MARTINSVILLE, Va. – When Timothy Peters saw a long-term relationship with Red Horse Racing shutter not even halfway into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season last May, there were doubts he’d ever land in a competitive truck again.
Let alone win.
But when GMS Racing came calling in September for Peters to step into their No. 25 Chevrolet Silverado, Peters immediately knew it was a just a chance to rejuvenate his confidence but also an opportunity to prove that he still has what it takes.
Finishing fourth at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park then a 19th place showing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that doesn’t showcase their on-track performance, Peters headed to Talladega looking to make the best of a three-race deal.
But in typical Peters fashion, he flew under the radar but when the gates opened to the checkered flag, the Truck Series veteran executed and won.
“The competition is so tough you never know when the next one is going to come,” said Peters. “It was just so exciting to enjoy that moment and let it all soak in what I thought was going to be last ride with GMS.”
Peters said his 11th Truck Series win and first since Phoenix in 2015 reignited the flame for Peters for not only to drive full-time but contend for championships.
“It did a lot. Not that I lost confidence, but it rejuvenated it,” Peters added. “Racing is a humbling sport. The person that can take the good and the bad and if you can cope with that and don’t let it really play too many mind games with you, it makes you better going forward. When you’re able to go to Victory Lane, you’re able to take that out and restores that confidence.”
“To come here and feel confident in my ability is just icing on the cake.”
The rewards of winning proved to be more for Peters than just hoisting a trophy. GMS offered an opportunity for the Fr8Auctions 250 winner to race at least one more this season in Saturday afternoon’s Texas Roadhouse 200 at one of his best race tracks, Martinsville Speedway.
Martinsville, the historic paperclip oval is more than just a traditional short track for the 38-year-old. It’s the place where Peters honed his short track skills and built his legacy over two decades.
“It (Talladega) turned into another opportunity,” Peters said. “GMS Racing, GMS Fabrication and Chevrolet, Barry Nelson, Maury Gallagher for another chance to come home and do it one more time.”
Being nestled into the headlines amidst the Truck Series Playoffs, Peters made very clear on Friday morning during a media availability at Martinsville that he wants to remain a staple in the series for a long time to come even though he knows the sport has been digesting a wave of youth movement across all three of its national series over the past two years or so.
After winning at Talladega, Peters explained he’s never been more determined, and the fire inside has never been hotter.
“38 years old and it’s like I said after Talladega, I feel like I’m 18,” he said. “The fire still burns deep in me to win and want to be competitive. When Mike (Beam) gave me a call and everyone gave me that chance to go to Canada I knew that was a shot to execute. We were fast from the time we got in and that’s a compliment to those guys, Jerry Baxter and everyone within the company for building fast trucks.
“I felt like I’ve always been decent at road courses, but it helped me understand going left and right from a good vehicle to be competitive. When I got home after that weekend and we finished fourth, I was talking to my wife and it’s like I’m like a kid again because you’re in competitive equipment and you know you have a shot to win and that’s a feeling I hadn’t had in a while.
“I hope it turns it can turn into something because I want to be in this series. I love truck racing. I want to win races and have a shot at a championship.”
Peters believes GMS Racing offers the tools to compete for a championship if the opportunity presented and has witnessed the fundamentals over the last two months or so first-hand.
“Commitment. It starts from Maury (Gallagher) and the people that Mike Beam has assembled,” Peters sounded. “The people that have consigned together. It just gels. It’s a lot racers. It’s cut and dry. When you have that commitment and the racers, and they assemble the competitive trucks like they do week in and week out. I think seven or eight races the organization has won and that’s huge and counting an Xfinity win too.
“It’s just a good feeling to be a part of a powerhouse.”
Make no mistake about it though, Peters is still incredibly grateful for his nearly decade run at Red Horse and holds no ill-feeling towards team owner Tom DeLoach who Peters often described as a father figure rather than a boss.
“You know Tom (DeLoach) had to make a decision that really a lot of owners probably don’t like to make, and I respect that 100 percent. I had a nine-10 year run there and its’ more than probably what most folks can say and I’m still friends with Tom. I understand and were still really good friends to this day.”
Peters doesn’t exactly know what’s on his horizon or if Saturday will be the final Truck Series race of his career – but when the time comes to hang up the helmet for the final time, he’d like to remain a figure in the sport, even if that means helping the younger crowd whom he’s competing against today.
“That day is going to come one day. Hopefully, it’s later, hopefully not sooner,” Peters quipped with a smile. “If you take me out of this element, I’m like a fish out of water. I know nothing else. I understand the concept of everything. I know how to communicate and listen – and maybe help the younger guys communicate their vehicles. I just love the sport.
It just goes back to the talk that my father and I had when I was racing a little bit of go-karts at Goodyear Tire Rubber and Company and doing pretty decent in baseball and he said, you just need to pick. So, I picked racing and that’s all I’ve ever known.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
