The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returned to action after a three week hiatus at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday night, July 7th. Championship contender Timothy Peters and the No. 17 team came to the bluegrass state eyeing their first victory of the 2011 season. The team spent their time away from the race track rebuilding the truck that Peters had been so competitive with at Charlotte to bring to Kentucky for the Thursday night shootout. However, the magic from Charlotte did not return for the team. Throughout the three practice sessions the team struggled to get the right balance the truck needed. Peters qualified in the 25th starting position, but managed to avoid multiple major on track incidents and salvage a 16th-place finish.
Hot and humid were the key words of the week at Kentucky Speedway. Near 100 degree temperatures made for hot slick conditions around the 1.5-mile track. As night fell and the UNOH 225 began, Peters piloted the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra from the 25th starting position. The action on the track began early. When the green flag dropped the field became bunched and Peters made contact with another competitor in front of him sustaining minor front-end damage. The first caution waved on lap five. Peters radioed to crew chief Butch Hylton that the track was too loose off the wall, tight through the center of the corner and too free exiting. The team made the decision to come down pit road on lap seven to assess the front-end damage and add fuel. The team made a second stop under the caution period to add tape to the nose to fix the damage. Peters restarted the race from the 30th position on lap 12, but quickly made his way up to the 20th position.
The second caution of the night waved on lap 17. The No. 17 team came down pit road for fuel and a chassis adjustment. Peters remained in the 20th position for the restart. The race then went on a long green-flag run. Peters was able to move up to the 18th position, but the truck became too free entering the corners and Peters was unable to hold the line he wanted to use. On lap 39, the No. 17 truck went one lap down to the leaders. The third caution of the night flew on lap 58. Peters was unable to obtain the lucky dog position and remained one lap down to the leaders. The team brought the truck to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. Peters restarted the race on lap 62 in the 21st position, the first truck one lap down to the leaders.
At the half-way point on lap 75, Peters was scored in the 24th position and continued to fight a loose race truck. The caution waved once again for a multi-truck incident on lap 76. Peters brought the No. 17 truck to the attention of the crew for four tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment. The last change made by the crew seemed to show improvement with the set-up of the No. 17 machine. Peters told the crew it was better and was scored in the 19th position on lap 118. As the laps wound down in the 150-lap event, the leaders came to pit road with few laps remaining for a final splash of fuel and tires. The No. 17 team hit pit road on lap 135 taking on fuel only.
The caution waved for the sixth time on lap 141. With only one position to gain, the team chose to come to pit road for four tires and fuel. Peters restarted the race on lap 146 from the 18th position. The leaders then began to tangle on the restart as the checkered flag neared. An incident involving Peter’s’ teammate, Miguel Paludo brought out the final caution of the race sending the event into overtime. Peters took the green-white-checkered restart from the 16th position and held on as the checkered flag flew at Kentucky Speedway.
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