Truck Series Blog (cont'd)

Oct. 21, 2010

Since the morning I left Las Vegas heading back home, I've been super excited about coming back to Martinsville. Martinsville has always been special to me. I used to sit in the grandstands for the Winston Cup races with my parents. The track has so much history through the years and I am just fortunate to be a part of that.

As far back as I can remember, I've always had success at Martinsville whether in my stock car or my truck. It's a tough track to master but it always came easy to me because it just fits my driving style. Last fall, from the drop of the green flag, it was a dream day. My team and I came to Martinsville for that race determined to win but I think we were all stunned that it actually happened. I was so nervous those last 20 laps. At Martinsville, you never know what's going to happen and I had Todd Bodine on my tail. He is such a talented driver, I was just trying to hold my line and hit all my marks. When I crossed the start/finish line, I was overcome with emotion. To have all my friends and family there was such a blessing. I pulled onto the frontstretch and parked for Victory Lane and people I had known for years were cheering from the grandstands. It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. After all the pictures were taken and the interviews were over, the series director, Wayne Auton, gathered all the officials and my team together and they chanted "Hip Hip Hooray." It was really cool to have that kind of support from the series.

The week after the Las Vegas race, I had the chance to run the Late Model race, the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300. It was very cool to be back behind the wheel of a Late Model at Martinsville. We started sixth and finished sixth so it was a good day. I really appreciate Steve Stallings and his family who worked hard on that car for weeks and got it ready for me to drive and my truck owner, Tom DeLoach for giving me the opportunity to go play during the weekend off.

I can't wait for this weekend to begin with practice and qualifying on Friday. I tell Tom DeLoach all the time how grateful I am for the opportunity to drive his equipment but he will probably never know how deep my gratitude goes. I'm a small town guy whose dreams came true when Tom picked me to drive his truck. This has been a dream year with Red Horse Racing and I want to get this No. 17 Toyota back to Victory Lane this weekend and celebrate once again with 10,000 of my closest friends.

-- Timothy Peters, driver of the No. 17 Toyota

Sept. 30, 2010

Well race fans, 2010 certainly has been a challenging year for the No. 5 team. When we learned on Christmas Eve of 2008 that our team was shutting down, my wife Angie and I really didn't know what our plan would be for 2009. Luckily we found David Dollar and he was willing to take a chance on me. We worked throughout the season to find sponsorship and Toyota really backed us up to support the effort. All our hard work paid off with three race wins, pole awards and finishing third in the point standings in '09. For a deal that really came together last minute, we knew our group was something good and we were looking forward to see what 2010 would bring for Randy Moss Motorsports.

We lost our crew chief Eric Phillips to KBM in January, which was really upsetting for me. You always do better the second year with your crew chief and team as you build chemistry, so when Eric left and the dynamic of our team changed it was pretty disheartening. With our loss coming so late in the off-season, we were under the wire to pick a new crew chief.

Since then, we've undergone another crew chief change and we have Stacy Johnson calling the race every week. I worked with Stacy back in 2001 when I was driving in the Nationwide Series at RCR. We've always gotten along and I've always enjoyed working with him . All of the guys like him and it seems like putting him in the position of interim crew chief has made our group more cohesive.

With Stacy on the box, we've been improving week after week and I feel like we were really close this past weekend. We didn't unload perfect at Las Vegas, but the boys on the team worked hard to make the truck feel right for me by the second session. We made a few shock changes in that practice, and by the end of final practice I knew that we had our truck hooked up like we needed it. When the race started we were right there; we moved inside the top-10 and we were catching the leaders until we were bumped by another competitor. It was very frustrating, but we all worked hard and didn't give up to at least finish the race.

I think you'll only see our team continue to improve. We haven't had the chance to test lately, but that's just one of the things we have on our to-do list for this three-week break. We really hope to get a win in for International Truck, Monaco RVs, Exide Batteries and PC MILER Navigator before the season ends. Our team has so many great sponsors and they have all been so supportive of our struggles this season; we can't thank them enough.

