Apr 2001 CTS Archive

  • Rules Changes: Officials of NASCAR announced today modifications in rules governing aerodynamic devices on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series effective May 4. Beginning with the Ram Tough 200 event at Gateway International Raceway, the Ford F-150 front air dam minimum ground clearance has been reduced from four inches to three and three-quarters inches. The front air dam minimum ground clearance of the Dodge Ram will be increased from four inches to four and one-half inches. In addition, the mounting point of the Ford F-150 rear spoiler has been moved rearward, measured from the truck’s cab, from 75 ½ inches to 77 ½ inches. Also, the Dodge Ram’s rear spoiler has been reduced in width from 66 ¾ inches to 64 ¾ inches(NASCAR PR)(4-28-2001)
  • #66 Closes: Citing what he called an untenable business proposition in continuing to field a CTS team, Dale Phelon on Tuesday morning told his employees he was closing his truck shop here. Phelon, a multi-million-dollar business operator who has competed in the truck series since 1997, has offered his crew positions working on his fleet of vintage race cars, including Ford Mustangs and Cobras and a Chevrolet Corvette. Phelon formerly drove his own cars in the SCCA Trans-Am Tour before starting his truck team. Driver Rick Carelli gave Phelon his first victory as a truck owner last September at Richmond International Raceway. The victory was particularly significant for Carelli after he suffered life-threatening injuries the previous season at Memphis Motorsports Park. Phelon told the team he would keep the Richmond race winning truck, a Ford, and one other road race-equipped F-150. Crew chief John Monsam said the team had as many as 15 trucks in its shop, including two brand-new Hopkins Ford chassis, five complete Ford trucks and another unraced Chevrolet chassis. Between the 2000 and 2001 seasons, Phelon switched his program from Ford to Chevrolet. The team has the new Chevy chassis, two complete Chevrolet trucks and three Chevrolet engines, including one that was never raced. The remainder of the team’s inventory consists of Ford products. Monsam said he would travel to California Speedway this weekend to assist Carelli with a NASCAR Winston West car fielded by RE/MAX principal Davy Liniger. Carelli and Monsam collaborated for a fourth-place finish in a recent RE/MAX Challenge Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. The crew chief, who has won races in the truck series with Carelli and Ron Hornaday, in the NASCAR Busch Series with Ricky Craven and in ARCA with Joe Bessey, also was Jerry Nadeau’s crew chief when he made his NASCAR Winston Cup debut with Richard Jackson Motorsports. He said he was most concerned about finding jobs for his employees who wanted to continue in NASCAR racing. Monsam said in addition to pursuing his own future options in California, his truck chief, Mitch Jarrett, and mechanic/tire changers, Flip Estrada and Jason Meeks, were anxious to find new positions with NASCAR teams(NASCAR.com)(4-25-2001)
  • #72 News UPDATE: Hearing that road racer David Murry is speaking with MacDonald Motorsports about filling the seat in the #72 truck, which was left vacant by Randy MacDonald after a crash at Daytona in February. It may be a race-to-race deal or for the rest of the season. Jimmy Hensley was the most recent driver to substitute for MacDonald, at Martinsville, two weeks ago. Reports are that MacDonald underwent neck surgery in Florida yesterday to repair lingering injuries suffered in the crash. Murry is presently competing in the American Le Mans Series with a Porsche race team. An Atlanta resident, Murry has ARCA and Winston Cup experience, the latter coming at Watkins Glen in 1999 when he qualified 31st, ran as high as eighth, before finishing 36th after an oil line problem.(4-18-2001)
    UPDATE: MacDonald Motorsports is still looking for a driver with sponsorship backing to drive the #72 at Gateway International Raceway. Contact Doc MacDonald, see my Team Address/Pgone page for number at (336) 476-0118(Keldan Media Group PR)
    AND Randy MacDonald is resting comfortably at Miami University Hospital after undergoing surgery last week to repair three herniated discs in his neck, which he suffered in a crash at the season-opening Daytona 250..(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-25-2001)
  • #73 News: The #73 Tagsby team and driver Jason Small have had an amicable parting of ways. Tagsby Racing is interviewing experienced drivers for the St. Louis race.(Daytona Beach News Journal), #73-Tagsby Racing Truck Team and driver Jason Small have had an amicable parting of the ways. Tagsby Racing is currently interviewing any experienced drivers for the Gateway race, May 6. .If interested call Joey Sonntag, see my CTS Team Address/Phone page for numbers(4-25-2001)
  • #23/Richardson part: Loni Richardson and Team 23 have parted ways and Loni will Run Gateway International in the Intensitee Race Wear #0 or quite possibly another truck(4-25-2001)
  • #03 Driver: Team EJP Racing owners Peter and Steve Prescott announced the signing of Tom Carey Jr. to pilot the #03 truck for at least eight races this season(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-25-2001)
