Timothy Peters scored a solid top-10 in his first NASCAR Truck start of the year.
After eight seasons as a full-time competitor, Timothy Peters discovered some unfamiliar territory.
Five races into the 2017 season, Red Horse Racing announced its closure after 13 seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Peters, a ten-time Truck Series race winner, spent the remainder of the season searching for new opportunities.
Fortunately, the 37-year-old Danville, VA native returned to the grid for three events.
Following the closure of Red Horse Racing, he competed for MDM Motorsports in a one-off at Texas. All told, he raced at Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami with Young’s Motorsports.
Without a ride this year, Peters agreed to a one-race deal to drive for RBR Enterprises’ No. 92 Ford F-150 entry in the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
In the first practice sessions, Peters hovered around the top-20. However, they improved to 13th during final practice, three tenths off the fastest lap time set by Grant Enfinger.
In fact, Peters qualified 16th with a lap time of 20.097. Consequently, the Virginian started alongside Austin Hill for the 250-lap event at Martinsville Speedway.
During the opening stage, Peters lost a few spots to finish a position outside of the top-20. However, he went to work, taking on intense battles to earn 13th at the end of Stage 2.
In the final portion of the race, the veterans and young guns of the Truck Series battled hard each lap. Contact and excitement were the common intangibles of Stage 3.
In the meantime, Peters survived the carnage at Martinsville and scored a well-deserved top-ten finish.
Following the race, Peters tweeted, “Felt good to be back in a truck today! Solid day with @RickyBentonRcng @MHester92 @MartinsvilleSwy coming home P7! Thank you guys!”
Certainly, Peters made the most of this opportunity. The Truck Series veteran proved he is still a strong competitor.
Unfortunately, sponsorship is a significant factor if a driver like Peters wants to race full-time.
Based on his performance at Martinsville, it would not be a total surprise if the Virginian returned to the cockpit later this year.
Still, there is nothing sweeter than success in your own backyard.
