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Red Horse Racing heading to Las Vegas

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season is winding down with only six races left in the season

John Wes Townley

Photo by: Getty Images

John Wes Townley and his No. 7 Zaxby's Toyota Tundra team have a lot to be proud of coming off a career high finish for the young driver at the series last race at Chicagoland. It's the fast, intermediate tracks where Townley seems to shine, collecting his previous high finish (seventh) at Michigan International Speedway earlier this year. Look for Townley and his Zaxby's Tundra to be up front during the Smith's 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday evening.

John Wes Townley
John Wes Townley

Photo by: Getty Images

WINNER CALLING THE SHOTS: There is no better person to have atop the pit box for John Wes Townley then that of crew chief, Mike Beam. Beam won the 2007 Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with driver, Travis Kvapil. They not only won the race, but won from starting on the front row position.

RED HORSE AIRBORNE: Ten Airmen from the 820th Red Horse Squadron will join Red Horse Racing for the 146-lap, Smith's 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Nellis Air Force Base is located just three miles from the Speedway. Their hard work and dedication to our Nation's military will be rewarded this weekend with a VIP trip on behalf of Red Horse Racing.

NEW MENU ITEMS AT ZAXBY'S: Zaxby's, a southeast favorite for chicken fingers and wings, has been indescribably good for more than 20 years. The Athens, Georgia based chain offers its guests prepared-at-order Chicken Fingerz, Traditional or Boneless Wings, sandwiches, Zalads and Zappetizers, along with a variety of nine sauces ranging from Wimpy and Tongue Torch to Nuclear and Insane. Mixing things up, guests can now enjoy Zaxby's new Cobb Zalad through summer's end. Additionally, Zaxby's offers a new line of premium milkshakes including the popular Birthday Cake and Banana Pudding Milkshakes and the new Chocolate Cookie Milkshake. The company operates more than 575 locations in 13 states. John Wes Townley will compete with Zaxby's serving as primary sponsor for the entire 22 Truck Series race schedule. For more information, please visit zaxbys.com, facebook.com/zaxbys or follow on Twitter @Zaxbys.

CHASSIS HISTORY: If there was a weekend to bring a Chassis that has given the No. 7 Zaxby's Toyota Tundra team luck, it's Chassis No. 009. This chassis has beat Townley's Truck Series career best finish, twice this season, most recently with a seventh-place finish at Michigan International Speedway. With six races and an average finishing position of 10.5, this chassis is sure to bring Townley his next best finish.

Townley has collected three 11th-place finishes (Iowa Speedway - September, Kentucky Speedway, Rockingham Speedway) and two top-10 finishes (Michigan International Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway).

REARVIEW MIRROR - CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY: John Wes Townley came to the windy city with one goal in mind and that was to finish inside the top-10 with the No. 7 Zaxby's Toyota Tundra team. With a 16th-place qualifying effort, Townley was settling in nicely with new chassis No. 16. Townley found great speed on track running equal lap times to the leaders. As the laps wound down, Townley was in gear to capture his career high finish as he continued to gain momentum on the leaders. Townley went on to finish sixth, marking his best finish in the truck series. His previous best finish was seventh at Michigan.

John Wes Townley on Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Is what you learned at Chicagoland Speedway going to help you at Las Vegas Motor Speedway? "You know, they are a little similar. I think the line you take at Vegas is slightly different. There are some bumps there getting into Turn one. That's really the only spot on the track where there is a lot of roughness. I've always liked Las Vegas and despite being a little bit different, I'm really excited to get out there and see what our Zaxby's Tundra can do.

How do you feel about heading into Las Vegas with some laps led at the track? "I feel really good about it. It helps your confidence at any track if you've led some laps and been out front. Also coming off a great run at Chicago - that helps. I've always run pretty decently at Las Vegas so that's another comfort. Being with Red Horse Racing and the great equipment we have, there is not a reason we can't go out and collect a top-five finish."

ROLLIN' THE DICE: Timothy Peters isn't a bettin' man but if he had to roll the dice for the Smith's 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to be the race for him to capture his first 1.5-mile speedway victory, this would be it. With his past two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visits at the track earning a 5.5 average finishing position, the No. 17 Parts Plus Toyota Tundra driver is counting on Saturday's 146-lap race. With 27 laps led at the 1.5-mile track, Peters knows what it's like to be out front and expects nothing less.

Timothy Peters
Timothy Peters

Photo by: Getty Images

RED HORSE AIRBORNE: Ten Airmen from the 820th Red Horse Squadron will join Red Horse Racing for the 146-lap, Smith's 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Nellis Air Force Base is located just three miles from the Speedway. Their hard work and dedication to our Nation's military will be rewarded this weekend with a VIP trip on behalf of Red Horse Racing.

