December 2007 Craftsman Truck Series Archive - Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site

December 2007 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.
SS Racing – Green Light Racing announce joint venture for 2008: SS Racing has announced that it has executed a formal Joint-Venture agreement with Green Light Racing for the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Season. The teams will combine resources towards their campaign with two full time trucks, the #07 and #08 Chevy. ASI Limited, the primary sponsor for SS-Racing has participated with Green Light Racing as a part-time sponsor in limited races the past several seasons and will continue in this new partnership. The SSR-GLR team will operate from the current Mooresville, North Carolina facility. SS Racing Driver/Coach and short track legend, Butch Miller and ASA Crew Chief Deon Deneau will provide continued leadership, competition and driver coaching support for the teams. Drivers and primary sponsorships will be announced before the first race of the season February 15th at Daytona International Speedway.(SS Racing PR)(12-29-2007)
Lafferty Motorsports to run limited schedule: UPDATE: Lafferty Motorsports owner, Chris Lafferty has announced that plans are to attend approximately five races with Wayne Edwards driving the #89 Chevy truck in 2008.(Lafferty Motorsports PR)(12-28-2007)
UPDATE: Crew chief will be David Null with sponsorship provided by Lafferty Performance.(Lafferty Motorsports PR)(12-29-2007)
TRG Motorsports has a new home: The team that will run Andy Lally in the 2008 Craftsman Truck Series has relocated to Mooresville, North Carolina in a 33,000 square foot facility; the building was previously owned by Robert Yates Racing. TRG will still run the sportscar program from its Petaluma, California shop just a few miles from Infineon Raceway. The team is now fully focused on building and updating trucks for the 2008 season. The first test of 2008 will be January 11th through the 13th at Daytona International Speedway.(AndyLally.com)(1-2-2008) [Complete address is posted on the Team Addresses page]
Red Horse Racing moves to new facility: Red Horse Racing has announced a relocation to a new 24,000 square foot race shop on Byers Creek Road in Mooresville, NC., in preparation for their 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign.(Red Horse Racing PR)[Complete address is posted on the Team Addresses page](12-26-2007)
Lumber Liquidators returns as sponsor for Bodine; no firm Cup plans: Chemung native Todd Bodine will return to the Craftsman Truck Series next year in the #30 Germain Racing Toyota, team media relations spokeswoman Lori Smith said Wednesday. Bodine, who won the Truck Series title with Germain in 2006, finished fourth in the series this past season. “He’ll be back in the #30 truck and gunning for another championship,” Smith said. She said Lumber Liquidators is returning as Bodine’s sponsor. Smith said they have no plans, for now, to run in the Sprint Cup Series next year. The team and Bodine have expressed a desire to run in the Sprint Cup Series provided they can get enough sponsorship. “We’d like to run a couple of races (in 2008) with Todd, but we have no firm plans,” Smith said.(Star Gazette News)(12-20-2007)
Wyler Racing names Terry Cook to drive second entry in ’08: Wyler Racing has announced that veteran Craftsman Truck Series driver Terry Cook has been named driver of the #06 Toyota Tundra that will compete full time in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2008, as a teammate to Richard Johns in the #60 Toyota. Rick Gay, who has been with Wyler Racing since October, will move over to Crew Chief Cook’s team in 2008. The duo worked together when they were both at ppc Racing. (Wyler Racing PR)(12-19-2007)
Stout plans to run at least six races; maybe more: JC Stout, driver of the only NASCAR team to operate fully from western New York State, has announced his intention to once again compete in the Craftsman Truck Series while looking to expand his racing opportunities. Stout confirmed that he has been officially certified by NASCAR to compete in the Nationwide Series on half-mile to high banked mile and a half tracks. Additionally Stout was given the nod to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Talladega. Stout’s current part-time family operated #91 Craftsman Truck Series team has earmarked a handful of races in which they plan to enter in 2008. Those venues include Charlotte (Lowe’s), Milwaukee, Kentucky, Loudon and Martinsville. Additional races may be considered pending sponsorship.(J.C. Stout PR)(12-19-2007)
Clanton to Roush Racing: UPDATE Roush Fenway announcement made: Joey Clanton confirmed Friday he has signed a deal to run a Roush Fenway Ford full time in the Craftsman Truck Series. An official announcement is expected Monday. Clanton will bring his #09 from Wood Brothers/JTG Racing, where he drove a partial schedule last season. Veteran crew chief John Quinn, who won a race in 2007 with Erik Darnell driving, will lead Clanton’s team.(Atlanta Journal Constitution)(12-15-2007)
UPDATE: Roush Fenway Racing has formally announced that Joey Clanton will be part of its NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series line-up for 2008, along with sponsor Zaxby’s. Clanton will pilot the #09 Zaxby’s Ford F-150 for the entire truck series season. Clanton, the 2002 ASA champion, joins Roush Fenway Racing after a season in the Craftsman Truck Series with Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. There Clanton earned five top-10 finishes in 16 starts.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(12-18-2007)
