Sherrills Ford, NC (November 3, 2015) – Returning to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) for only the third time in his career, NASCAR Next driver, Jesse Little is ready to rebound at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, for Friday night’s WinStar World Casino 350k.
Little, who will once again be piloting the No. 97 Protect The Harvest Toyota Tundra, showed promise in his NCWTS debut at Dover (Del.) International Speedway (May) earlier this season. Qualifying within the top-10, Little was involved in an early-race accident, relegating the young driver to a 30th-place finish.
In his track debut at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Little started the American Ethanol 225 from the 15th position, due to practice speeds when qualifying was cancelled due to weather. The third-generation driver raced his way to just inside the top-10, before suffering a mechanical issue and was relegated to a 30th-place finish.
Making his debut at the “No Limits” track for Friday night’s 147-lap event, the Sherrils Ford, N.C. native is excited to see what the 1.5-mile oval has to offer. With one previous NCWTS start on a mile-and-a-half track, Little is hopeful to redeem himself from early-season misfortune, and thinks the “Lone Star” state could produce solid results for his Chris Carrier-led team.
Sounding off – Jesse Little:
“In the last month and half since Chicago, I’ve spent most of my time in the shop, working with the guys on setup options and making sure every little part and piece has the right attention paid to it. We were lucky to come out of Chicago with no body damage, and therefore we were able to spend a lot of time working on finding speed.”
“Growing up, Texas was always a track that I loved watching the truck series race at. It seems like a track that has always been very demanding, on both drivers and their trucks. I’m very blessed, and fortunate, to get the opportunity to race at a track that many of my idols have scored huge wins at. I hope to have a successful run Friday night, and also continue to gain experience as a driver.”
News & Notes:
- 2015 Chassis Chatter… The No. 97 Protect the Harvest team will utilize chassis No. 33 for Friday night’s WinStar World Casino 350k at Texas Motor Speedway. This particular chassis was seen two previous times this season at Dover International Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, where misfortune relinquished Little to a 30th-place finish in both events.
- Texas Stats… Little will make his third NCWTS start of the 2015 season at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night. It will be his first trip to the “Lone Star” state, and the third of three NCWTS races scheduled for the 18-year-old driver this season.
- Calling the Shots… Chris Carrier will be the crew chief for Little in his third NCWTS start at Texas Motor Speedway. Carrier has 67 NCWTS starts to his resume since 2008, including four poles, three wins, 19 top-five, and 32 top-10 finishes. The veteran crew chief has called the shots for four NCWTS races at TMS since 2011, for driver’s Nelson Piquet, Jr. and Kevin Harvick. His success includes one pole (2012), one win (2011), and three top-five finishes.
- Back on Board… Protect The Harvest was created to defend and preserve the freedoms of American consumers, farmers, ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts, and animal owners. For more information visit: www.ProtecttheHarvest.com
Little’s NCWTS Stats:
- 2 starts in 2015
- First start: Dover International Speedway
- Best start: 9th (Dover, 2015)
- Best finish: 30th (Dover & Chicago, 2015)
- Has completed 46 of 350 laps attempted (13.1%)
Race Information:
Date: Friday, November 6, 2015
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Track Details: 1.5-mile oval
Distance: 147 laps/220.5 miles
