ppc Racing officials announced Wes Ward as interim crew chief of the #10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race team with driver Terry Cook. Ward has served as Cook’s crew chief in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) earlier this year at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, where Cook finished a season-best third. Ward serves as the crew chief with driver Jason Keller in the NASCAR Busch Series.
“Phoenix will certainly be busy for us,” said Ward. “The easy thing about this weekend compared to our first outing at Mansfield is both races will be at the same track. Both Keith (Barnwell, co-owner and general manager, ppc Racing) and I had to fly from Richmond after the Busch race to Mansfield. We certainly showed everyone the Ford Power Stroke Diesel race team is competitive and a contender with our finish at Mansfield. I look for us to do it again at Phoenix.”
“Wes has done a great job for us this year,” said Barnwell, who is spotter for all three of ppc Racing’s drivers: Cook, Keller and John Andretti. “He (Ward) is no stranger to this position and we look for good things to come out of this weekend, both in qualifying and in the races and he’s bringing his car chief from the NASCAR Busch Series with him, Steve ‘Big Guy’ Helwig.”
“We’ve made a change late here in the season with the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race team,” said Cook. “Wes was our crew chief at Charlotte and Mansfield, where we scored our best finish of the year. Phoenix is a track I have a lot of laps on and it promotes some real good side-by-side racing. It’s a flat track which I enjoy racing at and I always seem to run well. I’m looking forward again to working with Wes.”(ppc Racing PR), former crew chief, Jamie Jones, recently left to tkae the same position with #38-Brandon Whitt.(11-3-2004)
