After spending most of the second half of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 200 running in the top-ten, David Starr gave up track position late in 200-mile race to take four fresh Goodyear tires feeling the fresh rubber would pay-off in a sprint towards the top-five. Several late cautions spoiled the plan, as the Zachry Toyota driver was only able to work his way back to twelfth before Kyle Busch took the checkers for the third time this season at the Monster Mile.
David qualified the SS Green Light Racing entry nineteenth in the morning session with a lap of 23.47 seconds on the high-banked one-mile concrete speedway at over 153.34 mph.
Having a much faster truck than he qualified, David would work his way towards the front of the 36-truck field as the laps clicked off making his way into the top-ten by the 75th lap of the 200-lap event. A bold call by crew chief Jason Miller would put Starr out of sequence with the leaders resulting in David leading his first eleven laps of the 2011 campaign from laps 139 to 149 before giving up the point for tires and fuel on lap 150.
Through the green flag stops at the races three-quarter mark, only eight trucks were on the lead lap. Shortly after David brought the Zachry Tundra to pit road the races fifth caution flew for debris, an unlucky break for the SS Green Light Team that allowed numerous trucks back onto the lead lap.
Miller used more tire strategy under the sixth caution n lap 179 to bring Starr to the attention for the SS Green Light crew for four fresh tires and prepared his driver for a twenty-lap sprint to the checkers.
Unfortunately, three more cautions would fly over the last twenty laps slowing David’s momentum and a chance at a top a top-ten finish with the No. 81 coming across the stripe in twelfth place.
“We finished twelfth, but we got to lead for a number of laps. We probably had a seventh or eighth place truck, but we didn’t get a chance to race at the end. Jason Miller, Matt Faulkner and everybody on our Toyota Tundra team did an excellent job. Out pit stops were awesome, the truck was fast, and we made the right adjustments during the race. It just didn’t fall our way at the end.”
“Had the caution come out a few laps later after we pitted in the middle of the race, we would have only had four or five trucks on the lead lap plus we lost a lap. So when the caution came out we stayed on the track to get the wave-around to get back on the lead lap. Then with about twenty laps to go we were running tenth and pitted for four tires because we knew we would get the spots back with four new Goodyear tires. In the last seventeen laps, I think we only ran about four under the green.”
“The race just didn’t quite fall our way. As good as our truck was and four new tires, I knew we could come back through the field. We had a sixth to eighth place truck so it’s disappointing to finish twelfth. I felt bad for the guys on the SS Green Light team because they put their heart and sole into it.”
“You can see our trucks are handling good and they are fast, I’m proud to be part of this team. Bobby Dotter and the guys at the shop who are making the most out of the budget we are on, what we are able to accomplish and how good our trucks are. Tonight we were better than twelfth. I told the guys how thankful I was and how happy I was because the truck was fast, it handled well and their hard work is paying off so that is pretty cool.”
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