Cool City Customs to sponsor Michigan race: Cool City Customs, a Michigan-based motorcycle customs shop, will sponsor the Cool City Customs 200 at Michigan International Speedway on June 14. It will be the first NASCAR sponsorship of any kind for the Lyons, Mich., company that specializes in the customizing and selling of many of the extravagant motorcycles on the road today. The three-year sponsorship deal for the Cool City Customs 200 will extend through 2010. The sponsorship also makes Cool City Customs the “Official Custom Bike Builder” of Michigan International Speedway.(MIS PR)(12-17-2007)
Marks to make Raybestos ROTY bid: Justin Marks ran his first-ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in a Tundra fielded by Germain Racing in 2007. He made four starts, and collected an eighth-place finish at the season finale in Homestead, Fla. Marks will return to the Truck Series in 2008 to contend for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in the #9 Crocs/Construct Corps Toyota. Leading Marks Rookie of the Year campaign will be crew chief Jason Overstreet.(Germain Racing PR)(12-17-2007)
Darnell fastest in ARCA test session at DIS: Forty-one teams kicked off a three-day ARCA RE/MAX Series test session on Friday at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the ARCA 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race scheduled for Feb. 9. Erik Darnell, driving a Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, was the fastest after the first day of testing with a speed of 179.935 mph. Darnell, who competes for Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, is spending the three-day ARCA RE/MAX Series test session assisting new Roush Fenway Racing driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Stenhouse joins Roush Fenway Racing from the United States Auto Club, where he ran and won in the Silver Crown, Sprint and Midget divisions with Tony Stewart Racing. He plans to compete in a full season of ARCA RE/MAX Series competition including the 80-lap, 200-mile season opener on Saturday, Feb. 9.(NASCAR PR)(12-15-2007)
Bobby Hamilton Racing and Arrington partner for 2008 and beyond: UPDATE Bobby Jr. comments: In an effort to better align themselves in the NASCAR community, Bobby Hamilton Racing (BHR) and Arrington Manufacturing (AMI) announced today the formation of a partnership between its two companies. AMI consists of a joint venture between Mac Bailey, Mark Melling, Clay Campbell, Stacy Compton and Joey Arrington. BHR will continue to be run daily by Lori Hamilton with AMI management group. Accordingly, the company, founded by the late Bobby Hamilton Sr., will relocate closer to the hub of NASCAR in the coming weeks.(Bobby Hamilton Racing PR)(12-10-2007)
UPDATE: The late Bobby Hamilton developed a Craftsman Truck championship team at his Mt. Juliet racing shop. The shop is now headed east, and out of state. Bobby Hamilton’s son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., said his dad would not have allowed the team to move outside of the Nashville area had he still been alive. “He wouldn’t have done it,” said Hamilton Jr., currently competing in the Nationwide series. “My dad always said he wanted to keep it in Nashville because everyone told him it wouldn’t survive if it wasn’t in Charlotte.” BHR Racing plans to continue to field two trucks in the Craftsman Truck division.(Tennessean)(12-15-2007)
Hylton becomes latest TRG addition: The newly-formed TRG Craftsman Truck Series team has announced Butch Hylton will fill the role of Crew Chief to the #00 piloted by Andy Lally. As a 15-year veteran of the stock-car circuit, Hylton brings with him a number of accolades to the team, including being involved in 20 race wins as a Crew Chief for a number of Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams, as well as the 2000 Sprint Cup and 2003 Nationwide Series championships. With all of the major hires out of the way, TRG Motorsports now sets its sights on ensuring that 2008 becomes not only a championship-caliber program on the track, but also that the off-track sponsorship and partnership programs are equally successful.(TRG Motorsports PR)(12-12-2007)
Craftsman wants its marketing to be ‘more disruptive’: Craftsman isn’t leaving motorsports, Scott Howard insists, but it will terminate its title sponsorship of the NASCAR truck series at the end of 2008, two years before the end of its current five-year deal. Howard, manager of marketing partnerships for Sears, said Craftsman’s departure also will bring an end to its status as the official tool of NASCAR. The current agreement was supposed to run through 2010, but Craftsman exercised a termination clause for the end of next season. Whether the next move involves a track deal, a team sponsorship or some other media play, Howard isn’t sure yet, but whatever Craftsman does, he wants it to be “disruptive.” “We want to elevate and change the perception of the brand,” he said. “We don’t want to just do what everybody else is doing, but we want to make it bigger and better. We’re looking for ways to break through, be a little more disruptive. We’re going to be playing in positions that you might not expect to see the brand.”(SceneDaily.com)(12-13-2007)
