Cameron Hayley Gets lucky in the “Lone Star State”

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In: NASCAR Truck Series News

After a heartbreaking finish in Dover last week, Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, Cameron Hayley, rebounded with his second top-10 finish of the 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season, snagging a seventh-place finish during the WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

 

Piloting his No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra within the top-15 for the majority of the 167-lap race, the 18-year-old fought “tight” conditions early on. Running as high as first, including leading three laps, and as low as 20th, Hayley maintained an Average Running Position of 11.7 during the fast-paced event.

 

Coming to pit road for the first caution of the night at lap 21, and later under green-flag conditions on lap 75, Hayley received four tires, fuel and adjustments to improve the handling of his Toyota Tundra. However, a long green flag stretch of racing brought pit strategy into play. Crew Chief Jeff Hensley made the call to leave Hayley on the track for as long as possible, hoping for a caution to wave in their favor. When luck didn’t go their way, Hayley was forced to pit, under green, for four tires, fuel and adjustments on lap 130, finding himself one lap down when pit stops cycled through.

 

Fortunately a late-race caution with less than 20 laps to go allowed the No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley driver to take the “wave around,” putting the ThorSport Racing driver back on the lead lap. As one of only a few teams left with a set of sticker tires, Hensley made the call to bring Hayley down pit road one last time. Restarting in the ninth position with only two laps remaining in the 167-lap event, the Canadian native was able to make the most of his fresh tires en route to a seventh-place finish.

 

Ending his second start at the “No Limits” mile-and-a-half track on a high note, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender advanced to the sixth position in the NCWTS standings, 90 points behind ThorSport Racing teammate and point leader, Matt Crafton.

 

Quote:

“It was a bit of a wild night to tell you the truth. I don’t think our Toyota Tundra was the fastest, by far tonight. In fact we struggled for a good portion of the night. Jeff (Hensley) made a bunch of good calls on pit road though, and he definitely made the right one at the end so we could end up seventh. It was a good points night and definitely good for the whole team.”

Thorsport PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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