December 2005 Craftsman Truck Series Archive - Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site

December 2005 Truck Series News Archive

Winners of a race in Cup, Busch and Truck Series races: see my Misc Stats page for this and many others.
Alex Yontz Racing And Vixen Are Setting The Stage For 2006: Alex Yontz Racing announced the formation of a unique partnership between Alex Yontz Racing and the all female rock sensation “Vixen.” The partnership called “Thunder and Lightning” will create a whole new environment for motorsports and entertainment marketing. The driver, 19-year-old Alex Yontz, competed in a select number of Truck Series races in 2005 in preparation for a complete schedule in 2006. The 2006 schedule will depend on sponsorship, but the team feels that this partnership will attract the right kind of attention. The AYR team is led by veteran Crew Chief Ed Berrier. Berrier, who is also an accomplished driver in all of NASCAR’s premier divisions, came to AYR from Kevin Harvick, Inc. “This team is on the way to becoming a championship caliber team in the truck series,” says Berrier. “With a little more experience, Alex is going to be a tough competitor.” The partnership of Vixen and AYR believe its all about the fans. The team’s vision is to bring race fans and music fans together to create one fan base, excite and entertain them, and point them to our sponsors. For more information about this program you can go to www.yontzonline.com.(See the full PR at Catchfence)(12-22-2005)
New Truck Series Team to Compete Full Time in 2006, Boston Reid: Rick and Cathy Woodard, along with Eddie Sharp, announced the formation of a new partnership, Woodard & Sharp Racing, with plans to compete full time in the Craftsman Truck Series next season. The partners have purchased a 25,000-square-foot shop in Denver, N.C., from which the team will field Dodge Ram trucks for Rookie of the Year candidate Boston Reid in all 25 truck series events in 2006. Patrick Donahue will fill the role of crew chief. The Woodard’s and Sharp met last year when both were involved in the ARCA Series. Rick and Cathy Woodard were co-owners of the #13 Boca Bay Racing entry in 2005. Sharp, a 20-year racing veteran, heads up Dodge’s ARCA driver development program. While Woodard & Sharp Racing is a new entity, the team is further demonstrating its commitment by surrounding itself with NASCAR veterans. In addition to the experience Sharp brings, the organization has entered into a technological partnership with Ray Evernham and Evernham Motorsports, who will serve as the team’s engine supplier. Boston Reid was named the 2002 USAC (United States Auto Club) Sprint Car Rookie of the Year. After joining Hendrick Motorsports’ driver development program, Reid competed in seven Busch Series races for Hendrick in 2005. Sponsorship opportunities with the team are available. Being a successful businessman, Woodard is confident Woodard & Sharp Racing can help potential sponsors reach their business objectives.(PR)(12-17-2005)
DW’s #17 team needs a sponsor: NTN Bearings notified the Darrell Waltrip Motorsports team that David Reutimann driver for, will not return to sponsor the team in 2006, will not stay in the sport, the team is actively seeking a sponsor for the #17 with David Reutimann as the driver.(12-15-2005)
Starr takes over #38 ride, Whitt? David Starr will drive the #38 Toyota Tundra for Red Horse Racing, the team announced today. Starr, a native of Houston, Tex., has been one of the top drivers in the series since he began running in 1998. Red Horse Racing, which ran its first full season in 2004, won its first race at Memphis, Tenn., earlier this year and has developed into one of the most-watched teams in the series. Red Horse Racing is also planning on running a second Truck if sponsorship can be finalized. “David Starr brings a new element to our race team, and we’re very excited to have him with us,” said Marty Gaunt, Red Horse Racing’s general manager and co-owner. “Our team has grown over the past two seasons and we’ve made tremendous strides. A veteran driver with the proven talent of David Starr was too good an opportunity to pass up.”
“Toyota and its Tundra are the way to go in the Craftsman Truck Series. Couple that with an opportunity to join a red hot team like Red Horse Racing, and this is a great opportunity for me,” Starr said. “(Crew chief) Jamie Jones has a really talented group of guys to work with. And the ownership of Marty Gaunt, Tom DeLoach and Jeff Hammond gives me the type of people I want to work with – and win with.”
