Cameron Hayley at 9 pm ET on Monday, February 29, 2016. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Cameron Hayley is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, February 29, 2016 at 9 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.
Racing his second race of the season, in his second year with ThorSport Racing, Cameron Hayley earned his career-best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finish of second in the Great Clips 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon. His No. 13 Truck was they highest finishing Toyota of the race.
Battling his No. 13 Truck which was “loose through the center and off,” Hayley ran inside the top-three for the first 20 laps, but a vibration just past lap 30, meant he had to pit under green for four tires. When the first caution was came for the expired caution clock, Hayley took the wave around to get back on the lead lap.
Restarting 20th at lap 42, Hayley maintained a position inside the top-15 before coming to pit road at lap 61, under caution, for four tires, fuel, and a chassis adjustment to tighten-up his No. 13 Toyota Tundra. The ThorSport Racing driver took the restart in 12th at the lap 68.
Following the races half-way mark, Hayley reported that his Truck was, “tight in the center of both corners,” but Hayley was able to work his way inside the top-ten, running seventh, when the caution clock expired at lap 107. Crew chief Eddie Troconis brought the Cabinets by Hayley machine to pit road for the last time, for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment and would line-up seventh for the lap 111 restart.
Hayley took the lead on lap 112 after nearly missing a four-truck pile-up that brought out the red flag for more than six minutes – leading four laps – before losing ground to the No. 4 machine with 14 laps remaining.
“There was a lot of wrecking in front of me and we almost got in the wreck,” said Hayley. “We definitely had an up-and-down day, had the right front almost blow there at the beginning of the race, but overall great run for our guys. They work so hard – Toyota, TRD (Toyota Racing Development), Triad, Cabinets by Hayley – all these people who help get me here. It’s just a good run for our team at the start of the season.”
In the last 14 laps, Hayley survived the last caution of the night for the No. 4 truck, who was leading, and finished second behind race winner, John Hunter Nemechek. When asked if he had anything for the winner at the end, Hayley gave a frank response.
“I think I did, and I’m beating myself up a little bit,” said Hayley. “It was a great run for our Cabinets by Hayley Tundra team – best career finish. I can’t complain about that, but I just know in the back of my head if Matt Crafton was in my truck, he could have won that. I just – I needed to run a little bit harder, but great run to start up this year. This was my hardest track all year. I needed to get this one over with and to come out of here second, I’m pretty happy with the team and proud of everything Toyota, everybody has done for me. It’s just an amazing start to the year.”
After the race, Hayley reflected on what he could have done differently.
“I was just afraid to go to the high side there in one and two,” said Hayley. “I think I could have gone high, got a run on John Hunter (Nemechek) getting down the back straight and maybe passed him into three and four. I was just – my truck was not that great on the outside all day, and I was just afraid that if I went up there, I’d lose more positions than I was going to gain, but that’s just part of learning and something I need to learn.”
In 28 career Camping World Truck Series starts, Hayley has five top-five and 16 top-ten finishes.
Up next for the Camping World Truck Series is the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Saturday, April 2, 2016