Stats:
Started: 7th
Finished: 7th
Laps: 64/ 64
Status: Running
Driver Points: 6th
Owner Points: 8th
Bowmanville, Ontario (August 31, 2015) – Making his second-career start in his native Canada, Cameron Hayley, driver of the No. 13 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra, led laps, and looked strong in Sunday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) 250 at the 2.459-mile Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in Bowmanville, Ontario. The 2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender started a track-best seventh, led 13 laps, and finished a track-best seventh in the 64-lap event.
Following the drop of the green flag, Hayley settled into the seventh position, and into a nice rhythm. With teams on different pit strategies, Hayley would work his way into the fourth position by lap 8, as teams started making green flag pit stops. Hayley would continue his climb up the leader board, taking over the race lead at lap 13, just before the first caution flag of the afternoon was displayed on lap 15, for a stopped truck. Staying with their strategy, crew chief Jeff Hensley told Hayley to save fuel, and the 19-year-old driver would lead the field back to the green flag, for only the fourth time in his young career, at lap 16. Hayley would pace the field for 13 circuits before giving up the lead to come to pit road at lap 28, under green. During the stop, the Cabinets by Hayley team changed four tires, added fuel, and made a slight air pressure adjustment. Hayley would return to the track in the 20th position.
The ThorSport Racing driver would continue to run top-five lap times, and work his way back into the fifth position when the third caution flag of the afternoon was displayed on lap 45 for an accident in Turn 2. During the stop, Hensley brought his young rookie driver down pit road for one final stop – topping the No. 13 Toyota Tundra with fuel, and making one final adjustment. Hayley would restart 15th with less than 20 laps remaining. Continuing to run top-five lap times, Hayley was able to muscle his way through traffic, and survive a green-white-checkered flag finish, to bring home his first top-10 in two starts north of the border.
Quote:
“We had great Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Tundra this weekend. We got a little tight towards the end of the race, and could never really gain much momentum on the leaders. It was great leading laps in front of my hometown crowd. I love racing in Canada, and the support I had all weekend from the great fans up here was fantastic.”
Notes:
- Hayley started seventh, and finished seventh in his second start at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
- The seventh-place result was Hayley’s first top-10 finish in two starts at the 2.459-mile road course
- Hayley led the 32-truck field for 13 laps, leading a total of 54 laps in his young career
- In 2015, Hayley has three top-five and eight top-10 finishes
- The ThorSport Racing driver is currently sixth in the 2015 NCWTS driver point standings, a mere 11 points behind fifth-place, Daniel Hemric
- Erik Jones won the third-annual NCWTS 250 at CTMP followed by Crafton (second), Ben Kennedy (third), Daniel Hemric (fourth), and Alex Tagliani (fifth). ThorSport teammate, Matt Crafton finished second, and Johnny Sauter was sixth
- In 18 career NCWTS starts, Hayley has three top-five and 10 top-10 finishes
- Up next: The NCWTS will take two weeks off before heading to Chicagoland Speedway for the American Ethanol 225 on Friday, September 18