Five truck teams test at Rockingham: Five teams from the Craftsman Truck Series turned up for a two-day test session at the newly reopened Rockingham Speedway. Johnny Benson, driver of the #23 Excide Batteries Toyota was the most experienced driver at Rockingham Speedway participating in the test. Four time Truck Series race winner, David Starr tested his Red Horse Racing Toyota at Rockingham to help reacquaint himself with his old team – the team he also raced for during the 2006 season. Three Truck Series rookies also joined the two veterans during over the two day period. Justin Marks attended the test driving for Germain Racing, Phillip McGilton driving the #22 for Bill Davis Racing and Donnie Lia driving the #59 Harris Trucking entry all turned numerous laps in their Toyotas.(Rockingham Raceway PR)(12-12-2007)
Four contending for the #10? Hearing it is down to four drivers contending for the #10 truck, Bradley Riethmeyer, Brendan Gaughan, Bobby East and Clay Rogers.(12-11-2007)
Hornaday tests tires at Atlanta: On an unseasonably warm day at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 2000 NASCAR Cup champion Bobby Labonte and three-time Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. hit the pavement testing tires for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Hornaday Jr. tested his fully-decaled #2 Camping World Chevy, turning a fast lap of 178.723 mph (31.02 seconds). Labonte, a six-time AMS winner, ran a gray primer car around Atlanta Motor Speedway’s high banks, recording a fast lap of 184.470 mph (30.09 seconds). Testing continues tomorrow with Labonte and Hornaday Jr. scheduled to participate in another eight hour test.(Atlanta Motor Speedway PR)(12-11-2007)
Starr, Red Horse Racing get jump on 2008 with test at Rockingham: David Starr, who is returning to Red Horse Racing as driver of the #11 Toyota Tundra, will take part in a two-day test starting on Monday, December 10th at Rockingham Speedway in preparation for his run for the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship. Starr ran the full season for Red Horse Racing in 2006, winning one race, and finishing fourth in the Championship Point Standings.(Red Horse Racing PR)(12-10-2007)
Sheltra to run limited truck schedule in ’08: Sheltra Motorsports has announced that the ARCA RE/MAX Series will not be the only racing sanction that they will be competing in next year. Additionally, the team [with driver Patrick Sheltra] will run a limited schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after purchasing equipment from Billy Ballew Motorsports. Sheltra, who made his NCTS debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October, will announce his 2008 NCTS schedule early next year.(Sheltra Motorsports PR)(12-9-2007)
Hornaday part of ’08 Nationwide team for KHI: Kevin Harvick Inc. co-owner and driver Kevin Harvick will return to the driver’s seat of the #33 KHI Chevy in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2008. Harvick, a two-time NASCAR Busch Series Champion, will pilot the #33 Chevy for 22 of the 35 races throughout the season. Joining Harvick behind the wheel will be Cale Gale for 11 races and defending Truck Series Champion Ron Hornaday for two races.(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR)(12-7-2007)
Bobby Hamilton Sr. special to air following banquet on SPEED/tv: During the 2006 racing season former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Bobby Hamilton Sr. touched the lives of many race fans through his courageous battle with Head and Neck Cancer. Friday night following the airing of the 2007 NCTS Banquet fans can catch an inside glimpse of Hamilton’s racing career and his battle with cancer. Speed Channel will air “Bobby Hamilton: Live to Race, Race to Live” at 10:30pm/et. The 30 minute special depicts how Hamilton became a successful racer despite a life time of challenges growing up in Music City, Tenn. Double check your local listings for air times.(Bobby Hamilton Racing PR)(12-7-2007)
Hornaday to pilot bobsled in annual Bodine Challenge: Three 2007 NASCAR Champions have joined the list of drivers participating in the 3rd Annual Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge, presented by Whelen Engineering, January 3-5 at the Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, N.Y. Craftsman Truck Series Champion Ron Hornaday, NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Champion Steve Carlson, and NASCAR Grand National Busch East Series Champion Joey Logano have joined NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion Donny Lia, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Champion L.W. Miller, Nextel Cup driver and three-race Bodine Challenge winner Boris Said, and NHRA driver and previous Bobsled Challenge competitor Morgan Lucas, in the field of racecar drivers piloting bobsleds down the icy chute.(nascar.com)(12-6-2007)
#75 Spears Mfg. team ceases operations: UPDATE: Not returning to Series: Ray Dunlap from SPEED/tv is reporting that the #75 Spears Craftsman Truck team closed its doors today. All employees were released immediately.(11-30-2007)
