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Tuesday, 22 July 2008 |
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David Starr - No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra
Round 14 of 25 - O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis: Power Stroke Diesel 200
STARR ON O'REILLY RACEWAY PARK (ORP): "O'Reilly Raceway Park is always fun to race at and it brings a lot of excitement for the drivers, teams, and fans. Even though it is a short track, the track has many grooves that allow the driver to move around if their truck is not handling perfectly. ORP is a great track that can be challenging at times because it is so flat. There really is no banking in the corners which is different than most places that we race at. But the key to success is to have a truck that handles well and can rotate great through the corner. My crew chief Jamie Jones and all of my guys on the Red Horse Racing team always provide me a great Toyota Tundra to drive week in and week out and I know that this week it will be no different. We have had a lot of success at short tracks so far this season and hopefully it will continue at ORP."
STARR ON THE HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS: "Indianapolis has so much history with the Indianapolis 500. With the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, it is amazing to see how big this prestigious race is today. But NASCAR has its own history at Indianapolis. The excitement and honor of the Indy 500 has carried over to NASCAR and since 1994, there has been so much rich history at Indy for our sport. It is an absolutely incredible place to be when any race is taking place at Indy and I have been fortunate to see many races there. The atmosphere is so exciting and it is awesome to look around and know all of the great drivers who have raced exactly where you are standing."
STARR ON A.J. FOYT'S SUCCESS AT ORP: "Well, A.J. Foyt is a good friend and hero of mine. He has accomplished so much throughout his career, but I didn't know that A.J. was the first winner of any race at ORP. I have talked to A.J. a lot about the different Indianapolis 500's that he has raced in, but never about ORP. The next time that I talk to him, I will definitely get some knowledge from him about ORP and see if I can pick something up from him. A.J. is a living legend and I always enjoy talking and learning from him."
STARR ON SHORT TRACK STRATEGY: "Track position is always a key when we race at any short track and it will be no different this weekend. It is very important to keep your nose clean and it is a lot easier to do when you are close to the front of the field. Jamie Jones, my crew chief, is the master of strategy at short tracks and he always makes the right calls that sometimes can be risky. A team can put themselves in position to win by the strategy that they pursue during the race. Sometimes, it amazes me to see all of the strategy but I am very glad that my Red Horse Racing team is one of the best on pit road. But with strategy, you have got to have a good handling truck and have great pit stops throughout the race."
STARR ON THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALIFYING AT ORP: "History at ORP shows that no driver that has started outside the top-five has gone on to win the race. Qualifying is always important, because it gives your team an advantage on pit road and boosts the overall confidence. It also helps the drivers, since you don't have to pass as many trucks to get to the front. But, I do think that if you have a good truck that rotates through the center well and has good forward bite, you can win by starting outside the top-five."
SHORT TRACK SUCCESS: David Starr and the No.11 Red Horse Racing team have had tremendous success at short tracks throughout the 2008 season. Starr drove his Toyota Tundra to 6th-place finish at Martinsville, a 2nd-place finish at Mansfield, where the team led 170 laps, and most recently a 5th-place finish at Memphis.
ORP CHASSIS: For Friday's race at ORP, crew chief Jamie Jones has chosen TRD 103. This will be the sixth time that Starr has raced this chassis in the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, as he has raced it at Auto Club Speedway (California), Atlanta Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Memphis Motorsports Park. Starr piloted this Tundra to a 13th-place finish at California, a 21st-place finish at Atlanta, a 6th-place finish at Dover, a 26th-place finish at Michigan, and most recently a 5th-place finish at Memphis.
STARR AT ORP: In eight previous NCTS races at ORP, Starr has one top-five and one top-ten finish, with a best of fourth coming in the 2006 race, when he was with Red Horse Racing. Starr's highest qualifying effort of fourth at ORP also came in 2006. He has recorded zero DNF's and has completed 94.8% of the laps (1518 of 1602 completed) in those eight previous NCTS starts.
ON A ROLL: Starr and Red Horse Racing have been on a roll the past two races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Together they have posted consecutive top-five finishes at Memphis Motorsports Park and last Saturday at Kentucky Speedway. In both races, Starr started from the seventeenth position and came home fifth.
MOST POPULAR DRIVER: NASCAR has created an online ballot for the fans to vote for their favorite driver for the Most Popular Driver Award. Fans are allowed to vote once a day, until the polls close on October 31, 2008. The results of the balloting will be announced at the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series banquet at the end of the season. Let your voice be heard and vote for your favorite driver!
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