Red Horse Racing’s ownership consists of general manager Gaunt, a winning veteran leader of motorsports teams; Hammond, a NASCAR Nextel Cup championship crew chief now serving as an analyst for FOX Sports; and DeLoach, a former Mobil Corp. executive who, with Hammond, owns and operates PIT Instruction and Training LLC, the number one pit crew training center in the world.(Williams Company), no mention on what former driver [and winner] Brandon Whitt will do in 2006, no mention in the PR but he ‘could’ be in the 2nd team if it materializes.(12-13-2005)
Connor leaves #88 for ppc Racing? UPDATE: hearing that #88 Thorsport Racing crew chief, Dennis Connor has left the team to take the crew chief job at the #10 ppc Racing Truck Series team with driver Terry Cook. (12-2-2005)
UPDATE: ppc Racing officials announced today that they have assembled a team of veteran crew chiefs to lead ppc Racing into 2006. Dennis Connor has accepted the crew chief position with the #10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race team in the Truck Series.(ppc Racing PR)(12-12-2005)
Ted Musgrave Collects $364,643 in Point Fund Awards: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Ted Musgrave (#1 Mopar Dodge) collected $364,643 in point fund awards along with special awards of $55,000 during Sunday’s Champions Award ceremonies to bring his 2005 season total to $880,553. Musgrave, the series’ eighth different champion in 11 seasons, was honored along with Ultra Motorsports owner Jim Smith, crew chief Gene Nead and Dodge Motorsports, the team’s 2005 sponsor. Musgrave’s career money total reached $3,772,884 to rank the veteran competitor third in all-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winnings. The champion’s season winnings included Smith’s share of the series’ owner money, and special awards from Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Dodge, Mobil1 and Sunoco. The championship was the first in more than three decades of competition for Musgrave, who celebrates his 50th birthday on Dec. 18. He is NASCAR’s oldest national touring series champion.
“Since awards are all about numbers, how about 3,930?” said Musgrave in addressing his fellow competitors and members of the news media during festivities at the Portofino Bay Hotel on the grounds of Universal Orlando. “Any guesses? That’s the number of days it took to finally win a championship. It doesn’t count how many races, sleepless nights and people it took to accomplish this goal.”
More than $1.8 million in point fund awards were distributed to the top 20 drivers in the final NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings. Runnerup Dennis Setzer (#46 Chevrolet Z71 Silverado Chevrolet) received $179,447. Setzer finished in the #2 spot for the third consecutive season and won a personal season best of $780,312. Todd Bodine (#30 Germain Motorsports Toyota) finished second in the season money won standings – on the strength of a series-high five victories including the final three races – to end the year with $805,908. With $1,023,238, Bodine is the 31st series driver to win more than a million dollars.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Top Five Money Winners (All-time):
1. Jack Sprague – $5,710,005
2. Dennis Setzer – $4,283,826
3. Ted Musgrave – $3,772,884
4. Ron Hornaday Jr. – $3,615,555
5. Rick Crawford – $3,398,305.(NASCAR PR)(12-12-2005)
2005 Craftsman Truck Series: was held on Sun., Dec. 11 at Portofino Bay Hotel, Orlando and is scheduled to be televised on Speed Channel 12/26 at 10pm/et, 12/27 at 2am/et and 2/4/06 at 3:30pm/et.
Hornaday is most popular: For the second time in his Truck Series career, Ron Hornaday was named Most Popular Driver. The announcement was made Sunday, Dec. 11, during the Craftsman Truck Series Awards Banquet at the Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Orlando Resort, Fla. For the past 10 years, NASCAR has voted for the Most Popular Driver Award and concluded on different drivers each consecutive year. Hornaday has become the first two-time Truck Series winner in the history of the award. “I could not have been more surprised, I never would have guessed that I would have received this award…again,” Hornaday said after the banquet on Sunday night. “It’s such an honor to be voted Most Popular Driver by NASCAR and the fans over all the other drivers within the Truck Series that are well deserved. “I can’t take all the credit for this, and want to thank Kevin and DeLana Harvick for the opportunity to drive their truck and my entire team for their dedication and hard work this season.” Hornaday has earned this prestigious honor five times in his racing career in a variety of NASCAR’s racing divisions. Including the Truck Series (2005, 1997), Hornaday has earned the title in the Busch Series (2002), Winston West Series (1994) and Southwest Tour (1992).(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR)(12-12-2005)
Hamilton signs news sponsor, changes to #18: 2004 Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton has joined forces with the Fastenal Company, a Minnesota based industrial and construction supply company with over 1,700 stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Singapore and the Netherlands. Hamilton will pilot the #18 Fastenal Dodge in 2006 and 2007, switching from the #04 he drove in 2005. “We are building several more trucks right now and testing them at tracks and the wind tunnel. Our team is capable of another championship, so this year will be exciting.” Fastenal was founded in 1967 in Winona, MN by company Chairman, Bob Kierlin. From this beginning, Fastenal has expanded to become the fastest growing full-line industrial distributor, and is now the largest fastener distributor in the nation.(BHR PR)(12-9-2005)
Ultra to Ford? UPDATE Official: UltraMotorsports is expected to shift [back to] to Fords next year in the Craftsman Truck series, though owner Jim Smith said he’s still talking with other manufacturers, including Dodge. Smith currently fields two Dodges [#1 Champion Musgrave and #2-Spencer], but Daimler Chrysler is reducing its support in the truck series next series.(NASCAR Scene), Smith said during the Truck Series race ASE would sponsor the #1 Dodge and Jimmy Spencer said he probably would not be back in the Truck Series in 2006, so no word on the #2 team.(11-19-2005)
