David Starr
No. 81 PC*MILER Navigator Toyota Tundra
Dover International Speedway – Dover 200
May 14, 2010
The No. 81 PC*MILER Navigator Toyota team achieved their second consecutive top-10 finish with a sixth-place finish at Dover International Speedway on Friday afternoon. The effort marked Starr’s best finish of the 2010 season and helps build momentum going into the Charlotte Motor Speedway race weekend. The No. 81 Toyota team will race a brand new Tundra truck next weekend at a track where Starr finished in the seventh position just one year ago.
The PC*MILER Navigator Toyota Tundra proved its ability to be a strong competitor around the” Monster Mile” as soon the crew unloaded the truck on Thursday morning. The team was second quick in first practice and worked extensively on their race set-up. After his qualifying lap on Friday morning, Starr told the crew that his Tundra was too loose traveling around the corners, but additional practice sessions by the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series helped add rubber in the corners and naturally tightened the track.
When the green flag fell on Friday afternoon, Starr immediately took off from his 15th qualifying position and moved up on the running board. The team was able to make minor alterations early in the race to adjust the handling of the PC*MILER Navigator Tundra to exactly what Starr was looking for. Since the No. 81 Toyota Tundra was handling well, the team was able to mix up their pit strategy by making a fuel only stop once and staying out during quite a few caution periods.
By lap 190, Starr had solidly placed himself inside the top-10, and it looked like he would be able pick up a few more positions before the checkered flag fell. However, a huge pile-up ensued when the No. 15 truck could not shift through the gears on the restart and Starr was nearly collected. Luckily, the PC*MILER Navigator Toyota Tundra was able to navigate its way through the carnage to bring home a sixth-place finish.
Next weekend, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will enjoy a “home race” at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 will be broadcast on SPEED Channel, MRN Radio, and SIRIUS NASCAR Radio beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST. Qualifying for the 200-mile event will be shown on SPEED TV beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST.
