SEASON AT-A-GLANCE: This isn't a typical NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year season, and especially for three-time Mexico Series Champion Germán Quiroga. In 11 starts, the No. 77 NET10 Wireless Toyota Tundra driver has led 60 laps, collected two top-five and three top-10 finishes earning one pole position.

350 FOR RED HORSE RACING: This weekend at Michigan International Speedway, Red Horse Racing will embark on a new milestone in their Camping World Truck Series career. With its three entries in the Michigan National Guard 200, the top-tiered Truck Series team will make their 350th Truck Series start. The team is currently competing in their ninth season and has amassed 11 wins, 11 poles, 72 top-five, and 141 top-10 finishes in their brief existence.

FOX SPORTS 1: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be found on a brand new network this weekend as FOX Sports 1 (FS1) makes its debut on August 17th. The Michigan National Guard 200 will be the first major sporting event on the new station which is expected to reach 90 million households. Red Horse Racing would like to welcome FOX Sports 1.

NET10 WIRELESS®: Germán Quiroga welcomes back primary sponsor NET10 Wireless on his No. 77 Toyota Tundra this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. NET10 Wireless served as primary sponsor for the first seven races this season. The no contract cell phone leader will continue  its support as primary or associate sponsor for the remainder of the season. For more information on NET10 Wireless, visit www.NET10Wireless.com.

CHASSIS HISTORY: Quiroga is back behind Chassis No. 008 this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Last raced at Pocono Raceway, Quiroga tied his highest finishing position (third) for a Mexican in a national division of NASCAR. This chassis was also raced at Texas Motor Speedway where Quiroga initially made history with his third-place finish. The chassis also scored an 11th-place finish at Kansas Speedway earlier this year. The notebook for Chassis No. 008 started during the 2012 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. There, the chassis earned Red Horse Racing's 10th pole position and took home a seventh-place finish.

MEET & GREET: Quiroga, along with teammates John Wes Townley and Timothy Peters will visit the Camping World Store in Belleville, MI on Thursday, August 15th from 5:00 - 6:00p.m. for an autograph session. The trio will also join the NASCAR Camping world Truck Series drivers for an autograph session on Friday, August 16th from 4:15 - 5:00 pm at Michigan International Speedway in a tent outside Turn 1.

REARVIEW MIRROR - POCONO: The Rookie of the Year contender started the 50-lap event at Pocono Raceway in the fourth position and remained up front in his No. 77 OtterBox Toyota Tundra for the majority of the race. In his first visit to the 2.5-mile track, Quiroga captured the lead during the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish and took off from the field. Fighting to bring home his first victory in a National division of NASCAR, Quiroga led the field to a wild restart toward turn one on the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish and emerged in fourth position as everyone headed toward the tunnel turn. He crossed the finish line in third-place.

Germán Quiroga on Michigan International Speedway:

Do you feel like, at this point in your Rookie Year, you are achieving what you set out to achieve?

"I wanted to fight for the Rookie of the Year honors all year long. We had the speed but I think I needed to learn a little bit more. Hopefully, I can answer that question in a few more races and talk about how comfortable I am and comfortable battling up front for positions.

This is the 350th Start for Red Horse Racing. What does it mean to be part of this Organization?

"When I was looking for a team to go with last year, I wanted a successful team and that was competitive and was able to win with any truck they have. That's why I picked Red Horsse. Now being part of the team I realized how equal everything was and how we are all in competitive equipment. Tom DeLoach knows how to be successful and putting the right people in place. That's part of building a champion team. I think this team will be champions soon. We have the potential and the Tundras to do so. I am happy to be a part of it."

RHR PR

The road course at Watkins Glen is known for its changes in elevation.

In figurative terms, Marcos Ambrose is all too familiar with the highs and lows the 2.45-mile track can deliver.

The high points of Ambrose’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career came at the Glen, with consecutive victories in 2011 and 2012. In Sunday’s Cheez-It 355, Ambrose started from the pole and appeared head for a third straight win but the final 30 laps were all downhill for the talented Australian driver.