  • Four Roush CTS Teams in 2002: Roush Racing on Monday announced its plans to field up to four teams in 2002 in the CTS. Roush currently fields two teams, with drivers Chuck Hossfeld and Nathan Haseleu. Roush plans to add teams for 18-year-old Jon Wood, son of Wood Brothers Racing owner Eddie Wood, and Tim Woods, a 24-year-old African American driver from California. None of the teams currently has sponsorship in place for the 2002 season. (That’s Racin’)(4-10-2001)
  • Riggs Wins: #2-Scott Riggs was able to bounce back from trouble early in Saturday’s Advance Auto Parts 250 at Martinsville Speedway to record his first career CTS victory. A pit-stop collision 86 laps into Saturday’s race knocked Riggs out of the top 20. But the Durham, NC driver remained calm and worked his way into the lead on lap 143, a lead he never relinquished. Riggs said he “just tried to remain calm” after the pit-road skirmish onlap 86 damaged the front end of his Dodge. Rookie #60-Travis Kvapil finished second to match his career-best finish while #29-Terry Cook was third. Pole-sitter #18-Joe Ruttman wound up fourth while #61-Randy Tolsma was fifth. Although Riggs picked up his first Craftsman Truck Series win Saturday, the second-year driver had been off to an incredible start. In the first three races of the year, Riggs finished third, fourth and fifth. Riggs led 108 laps while Winston Cup regular Bobby Hamilton led 133 laps after taking the lead from pole-sitter Ruttman on the 10th lap.(Martinsville Speedway PR), see the results at That’s Racin’: Advance Auto Parts 250 results(4-8-2001)
  • The Big White Truck: Some shipping companies may talk about racing their truck, but they don’t. Randy Tolsma and Team Rensi Motorsports do race “The Big White Truck,” debuting this weekend at Martinsville. Tolsma and his #61 Chevrolet Silverado will be a conversation piece to say the least. “Fans need something to associate a driver and what they race. Leaving the truck blank meant no conversations by the media or fans. “The Big White Truck” is a spoof of sorts and has really helped maintain good moral back at the shop. With the unfortunate situations Team Rensi Motorsports has faced over the last few weeks, I think this is a positive that everyone will enjoy,” Tolsma said. “The Big White Truck” is the result of Randy and crew members joking around and making quirky suggestions about what the team could put on the plain white truck to attract fans and give them something to cheer for in the stands. Like many teams this season, Team Rensi Motorsports has been unsuccessful obtaining a sponsor, and rather than leave the truck blank, they decided to have fun with it until sponsorship opportunities arise.(Team Rensi PR)(4-5-2001)
  • Jon Wood to run Martinsville UPDATE 2 sponsor: Wood Brothers Racing is teaming up with Billy Ballew Motorsports to enter Jon Wood in the April 7 CTS race at the Martinsville Speedway. Jon Wood and Billy Ballew Motorsports will also have some marketing help through the Wood Brothers relationship with Roush Racing. Billy Ballew Motorsports has been active in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 1996. Many notable drivers have piloted the No. 15 Ford F-150 truck, including Geoff Bodine, Rich Bickle, and Joe Ruttman to name a few. Wood will also be participating in his second Winston West race at the California Speedway on April 28. He qualified fourth and finished 11th in his first outing in Phoenix earlier this month.(Roush Racing/Wood Brothers Racing PR)(3-1-2001)
    UPDATE: There will be a press conference on Thursday at 1:00pm/et in Roanoke, Virginia regarding the sponsorship of the #15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Ford driven by Jon Wood. A very unique sponsor will be announced for the #15 truck for the April 7th CTS race being held at the Martinsville Speedway. The announcement will take place at Buck Mountain Outfitters, adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Highway 220 interchange. A sponsor representative as well as driver, Jon Wood will speak before unveiling the #15 Truck with the new sponsor colors “I’m looking forward to my first truck race at the home track,” commented Wood. “And we’ve got a really neat sponsor for the race on Saturday. They have made it possible for us to run this race and we’d like to see them come on board for a couple more. I’m praying for good weather so that we have a chance at qualifying well and running a decent race.” Wood will also be participating in his second Winston West race at the California Speedway on April 28. He qualified fourth and finished 11th in his first outing in Phoenix earlier this month.(Wood Brothers Racing PR)(4-3-2001)
    UPDATE 2: The campaign for gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner and the Wood Brothers Racing Team announced Wednesday that they’ve struck a deal that will allow Wood to compete in Saturday’s CTS race at Martinsville as scheduled. Details of the sponsorship will be outlined at a news conference this afternoon(Thursday). “The way it’s worded right now, it’s just for this race,” said Wood, 19, a third-generation member of the Stuart-based racing family. “Depending on how things go, they could jump on board for the South Boston race and the Richmond race.” After a tentative agreement with a different sponsor fell through last week, the Wood Brothers began an intense search for funding. Wood has been preparing for the truck race for weeks, but said sponsorship negotiations were not fruitful until last Friday(Roanoke Times)(4-5-2001)
