Red Horse Racing: Notes & Quotes
Event: Kroger 250
Venue: Martinsville Speedway
Date: March 29, 2014
Red Horse Racing at Martinsville Speedway… In 32 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Red Horse Racing boasts two wins (David Starr in 2006 and Timothy Peters in 2009), nine top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. The Mooresville, N.C.-based organization has an average starting position of 11.7 and 15th-place average finishing position. RHR teams have completed 6,843 of 7,220 (94.8 percent) laps of competition and led for 309.
Red Horse Racing NASCAR Camping World Truck Series History… Since entering NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition in 2005, RHR has logged 383 starts, earning 12 wins, 74 top-five finishes, 158 top-10 finishes and 11 pole awards, with an average starting position of 13.6 and an average finishing position of 14.4.
The 2014 RHR Driver Lineup… NASCAR Camping World Truck Series veteran Timothy Peters returns to the No. 17 Toyota Tundra and three-time NASCAR Mexico Series champion Germán Quiroga returns for his sophomore season in the No. 77 machine. Joining Peters and Quiroga this year is Brian Ickler in the No. 7 Red Horse Racing entry.
There’s No Place Like Home… Red Horse Racing’s Timothy Peters is originally from Providence, N.C. and now lives in Danville, Va., while his crew chief Marcus Richmond grew up in nearby Leasburg, N.C. and now resides in Burlington, N.C., both just over the state line and south of Danville, Va. Other Virginia-natives on the No. 17 team include truck chief Travis McFarland who is from Winchester (90 minutes from Washington, D.C.) and gas man Dan Mrak from Woodbridge (30 minutes from Washington, D.C). Mark Schmuck, gas man and mechanic on the No. 7 team, is from Virginia Beach.
The Hokie Pokey… Jonathan Branzelle lends his engineering skills to all three of the Red Horse Racing teams. A 2013 graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech, Branzelle grew up in Sutherland, Va. Sutherland, located 40 minutes south of Richmond, Va., was named after Branzelle’s great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather Fendall Sutherland.
NCWTS Driver Autograph Session at Martinsville Speedway… RHR’s Brian Ickler, Timothy Peters and Germán Quiroga are scheduled to participate in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series autograph session with fellow drivers on Friday, March 28, from 5-6 p.m. local time in front of the Main Ticket Office, outside of Turn 4.
PIT Becomes First State Licensed Pit Crew Training School… Performance Instruction and Training, a pit crew and corporate training center based in Mooresville, N.C., has received official licensing through the state of North Carolina’s Board of Community Colleges as the first and only state licensed pit crew training school in North Carolina. School licensing provides the opportunity for prospective students to secure financial assistance for tuition through the Veterans Administration and host of other resources.
Follow RHR on Social Media… To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and view exclusive content, visit Red Horse Racing’s Twitter page – @RedHorseRacing and Facebook page – Facebook.com/RedHorseRacing. Also, follow the RHR NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers on their personal Twitter pages – @TimothyPeters17, @gerspeed1 and @BrianIckler.
Catch the Action… FOX Sports 1’s live coverage of the Kroger 250 begins Saturday, March 29 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Qualifying for the season-opening event of the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule will air live Saturday, March 29 at 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1.
Timothy Peters
No. 17 Parts Plus
Toyota Tundra
This Week’s Parts Plus Toyota Tundra at Martinsville Speedway… Timothy Peters will pilot chassis No. 001 from the Red Horse Racing stable in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. This chassis was most recently utilized by the No. 7 team at Pocono Raceway in August 2013. It was also used at Dover International Speedway in 2013. In the off-season this chassis was converted to the new 2014 Toyota Tundra.
Peters Heads Home Leading the Points… Peters currently leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings following his second-place finish in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. The Providence, N.C., native is looking forward to returning to Martinsville Speedway, where he captured his first career Camping World Series win in October 2009, and earned a pole award in October 2012. Last season he scored two top-10 finishes when the Camping World Truck Series visited the Martinsville, Va.-based track, finishing third in April and 10th in October. Peters currently resides in Danville, Va. and considers Martinsville Speedway his home track.
Childhood Best Friends United at the Track… The No. 17 Red Horse Racing team has a new crew chief this season, Marcus Richmond, who has been a close friend of Peters since childhood. The two met in middle school, and have grown up racing and working together. The duo has had much success at Virginia race tracks, with Richmond leading Peters to a Late Model Championship at South Boston Speedway in 2004, and back-to-back Late Model Championships at Orange County Speedway in 2002 and 2003. They have also previously visited Victory Lane together at Martinsville Speedway. Richmond has two Camping World Truck Series wins there as a crew chief with Dennis Setzer (March 29, 2008) and with Kevin Harvick, who started from the pole position for the March 2012 event.
Race Rewind: Daytona International Speedway… Peters kicked-off the 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Season with the series’ closest finish at Daytona International Speedway, missing the win by a 0.017-second margin. Peters heads to Martinsville Speedway as the Camping World Truck Series championship points leader, and is confident about returning to a track where he’s found much success.
TIMOTHY PETERS QUOTES:
Tell us about being reunited with your childhood best friend at your hometown track. “I’m thrilled to have Marcus Richmond as my crew chief this season. We’ve grown up together, and done a lot of racing together. We’ve been in Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway together in a different series; hopefully we can celebrate in Victory Lane there again after a Truck Series win!
What an exciting race at Daytona International Speedway! What is the momentum like for the team heading to Martinsville Speedway after coming so close to a victory? “[Racing in] Daytona was so much fun; what a great way to start the season! I was definitely disappointed that we didn’t capture the win, but it left us hungry to get to Victory Lane. The team is working really well together and momentum is high heading into Martinsville as the series points leaders.”
