Red Horse vet aims to keep momentum from 2014’s late-season surge
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Team: Red Horse Racing No. 17 Toyota
Rank in final 2014 standings: 5th.
Wins: 1 (Talladega Superspeedway)
Strides: Although misfortune during the heart of the season kept Peters from mounting a late charge in the championship race, the closing flurry that Peters orchestrated in the final quarter of the year offered plenty of hope for 2015. That stretch included a thrilling mid-October victory at Talladega that extended his streak of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seasons with at least one win to six straight years.
That triumph highlighted a surge over the final half-dozen races that helped Peters move up three spots in the standings, capped by a strong third-place run that lifted the team’s spirits in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“We were able to move forward at Homestead and get a win at Talladega, and we felt like the weight of the world was off our shoulders,” Peters said. “It’s pretty cool that in five of the last six (races), we were able to get top-fives.”
Setbacks: Peters led the Camping World Truck Series points after five races, but his season’s only DNF — a crash-related 24th place at Texas — sent the No. 17 team spiraling with a four-spot drop in the standings. The team recovered slightly with top-five finishes in the next two races, but went the next eight races without one — a drought that relegated Peters to eighth in the standings through the bulk of the summer.
“Considering the way that the first half of the season went, we started off with a lot of speed and still continued that speed,” Peters said. “Just if it wasn’t for bad luck, we’d have no luck.”
Quoteworthy: “I’m very appreciative of what (team owner) Tom (DeLoach) and everybody at Red Horse have given me since back in 2009 with that phone call to come join the organization. I’m the type that, I want to win races. Every time that 17 truck is rolled off the liftgate from the first time I stepped in the garage area with a Red Horse shirt on, I’ve had that opportunity.”
What’s next: The pairing of Peters and DeLoach — one of the series’ longest-running combinations — will continue for a seventh consecutive season. The team will also have continuity atop the pit box as Marcus Richmond, whose personal ties to Peters run deep, returns for his second season wrenching the No. 17 truck.
Peters, 34, will also have a new teammate in 23-year-old Ben Kennedy, who signed with Red Horse in December after a promising season that led to Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. Though his success has opened doors for potential participation in other NASCAR series, Peters said he’s enjoyed being a part of the tight-knit group and ultra-competitive racing on the Camping World Truck tour.
“I don’t want to go anywhere else,” Peters said. “Obviously we’re all human and we want to make it to the big level, but I’m having fun. You win races and contend for championships, that’s more to me than just saying I’m running another series.”