Peters hopes strong start becomes full Truck season

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Timothy Peters relaxes inside a nondescript white hauler parked near the tail end of the pecking order that makes up the Camping World Truck Series garage. But if his No. 17 Toyota team continues what its started so far this season, that hauler will find itself in a much more prominent position very soon.

With a sixth-place effort at Daytona, followed by a ninth at California, Peters is fourth in the points, which would move Premier Racing up into one of the premier parking spaces once the current season owners' points go into effect after Martinsville. And Peters, for one, is excited at that prospect.

Peters

"I can't wait," Peters said. "That's one of my goals: to be on the other side [of the garage]. It's kind of like people fighting to be on the left side of the board. You want to be on that side. And I feel like we belong over there. There's a right time and a right place for everything. Hopefully, the time and the place is now."

At California, Peters ran all but 16 laps in the top 15, incredibly impressive for a team that wasn't sure it would answer the bell for the season-opener. He's hoping to continue that momentum in Saturday's American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In Friday's first practice, Peters' fastest lap was 172.185 mph, almost three miles an hour slower than Ron Hornaday. But as Peters has proven, just being at the track every week is a bonus.

"Before December, we didn't think we could even make it to Daytona," Peters said. "We have commitments through the first four [races]. After Martinsville, we're going to kind of have to think about how we can to go the rest of the year, but man, we're off to a great start."

For Peters, the uncertainty was frustrating.

"It was very stressful," Peters said. "It's not a fun feeling to know what you have is only going to get you through the first four [races of the season]. But I'm very fortunate to be at the first four. When you think it's really bad, it is. I know past champions sitting at home, wishing they had my seat."

Peters drove in seven races for Premier in 2008, breaking into the top 10 at Martinsville. But he said the real turning point came at the season's final race, when the team made a manufacturer change. (Continued)