Bang Racing owner Alex Meshkin spoke on Sirius Speedway (Sirius Satellite Radio)/NRN Radio Tuesday, saying the final weeks of the 2004 season were difficult for him and his team. “We were the red-haired stepchild of the Truck Series at the end of last season. Most of the year, I was at the track the minute the garage opened, and stayed until they threw me out. By the end of the year, after everything we went through with the Toyota situation, I was flying in at noon on race day, and leaving the minute the checkered flag fell. I even left in the middle of a couple of races, it was so frustrating.” Meshkin said he accepts some of the blame for the break-up of his relationships with Toyota and former team principal Larry McReynolds, saying, “I definitely made some mistakes. We all did. But more than anything, it was just a clash of personalities. Certain people just weren’t able to get along, and it made things very difficult.” Meshkin admitted that sharing driver Travis Kvapil with Penske-Jasper Racing next season is “not the ideal situation,” but said he is looking forward to working with both Dodge and Penske in an effort to improve his team. Meshkin said he will expects to add a new driver in the coming weeks, a driver who “will be able to progress with us as we climb the ladder to Nextel Cup.” He addded that the team hopes to run at least two Nextel Cup races in 2005, and said that while sponsorship is largely in place for the coming Busch Series season, announcements will probably not be made until just prior to Speedweek in Daytona.(Sirius Speedway – Sirius Satellite Radio)(12-15-2004)
