Month: June 2011

FT. WORTH, TX (June 11, 2011) — Timothy Peters and the No. 17 team continued to fight handling gremlins as they rolled into Texas Motor Speedway.  Starting from the 23rd position Peters and the No. 17 team struggled with a loose race truck during the duration of the WinStar World Casino 400K.  The team managed to remain on the lead lap throughout the event and made multiple chassis adjustments on pit road to help Peters condition.  However, the changes were not enough to help the No. 17 truck make much forward progress.  The team took what the truck was willing to give them and salvaged a 20th-place finish.

Peters started the WinStar World Casino 400K from the 23rd position. As the race got underway, Peters immediately reported to the team that the truck was too loose entering the corners. Under the first caution on lap five the team brought the No. 17 truck down pit road for fuel and chassis adjustments.  Peters restarted the race from the 29th position.  The No. 17 team was back on pit road under the second caution period of the evening on lap 23.  The team took on four tires, fuel and made another chassis adjustment.  By lap 40, Peters had move up to the 25th position, but still reported a loose-handling condition to the team.

Under the third caution period on lap 51, the No. 17 team chose to remain on the track as the leaders hit pit road.  By staying out Peters was credited with leading a lap and earned a valuable bonus point.  Before the caution period ended the team came to pit road to add two spring rubbers to the left-rear spring.  Fortunately for the No. 17 team, the caution waved once again on lap 58 giving them the opportunity to remove the spring rubbers.  Peters reported to the crew that the change only worsened the loose condition. Peters and the No. 17 team continued to come to pit road under each caution period to try and fix the handling issues. At the half-way point on lap 84, Peters was scored in the 24th position.

As the seventh caution of the evening waved, Peters gave up the 22nd position to come to pit road for the final scheduled pit stop of the evening.  The team took on four fresh tires, fuel and made an air-pressure adjustment.  Crew chief Butch Hylton asked Peters to save as much fuel as possible so they could make it to the end of the event.  A rash of cautions late in the event allowed the No. 17 team to save enough fuel to make the final restart of the race under a green-white-checkered condition.  Peters took the final restart scored in the 22nd position and was able to gain two spots before crossing the finish line in the 20th.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action on July 7, 2011 at Kentucky Speedway for the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) 225 which can be viewed live on SPEED at 8:00 p.m., EST.

About Red Horse Racing:

Founded in 2005 by former Mobil Corporation executive Tom DeLoach and NASCAR veteran Jeff Hammond, Red Horse Racing aims to be a professional racing team that strives for excellence on and off the race track. Red Horse Racing hopes to build and maintain solid, mutual relationships with its partners to win races and championships and to represent itself in a professional manner.  The team has four victories and five poles in its brief existence.  DeLoach and Hammond also own Performance Instruction Training (PIT), the number one pit crew training center in the world that also has many corporate training options that include team-building, lean manufacturing, motorsports demonstrations and more.

FT. WORTH, TX (June 11, 2011) — Over the past two weeks Miguel Paludo and the No. 7 Stemco/Duroline team have been building intense momentum. After a few tough weeks in Nashville and Dover, Paludo and the No. 7 team regrouped and brought a solid package to Kansas Speedway last week scoring a 13th-place finish. The team brought the same truck to Texas and patiently worked their way from a 22nd-place starting position to lead 10 laps, run in the top 10 all night long and earn an eighth-place finish.

“I’m very pleased with our run here at Texas,” said Paludo after the race. “My guys worked really hard. We had a good truck and I was happy that we were able to run at the front of the field all day. It was cool leading laps and enjoying the clean air. It is amazing how much of a difference that makes. We continue to get better and better each week. I think the more this team races together the better we get. Our truck became a little too tight at the end of the race to get a top-five finish, but we have learned so much on how to make adjustments and what I need in a truck.”

Paludo started the WinStar World Casino 400K from the 22nd starting position. Under the first caution of the day on lap five the team deemed it was too early to come to pit road. Paludo worked on moving forward, but was only able to move up one position before the second caution flag of the night waved on lap 21. The team brought Paludo to pit road for four tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment. Paludo restarted from the 21st position and moved up to 17th by lap 40.

The third caution came out on lap 51. Paludo reported to the team he was still free getting into the corner but the condition was getting better. On lap 53, the team brought the No. 7 machine back to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. Paludo took the restart on lap 56 from the 18th position. The changes made were what Paludo was looking for. When the caution flag slowed the field once again on lap 66, Paludo and the No. 7 team were scored in the 11th position. Under the caution period many of the leaders chose to come to pit road. The No. 7 team decided to remain on track moving Paludo up to the second position. When the race restarted on lap 72, Paludo jumped to the top spot. Pacing the field for 10 laps, Paludo told the team “I’m wide open,” as he came across the start finish line. Paludo battled to keep the top spot but settled into second on lap 83.