Through no fault of his own, Ambrose was caught out when NASCAR called a caution on Lap 60. Those who had pitted a lap or two earlier--among them race winner Kyle Busch and runner-up Brad Keselowski--benefited from the same yellow that mired Ambrose in 12th place for a restart on lap 64.

From that point, the race went from bad to worse for the driver of the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports driver. An engine issue prevented Ambrose from getting up to speed on subsequent restarts. Ultimately, it put him in harm’s way, leading to a wreck on Lap 85 of 90 that relegated him to 31st place at the finish.

In five previous Cup starts at the Glen, Ambrose had finished no worse than third.

Ambrose also was party to an earlier accident that damaged the cars of Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth. Because Ambrose’s car wouldn’t launch, Kenseth ran into him coming up through the esses on Lap 81.

The contact sent Kenseth’s Toyota into Kahne’s Chevy and knocked Kahne into the path of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Earnhardt.

"Something was wrong with the car, and I just couldn’t get going," Ambrose said ruefully after the race. "I could feel on the roll-around lap that something had broken, but I just feel bad for the guys who got caught up in all that mess. That’s not the way we wanted our day to finish."

Ambrose led 51 of the first 61 laps before the inopportune caution started his downward slide.

"Yeah, that’s just the way it goes," Ambrose said. "It wasn’t our day, but we’ve had plenty of good days here. We just need to reflect on this, and we’ll wake up tomorrow and just press on and go to the next one."

Max Papis’ debut as a relief driver for Tony Stewart may not have gone as well as the Italian driver would have liked, but his solid 15th-place finish in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet SS kept the car in the second provisional wild-card spot for the owners’ Chase.

So, all things considered, mission accomplished.

Yes, Papis spun after contact from Greg Biffle late in the race, an incident that perhaps cost him a top-10 result. And Papis turned the struggling car of Marcos Ambrose on Lap 85 to trigger the final caution of the race.

Nevertheless, when asked, the ever-positive Papis gave the effort a grade of A-plus.

"I felt that we were definitely bound to have a top-10 finish,"Papis said. "Really glad that Greg Biffle came over and apologized when he turned me around--he said it was totally his mistake. I think that really cost us a solid top 10.

"Besides this, I drove the wheels off the car every lap. Super proud of keeping the seat of Smoke as warm as I could. I felt I did a pretty good job, and I’m proud of myself."

Fighting a car whose handling wasn’t to his liking, Jeff Gordon wrecked near the end of the esses on Lap 14 and put his chances of qualifying for the Chase in serious jeopardy.

"It’s unfortunate," said the four-time champion, who fell four spots to 13th in the standings and doesn’t have a victory to establish a claim on a wild-card berth. "I had a big run on the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin), and I got up on him, and the nose just completely took off and put me in the wall."

Gordon lost 23 laps in the garage while he crew restored the car to quasi-drivable condition. If Gordon is to salvage a Chase spot, he knows what the game plan has to be--and it doesn’t involve finishes like the 36th he scored on Sunday.

"Fight hard," he said. "Just keep working to go to the next race and qualify better, execute better and not make mistakes. That was my mistake. That was on me today. We can’t have stuff like that happen."

PEAK® Motor Oil & Antifreeze and Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) are proud to announce Patrick Staropolias the winner of the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge.  Staropoli was unveiled as the ultimate winner on an exclusive segment that premiered on the cable television network SPEED on August 11.  The PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge started with over 700 entrants all vying to become the next PEAK/Michael Waltrip Racing stock car star.   

Staropoli, 23 years old of Plantation, Florida, graduated from Harvard University in 2012 and currently attends medical school at the University of Miami.  His life is always in high gear; when he isn't studying for a medical exam you can find him charging around an asphalt oval at 160 miles per hour.  He started racing go-karts when he was 13 and worked his way up into late models, recording 33 wins in 138 races over the past 10 years.   

On June 3, Staropoli received a phone call from Michael Waltrip telling him that he had been selected as one of nine top finalists to compete in a three-day racing competition.  Staropoli and the other competitors were brought to Charlotte from July 9 ^th – 11^th where they participated in various challenges designed to assess each finalists' racing ability.  Michael Waltrip Racing team drivers Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., and Brian Vickers, as well as PEAK spokesperson Danica Patrick, were on-site throughout the competition to coach the amateur drivers through short-track, road course, speedway, car control, and endurance racing competitions, as well as share instruction in public relations and marketing training and exercises. 

