This weekend marks the 400th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race since the inaugural event at Phoenix International Speedway in 1995. Chris Showalter, truck chief on the No. 5 RMM Tundra, is the only active NASCAR crew member to have participated in each of the series’ first 400 races. Showalter started his NASCAR career in 1995 as a shock specialist with Liberty Racing and was the crew chief for Travis Kvapil in 2003 during their championship run with Xpress Motorsports.(RMM Motorsports PR)(6-2-2011)
UPDATE: more stats…
*The Ohio native, Kvapil’s 2003 championship crew chief, boasts three wins in that role at Xpress Motorsports including the Bristol Motor Speedway victory that proved to be pivotal to Kvapil’s title. He also guided Jack Sprague to series victories in 2004-05.
*As a truck chief, Showalter was part of Mike Bliss’s 2002 championship that included five victories. Showalter also scored truck chief wins with Terry Cook, Dennis Setzer and Randy Tolsma.
*Showalter went to Victory Lane for the first time in July 1995 at Colorado National Speedway as a shock specialist for Liberty Racing. That was the afternoon that Butch Miller edged Mike Skinner in a photo finish that, at an estimated 0.0001 seconds, remains the closest, non-electronic decision in series history.
*Showalter also has performed as spotter and tire changer. He’s been a crew member for six different teams and since 2006 with Morgan Dollar Motorsports which became Randy Moss Motorsports in 2009.
There have been many highlights for Showalter during his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career topped by his 2003 championship season with Kvapil. “But winning at Mansfield (Motorsports Park) in 2004 with Jack Sprague is special to me for personal reasons. I grew up about 30 minutes from the track,” Showalter said. “So to grow up dreaming of racing, leaving town to follow my dreams and then come back and win the inaugural race was just amazing.”(NASCAR Inegrated Marketing Communications)(6-2-2011)
