In a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series field awash with fresh talent, some familiar faces led the way Thursday during preparation for Friday night’s Daytona season opener. Timothy Peters, the 2010 winner of this race posted the fastest speed of either session, clocking a lap at 189.028 mph in his No. 17 Toyota. Teammate Ben Kennedy ran third quick behind him as Red Horse Racing’s two-truck program came out firing on all cylinders.
Two rookies did get sprinkled into the mix; Ben Rhodes was second fastest, debuting a new truck for Thorsport Racing while ARCA champion Grant Enfinger clocked in fourth for GMS Racing. But another veteran rounded out the top 5 as Johnny Sauter, debuting with GMS in his own right posted the fifth-fastest time driving a No. 21 Chevrolet.
GMS Racing continued to impress in the second session as Spencer Gallagher had the fastest speed, turning a lap at 188.135 mph in his No. 23 Chevrolet. Gallagher, still winless in the Truck Series hopes to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump in 2016. Peters wound up second followed by defending race champion Tyler Reddick, rookie Rico Abreu and veteran Matt Crafton.
With 43 trucks entered for 32 spots there are plenty of nervous teams entering qualifying. Among those who struggled are the new two-car Lira Motorsports team (outside the top 30 in both practices); longtime veteran Jennifer Jo Cobb (a distant 38th in the second practice); and rookie William Byron (21st or worse in both practices for Kyle Busch Motorsports).
About the author
The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 40+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
You can find Tom’s writing here, at CBSSports.com and Athlonsports.com, where he’s been an editorial consultant for the annual racing magazine for 15 years.
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