"I've been chasing this dream my entire life -- fighting for every position, hunting down every sponsor, and sacrificing to get to each race. You just pray you're at the right place at the right time to get noticed and thanks to PEAK and Michael Waltrip Racing I finally got that opportunity," said Staropoli. "A 90-second video entry and 3 days in North Carolina have completely changed my life. I never thought I would get the chance to race at Charlotte and now I can say I stood in Victory Lane there as a winner. This whole experience has been incredible and I'm already dreaming about what comes next."

As the winner of the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge, Staropoli is faced with the challenge of obtaining his competition license.  Once he reaches this goal, PEAK will equip him with a sponsored stock car to compete in a sanctioned stock car race.   A video series following Staropoli's journey can be viewed at www.YouTube.com/PeakCarCare.

"PEAK is thrilled to name Staropoli as the winner of the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge," said Bryan Emrich, Senior Vice President of marketing at PEAK.  "After learning more about him and seeing how talented he is on the track, we are proud to give him this well-deserved opportunity."   

Michael Waltrip, founder and co-owner of MWR added, "Each of the competitors had outstanding racing skills and a real passion for the sport, but Staropoli really rose to the top over the course of the event, especially on the road course and pit stop challenges.  He also really did well in both spokesperson modules, setting him apart from the other eight finalists.  We are excited about his potential and are proud to work with a company like PEAK that is willing to give him a shot."

PEAK will continue to partner with Michael Waltrip Racing as a primary sponsor on Clint Bowyer's No. 15 Toyota for three races in each of the next three NASCAR Sprint Cup seasons.  PEAK is also featured as an associate sponsor on the No. 55 and No. 56 cars with MWR.  The company has a rich history in motorsports, with over 30 years of involvement in NASCAR, NHRA, IndyCar and the TORC short course off-road series. 

The PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge exclusive segment will air again on SPEED on August 12 at 1AM ET and August 16 ^th at 6:30 PM ET.  To catch the latest PEAK updates and for more information on how you could become next year's PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge champion, visit PEAKStockCarDream.com and follow @PEAKAuto on Twitter. 

Peak PR

David Reutimann and the No. 83 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry team finished 43rd at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International ("The Glen") after a shifting problem early in the race ended the day for the BK Racing team. 

The 2.45-mile road course is unlike any other on the NASCAR circuit; with its 11-turn design, the course requires heavy braking as drivers navigate their way through areas nicknamed the "esses," the "bus stop" and the "carousel."  Drivers are faced with high-speed left- and right-hand turns, and must shift several times as they race around the historic circuit. 

Following a massive rain storm moving through the area on Friday morning, competitors in the Sprint Cup Series had just two abbreviated practice sessions on Friday afternoon to reacquaint themselves with the twists and turns of The Glen.  With 15 laps of practice, Reutimann was able to pick up seven tenths-of-a-second in qualifying to secure the 36th starting position for Sunday's race.  The No. 83 Burger King / Dr. Pepper team used their practice time to work through a variety of setup options and for Reutimann to regain familiarity with the track. 

As the green flag came out for the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen, Reutimann was very pleased with the balance of his No. 83 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry and said that his BK Racing machine handled the best it had all weekend.  Working the fifth lap of the day, a missed shift racing through the esses resulted in damage to the engine of the No. 83 Toyota.  The driver was able to limp around the track to turn six before coming to a stop off the racing surface and waiting for a push back to the garage area.  With terminal damage to their engine, Reutimann retired from the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen and was credited with a 43rd-place finish. 

"I'm pretty disappointed with how our race ended today," commented Reutimann.  "Our No. 83 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry was hooked up pretty well, but the missed shift over-revved our motor and ended our day early.  I feel really bad for my guys; I know how hard they worked to get ready for this weekend.  We'll be back at it next weekend at Michigan International Speedway.  We had a good car when we raced there two months ago, so I'm looking forward to another shot at a strong finish."