Our Randy Moss Motorsports team is really gearing up and re-building for 2011. We're planning more testing, working more and more with Toyota for R&D support, and looking to put the right people in the right places that will allow us to get back in the championship hunt next season. We want to win and we won't give up.

-- Mike Skinner, driver of the No. 5 Toyota

Sept. 21, 2010

This week we head to Las Vegas and I couldn't be more excited! I am heading to town early and going to the desert to have some fun in an off-road truck. The trip should be a lot of fun because I am going to give my crew chief Mark Rette a ride. We have a good friendship and hang out a lot away from the race track, and we work well together, but this will be this will be the first time that he'll get to see what I can do in the off-road truck. It should be a lot of fun. I always try to get back to my roots and have fun as much as I can.

After getting dirty in the desert on Thursday, all of us at Red Horse Racing will visit Nellis Air Force base and the Red Horse Squadron of the United States Air Force. I visited some members of the Army at Fort Riley earlier this season when we raced in Kansas, and it was a fun and humbling experience. I have stayed in touch with many of the solders from the Brigade, and think of them often. Many of them will deploy shortly, after having a Deployment Ceremony earlier this week. As for the RHUSAF visit this week, many of them will be deploying in October. We are going to run their Squadron decal on our truck, and some of the guys will spend the day at the track on Saturday. It's the least we can do after all they do for us.

After visiting Nellis Friday morning, the guys will head to the track for inspection. We have a one-day show on Saturday, so I won't have much to do at the track on Friday. Instead, I'm going to head to the Strip and sign autographs at the Stratosphere from 7 to 8:30. If you are in town, stop by! There will be a lot of us heading out there. Being a rookie, I love these autograph sessions and I try to do as many as I can. It's fun meeting different people. And it should be a lot of fun this week, since I am from California and grew up racing out West. I've spent a lot of time in the Nevada desert and I can't wait to get back to my roots this week.

Hopefully we can put on a good show on Saturday night for my West coast fans. I am so proud of my guys. We have really put together a strong second half. We had a stretch there, where we had everything together and had some solid runs, but mechanical issues changed the outcome. Fortunately, we got the gremlins out of the way and it has felt really good to get some solid runs built up. We've added some top-five and top-10s over the past two months and I'm excited to see what else we can do over the next two.

We finished 11th last week, but we will be taking a different truck to Las Vegas, and I feel good about our chances. We ran this truck last in Darlington and I qualified third with it. I also raced it at Pocono and finished fifth. I'm anxious to see what we can do with it this time!

-- Justin Lofton, driver of the No. 7 Toyota

Sept. 14, 2010

It's been a very up and down and emotional year for me. On the racing side, I came off of my second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship and made a return to the Truck Series. Running a part-time schedule with SS Green Light Racing, things just didn't go as planned. Bad luck seemed to hit us hard nearly everywhere we went. We had some good moments here and there, but It was just time for a change. So we parted ways last month, but remain great friends with those guys. Kentucky was my first race with Stringer Motorsports and the No. 90. Trip Bruce and his guys are hard workers and we have already started to gain some chemistry. I truly believe we can get great finishes together and show what we are all capable of.

I know I can win at this level. I've done it before. My win in 2008 at Mansfield proved that to everyone and especially myself. I felt like I really fought for that one. Now I have something different to prove. I want to prove that I belong in this series and prove that I can be a consistent contender. That time is now. The next few races are very important to me.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a good time for me to step up and take charge. I've won there twice on the Whelen Modified Tour and know my way around the place pretty well. It's a homecoming of sorts for me too. My comfort level is high because I have extra family and friends around me. I hope I can put on a show and get a good finish for them all.

Now on the personal side ... 2010 has been an amazing year. Back in February, I was set to make my first start at Daytona. The night before the race I went to New Smyrna Speedway to see some of my old Modified racing friends. Afterwards, we all went out for a bite to eat. When we were done, I got the call from my girlfriend, Nancy. Her water had broken. I was about to have my first child and I had no way of getting home. I couldn't get a flight until first thing in the morning. Luckily, I made it back in time. I got to see little Domenick Jr. come into this world. It was incredible. It's hard to explain to people how amazing having a child is. I never imagined I could love something so much.

