NCWTS: JESSE LITTLE: LOOKING FOR REDEMPTION IN CHICAGO

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Chicagoland Speedway – American Ethanol 225

Race No. 16 of 23

Sandusky, Ohio (September 16, 2015) – Since making his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) debut four months ago at Dover (Del.) International Speedway (May), NASCAR Next driver, Jesse Little, is back in action for Friday night’s American Ethanol 225 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. and he’s looking for redemption.

Little, who will once again be piloting the No. 97 Protect The Harvest Toyota Tundra, showed promise in his NCWTS debut at the “Monster Mile.” Qualifying within the top-10, Little was involved in an early-race accident, relegating the young driver to a 30th-place finish.

Since, the Sherrills Ford, N.C. native and the Harold Holly-guided team have worked to get Little’s Toyota Tundra ready for Friday night’s 150-lap event, including participating in a rookie test at the 1.5-mile D-shaped tri-oval last week.

Making his debut in the “Windy City,” with new partner, Protect The Harvest, Little is confident that he can apply what he learned at the two-day test, and “breeze” to a solid finish in the 7th annual event.

In addition to making his second career NCWTS start at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday night, Little is scheduled to compete in the NCWTS season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway (November 20).

“My truck series debut, at Dover, earlier in May, was the single biggest learning curve I’ve experienced in my career thus far. I found out how sensitive the trucks are in dirty air – the way they handle; the way you have to drive them – changes drastically when you are in the pack. With our day ending shorter than we had hoped for, due to the wreck, we were forced to take Kentucky off the schedule, and focus on getting the truck rebuilt, and back to a winning standard. It was still my goal to run a mile-and-a-half track, so we decided Chicagoland was a perfect fit. I’ve spent the summer at the race shop working, and trying to take in all I can, and expand my knowledge about these trucks.”

“The test last week at Chicagoland Speedway was beyond helpful. It was my first time on a track that size, and to get a feeling of the trucks handling at those speeds, was incredible. The amount of time you are on the gas there really stresses the importance of a good handling truck. Cameron (Hayley) and I probably ran about 30-40 laps, side-by-side, and one in front of the other, as we were learning the tendencies of the trucks in dirty air. That part of the test was the most beneficial, I felt. Also having Matt (Crafton) there, sharing his input with me as the test went on, really allowed me to focus on where my speed was lost, and gained. I feel ten times more comfortable heading into the race this weekend, and look forward to a good showing.”

Date: Friday, September 18, 2015

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

Track Details: 1.5-mile D-shaped Tri-oval

Distance: 150 laps/225 miles