Timothy Peters (L) is interviewed at Martinsville Speedway by SPEED's Adam Alexander (R). (David Vaughn Photo) » More Photos

Working out of his buddy’s garage, not to mention sleeping there when necessary, is a huge sacrifice.

“Someone like Timothy doesn’t have the money, backing or resources as the better-funded teams, whereas someone who drove for a Jack Roush or Rick Hendrick has a large group of incredibly talented guys who will build them a new truck if they wreck one,” said Krista Voda, host of NCTS Setup. “But drivers like Timothy don’t have a safety net of resources. He makes sacrifices with his own family, time and money to go to the track and hope for a top-10 finish, which is like a win to the smaller teams. He’s just trying to survive and no matter what field you’re in, that kind of dedication is pretty rare and extremely admirable.”

Not only is Peters at a disadvantage with a grand total of only two trucks in his makeshift shop, he had to improvise to raise the entry money for Martinsville, a track at which he won a Late Model Series race in 2005. Peters’ father, Tony, passed away in 2001 and Peters made the difficult decision to sell his father’s Corvette, a family heirloom, to raise the funds.

“We thought we could run well in Martinsville and show people I still have what it takes,” Peters, 28, said. “So, I told Mom my racing career was on the line and I could either do this or go get a real job. Mom knows I’m passionate about racing and agreed to sell the Corvette and use the money to run Martinsville. Everything worked out and the next day Phillip Hudgins and I were talking about how to make Premier Racing a Craftsman Truck Series team.”

And Peters, on a shoestring budget, received a healthy dose of national exposure Saturday at Martinsville, as Saturday’s Truck Series race scored an average Nielsen Household Rating of .77 (562,000 households), a five-percent increase over last year’s .73 and the 13th time in the last 15 races that NCTS ratings have seen an increase on SPEED™.

“When you look at what Timothy Peters has accomplished, given his resources, it speaks to the passion and effort that this team has put in,” said Adam Alexander, SPEED reporter. “He is a throwback to the NASCAR days of old. You work on the race car or truck and find a way to get it to the track and then you get behind the wheel. His work ethic, dedication and humility make him very attractive to fans.”

Peters competed in the Truck Series in 2005 for Bobby Hamilton Racing before moving to Richard Childress Racing late in the year to run the NASCAR Nationwide Series. However, following a handful of races in 2007, Peters and RCR parted ways. Peters purchased a truck from Morgan Dollar (now Randy Moss Motorsports) and entered the spring race at Martinsville (YEAR), where he made an impression on his future partners, qualifying sixth and running up front before being collected in an accident. Premier Racing was formed soon thereafter.