HT Motorsports Going For First Win

Racing at Martinsville Speedway means racing at home for members of HT Motorsports. Competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series since 2001, the team is still searching for that first win and would love nothing more than for it to come in front of family and friends.

With a veteran driver lineup, chances are good it could come this weekend. New to the HT team this season, David Starr in the #24 Zachry Toyota is no stranger to Martinsville's Victory Lane. Starr led 121 laps in the Kroger 250 before he grabbed the checkered flag in 2006. Winless since that race, the driver is ready to get back to Victory Lane.

"Even just saying getting back to Victory Lane sounds so good," said Starr. "All of us drivers go to the track each week trying to get the win, so Martinsville wouldn't be any different in that category. Knowing that you have led laps there and been to Victory Lane there makes you have a different, more confident outlook."

Starr's teammate Terry Cook (#25 Harris Trucking Toyota), also winless since 2006, is ready to find his way back to Victory Lane as well. Sitting seventh in points, the Ohio native thinks his team has the determination and momentum it needs.

"I feel like things are finally falling into place for us," he said. "Every team out there works hard and I cannot say enough about this HT Motorsports crew and how much time and effort they put in each week. We are hungry for a win, and won't back down until we get there."

Team owner Jim Harris, who hails from Lynchburg, Va., echoes his drivers' sentiments. "I think winning at home would be great for this team, just as it was for Bobby Hamilton Racing last year. Winning at what is declared your home track is always where you want to win first."

Harris has a little history with the track. He started coming to races back as a young teen. "I would come and sit on the concrete seats in Turn 4 and get covered up with black rubber and inhale the fumes. I was hooked," he said.

While he enjoys reminiscing of his younger days, Harris does say the best seat in the house is the seat he has these days with his teams.

And Starr would like a win as a gift to wife Kim and new son David Jr., born March 12. It would be a great way for me to celebrate being a dad, but every day is a celebration in that department," he said.

Premier Racing Takes Momentum Home

Like HT Motorsports, Premier Racing will be staying close to home this weekend. The Danville-based team is riding a wave of success in the first three races of the season. Driver and team co-owner Timothy Peters has his #17 Hayes Iron & Metal/Strutmasters.com Toyota sitting ninth in points. The top-10 ranking is a first for both the driver and team.

"We have built momentum in the first three races," said Peters. "Our success early in the year should translate to a good finish at Martinsville, a place I've had a lot of success in previous races."

While the driver believes racing at home doesn't give him an edge necessarily over the other teams, it's the strong support of your hometown fans that makes a difference.

A win is the team's ultimate goal and would be even sweeter coming at the their home track. "A win in my backyard, in front of my family, friends, and sponsors would mean more than any other win on the circuit."

Not only will the team be competing in front of friends and family, but sponsors too. Philip Hudgins, CEO of Premier Racing, said, "Most of our sponsors come from Virginia, and it would be a great way to reward them for their generous support."

Votes Are In: Media Predict Hornaday And Carmichael To Win

Media voted in the first-ever poll to predict who they thought would be the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and Raybestos Rookie of the Year. The results are in claiming Ron Hornaday Jr. (# 33 VFW/Longhorn Chevy) will be the champion come Homestead. Hornaday edged Todd Bodine (#30 Germain Toyota) in the poll.

Johnny Benson (#1 Red Horse Racing Toyota) isn't predicted to grab a historic back-to-back championship as they have him slated to finish third. Mike Skinner (#5 Bad Boy Mowers Toyota), Matt Crafton (# 88 Menards Chevy), Kyle Busch (#51 Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Energy Drink Toyota), Rick Crawford (#14 Circle Bar Truck Corral/International Engine Ford), Colin Braun (#6 Con-Way Freight Ford), Terry Cook (#25 Harris Trucking Toyota), and Chad McCumbee (#07 SS Green Light Racing Chevy) round out the top 10.

In the rookie corner, media claim Rick Carmichael (#4 Oakley/Monster Energy Drink Chevy) as the series' Raybestos Rookie of the Year.

Atop The Box With Jeff Hensley

Martinsville native Jeff Hensley knows a thing or two about getting around the .526-mile track. The veteran crew chief helped lead Mike Skinner to his sweep of the short track in 2007 and has a win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with Chuck Bown in 1993.

Hensley discusses his take on the track and shares thoughts on being home:

Q: What is the key to Martinsville Speedway?
"Staying out of trouble is the biggest key. A lot of times at Martinsville it is not the best truck that wins but who has the best pit strategy. It is really hard to pass there so if you're able to have good pit stops and beat people out, then that is a huge advantage.
"It also places a premium on qualifying, track position is so important. It is like a series of 20-lap heat races. So if you qualify well, have good pit stops and manage to stay out of others misfortune, then you can win the race."