  • Ingle leaving the #46? UPDATE 2: Bill Ingle, the former Winston Cup crew chief who most recently was the crew chief for driver Dennis Setzer at the #46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports team, could be heading to a television career. If that is the case, look for chief mechanic Todd Meyers, who built TKO Motorsports into a CTS contender before the team had to suspend operations earlier this season due to a lack of sponsorship, to fill the role for Setzer. Meyers replaced Ingle — who was absent while attending to personal business — at the most recent CTS race, at Mesa Marin Raceway, where Setzer was running third late in the race before he hit the wall and ended his chances(NASCAR.com Buzz)(3-24-2001)
    UPDATE: have heard that Ingle has left the Morgan-Dollar team and the team has closed up it’s North Carolina shop and released the employees there. The team will operate out of it’s main Oklahoma shop(3-26-2001)
    UPDATE 2: The Oklahoma-based Morgan/Dollar Motorsports team has announced some changes that have occurred over the past two weeks involving the restructuring of the team and the crew chief status. Former crew chief, Bill Ingle, and the ownership group of David Dollar and Rob Morgan have come to an agreement as to part ways to allow Ingle to fulfill personal obligations outside of his team duties. With Ingle’s absence, Dollar and Morgan decided to close the team’s Mooresville, North Carolina operation. Without the leadership of an active crew chief in place, the move was strictly a business decision aimed at consolidating day-to-day operations to the team’s original Hennessey, Oklahoma facility. The team has offered positions to members of the Mooresville operation in Oklahoma pending a team restructure. Bill Ingle, who served as crew chief for the team since sixth race of the 2000 season, departs the team almost one year to the date that he joined the #46 NCTS organization. Ingle joined the team in April of last year during the truck series race in Martinsville. Ingle missed the team’s third race at Bakersfield this season citing personal constraints. Todd Myer of the inactive TKO Motorsports, filled in during Ingle’s absence. Since TKO Motorsports will not be fielding a race truck in this weekend’s Advance Auto Parts 250, Myers will once again fill in as crew chief for the #46 ACXIOM/Computer Associates Chevrolet at Martinsville on an interim basis. Myers was present this week as Morgan/Dollar Motorsports tested at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, NC.(Morgan/Dollar Motorsports PR)(4-4-2001)
  • Boyd in the #7: Stan Boyd, driver of the #89 Chevrolet which plans to run seven CTS races in 2001, will wheel the #7 Chevy Conley Racing truck at Martinsville. This truck is virtually unsponsored and the team is supported by all volunteers under the direction of Owner/Crew chief John Conely of Conely Engines in Brighton, MI(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-4-2001)
  • #55 to sit out: The #55 Powers Motorsports/ TruckSeries.com Craftsman Truck Team has decided to sit out the next race at Martinsville,VA. April 7th. The Dodge Truck owned and driven by Tom Powers was damaged in Mesa Marin and crews have not finished readying the truck for this weeks race. The next race will be Saint Louis.(Truckseries.com)(4-4-2001)
  • MacDonald out Longer UPDATE Hensley in: Randy MacDonald may have to sit out longer than originally expected due to injuries suffered in the Daytona crash. Because of MacDonald’s situation Steve Portenga drove the MacDonald Motorsports Craftsman #72 truck entry at Bakersfield. With a 10th place qualifying run, the team was confident that he would finish in the top five, but due to an electrical problem, finished down from what he and the truck were capable of. MacDonald Motorsports recently moved into their newly acquired 14,000sq/ft race shop, in Thomasville, NC. The new shop is well equipped to run a CTS team as well as it is home to 2 new BGN cars and a new ASA car. The MacDonald Motorsports team is prepared and experienced and is now looking for the right driver to replace MacDonald. If you are experienced, and are working with a sponsor interested in the NASCAR Craftsman truck series, contact MacDonald, see my CTS Team Address page for address/phone info(Truckseries.com)(3-31-2001)
    UPDATE: After impressive positive feedback, leftbehind.com, the official web site of the best-selling Left Behind Series, has renewed its title sponsorship of Randy MacDonald’s #72 Chevrolet for the CTS race Martinsville Speedway. MacDonald, who was injured in a crash at Daytona earlier this year, has delegated the driver duties at Martinsville to veteran competitor Jimmy Hensley, who previously placed first at that track(Truckseries.com)(4-3-2001)
  • #73 Sponsor: The #73 Craftsman Truck Team will be sponsored by Guardian Fiberglass Incorporated and County Building Centers for the upcoming Advance Auto Parts 250 in Martinsville. Guardian Fiberglass, Inc., part of the Guardian Building Products Group, manufacturers a complete line of light density fiberglass building insulation products for the construction market in Canada and theUnited States.   Guardian products are sold under well-known private brand names including Georgia-Pacific, AceHardware, True Value Hardware, and Do it Best with a primary focus on the independent lumber dealer and home center market(Tagsby Racing PR)(4-2-2001)

Born On Date: Aug 23, 2001

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