Peters enjoys role as race car driving dad

Timothy Peters' life is more than just warming up tires and changing speeds.

Now, it includes warming up bottles and changing diapers.

The last time Peters raced in Newton he was expecting an addition to the family. He will be almost seven months in his new role as dad when he tries to win his second straight NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series American Ethanol 200 at Iowa Speedway on July 13, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Peters' wife, Sara, gave birth to their first son, Brantley Tony, on Dec. 17, 2012, hitting the due date. As prepared as he was for parenthood, he said he is adjusting to the new responsibility.

"It's definitely been a life-changer, and a change in a good way for sure," Peters said. "You never knew you could love someone so much. He's definitely my heart."

Before his winning performance last year, Peters joked that his wife needed to hold out until Dec. 17, matching his No. 17 Tundra. Peters said he couldn't contain his smile while talking about his son already enjoying televised races and playing with a Fisher Price racetrack.

"He loves it," Peters said about racing. "It's cool to see all that. Between race cars and Elmo, he's in heaven."

The new addition provides extra motivation to Peters' title aspirations. He was second in points last year, never falling below third with wins at Iowa Speedway and Bristol (Conn.) Motor Speedway, where he led all 204 laps. It was the first time since 1997 a Trucks driver had accomplished the feat. Peters had 10 top-five finishes and finished 16 of the 22 races in the top 10.

The win at Iowa Speedway helped propel Peters to the strong finish. He would like to recapture some of that magic.

"We just really springboarded forward with our momentum," Peters said. "We look to do that again and try not to have any more hiccups."

Peters is 10th in points, including four top-10 finishes. He was sixth at UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway last weekend. Peters said the team has experienced some bad luck in some tough performances. He remains within 85 points of first.

"Coming off of a great season in 2012, this season has been a little bit slow," Red Horse Racing Owner Tom DeLoach said. "I think we have finally found our groove and Iowa Speedway is a great track to keep the momentum up. It was a great weekend for Timothy and the No. 17 team last year, so looking forward to duplicating that success next weekend."

The characteristics of the .875-mile oval suits Peters well. The track has a lot of grip, multiple grooves for racing and the notable bumps, especially between Turns 1 and 2. Pits stops and track position will be key, as well as adjusting setups between daytime qualifying to night racing.

Peters is confident in his team's ability to contend at Iowa Speedway.

"I love short-track racing," Peters said. "Even though you call it a short track, it has high speeds of a superspeedway or mile-and-a-half track.

"When you take all those and put them under the lights it makes for awesome racing."