Q: What specific challenges does it present to you as crew chief?
"You want to be able to pit as soon as you can and be able to make it the rest of the way on fuel. Basically, this is a one-stop race if you time it right. You have to have the nerve to make the call and stick with it. If you need 50 laps of caution to make it, then you hope you get them. I have needed them and gotten them and I have needed them and not gotten them."

Q: From a technical standpoint, what are you concerned about for this race?
"You pay special attention to the braking systems at Martinsville. The brakes, the cooling, the fluid, the pad and the type of brake you use. No matter how good your truck handles at Martinsville, if you don't have the right brake system that is working in harmony with everything else on your truck, then you're not going to run good. You can take a really good race truck with a bad set of brakes and run poorly, or you can take a decent handling truck with a good set of brakes and make it look really good."

Q: This will mark your driver Brian Scott's fourth start at the short track. What are some things you guys are looking at as you head into the weekend?
"We had a good run last October with Brian. Our finish didn't show it but we ran from eighth to 12th almost all day. We started based on points because of the rain and worked our way all the way up through the field.
"Right now we're headed into this race building on the momentum from a top 10 at Atlanta. We are taking a new truck which we've put a lot of effort into building. Hopefully we can lay a good foundation with this truck for our short-track program and it will translate into success at places like Gateway, Memphis and Loudon."

Q: What does it mean for you to race and win at a track you grew up around?
"It means a lot, growing up in that area as a kid Martinsville was always our Daytona 500. To win a race here is very special to me, it is my track. But that said, I don't put any more emphasis winning there than I do any place else. Winning any race in this day and time is hard to do. They are all very precious and very important.
"As a kid I used to go to the track with my dad and sneak into the garage area by climbing under the fence. My mom used to always wonder how I got so dirty and greasy. When you're nine or 10 years old it doesn't matter, you just wanted to be in there and involved with what was going on."

Rookie Standings

This week the 2009 rookie class prepares for their first short track of the season.

Current standings leader J.R. Fitzpatrick (#7 Mammoet Chevy), who competed in last October's Kroger 200, only has three points separating himself from Ricky Carmichael. Not originally on his schedule, his strong showing out of the box has Carmichael and his #4 Oakley Chevy headed to Martinsville.

Johnny Sauter (#13 Fun Sand/Rodney Atkins/Curb Records Chevy) has two previous starts in the series where he notched a 22nd and 23rd-place finish. The Wisconsin native also has one start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Only nine points behind Fitzpatrick in fifth, perhaps his experience will give the 2002 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year runner-up an edge over the rest of the class.

After three races of the 2009 season:
1. J.R. Fitzpatrick     33
2. Ricky Carmichael 30
3. Tayler Malsam      28
4. James Buescher   27
5. Johnny Sauter      24
6. Chase Austin       16
7. Brent Raymer        6
8. Chris Jones           5

Manufacturer Battle

Chevy holds on to the most wins with six at Martinsville Speedway. But it's been a little dry spell for the manufacturer. Their last win was in April 2005 with driver Bobby Labonte. Dodge and Toyota are pushing Chevy's record. Both are tied with five wins.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2009 Manufacturers' Standings following Race 3 of 25 at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Toyota    27
Chevy 18
Ford        12
Dodge       9

In The Loop

Johnny Benson, the defending NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, sits 29 points out of the top 10; a position he didn't figure to be in at the close of 2008.

Now, after three races, Benson will likely take a "one race at time" mantra. The next race in his battle to regain standings prominence is Martinsville and the last time the series visited the short track, Benson won.

So optimism is high. Benson has been solid at Martinsville since the inception of Loop Data in 2005. In his last eight races there, Benson has a Driver Rating of 90.5, an Average Running Position of 12.8, 59 Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 66.8%.

But there's one problem. The man Benson's chasing is even better. David Starr, who is 10th in points, ranks above Benson in almost every key statistical category. Starr, who won at this race in 2006, has a Martinsville Driver Rating of 92.6, an Average Running Position of 12.6, 60 Fastest Laps Run, a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 65.7% and has been passed only 74 times in the last eight races, the fewest of any driver during that span.

Starr struggled during the last Martinsville race, finishing 33rd, but has finished in the top 10 in four of the last six Martinsville races.

