Red Horse Racing–Las Vegas

RACE REPORT
DC Solar 350
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
October 1, 2016
Newsletter – Dance Drop Shadow Image
Red Horse Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series journeyed west to the City of Lights and the DC Solar 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the second race of the inaugural Chase for the NCWTS Championship. During the one-day show on Saturday, teams practiced twice in the morning. Timothy Peters recorded the 13th and ninth fastest times in the No. 17 Toyota Tundra, while Matt Tifft returned to the No. 11 and put the 16th and 13th fastest times on the board. In two rounds of single-truck knockout qualifying under the desert sun, Peters transferred into the final round and put up a lap of 30.69 seconds to earn his eighth career pole position. Tifft earned the 13th starting spot. As the sun set and track conditions changed, Peters battled a tight Toyota Tundra to finish ninth, while Tifft also fought the balance of the No. 11 BrainGear/Surface Sunscreen Tundra and finished 15th.

Timothy Peters No. 17
No. 17 Red Horse Racing
Toyota Tundra

Timothy Peters Finishes Ninth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Timothy Peters earned a top-10 finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the DC Solar 350, the second race of the inaugural Chase for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship. In two practice sessions on Saturday morning, Peters posted the 13th-fastest lap in the first and ninth-fastest lap in the final practice on the 1.5-mile facility. During two rounds of single-truck, knockout qualifying, Peters transferred to the final round to earn his eighth career pole and a front row starting spot for the second week in a row. As the desert sun set, Peters led the first 13 laps of the race, but debris on the grille of the No. 17 Toyota Tundra caused temperatures to rise and he fell back to fifth. On his first pit stop on lap 39, the No. 17 team gave him four Goodyear tires and a tank full of Sunoco fuel. Peters restarted in the fourth position and would soon be back to third. The Danville, Virginia native reported to crew chief Shane Huffman that he was battling a tight handling condition. With 48 laps to go, Peters hit pit road for a second time and difficulties on the four-tire stop resulted in a ninth-place restart position, where he would finish the 146-lap event. It was his seventh top-10 finish in nine starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and his 12th top-10 of the 2016 season. Peters maintains the fifth position in the Chase for the NCWTS Championship.

Start – 1
Finish – 9
Driver Points Position – 5
Owner Points Position – 9
Laps Led – 13

Timothy Peters Quote:
“The guys worked hard all race long, all day long today and obviously getting the pole was a big deal for us. It all came down to the last pit stop and the wheel not coming out. Everyone is pushing the limits and doing all we can do. I’m proud of Shane (Huffman, crew chief) and all the guys on this Red Horse Tundra team. It could have been a lot better, but it sure could have been a lot worse. We’ll just go to Talladega and I know we can get the job done there. If we can’t get a win, I feel good we can point our way through to the next round.”

Matt Tifft
No. 11 BrainGear/Surface Sunscreen
Toyota Tundra

Matt Tifft Earns 15th-Place Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Matt Tifft’s 20th-career start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resulted in a 15th place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tifft began his second-career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by posting the 16th and 13th-fastest laps in the mornings two practice sessions. As Tifft started the 146-lap affair in 13th, he immediately encountered handling conditions that hindered his forward progress. Tifft reported his BrainGear/Surface Sunscreen Toyota Tundra started tight and transitioned loose through the first fuel run. He was running 17th at the first caution on lap 39, but a stunning four-tire stop by the No. 11 Red Horse Racing team returned him to the track in 11th for the restart on lap 44. Despite numerous adjustments by crew chief Scott Zipadelli and the No. 11 team, Tifft continued to lack the grip he needed on all four corners of his Toyota Tundra to move into contention throughout the evening. After a caution on lap 94, Tifft made his final four-tire pit stop of the night and restarted 14th on lap 99. A long, green flag run capped the race, during which Tifft maintained his position inside the top-15, and took the checkers in 15th on the lead lap.

Start – 13
Finish – 15
Owner Points Position – 6
Laps Led – 0

Matt Tifft Quote:
“Tonight was a frustrating night because we never could adjust the balance to where we needed it. Restarts and clean air were so important, we just lacked the speed to have the BrainGear/Surface Sunscreen Toyota Tundra where we needed to climb into the top-10 and get some of that clean air. This is a great race team and we’re in the hunt to move on to the next round in the Owners’ Chase, and we’ll go on to Talladega in a few weeks with a shot to win there.”