In only his sixth start behind the wheel of the No.1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra and the tenth start of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career, former NASCAR Busch Series Champion David Green kept his top-20 streak alive on Saturday at New Hampshire International Speedway after starting eighth and finishing 19th in the 200-lap New Hampshire 200.

Green, who won the NASCAR Busch Series event at the 1.058-mile oval in 2003, had a busy weekend while in Loudon, New Hampshire.  Green guest-starred on Trackside Live!, a show co-hosted by Steve Byrnes, Larry McReynolds, Elliott Sadler, and co-owner of the Red Horse Racing team, Jeff Hammond.  The show was televised live on Friday night from the Speed Stage outside turn one at New Hampshire International Speedway. 

After three fun-filled segments on Trackside Live!, Green returned to New Hampshire International Speedway on Saturday.  The morning’s qualifying session was washed out when Mother Nature dumped a steady and persistent rain across “The Granite State”.  The field was set according to the NASCAR rulebook, and Green and his Red Horse Racing team took the green flag from an eighth place starting position.

Green hoped to deliver Toyota their 10th win of the year and become the first driver to win both a NASCAR Busch Series race and a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway, but the change from warm temperatures during practice on Friday to cool temperatures during the race toyed with the handling on the No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota.

“Our practice on Friday I thought was pretty good,” said Green after the race.  “It’s kind of common here and I should have made a note of it that if it got cool, like the conditions today after all the rain, our Toyota would handle differently.”

When the green flag flew for the start of the New Hampshire 200, Green needed “some rear grip” to get through the corners.  He was a “little loose off” by lap 32 but still managed to click off fast lap times.  “The last lap, you were as fast as the leader,” said Crew Chief Jamie “JJ” Jones on lap 36, just before the first caution flew for debris on lap 39.  “JJ” called Green to pit road for four tires, fuel, track bar and air pressure adjustments, returning the No. 1 Toyota to the track 12th. 

Action on the asphalt heated up on the lap 43 restart and Green found himself in the middle of a three-wide battle for position.  Struggling to find rear grip after being “a little loose on the start”, Green slid into 16th but got into his “groove” on lap 83.  “The truck is a bit better than it was,” he said. 

Green flag pit stops began on lap 123 and “JJ” called the RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota to pit road on lap 130.  With other teams on different pit strategies, Green took four tires, fuel, and another round of track bar and air pressure adjustments before returning to the track in 19th position.  The first five trucks stayed out which worked to their favor as the No. 51 spun on lap 142 and brought out the caution.

The inopportune caution trapped several trucks a lap down and pinned Green on the tail end of the lead lap for the restart on lap 146.  Still struggling with grip, Green fell one lap down to the leader and rode out the final fifty laps to finish a hard fought 19th in his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in New Hampshire.

“I thought our RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra was pretty good on Friday,” said Green.  “Our lap times were good.  But today it never responded like it did on Friday.  We struggled with grip; front grip, rear grip and vice versa.  The guys in the pits did a great job, but it was a tough day.” 

Green and the Red Horse Racing team will take the No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the running of the Smith’s Las Vegas 350 on Saturday, September 22nd.  Live television coverage from the 1.5-mile paved oval will be provided by SPEED at 8:30 p.m. ET with radio coverage coming to you live from MRN Radio.