UPDATE: An excerpt from letter to fans from Wayne and Connie Spears: “Unfortunately, the Spears Racing Team and the #75 will not be returning to the series in 2008. In the last couple of years business and demands of travel have left no time for us to be hands-on with the team,” the owners wrote. “Connie and I have to miss too many races, and we feel like we leave the team without the help and support they deserve. “Walking away from our team and parking the #75 is like losing one’s closest friend. To us, racing was not a business, it was more like a big family. And not being able to spend enough time with our family has been unfair to the both of us.”(SpearsRacing.com)(12-5-2007)
2008 Testing dates announced: The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will begin its 2008 testing at Daytona International Speedway with NASCAR Preseason Thunder, Friday, Jan. 11 through Sunday, Jan. 13. The remaining testing schedule for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is as follows: Atlanta Motor Speedway – Jan. 22-23 (rain date Jan. 24); Martinsville Speedway – March 12-13 (rain date March 14).(NASCAR PR)(12-4-2007)
Craftsman leaving series? UPDATE 2 – Official announcment: Hearing that Sears Craftsman will be leaving as sponsor of the Truck Series following the 2008 season. The announcement is expected to be made within the next few days, possibly as early as tomorrow.(12-3-2007)
UPDATE: Craftsman will be out as title sponsor of NASCAR’s truck-racing series beginning with the 2009 season, The Star has learned. No new title sponsor has been found to replace Craftsman, but a search will soon be getting under way, said Steve Phelps, marketing director for NASCAR. He said he believes NASCAR will have little problem finding a new title sponsor because of the increasing popularity of the series. “We haven’t started a search, per se,” Phelps said. “But what we want to try to do is identify companies that we believe would be a great fit for the series and a great fit for the fan base. So we’ll get out there in 2008, the new year, and start discussions with new companies. No real timelines on when it’s going to get done. But it will obviously get done.” Craftsman’s contract with NASCAR ends after the 2008 series. Craftsman has been the title sponsor since 1995, the year NASCAR founded the series. Over the past 13 series, the trucks have featured some of NASCAR’s best racing. Television ratings in terms of total viewership have grown every season. Scott Howard, manager of marketing partnerships and activation for Sears, said his company had been in discussions with NASCAR about continuing sponsorship of the series for the past several months. But, he said, “We have come to the decision that we’re going to be giving up our title sponsorship to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series at the end of 2008. We are fully committed to the series until the end of next season.” Howard said that Craftsman does not plan to withdraw fully from NASCAR. He said his company will continue exploring efforts to maintain a presence in the series.(Kansas City Star)(12-3-2007)
UPDATE 2: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing has begun marketing entitlement sponsorship of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series beginning with the 2009 season. This follows a decision by Sears that its Craftsman brand will forgo its sponsorship rights following the 2008 season. “Craftsman has been a great, longstanding partner and intends to remain in the sport,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR Chief Marketing Officer, in a joint announcement with Sears. “The current series name will continue through the 2008 season with the same great commitment Craftsman has demonstrated throughout its 13-year history as the series’ entitlement sponsor.” “The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series represents some of the world’s best racing; the season championship has been determined in the final race of the year in 12 of 13 seasons – including 2007,” Phelps said. “The series continues to attract some of NASCAR’s most avid fans because of its intense, side-by-side competition.” “Craftsman has been the sponsor of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since its inception in 1995 and since then we have developed strong relationships with millions of loyal NASCAR fans we value greatly,” said Scott Howard, Manager of Marketing Partnerships for Sears. “While we will be relinquishing title sponsorship of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the end of 2008 we continue to explore new opportunities within NASCAR.”(NASCAR PR)(12-4-2007)
Bourque full time in ’08? Hearing that Canadian Pierre Bourque has a sponsor in place to run the full 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule and is currently talking with several top teams in the series. Bourque made his Truck Series debut in 2007 for Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing team at O’Reilly Raceway Park.(12-3-2007)
Gale will start from the pole in the Snowball Derby: Mobilian Cale Gale will start from the pole today in the 40th annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola. Gale, who raced in seven Busch Series and five Craftsman Truck Series events for Kevin Harvick Inc. in 2007, was the fastest of the 58 cars seeking to qualify on Friday night for the super late-model event, touring the half-mile track in 16.983 seconds.(Press-Register)(12-2-2007)

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Born On Date: December 1, 2007