UPDATE: It’s already the #1 truck in the marketplace. Now, the #1 truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a Ford F-150. Ultra Motorsports, which fields the #1 truck that was driven to the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship by Ted Musgrave, signed a multi-year contract with Ford Racing, starting with the 2006 season. Ultra Motorsports owner Jim Smith – one of the founding members of the truck series, campaigning Ford F-150s from 1995-2000 – said he is pleased about reuniting with the manufacturer. “I’m excited to be reunited with Ford Racing,” said Smith. “We started in this series running a Ford, and the F-150 with the Roush-Yates engine package looks to be the ticket for 2006. Team ASE/Ultra Wheel looks forward to defending the Craftsman Truck Series Championship in a Ford.” Musgrave, who has competed in all three of NASCAR’s top-tier series, won his first-ever championship at any level in 2005, clinching the title with a 19th-place finish in the season-ending Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. The addition of Ultra Motorsports also gives Ford the most successful 1-2 lineup in the truck series in 2006. Ultra Motorsports’ 36 victories are the second-most in series history, trailing only Roush Racing (37), another Ford Racing-backed organization.(PCGCampbell PR), no word on the #2 team, but ASE sponsorship moves over to the #1.(12-8-2005)
Driver X show on Hiatis UPDATE returns Dec 26th: Driver X, the Roush Racing show about the ‘Gong Show’/driver tryout is taking a short break, and has temporarily been removed from Discovery Channel’s Monday night lineup. Watch for the show to return soon.(Roush Racing)(12-6-2005)
UPDATE: Fans of Roush Racing: Driver X, Discovery Channel has confirmed the series will return on December 26, 2005. Don’t miss the excitement as the 12 semi-finalists are put through a rigorous week of media activities at Roush Racing headquarters in Charlotte (Concord), NC. The series is scheduled to return to the air on Monday nights at 7:00pm and 11:00pm/et/pt. Please check local listing for broadcast times in your area.(Roush Racing)(12-7-2005)
Renshaw’s Plans Uncertain for 2006: The 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season was filled with highs and lows for driver Deborah Renshaw. Driving the #8 Dodge out of the BHR2 stable, the female racer finished 24th in the seasons final point’s standings. Now the Bowling Green, Kentucky native waits anxiously to see what the future holds for her. In 24 starts this past season, Renshaw scored a career best 12th place finish in her career debut at the challenging track in Dover. She also posted a career best qualifying effort of eighth at her home track of the Nashville Superspeedway. In all, Renshaw accumulated six top-20 finishes and 13 top-25 finishes during the season. Renshaw stayed busy off the track as well in 2005. The highlight was the taping of a segment at the California Speedway for the highly acclaimed DVD release of the hit movie “Herbie Fully Loaded”. The female racer was highlighted in a featurette where she takes the audience for a ride to show them what it is actually like driving 180 mph. Additionally, Deborah will appear on an upcoming episode of 2 Guys Garage on the Speed Channel which was taped while she made an appearance at her alma mater – Northwood University – for their annual International Outdoor Auto Show. The episode will first appear on Speed on December 25th at 10:30am/et. “This has been a very busy and exciting year for me and we are working hard during this off season to put something together for next year,” said Renshaw. “But honestly, we need some more help on the sponsorship side. We are also talking to a handful of teams about next season and it sure would be nice if something came together here soon. We have a tremendous marketing package to provide on the sponsorship side and with the 2005 season under my belt I think we will be even more competitive next season. I am keeping my fingers crossed that something happens soon.”(Deborah Renshaw PR )(12-6-2005)
Krisiloff to the #15? The endless number of drivers piloting owner Billy Ballew’s Craftsman Truck seems to have ended with the signing of Kyle Krisiloff. The 19-year-old driver ran in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2005 and won two poles alomg the way. Eight different drivers drove Ballew’s #15 entry this year.(RacingOne)(12-1-2005)
UPDATE: Billy Ballew, owner of Billy Ballew Motorsports, announces Kyle Krisiloff will drive the #15 Chevy in the Craftsman Truck Series for the 2006 season. The 19-year-old Krisiloff competed in the Busch Series and the ARCA this past season as part of the Hendrick Motorsports driver development program. Over the last couple of years, Krisiloff has competed in three Busch Series events and in 17 ARCA events, which has introduced him to the heavier stock cars that are similar to the machines he’ll race on the Craftsman Truck Series circuit. He accumulated two poles and eight top-10 finishes, including one victory at Chicagoland Speedway in ARCA competition in 2004, collecting his first win in a stock car. Billy Ballew Motorsports, which was formed in 1996, finished fifth in the final 2005 Craftsman Truck Series Owners Standings. The amazing feat was accomplished with the utilization of eight different drivers in the #15 truck, which included the 2005 NEXTEL Cup Series Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch and the 2004 and 2005 Busch Series Champion Martin Truex, Jr. Busch had the most success in the #15 Chevy, capturing three victories, one Bud Pole and nine top-10 finishes in 11 starts. Negotiations for sponsorship are still ongoing and will be announced at a later time.(Billy Ballew Motorsports PR)(12-2-2005)

2005

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Born On Date: December 12, 2005