Preview of the Winstar Casino 400 Race at Texas Motor Speedway

Fort Worth, TX – When Plano, Texas, native James Buescher started racing Bandoleros on the .2-mile Lil’ Texas Motor Speedway, he never thought he would end up in the NASCAR ranks.  Fast forward 10 years later and the 22-year-old Buescher has wins in two of NASCAR’s three major series, and he’s becoming an annual contender for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.

Last season, Buescher finished a career-best third in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship despite missing the series’ second race in Phoenix. He raced his way into contention for the championship with consistent top-10 finishes week after week, but a couple of unlucky finishes near the end of the season cost him the title.

“We had a very successful season last year,” Buescher said. “Someone made a comment that we had more points per race than any other driver in the series. We were very successful every race. We had a mishap early in the season and missed a race because we weren’t locked in, but we worked hard to overcome it. We ran really competitive on a weekly basis on a variety of race tracks. It was a battle right down to the end.”

Buescher has picked up this season right where he left off in 2011, earning four top-10 finishes in his six starts highlighted by his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Kansas. The consistency has him situated fourth in the series championship hunt, just 16 points behind leader Justin Lofton as the series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for Friday night’s WinStar World Casino 400 (8 p.m. CT start).

Buescher looks like he’ll contend for the championship again this season and should he capture his first title, he’ll become the third Texan (after Terry and Bobby Labonte)  to win a major NASCAR crown.  “I started racing when I was 12,” Buescher said. “I’d say that’s a young start, but a lot of these drivers got started when they were four or five so I got a late start in the NASCAR world. But I worked at a fast pace. I’m only 22 right now, so it’s been less than 10 years since I’ve been racing and it’s been a whirlwind for sure.”

Buescher has six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts on the 1.5-mile track with two poles and a top finish of sixth (twice), but he’s still looking for his first big Texas win.  “I definitely have that on my shoulders when I come back here. That’s a goal I’d like to have is to win at my home track. That’s pretty important to me.”

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California native Justin Lofton is on a competition rebound in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  He recently took the championship lead with his career first win at Charlotte after reuniting with Eddie Sharp Racing.  Lofton, 26, struggled in his first two years of Camping World Truck Series racing, lacking the connection and success he had with team owner Eddie Sharp in the ARCA Racing Series. Lofton and Sharp earned the 2009 ARCA championship, but the two split as Lofton was making the move to truck competition in 2010.

“We all went our separate ways after 2009,” Sharp said. “It wasn’t because we didn’t want to be together. He wanted to move to the next level. I didn’t have a program. I wasn’t ready to make that leap. I told him never to lose his confidence, and he lost it. When he walked back through my door, we got it back.”

Now Sharp and Lofton are in sync again and enjoying success in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In Lofton’s six starts this season, he has yet to finish outside of the top 10.  “I’m confident in my abilities,” Lofton said. “In this sport and in this garage, it’s very easy to get knocked down. You’ve got to hold yourself up and tell yourself that you have the ability. I’m confident because of what I have behind me.”

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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Ty Dillon may be a rookie among tough competition this season, but he’s no stranger to winning as he’s a pure-bred champion racer and looking to contend for this season’s championship.  Dillon is the grandson of legendary owner Richard Childress and he has already proven he can win a championship as a rookie. He earned the 2011 ARCA Racing Series title in just his first full-time season in the series. Dillon’s brother, Austin, won the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship and now Dillon is looking to keep the title in the family.

“We’ve set our goals to go out and battle for a championship even though it is our rookie season,” Dillon, 20, said. “I’ve got the confidence in my guys. I’ve got the guys I won the ARCA championship with last year and I’ve got the equipment that won the truck series championship last year, so we’ve got a lot of confidence going into the championship battle.”  Dillon currently is third in the series championship with six top-10 finishes, including one among the top five. He made his Texas Motor Speedway debut in November racing in the WinStar World Casino 350 and finished third.

“I enjoy everything about Texas,” Dillon said. “I love the speed and the way the trucks race around that place is pretty cool. It’s really tough to pass on the bottom with how high the speeds are getting around there. It’s a really fun place and I can’t wait to get back.”

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