Director's Take: Wayne's Words

"Short-track racing is the very foundation of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Martinsville Speedway is such a historic track. It's also one of four tracks remaining on the schedule to host this series since its inaugural 1995 season.

"This will be the first short track we'll race this season so teams are looking at completely different factors and setups than the first three tracks.

"One of the biggest factors at this track will be brakes. You can have a great running truck but if you don't have the right brake set-up, it could keep you out of Victory Lane.

"A driver's track position is also key here. It is so hard to pass, you really want to start your day in a good position which places a big emphasis on your qualifying run.

"Not only will starting in a good position be important but teams' pit strategy will be key to keeping that good track position. It will be interesting to see what calls the crew chiefs make.

"This paperclip-shaped track is like two drag strips with two corners. It gets tight. Drivers will have their hands full trying to keep their fenders on. Of course, that just gives the fans good action to watch."

- Wayne Auton, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Director

Martinsville Speedway will host the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this weekend, the first of two visits to the short track for the series. This southern Virginia track and Texas Motor Speedway are the only two tracks on the schedule to host the series twice.

Up Next

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series takes a break before heading to Kansas Speedway for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 on Saturday, April 25.

Defending race winner Ron Hornaday Jr. led 136 of 167 laps onhis way to Victory Lane. He was also the first to win from the pole.
(NASCAR PR)(3-23-2009)

Following an up-and-down 2008 season, 2009 is quite a different picture for veteran driver Mike Skinner (#5 EXIDE Batteries Toyota). The 1995 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, who up until late January wasn't even sure if he was going to have a ride this season, finds himself sitting third in points with the support of his new Randy Moss Motorsports team.

Before the team could even start the season, a lot had to be done in a small period of time including a switch to Toyota.

"My team found out I was going to drive for them two-and-a-half weeks before the season started," Skinner said. "They had to change manufacturers, get Daytona trucks ready and get California trucks ready in a short amount of time."

"My team did a fantastic job of getting everything done and giving me a fast, competitive truck to drive in the first three races of this season. It says a lot about Eric (Phillips, crew chief), David (Dollar, co-owner), Randy (Moss, co-owner) and all of these guys. I couldn't be more excited. You can get up in the morning and dread going to the race track or you can get up and be excited to go to the race track. I'm definitely excited to head to the race track each week."

Phillips shares the same excitement as his driver.

"I'm definitely excited about the way that we have started the season," he said. "To run consistently in the top five, top 10 each week when we are still trying to keep our heads above water, because of the switch to Toyota, is a great testament to the people that we have at RMM. You have to have strong people to be able to pull off the switch that we have, so I'm very proud to be working with these guys."

At this stage last year, Skinner was in seventh before a 29th-place finish at Martinsville relegated him to 14th in the standings. It took three races for him to return to the top 10. The highest he reached in points was fourth before finishing the season sixth in the standings.

With a solid start to the year and a team that has quickly adjusted well to a lot of change, Skinner is in the right place to compete for a second title.

Chad McCumbee And Team Seeing Big Results

Chad McCumbee and his #07 SS Green Light Chevy team are off to a strong start this season. With a veteran team behind him, the 24-year-old is sitting fifth in points after three races.

"Its been great and I'm excited about it," said McCumbee. "These guys worked their butts off over the off-season, and they have put forth a huge effort to come out of the box this strong," he added.

While McCumbee isn't new to the top 10, the team, in its ninth year of competition in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, is experiencing their first time among the top of the standings.

With 199 consecutive starts since 2001, stability and the consistency of having one driver seems to have sparked a major turnaround for the team. "I can't say enough about where we are as a team," said crew chief and team co-owner Bobby Dotter. "The guys have done a great job both at the track and the shop and Chad brings so much to us," he added.

SS Green Light Racing finished 2008 28th in points. With McCumbee at the wheel, they've brought home a top-five finish at Auto Club and a top 10 at Atlanta. The team's previous best finishes were a fourth in the #08 truck driven by Dotter at Martinsville in 2002, and fifth in 2005 with Rich Bickle behind the wheel at Mansfield Motorsports Park.

Looking ahead, the team originally didn't have Martinsville on its 14-race schedule. However, with the momentum and competitiveness they've shown, everyone is working hard to find the necessary funding to get them there. "I think we have something to sell right now," said McCumbee. "This is a veteran team and these guys have really turned this program around. We just need a little more support to get to Martinsville and keep this thing going."

Dotter believes they're title contenders. "If we find a marketing partner for Martinsville (March 28th) and Dover (May 29th), we have what it takes to keep him in the hunt for the 2009 championship."

