RACE REPORT
NextEra Energy Resources 250
Daytona International Speedway
February 24, 2017
Red Horse Racing at Daytona International Speedway
The 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season kicked off in wild fashion at Daytona International Speedway for the NextEra Energy Solutions 250. Both the Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundras of Brett Moffitt and Timothy Peters led the field and were in contention at different points of the 100-lap event before being collected in on-track incidents. While Peters and Moffitt each led laps, their chances for victory came up short and they were credited with 17th and 22nd-place finishes, respectively.
Timothy Peters No. 17
No. 17 Red Horse Racing
Toyota Tundra
Peters’ Bid for Second Daytona Win Comes up Short
Timothy Peters kicked off his 2017 campaign with another bid for victory at Daytona International Speedway, but was swept up in the final lap calamity that collected 12 trucks, and finished 17th in the NextEra Energy Resources 250. The 2010 Daytona winner began his weekend by posting the fifth-quickest lap in Thursday’s practice session, and qualifying fifth on Friday evening. From the outset, Peters asserted himself as one of the strongest trucks in the field, racing in and around the top five during the first 20-lap stage. Peters collected nine regular-season points by running second at the end of Stage 1, all while avoiding an accident on lap 20. Crew chief Chad Kendrick brought Peters to pit road for fuel only, and once again, he ran inside the top five until the end of Stage 2 at lap 40, collecting six additional points. A two-tire pit stop on lap 47 gained Peters the race lead, and he maintained his position inside the top five until a lap-72 caution. Peters suffered slight damage to the left-side door of his No. 17 Toyota Tundra in the incident, but remained a contender at the front of the field. The restart on lap 78 produced a single-file lead draft for the next 18 laps, during which Peters found himself comfortably in contention, running fifth. A caution on lap 96 bunched up the field for a two-lap sprint to the checkers. After restarting fifth, Peters made a three-wide bid for second on the final lap, but was collected in a multi-truck accident on the backstretch while running third. As a result of the accident, Peters was credited with a 17th-place finish.
Start – 5
Finish – 17
Driver Points Position – 7
Laps Led – 2
Timothy Peters Quote:
“It just got wild there at the end. We got a good run on the outside and the next thing I know, the 27 (Ben Rhodes) came across in front of me. I know it’s just a racing deal, but I just hate that we got collected up in it with as hard as everybody worked on this Tundra in the off season. We came here to win, and we were in good position. We just got caught up in something that is a racing deal.”
Brett Moffitt
No. 7 Red Horse Racing
Toyota Tundra
Damage in Daytona Ends Moffitt’s Night Early
In the first race of the 2017 campaign, at Daytona International Speedway, Brett Moffitt had a strong showing in the No. 7 Toyota Tundra until damage from contact with another vehicle and then the retaining wall relegated him to a 22nd-place finish. After putting up the 11th-fastest practice time in the single rain-delayed practice on Thursday, the team found a problem with the carburetor and repaired it. On Friday afternoon, the 24-year-old from Grimes, Iowa advanced to the second round of single-truck qualifying and locked his Toyota Tundra into the sixth-place starting position. After the green flag flew for the NextEra Energy Resources 250, Moffitt used the outside lane to work his way to the front of the field and was leading just before the first stage came to an end on lap 20. Contact with another vehicle caused Moffitt to hit the inside wall, and the damage prevented him from continuing in the race, and he was left with a 22nd-place finish.
Start – 6
Finish – 22
Driver Points Position – 17
Laps Led – 2
Brett Moffitt Quote:
“We had a really good Toyota Tundra tonight and I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to show it more. We’ll go back to the shop and regroup and go on to Atlanta next week.”