Stats:
Started: 11th
Finished: 9th
Laps: 134/134
Status: Running
Driver Points: 6th
Owner Points: 8th
Homestead, FL (November 21, 2015) – Making his 18th and final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) track debut of 2015 at Homestead-Miami (Fl.) Speedway (HMS), Cameron Hayley piloted his No. 13 Mattei Toyota Tundra to a hard-fought ninth-place finish in Friday night’s 20th annual NCWTS 200. The solid run was the ThorSport Racing driver’s 15th top-10 finish of the 2015 season.
After posting the 12th-fastest lap in Friday morning’s lone practice session, followed by an 11th-place qualifying effort, Hayley was determined to end his rookie season on a high note. Maintaining a spot within the top-15 for the first 49 laps of the 134-lap event, Hayley battled a Toyota Tundra that was, “too free off, and a bit free on entry.”
Running 12th, Hayley was forced to relinquish his position on-track for a green-flag pit stop on lap 50. Crew chief Jeff Hensley made the call for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment. However, the adjustment quickly sent Hayley’s Tundra to the tight side. Hensley made the call to bring the 19-year-old back down pit road, under caution, just 12 laps later, for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to fix his handling issue.
Restarting 11th on lap 67, Hayley quickly made his way into the top-10. Conversely, a string of mid-race cautions would turn the NCWTS 200 into a race relying on pit strategy. Calling Hayley down pit road, under caution on lap 84, Hensley chose to go with four tires and fuel, securing him to the end of the race.
With the remaining 46 laps being run under green flag conditions, Hayley methodically worked his way back inside the top-10, running laps comparable to the leaders. Needing a few more laps to make up ground, Hayley would ultimately cross the finish line in ninth-place, behind eventual race winner, Matt Crafton.
Adding another top-10 finish to his Sunoco Rookie of the Year resume, Hayley would round out the 2015 season with four top-five and 15 top-10 finishes.
Quote:
“Tonight was bad overall. It didn’t start off how I would have liked, but our Mattei Toyota Tundra got better throughout the night. It was a lot of learning for me tonight, trying to run the high groove. Especially with a loose truck, it made it even more difficult. We rallied back though, for a ninth-place finish, which isn’t bad at all.”
Notes:
- Cameron Hayley was 12th-fastest in the lone NCWTS practice session on Friday morning at HMS
- Hayley qualified 11th for Friday night’s NCWTS 200, and finished ninth in his NCWTS debut at the 1.5-mile track
- In 2015, Hayley has led 78 laps en route to four top-five and 15 top-10 finishes
- The ThorSport Racing driver maintained his position in the 2015 NCWTS driver point standings after 23 races to finish out the season sixth overall, 38 points behind fifth-place, Timothy Peters, and 133 markers behind NCWTS champion, Erik Jones
- ThorSport Racing teammate, Matt Crafton won the NCWTS 200 at HMS followed by John Hunter Nemechek (second), Tyler Reddick (third), Ben Kennedy (fourth) and Timothy Peters (fifth). ThorSport Racing teammate, Johnny Sauter was seventh