Short-Track Impact On Series Championship

Short tracks comprise less than a third of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule but doing well in the seven races on layouts of less than a mile in length is crucial – maybe critical – to winning the series championship.

The first short-track race of the season will be March 28 at .526-mile Martinsville Speedway where last fall Johnny Benson (#1 Red Horse Racing Toyota) became the first to win at the paperclip-shaped Southern Virginia track en route to winning the series championship.

It can be argued that Benson's victory – after the trucks of championship rival Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 Camping World/VFW Chevy) and Kevin Harvick (#2 Chevy) ran out of fuel late in the Kroger 200 – was tantamount to handing the title to the Grand Rapids, Mich. veteran. There was a 104-point swing in Benson's favor. He ultimately deprived Hornaday of a fourth title on the final lap of the last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway by a margin of seven points.

"I would say all of our wins contributed to us winning the championship but winning at Martinsville so late in the season really gave us the extra confidence we needed," said Benson.

If more races were run on short tracks, Hornaday likely would have won a greater number of championships. He is the all-time series short- track winner with 18 victories although the Californian remains 0-for-13 at Martinsville where his best finishes are a trio of thirds.

Short-track victories certainly help the cause. Benson won twice in 2008 to Hornaday's single victory. Champions have won at least once on a short track in all but three of 14 seasons.

Consistency, however, is equally important.

In three of the past four seasons Hornaday posted the best short-track average finish en route to first, second and fourth in final points standings. Twice since collection of Scoring Loop Data began in 2005, Hornaday has been the short-track leader in Driver Rating. Ironically, his Driver Rating in his 2007 championship season was second to series runner-up Mike Skinner (#5 EXIDE Batteries Toyota) and last year he edged Benson in the category 115.6 to 113.9.

Since 2005, the champion's short-track Driver Rating ranked second overall three times and average finish no worse than sixth.

In The Loop: Rookie Spotlight

Though none of the series' eight Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates are in the top 10 in series points, four in particular are performing like veterans ready for that lofty position.

J.R. Fitzpatrick sits 25 points outside the top 10 in 11th. He also has some impressive Loop Data statistics. Fitzpatrick has a Driver Rating of 77.4, an Average Running Position of 16.6, eight Fastest Laps Run and has 17 Laps Led, which is tops among rookies. He is also the only rookie to score a top-five finish this year – he finished fourth at Daytona.

Tayler Malsam is 13th in points, and has a Driver Rating of 75.7, an Average Running Position of 15.7 and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 52.1%.

Though his points position might not suggest it, statistically, James Buescher has been the top rookie. He is 19th in points, but has the 12th-best Driver Rating (78.1), the 13th-best Average Running Position (15.1) and an 11th-best Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 62.1%.

Arguably the most impressive rookie performance – considering the circumstances – has come from Ricky Carmichael, who is making the transition from motocross.

Carmichael, 8th in points, has a Driver Rating of 77.5, an Average Running Position of 13.7, five Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 65.5%.

Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year Standings after three races of the 2009 season:
1. J.R. Fitzpatrick     33
2. Ricky Carmichael 30
3. Tayler Malsam     28
4. James Buescher  27
5. Johnny Sauter     24
6. Chase Austin      16
7. Brent Raymer       6
8. Chris Jones          5

Manufacturer Battle

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2009 Manufacturers' Championship Standings following race 3 of 25 at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Toyota     27
Chevy 18
Ford        12
Dodge       9

Up Next

One more week before the action resumes. The series will make the first of two visits to Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, March 28.

Dennis Setzer (#8 Chevy) is the defending winner of the race, notching his third Martinsville victory a year ago. At least five previous Martinsville winners are expected to compete in the Kroger 250 including fellow triple winner Mike Skinner.
(NASCAR PR)(3-16-2009)

‘Heck Of A Driver’ Makes Doug George One Happy Crew Chief

Doug George arguably is the happiest crew chief in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage. And who can blame him with a driver like Kyle Busch (#51 Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Energy Drink Toyota) behind the wheel? Winless as a crew chief entering the season, George now has gone to Victory Lane two races running following Busch’s record-matching fourth victory March 7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

George, who this season moved to Billy Ballew Motorsports’ #51 from the team’s #15 truck, is rare among crew chiefs with a pair of NASCAR driving championships in hand. The Atwater, Calif., native is a Camping World Series West titleholder as well as champion of the old Southwest Series. The 48-year-old George meshes well with his 23-year-old driver having been there, done that. But not on the same level, George is quick to point out.