BK Racing PR

Travis Kvapil and the No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry finished 40th at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on Sunday afternoon.  After being caught up in a multi-car accident that brought out the red flag for nearly 23 minutes, Kvapil attempted to return to the track before a blown left front tire brought him to the garage for a second time in the 90-lap race. 

The 2.45-mile road course in New York's Finger Lakes region is unlike any other on the NASCAR circuit.  The historic course challenges drivers with its high-speed left- and right-hand turns, shifting requirements and heavy braking zones.  The 11-turn 2.45-mile configuration has characteristics specific to road course circuits, and drivers need to navigate areas known as the "esses," the "bus stop" and the "carousel." 

Rain storms soaked the Finger Lakes region of Upstate N.Y. throughout the morning on Friday and resulted in two abbreviated practice sessions for the Sprint Cup Series late Friday afternoon.  Kvapil completed just 20 laps during the sessions to prepare for qualifying and Sunday's 90-lap race.  On Saturday morning, Kvapil recorded a 71.338-second qualifying lap to secure the 38th starting position. 

When the green flag waved on Sunday afternoon, Kvapil began his race through the field picking up four positions within the opening 10 laps.  Kvapil and the BK Racing team made two pit stops within the opening 40 laps of the race, and used each stop as an opportunity to fine-tune the handling of their car.  Working lap 40, Kvapil's No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry was handling well and the driver was battling hard for the 26th position.  With high speeds and a series of quick right- and left-hand turns in an area known as "the esses," Kvapil and the No. 33 of Ron Fellows made contact coming through the narrow section.  The contact sent Kvapil spinning backwards into the guardrail and ultimately back to the garage area. 

After making repairs Kvapil returned to the track with around 15 laps of competition left in the Cheez-It 355.  Kvapil completed a couple laps, but contact with the guardrail coming through the esses on lap 77 left Kvapil with a flat left front tire, which ultimately brought out the caution flag.  With only a handful of laps left, and unable to pick up any additional positions, Kvapil returned to the garage where he was credited with a 40th-place finish in the Cheez-It 355. 

"We had a challenging race today," commented Kvapil.  "Our No. 93 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry was handling really well and we were gaining ground when we got into that accident in the esses.  The flat tire when we returned to the track was just adding insult to injury for our day.  Unfortunately both situations were just outside of our control, so we're going to try not to let them bring us down.  We had a really good car the last time that we raced at Michigan International Speedway, so I'm looking forward to the race next week."

BK Racing PR

For Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team, a good finish in Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway requires a better start to the weekend.

When the green flag dropped here in June, Gordon was "pretty happy" with his Chevrolet SS even though he started from the 29th position. But the race was barely five laps old before he was collected in accident.

"We analyze the race, the situation and take all the information we can gather to find ways to improve and make sure things don't happen again in the future," said Gordon, who will drive a specially painted No. 24 Axalta Standox Chevrolet SS this weekend. "Qualifying as poorly as we did put us in the position to get caught up in that wreck.

"We shouldn't have been in that position to begin with. We have to improve our qualifying effort here."

Gordon is third all-time with 72 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series poles with five of those fast times occurring at the Irish Hills track. He has visited Victory Lane twice here and posted 18 top-fives and 25 top-10's in 41 starts.

"I feel like we've learned some things recently that will really help our performance in qualifying as well as the race," said Gordon. "I was pretty happy with my car when the race started here in June. Hopefully, we have a strong car again.

"And hopefully we'll be around at the end to battle for the win."              

Only four races remain before the 12-driver "Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup" field is set following race No. 26 at Richmond, and Gordon is currently on the outside looking in. Evidenced by his drop from ninth to 13th in the standings due to his wreck at Watkins Glen last weekend, the standings are tight and can shuffle drastically from race to race.            

"It's going to be a battle all the way through the checkered flag at Richmond," said Gordon. "A win would certainly help our chances, but I don't think it's necessary. I think a string of top-fives and top-10's could get us a top-10 spot in the standings."

And while Gordon will look to begin a new streak on Sunday, it may actually begin Friday.

PPR PR