Paludo remained in the second position until the caution waved on lap 88. Crew chief Rick Gay called No. 7 truck to pit road for service, getting four fresh tires and fuel. With many of the leaders on different pit strategies Paludo restarted the race from the 16th position. By lap 99, Paludo had moved back into the top 10 and continued to make forward progress. On lap 113, Paludo brought the No. 7 machine to pit road for the final scheduled pit stop of the day.

The team immediately told Paludo to save fuel. They were just inside their fuel window when the caution waved, but did not have enough to complete a green-white-checkered scenario. By lap 126, Paludo had moved into the fifth position and continued to battle trucks to get back to the lead. However, as the tires cycled through the run, the No. 7 truck began to get tight. Paludo continued to save fuel, but a rash of cautions late in the event put the team into their fuel window. A crash late in the race sent the event into overtime. Paludo took the final restart on lap 166 from the ninth position and was able to battle back late to gain one spot before crossing the finish line in eighth.

The team gained four positions in the point standings moving up to 19th. The run marks Paludo’s second top-10 finish of 2011. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action on Thursday night July 7, 2011 at Kentucky Speedway for the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) 225 which can be viewed LIVE on SPEED at 8:00 p.m., EST.

About Red Horse Racing:

Founded in 2005 by former Mobil Corporation executive Tom DeLoach and NASCAR veteran Jeff Hammond, Red Horse Racing aims to be a professional racing team that strives for excellence on and off the race track. Red Horse Racing hopes to build and maintain solid, mutual relationships with its partners to win races and championships and to represent itself in a professional manner. The team has four victories and five poles in its brief existence. DeLoach and Hammond also own Performance Instruction Training (PIT), the number one pit crew training center in the world that also has many corporate training options that include team-building, lean manufacturing, motorsports demonstrations and more.

Fort Worth, TX (June 11, 2011)-Racing under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) on Friday night presented several challenges for Eddie Sharp Racing driver Craig Goess, with obstacles on the track to avoid as well as heavy traffic and competition throughout all 400 kilometers. Though The WinStar World Casino 400k developed into a classic NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) battle as big as the Texas venue that housed it, Goess managed to steer clear of trouble all night and captured an 18th place finish in the No. 46 Greenville Toyota of North Carolina Tundra.

Similar to the racing conditions at TMS sister track Charlotte a few weeks prior, the 167-lap event was littered with 10 caution flags; eight of which stemmed from damaged trucks involved in on-track incidents. The first round of pit stops came for the No. 46 crew under the second caution period on Lap 23 when crew chief Trip Bruce brought his driver down pit road for four tires and a track bar adjustment. Craig had only mentioned the truck was a little loose, but not bad in the high line.

Restarting 24th in the running order, Craig began to maneuver his way through traffic on the high line, but found his Tundra was twitching loose, especially around other trucks. He continued to hold onto his ill-handling truck and was able to catch a break on the lap 52 caution, when he was granted the “lucky dog” and returned to the lead lap after falling one lap down to the leaders shortly before. Goess came to the attention of his Greenville Toyota crew for four new tires and several adjustments to tighten the truck up in traffic.

Craig pushed up further into the field after making his next stop under the fifth caution period on lap 68, taking fuel only and track bar adjustments that helped him gain six spots to 18th. Shortly following the adjustments, Craig ran his fastest lap of the race on the 75th circuit and shortly after moved into the top 15. For the next 50 laps, he continued to battle through a tough group of traffic that had raced together all night and was able hang tight in the top-20 through the final stages of the event.

Team owner Eddie Sharp filled the role of spotter all weekend, and guided Goess through each of the accidents, including the melee after the drop of the checkered flag. Sharp encouraged his driver to stay focused through the long runs as well as the caution laps.

“Just try to stay focused on the track and keep your eyes peeled; We have a good truck and as long as we stay out of all the accidents that are happening tonight, we’ll come home with a good solid finish,” Sharp radioed his driver with 50 laps remaining.

The final caution of the evening came with just five laps remaining, bunching the field up for a green, white, checkered finish. Caught back in 20th following the longer green flag runs in the closing laps, Craig was able to get a good restart with two to go and gained two spots to finish 18th.

“There was a lot of chaos happening around us tonight at the track, but I’m glad we were able to get away clean here and finish solidly in the top 20. We’re continuing to log laps and make things a little better each week,” Goess commented. “We’ll have a long break now to catch up on some things we’d like to work on with the trucks and regroup before we head to Kentucky.”

