman closes out his sophomore season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with one win, two poles, eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. He also finished fifth in the final championship point standings, 30 points behind first place.
“There are two parts to my season. There were 11 races before coming over to this No. 7 Toyota Tundra team, and 11 races here now. If I’d done what I did here at Red Horse these last 11 races in the first 11 races, we’d be the champions right now by a long shot, I’m sure of that. I’m proud of all these guys on this team and what they’ve done for me the second part of this season; they’ve helped me get my passion back for racing again. I can’t thank them enough.”
Todd Bodine
No. 11 Tundra Endeavour Toyota Tundra
Start: 19th
Finish: 11th
Final Point Standings: 14th
Homestead, FL (Nov. 17, 2012) — Closing out a challenging 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, Todd Bodine and the No. 11 Tundra Endeavour Toyota team traveled to Homestead-Miami Speedway; one of Bodine’s favorite tracks on the circuit. With two prior wins at the 1.5-mile oval, Bodine used his experience and the speed of his Red Horse Racing Tundra to maneuver through several tight racing situations and claim an 11th place finish.
Sporting a special paint scheme to honor the Toyota Endeavour Project, featuring a Tundra Crewmax pickup that towed the space shuttle Endeavour to its final home at the California Science Center in October, Bodine went work from the 19th starting position in the Ford EcoBoost 200. He moved into the top-15 before the first round of pit stops under caution on lap 37 and reported to crew chief Rick Gay that the Tundra Endeavour machine was just a little loose on both ends. After taking the restart, he moved into the 13th position, but not before the field spread out under an extended green flag run. Though Bodine was easily running lap times consistent with the leaders, he was put at a disadvantage after the restarts allowed the leaders to break away from the pack.
Coming in under green after staying out a few extra laps to lead some laps and hope for a caution, Bodine received four tires and changes on lap 94 and returned to competition in 13th. Though he fell one lap down to the leaders after the stop, a caution on lap 106 while Bodine rode in the lucky dog position gave him his lap back and another chance at the competition. Taking four tires and adjustments before returning to green flag racing, Bodine rocketed forward in the Tundra Endeavour Tundra and placed himself just outside the top-10 prior to the multi-truck accident with two laps to go. By clearing the incident with no damage, Bodine was able to capture an 11th place finish.
“We had to fight for track position after starting mid-pack with our No. 11 Tundra Endeavour Tundra tonight, and that really put a damper on our chances at a better finish,” Bodine explained. “But this Red Horse Racing crew did a phenomenal job with fast pit stops and good changes to help us get up to the 11th spot, which really isn’t a bad night for us. I think if we could’ve gained the track position a little earlier in the night when we had those long green flag runs, we could’ve done a little more.”
Bodine closes out the 2012 season with one win, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes. The two-time champion’s unfortunate luck relegated him to the 14th place spot in the final championship point standings.
“This season has really been a challenge for me and this No. 11 Red Horse Racing team, but they’ve never given up on me and we’ve had fast Toyota Tundras every single week. It’s just a testament to how great this Red Horse Racing organization is and the kind of people that work there putting in the long hours and making these top caliber trucks. No matter what, I’m proud to be a part of this team and we’ll put this bad luck behind us and move on to next year.”
Championship Points Update: After surviving the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway unscathed, Timothy Peters gained valuable points in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship battle, heading into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend in the second spot, 11 points out of the lead. Parker Kligerman’s misfortune and 27th place finish pushed him back to the fifth place in the championship hunt, now 37 points behind the lead.
Next on the Schedule: Next Friday night, Red Horse Racing and the rest of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitors will travel to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Ford EcoBoost 200. Coverage of the event will begin live on SPEED at 7:30 pm EST.
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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 hopes to build and maintain solid, mutual relationships with its partners, to win championships and races and to represent itself in a professional manner. The team has 10 victories and nine poles in its brief existence. DeLoach and Hammond also own Performance Instruction and Training (visitPIT.com), 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.