Germán Quiroga
No. 77 NET10 Wireless
Toyota Tundra
This Week’s NET10 Wireless Toyota Tundra at Martinsville Speedway… Germán Quiroga will pilot chassis No. 002 from the Red Horse Racing stable. This chassis was last utilized by the No. 77 team at Martinsville Speedway in October 2013, where Quiroga started from the sixth position and drove to a seventh-place finish. The Mexico City native also earned his first career pole award at Iowa Speedway in July 2013 behind the week of this Toyota Tundra. He drove it to a sixth-place finish at Iowa in October, and it also saw track time in 2013 at Dover International Speedway (June) and Martinsville Speedway (April). In the off-season this chassis was converted to the new 2014 Toyota Tundra.
Quiroga at Martinsville… Quiroga has two previous NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Martinsville Speedway. As a rookie, he qualified in the top-10 for both 2013 races, starting fifth in April and sixth in the October event. His best career finish was in October when he took the checkered flag in the seventh position in the 2013 Kroger 200.
Welcome Back NET10 Wireless… Red Horse Racing and Germán Quiroga are thrilled to welcome NET10 Wireless once again in 2014 as a primary sponsor of the No. 77 Toyota Tundra for 11 of the 22 races on the Camping World Truck Series schedule. NET10 Wireless provides a full portfolio of cellular handsets from basic feature phones to Android™ smart phones and is available in over 100,000 retail locations. Their Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP ™) program allows you to keep your current phone, on your current network. NET10 Wireless is about providing no contract wireless service at half the cost of contract plans. For more information visit NET10Wireless.com and follow on Twitter at @NET10_Wireless.
Calling the Shots from Atop the Pit Box… This year the No. 77 Red Horse Racing team is led by Butch Hylton, who previously called the shots for the No. 17 team and teammate Timothy Peters. Hylton has two Camping World Truck Series wins as a crew chief with Kevin Harvick in March 2010 and Ron Hornaday Jr. in October 2010.
Race Rewind: Daytona International Speedway… Quiroga is off to an impressive start this season, finishing tenth in the 2014 Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway, where he ran the fastest lap of any truck during the race. The Mexico City native is in his second full season competing for Red Horse Racing in the Camping World Truck Series.
GERMÁN QUIROGA QUOTES:
Now that you have one full season under your belt, how do you compare the start of last year to the start of this year? “I think there’s a big difference in the start of this season and last season. Not only do I have more experience in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but I also know the tracks a little better now, and the people who work on my team. We have NET10 Wireless and OtterBox back, which gives me some peace of mind, and helps me focus on my goals and long-term objectives.”
You had a top-10 finish at Daytona International Speedway and worked with crew chief Butch Hylton for the first time. Tell us about the momentum going to Martinsville Speedway. “I’m still really excited after our results from Daytona, I think it’s a great start to the season, being eighth in points, but we obviously want to keep fighting for more.”
Brian Ickler
No. 7 Bullet Liner
Toyota Tundra
This Week’s Bullet Liner Toyota Tundra at Martinsville Speedway… Brian Ickler will pilot chassis No. 003 from the Red Horse Racing stable in Saturday’s Kroger 250. This chassis was most recently used by the No. 7 Red Horse Racing team at Martinsville Speedway in October 2013 where it was driven to a 13th-place finish. This Toyota Tundra also saw track time at Bristol Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway (July) in 2013 before being updated with a new 2014 body in the off season,Stellar Rookie Race at Martinsville… Brian Ickler had an impressive third-place finish in his first ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway. After qualifying was cancelled due to rain, Ickler was forced to start 32nd. The rookie driver was among six first-time visitors to the Virginia race track, but he managed to stay out of trouble as he worked his way through the field, and finished the race running up front with the veterans.
A Little More About Ickler… Ickler cut his teeth off-road racing when he was 14 years old. By the age of 17, he was named the SCORE Rookie of the Year, Lite champion, and has victories in the SCORE Baja 1000, Baja 500, and San Felipe 250. In addition to his experience in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, the Poway, Calif., native has collectively made 43 starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series (East and West divisions), earning seven wins and five pole awards. Since his NASCAR Camping World Series debut at Kansas Speedway in 2009, Brian Ickler has not driven for any other manufacturer except Toyota.
NASCAR Camping World Series Career… Ickler has 23 career starts in the Camping World Truck Series under his belt, with six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes and a pole award at Michigan International Speedway (June 2009). He holds an average starting position of 10.3 and an average finishing position of 13.5. Ickler also led the Truck Series field to the green flag at The Milwaukee Mile in 2009 when qualifying was rained out and his team was the current leader in the owner’s championship point standings.
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Race Rewind: Daytona International Speedway… Ickler rolled off the grid 21st in the 2014 season opener at Daytona International Speedway. He had a strong Bullet Liner Toyota Tundra early in the race, but on lap 75 he was caught up in “The Big One”, ending his night early. Although it wasn’t the finish the team had hoped for, Ickler says that the communication he was able to share with his crew chief, Chris Carrier, will help them be prepared for the next event at Martinsville Speedway.
BRIAN ICKLER QUOTES:
You had an impressive third-place finish in your first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway? Tell us your thoughts about going back. “I’m really looking forward to going back to Martinsville Speedway. I have a really good team behind me and really good teammate in Timothy Peters, who has obviously run well there in the past. We had the opportunity to go test at Martinsville which was great, and hopefully we’ll finish as well as, if not better, that I did my first time there.”
Tell us a little bit about what you and the team learned from Daytona? What is the communication like between you and crew chief Chris Carrier? “We didn’t get the result we wanted at Daytona (International Speedway) but I’m very happy with the entire team. Chris (Carrier) as a crew chief is a great leader and has put together a great group of guys. Hopefully we can keep everything rolling and get a great finish at Martinsville (Speedway).”
