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Starr's Strong Run Ruined in Kansas |
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Monday, 28 April 2008 |
David Starr and the Red Horse Racing team came into the fifth event of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Kansas Speedway with high expectations and a brand new Toyota Tundra. The driver and team combination left with a destroyed race truck and a very disappointing 27th place finish in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250.
The No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra started from the 14th position for the 167-lap event and quickly moved up to the 11th spot despite being a "little loose in the center". When the first caution waved on lap 25, crew chief Jamie Jones brought his driver down pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a lowering of the track bar to help his driver on the track. Starr restarted in the 15th position after having trouble exiting his pit box due to being blocked in by the truck in the pit stall in front of him.
The Houston, Texas native would maintain his track position while still needing some help in the center of the corners. The No. 11 Toyota would come down pit road once again under caution on lap 53 for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Once back to green flag racing, Starr would find success in running the high line around the 1.5-mile oval and slowly picked up valuable spots on the track. While many leaders pitted under caution on lap 65, the Red Horse Racing team would remain on the track and restart in the fifth position on lap 70.
A close call would come on lap 72 with a tap on the left rear of the No. 11 Tundra from another truck which ultimately led to that competitor wrecking. "That was a close call but we are ok," said Starr.
With another caution on lap 84, Starr would come down pit road to the attention of his top performing pit crew for four more tires, fuel and another track bar adjustment. With varying cycles of pit strategy being played out throughout the field, Starr would restart the race on lap 88 in the 20th position. Another quick caution would give the driver the opportunity to thank his crew as his truck was a lot better at this point of the race.
As the race neared the last 50 laps, pit strategy was once again a key element up and down pit road and the Red Horse Racing team played their hand with another pit stop under caution on lap 108 for one last track bar adjustment and fuel only. This would line the Red Horse Racing machine up in the second spot for the restart on lap 111.
Starr would quickly take the lead on the restart and fought to maintain that position from a few trucks who had put on fresh tires. Unfortunately, contact on lap 113 from another truck would send the No. 11 Toyota Tundra hard into the outside wall - ending a very promising day for Starr and his Red Horse Racing team.
"I knew we were a little bit on older tires and (Ron) Hornaday was the class of the field," stated Starr. "He got a run on the outside of me and I got free. I had to get out of the gas and it just killed my momentum. I think everybody behind me had a full head of steam. I guess the 30 (Todd Bodine) got by me on the inside so I kind of ran into the corner on the outside. There was another truck behind the 30 that got a run on me and I tried to stay on the outside to build my momentum back up. I guess that third truck got loose, came up into me and ended our day. I'm proud of my Red Horse Racing guys; they did an awesome job today. Our mile and a half program is getting better and I'm really excited about that. It's just a shame because I thought we would have had a top-five or a sixth or seventh with a good finish today but it's not going to be. We got a lot to be thankful for because our truck is running strong. We'll keep our chins up and keep digging."
Starr fell to 12th place in the driver standings, only six points out of the top-ten.
Next up for Starr and the Red Horse Racing team is the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. Round six of the 2008 season will take the green flag shortly after 8 P.M. Eastern on Friday May 16, and will be televised live by SPEED. The race will also be broadcast live on selected affiliates of MRN Radio and will be carried live on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128.
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