George figured victory was out the window when his truck lost second and third gears on the Atlanta race’s final restart.“I just closed my book and dropped my head down a bit,” George admitted before watching Busch rocket from ninth place to victory in just four laps. “That kid’s just a heck of a driver.”

George isn’t doing too bad a job on top of the pit box either.

In The Loop

TJ Bell  launched a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in 2008 after several tough seasons of hit-and-miss competition. Bell ran 17 races last season, and now looks like a Victory Lane threat on a weekly basis.

He joined the series at race nine of last season, scoring a 31st-place finish at Michigan. It took him six races to score his first top-10 finish.

The success then snowballed. He posted seven top 10s in nine races, including five straight.

And this season, he’s a legitimate title contender.

Bell, who sits eight in the standings, already has a fifth-place finish – the first of his career – and has finished inside the top 15 in all three races this season.

He also has some of the top stats in the series. Over the first three races, he has a Driver Rating of 92.1, an Average Running Position of 9.6, 295 Laps in the Top 15 (89.4%) and has more passes than any other driver – 191.

The leader in most of those categories is Kyle Busch, winner of the last two races. Busch has a Driver Rating of 132.6, an Average Running Position of 4.1 and a Pass Differential of plus-45 (passes minus times passed).

• Three drivers now have won four times at a single track following Kyle Busch’s Atlanta victory. Brendan Gaughan and Todd Bodine (#30 Germain Toyota) each have four wins at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Toyota continues to lead series Manufacturers’ Championship standings winning for the third consecutive time in 2009 (and fourth going back to the 2008 finale). Chevy currently is #2.
• Thorsport Racing, which fields entries for Matt Crafton (#88 Menards Chevy) and Johnny Sauter (#13 Fun Sand Chevy) appeared in its 275th consecutive race Saturday in Atlanta. The team ranks third in consecutive starts behind Roush Fenway Racing (327) and Circle Bar Racing (301).
• Kevin Harvick’s (#2 Charter Chevy) second-place finish was the fourth consecutive Atlanta runner-up performance for the Kevin Harvick Inc. team dating to October 2007.
• Series champions have begun to make their moves three races into the 2009 season. Bodine, Mike Skinner (#5 Exide Batteries Toyota) and Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 VFW Chevy) rank two through four behind leader Busch.
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have won four of the last six NCWTS races. Bodine, who won the Homestead-Miami season finale and this year’s Daytona opener, split wins by Harvick (Phoenix) and Busch.
• It’s all smiles at SS Greenlight Racing where driver Chad McCumbee (#07 ASI Limited Chevy) added a sixth-place finish in Atlanta to the team’s best performance — third — two weeks earlier in Southern California. McCumbee left Atlanta ranked fourth a year ago driving for a different team. “It (would) be really cool if we can keep this momentum going,” said McCumbee, giving credit to crew chief Bobby Dotter, who kept enough fuel in the truck to order a single trip down pit road near the race’s conclusion. “(It was) strategy there at the end; four tires and no fuel.” Dotter scored the team’s previous best finish of fourth in Martinsville, the track the series visits next. The Kroger 250 marks the team’s 200th consecutive start.
• After finishes among the top 10 in the season’s first two races, Raybestos Rookie of the Year contenders had to settle for top-20 performances at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Tayler Malsam (#81 One Eighty Toyota) was best in 13th, a spot better than James Buescher (#10 International MAXX Force Ford). “It’s hard but with Slugger (Labbe) up on the tower and Doug (Wolcott) on the box, it’s pretty easy,” said Malsam.  “They kind of explain everything in a 20-year-old’s mind so it makes it a little bit easier for me.” The Washington driver is the third different Raybestos Rookie of the Race in 2009 and  ranks third in current standings.

Raybestos Rookie Standings after three races of the 2009 season:
1. J.R. Fitzpatrick     33
2. Ricky Carmichael 30
3. Tayler Malsam     28
4. James Buescher  27
5. Johnny Sauter     24
6. Chase Austin      16
7. Brent Raymer       6
8. Chris Jones          5

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2009 Manufacturers' Championship Standings following Race 3 of 25 at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Toyota     27
Chevy 18
Ford        12
Dodge       9

Up Next

Fan favorite Martinsville Speedway, a .526-mile paved oval known as an “action track,” hosts the first of two 2009 races on Saturday, March 28. Dennis Setzer (#8 Chevy) is the defending winner of the race, notching his third Martinsville victory a year ago. At least five previous Martinsville winners are expected to compete in the Kroger 250 including triple winner Mike Skinner. The race will be broadcast live by FOX at 2 p.m. ET.
(NASCAR PR)(3-9-2009)