On Wednesday and Thursday, Roush Racing will be hoping to find the next Kurt Busch during an audition at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Max Jones, who heads up Roush’s Truck Series program and current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points leader Greg Biffle will be on hand to put four candidates through a rigorous two-day test for the two vacant Truck rides in Roush’s stable for 2001(#’s 50 and #99 no sponsors as of yet). Current Truck Series regular Scott Riggs(#86), Re/Max Challenge Series driver Nathan Haseleu, Tim Peters, a late model stock-car driver from Martinsville, Va., and Concord, N.C., late-model driver Chuck Hossfeld will be the four drivers auditioning for the rides. The auditions will be closed to the public(LVMS PR)(9-26-2000)
UPDATE: hearing that Riggs and Hossfeld were chosen and offered longterm contracts with Roush Racing(10-4-2000)
UPDATE 2 one signed: Chuck Hossfeld signed a deal Wednesday with Roush Racing to become a full-time driver in their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program for 2001. Hossfeld, 23, who is the 1999 Lancaster Speedway Modified champion, will either take over the truck of current Craftsman Truck Series point leader Greg Biffle or teammate Kurt Busch. Biffle is slated to drive for Roush in the Busch Series next season and Kurt Busch will remain in the organization as well, racing in the Winston Cup(Buffalo News)(10-6-2000)
UPDATE 3: hearing Scott Riggs turned down the offer and will drive one of the two Ultra Motorsports Dodges in 2001(jayski) AND Roush Racing confirmed on Friday that it is interviewing a black driver from the Atlanta area for the other ride having scheduled a meeting for next week with Eric Reed of Stockbridge,GA. Reed, 34, has been racing late and super late model cars across the Southeast for the past seven years. The Ohio native said his parents were drag racers. Roush officials are impressed with Reed’s ‘model citizen background: He is an ex-Marine, and minister of Power Camp Outreach Ministries, which provides food and clothing for the homeless in downtown Atlanta. Reed also is a successful business entrepreneur. Reed is ecstatic about meeting with Roush officials. He said he has lined up a group of sponsors to provide financial backing for his ‘impending entry into NASCAR. Chuck Hossfed, who competed in 10 NASCAR modified events for owner and Busch Series driver Randy Lajoie this year, was hired by Roush on Friday to drive trucks(Atlanta Journal Constitution)(10-7-2000)
UPDATE 4: hearing that Nathan Haseleu will be the other CTS driver for Roush in 2001(10-9-2000)
UPDATE 5: Roush Racing has finalized its search for Craftsman Truck Series drivers announcing that RE/MAX Challenge Series standout Nathan Haseleu will drive a Roush Racing Ford F-150 in 2001(Roush Racing Site)(10-10-2000)