PARTS PLUS: Parts Plus will join Timothy Peters as primary sponsor on his No. 17 Toyota Tundra as the Series goes west to Sin City at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Memphis-based warehouse distributor originated more than 56 years ago tracing back to a series of jobber programs. Since 2005, Parts Plus has been a member of the Automotive Distribution Network that has over 300 member distributors under five brand names and from over 400 separate warehouses across the United States, Mexico, Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information on Parts Plus and locations near you, visit PartsPlus.com.

CHASSIS HISTORY: Timothy Peters and his No. 17 Parts Plus Team will unload Tundra Chassis No. 15 this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Most recently this chassis was raced at Iowa Speedway where Peters qualified sixth and crossed the finish in 12th. He also collected a sixth-place finish at Michigan International Speedway with this chassis after making its debut at the 2.5-mile tri-oval of Pocono Raceway.

REARVIEW MIRROR - CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY: Timothy Peters came to Chicagoland Speedway with his No. 17 Parts Plus Toyota Tundra hoping to mark his first win on an intermediate track. Peters qualified 18th which works out well for him as he is a master of moving through the traffic putting himself in contention to be there at the end. Racing for position on Lap 101, Peters made contact with a competitor then with the wall which caused severe damage to the Parts Plus Tundra. This ended the night for the team, relegating Peters to a 27th-place finish.

Timothy Peters on Las Vegas Motor Speedway: How do you approach the season, with only six races remaining? "We just going all out and try to get the best finish possible. We want to be inside the top-five solidly so we can be there at the end and be invited to the banquet.

What will it take for you to put your Parts Plus Tundra in Victory Lane at Las Vegas? "We've run well there the last two years. That place has always complimented my driving style and we look forward to getting on track and going to the front where we know our Parts Plus Tundra belongs. This track has a lot of speed and a lot of character. I think the bumps get worse and that's the challenge of it every year. Out of all of the 1.5-mile tracks that we compete on, I would say that this would be the track where we could go to victory lane."

VIVA LAS VEGAS: There is no better place to continue your 1.5-mile speedway momentum then to take on the likes of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Germán Quiroga and his No. 77 OtterBox Toyota Tundra team are ready to roll the dice during Saturday's Smith's 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.

German Quiroga Jr.
German Quiroga Jr.

Photo by: Philippe Champoux

After making history by finishing third at Texas Motor Speedway in June as the highest finishing position in a National division of NASCAR made by a Mexican, he went onto duplicate that finish at Pocono Raceway where he battled for the win during the closing laps. Not out of the 2013 Rookie of the Year contender battle yet, a 146-lap race might find the Tundra team hitting the jackpot and going to victory lane.

ROCK N' ROLL LAS VEGAS: Just days after completing the 2013 Truck Series season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Germán Quiroga will run the streets of Las Vegas to embark on his first ever Marathon. With only 14 weeks to train, the new runner will take a ride around the 26.2 mile course in a 2014 Toyota Tundra on Friday afternoon to see what journey lies ahead when he returns for the November 17 race.

IS YOUR PHONE PROTECTED?: Back on board as primary sponsor on the No. 77 Toyota Tundra in Sin City is OtterBox. The Fort Collins, CO based organization takes a short trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway from their headquarters for the 146-lap race on Saturday afternoon. The company known for their protective solutions for the leading global handheld manufacturers, wireless carriers and distributors will sport the OtterBox yellow and black paint scheme. For more information on OtterBox visit www.OtterBox.com.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 77 OtterBox Toyota Tundra will race Chassis No. 014 this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Most recently the Tundra was raced at Bristol Motor Speedway. The chassis also raced at Kentucky Speedway where the OtterBox team started and finished in the eighth position. The chassis made its racing debut earlier this year at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

REARVIEW MIRROR - CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY: Chicagoland Speedway marked the debut for Germán Quiroga and his No. 77 NET10 Wireless Toyota Tundra at the 1.5-mile venue. Quiroga started the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 in the 23rd position but was immediately on the move after the green flag waved. With an ill-handling race truck just past the half-way mark, Quiroga moved back to 20th trying to hold onto track position in his NET10 Wireless Tundra. Quiroga maneuvered his way back through the field to gain additional spots by races end, finishing 14th.

Germán Quiroga on Las Vegas Motor Speedway: What have you been told about the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway? "It's bumpy. I was there for the race last year but I wasn't a participant. I watched the race from the outside. I will remember more about the track once I get there. We are fast on the 1.5-mile program, so hopefully everything comes together for our OtterBox Toyota Tundra and we can collect another top-10 finish.

Are you excited about going to Vegas and being able to see the route you will run your Marathon in November? "Yeah, actually I want to see what it is going to look like. How flat it is going to be and to see if I need to change my training routes now with what I am doing. I'm lucky I am going to be able to see what it will look like before I am there. I sure hope I am going to get excited about it and not nervous."

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