The day Domenick was born, it looked as if the Truck Series race would get washed out at Daytona. Well, it wasn't that easy. The rains went away and suddenly they were drying the track. Problem was, I was still in New York at the hospital. Needless to say, I was biting my nails as a buddy of mine was giving me the scoop from Daytona. He told me the trucks were being pushed onto the grid. It was a nerve-racking deal, but fortunately the rains came back and it postponed the race until the next day and I got to make my first race at Daytona.

Being a dad has changed a lot in my life. We have bought our first house and have been trying to get it done inside, just decorating and such. With the baby, it quickly turned into making a nursery for him and baby-proofing it! He's a joy to have in my life. Each day I come home from work and he is there smiling and happy the moment he sees me.

Right now, Domenick isn't old enough to realize what daddy does for a living. Hopefully, when he is, I'll be a solid-fixture in the Truck Series. I've won a lot of races in my day but have never won having a son. I want to have him with me in Victory Lane."

-- Donny Lia, driver of the No. 90 Toyota

Sept. 9, 2010

This is my rookie season in the Truck Series and we are on track to make history by being the highest finishing female driver in any of NASCAR's top divisions in points. We set out to be the best that we could each and every week and had no visions of history or breaking barriers but when you do your best, it seems the results fall into place. Our challenge now is elevating our results to the next level. I feel like we have stagnated so we just need tot work harder to get to that next level.

We had hoped for more success at Kentucky (like a top-10, perhaps) but instead we got a nice, clean race with a progressive finish. As we worked to stay within our budget, we could only buy one set of tires for practice, which means that we were unable to practice an actual qualifying run. I have to balance between being the team's owner and driver and sometimes that pesky owner qualifies in such a way that keeps the truck safe. I can't wait until we can take more chances again! Having great local support in your area helps and I am so grateful for our hotel sponsor, the Wildwood Suites near Florence.

After qualifying 30th, we moved up consistently to finish 23rd. I actually hunted down and passed several trucks in front of me, but the free pass did not fall our way earlier in the race so I finished behind some trucks that we actually were in front of. It was fun to get a little risky (once we are safely in the race, that owner is thrown out the window) and go three-wide on one of the final restarts. I was tired of the field getting jammed up coming down that big hill off Turn 4. The rules say we can pass to the right (but not to the left) until the start/finish line, so I took advantage of the opening. I passed about six trucks before Turn 1, but only ended up gaining on two of them keeping the truck safe in the highest groove. Still, gaining on two trucks in half a lap wasn't bad and it sure was a lot of fun.

How about the excitement in Victory Lane with Todd Bodine and Kyle Bush? One thing I really like about the Truck Series is how the truck teams stick together. I enjoy racing against guys from the Nationwide and Cup series because it elevates the competition and brings some added notoriety to the Truck Series, but I like the ones who come race with us with respect. It is nice to have someone who can beat that level of competition and stay true to our series so I am thankful for Todd's leadership. Plus, a good rivalry will bring so much excitement in the coming races!

Race fans, you have such a great 2011 upon you. I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event. Until then, Godspeed.

-- Jennifer Jo Cobb, driver of the No. 10 Ford

Sept. 3, 2010

It's always fun to race at home, but with Milwaukee not on the schedule this year racing at Chicagoland was as close as we were going to get this season. That has always been a good track for me; it's where I got my first Busch Series win and we had a great run there in the Camping World Truck Series last season. I wish we could have gone to Victory Lane last weekend being so close to home, but we'll take fourth and head down to Kentucky. My family is about four hours away from Joliet, and my crew chief Joe Shear Jr.'s dad won a lot of races around northern Illinois so it means a lot to both of us to run that well up there.