Next Event: The NCWTS takes a three-week vacation from racing, leading up to the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, July 7th. Craig will enter the 1.5-mile asphalt oval 21st in the series driver point standings. The NCWTS will kick off the weekend at Kentucky Speedway for the track’s first weekend with all three major series on board simultaneously, hitting the track first for their practice session on Wednesday afternoon. Qualifying for the UNOH 225 is set for 3:05 pm EST on Thursday, with the 150-lap race following at 8:00 pm EST.

For more information on Eddie Sharp Racing, Craig Goess and the No. 46 Greenville Toyota of NC Tundra, visit TeamESR.com and CraigGoess.com. Follow us on Twitter (@TeamESR) and find Eddie Sharp Racing on Facebook.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 11, 2011) – The last lap of Friday’s WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway brought a host of emotions for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver Johanna Long. While she was elated to score her career-best NCWTS finish, Long also was upset she was involved in a wreck coming to the checkered flag.

Long was excited to get back to Texas Motor Speedway after having some unfinished business from her first trip there last November. After qualifying ninth, Long was unable to finish the race after being involved in a first-lap incident when she cut a tire. This time, the young driver continued to get better throughout the race but got caught in a last-lap accident.

Long first took to the track Thursday morning for practice. She ended the first session in 27th, struggling in turns 3 and 4. She let the crew know that the truck was loose-handling entering the corners and tight-handling off. Final practice followed and Long felt more comfortable with her truck, finishing final practice with the 16th-quickest time. In qualifying, held Thursday evening, Long laid down the 18th-fastest lap with a time of 30.537 seconds.

After taking the green flag in 18th, Long settled into 20th place under the first caution flag on Lap 5. The 19-year-old started to struggle with her No. 20 Panhandle Grading & Paving Toyota Tundra, as her problems from practice returned. Under the second caution on Lap 21, the Panhandle Motorsports team called her to the pits for fuel. She restarted in sixth but fell back through the green-flag run as many of the trucks behind her took on tires under the previous caution.

The caution flag was shown again on Lap 50, and Long came to the pits for four tires, fuel and adjustments for her tight-handling truck. She restarted in 20th position and continued to lay down laps on the fast, high-banked Texas Motor Speedway. On Lap 67, Long returned to the pits under caution for fuel. After restarting in 14th, Long radioed to the crew that her truck was now loose on entry. On lap 88, the caution flag waved again, and the Panhandle Motorsports team brought Long in for four tires and fuel.

Long restarted in 18th and began working her way toward the front. Under the next caution on Lap 110, Long pitted for fuel only, as her No. 20 Panhandle Grading & Paving Toyota Tundra was coming alive. She took the green flag in fourth, her highest position of the night. Caution flags continued to wave, but Long was able to stay out of trouble and keep hitting her marks. On Lap 136, Long made her final pit stop for four tires and fuel.

Long restarted in 20th position on Lap 142 and began her march forward. Three laps later, the Pensacola, Fla., native was in the top-15. By the final caution on Lap 161, Long was up to 11th. After taking the white flag, Long was just 1.5 miles away from her career-best NCWTS finish. Coming to the checkers, the No. 5 of Travis Kvapil and the No. 77 of Justin Lofton made contact, sending the No. 5 through the infield grass. Kvapil spun back up the track, collecting Long as she crossed the stripe. Although her No. 20 Toyota Tundra suffered significant damage, Long did take the checkered flag in 11th, scoring her best NCWTS finish.

Following Friday night’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, the NCWTS has a few weeks off. They will return to the track on Thursday, July 7 at Kentucky Speedway for the UNOH 225.

Johanna Long Quote:

“I had a blast racing at Texas Motor Speedway! It’s unfortunate that we got involved in a wreck on the final lap, but nothing could take away how well our whole team did throughout the entire race. The team has worked really hard all year, but we haven’t had the results to show it. I finally got a finish that the team deserves, so I’m extremely happy with that. Panhandle Motorsports made huge gains this weekend; hopefully, we can keep the momentum and progress going at our next race. I can’t thank my team and everyone who supports me enough.”

About Johanna Long:

Johanna Long, one of the youngest drivers in the elite NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, races the No. 20 Pan Handle Grading & Paving Toyota Tundra for family-owned Panhandle Motorsports. The 19-year-old began racing at the age of eight, quickly moving from go-karts to Legends cars to a Late Model. She made history, becoming the youngest driver and only female to win a track championship at Five Flags Speedway. She went on to win the prestigious Snowball Derby at the track in 2010. For more information on Johanna, please visit www.JohannaLong.com .