hearing that 2003 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series champion Mark McFarland announced at the MARFR banquet that he has a full truck ride [except at Daytona and Atlanta, supposedly Steve Grissom will drive those] with Harris Trucking and will be relocating to NC.(1-28-2004)
UPDATE: Mark McFarland, the reigning NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series champion, will make his 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut April 17 at Martinsville Speedway. It’s not the first time this Winchester, Va. native has raced in the series – he made three starts in 2003 – but there’s a difference this time around. McFarland is now the regular driver of the #59 Harris Trucking Dodge, a front-running team that has been a part of the Craftsman Truck Series full-time since 2003. While Randy LaJoie piloted the #59 Dodge for the first two events, McFarland has spent the past two months working in the team’s race shop, preparing trucks for competition and assisting with odd jobs wherever needed. It’s an approach that has impressed team members and one that may ultimately pay off once he takes the wheel. LaJoie is scheduled to serve as McFarland’s spotter at Martinsville. McFarland has ample experience with Martinsville’s 0.526-mile oval. One of his three previous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts came at Martinsville in October 2003, when he finished a respectable 15th. In addition, McFarland has competed in the track’s Bailey’s 300, the biggest NASCAR Late Model race of the year, on two previous occasions, including a fourth-place run in 2003. After Martinsville, the team plans to run a minimum of 10 races with McFarland as the driver, but could extend that to a full season, according to crew chief Greg Conner – himself a veteran of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series at Virginia’s Langley Speedway. Along with his Craftsman Truck Series schedule with the Harris Trucking team, McFarland will also appear in three NASCAR Busch Series races – at Richmond (May 14), Lowe’s Motor Speedway (May 29) and Dover International Speedway (June 5) – as part of Unilever Bestfoods’ and Tommy Baldwin Racing’s “Hungry Drivers” program.(NASCAR PR)(4-8-2004)