We actually learned a lot at Chicagoland that should help us at Kentucky this weekend. For whatever reason, whether it was the new tire construction or that the track weathered over the winter, but Chicagoland Speedway felt a lot rougher than it has in the past. We rubbed the splitter off the truck in a couple of places because we were banging off the track so much over the bumps.

Kentucky is one of the bumpiest tracks we go to so we'll take what we learned at Chicagoland and apply that to the setup for Kentucky. We have our favorite truck with us this weekend, the truck we won with at Las Vegas last fall and at Kansas in the spring, so we think we should be pretty competitive. We have a new sponsor on this weekend, FarmPaint.com, and we'll have about 50 people there to watch us. It should be a fun weekend and the weather looks good too. For once it won't feel like it's 100 degrees at Kentucky!

Back at home, our son Penn has been a little under the weather so it's been a tough week for Cortney and me. It's tough because you want to help but there really isn't much you can do other than wait it out. What they say is true though, when the baby in the house isn't feeling well, no one is. We've had some sleepless nights staying up with him. Hopefully he's feeling better while I am up in Kentucky racing. There's nothing I'd like more than to say hi to him and Cortney from Victory Lane on Friday night.

-- Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 13 Chevrolet

Aug. 24, 2010

Well, I'm back for another race in the Camping World Truck Series. I'll be making my third start behind Billy Ballew's No. 15 truck this weekend at Chicagoland. And trust me, I'll hear from a ton of fans who will say, 'It's great to see another female racing.' Of course, I'll like hearing it, but this really isn't my granddaddy's NASCAR any more either.

I think everyone is starting to get used to seeing female racers. We've seen female racers like Danica Patrick and Shawna Robinson make their mark in NASCAR. In racing in general we've seen Lyn St. James at Indy and Shirley Muldowney in NHRA become heroes and legends for female racers. Since I've been watching the Camping World Truck Series there have really been a bunch of females in there, too. Gals like Chrissy Wallace, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Tina Gibson and others. It's probably not as "new" to see a female racer, but maybe it's still different for traditional NASCAR fans. But, hey, this isn't my grandaddy's NASCAR anymore either. It's a part of this ever-changing world.

Saying that, I've got so much to learn behind these trucks to beat guys like Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday. These guys are true pioneers of this series. I'm still in high school. But, that doesn't mean I'm scared. I'm just ready to learn more and more. Our last race, I didn't get many laps in before I was wrecked. That was disappointing. Girls get just as mad as boys do, and I was pretty upset.

So, I'm off to Chicagoland hoping to get more experience and have a better result. The guys from Billy Ballew Motorsports are some of the best to work with. They help me learn about the trucks, racing at the bigger tracks and how to improve. That's all I'm hoping for right now. We're not racing to win a championship. I'm just here to race well and learn. It's a great next step.

All in all, I'm not different than any other teenager looking for a break. I may put my hair in a braid, but I don't know if anyone cares much. If I can go out and run all the laps, get better and finish, it will be like a win for me. I know the truck will be fast. It always is when you get behind the No. 15 truck. Hopefully we can give it a good run this Friday night.

-- Johanna Long, driver of the No. 15 Toyota

Aug. 18, 2010

If everyone is as excited as I am for the kickoff of this NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Blog then get your fingers typing with the latest and greatest info. As a fan of this series I look forward to hearing the not-yet-released info, the scoop on who did what in last night's race and the inside track on the next race. With more than 1 million viewers weekly on SPEED TV, NASCAR.COM now gives us fans another place to share our thoughts, opinions and insight and it's just for us.

As a thank you for being such a loyal fan to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, I'm offering an extra 10 percent off all Camping World checkered flag merchandise. Just log onto www.CampingWorld.com/checkered and print out your coupon! Offer is valid through Aug. 22 following the checkered flag at Bristol!

I will be checking in weekly and posting my thoughts as the series sponsor and, more importantly, as a one of the series fans. Each week CampingWorld.com will post a new offer so that your input and loyalty are rewarded. Let's get this race started!

-- Marcus Lemonis, Chairman & CEO of Camping World