July 2000 CTS Archive

• Houston Gone? UPDATE 2 The #66?: hearing Andy Houston may leave the #60 CAT Rental team for opportunities in the BGN or CUP(6-30-2000)
  UPDATE: a little more detail now – per Matt Yocum on ESPN2’s RPM 2Night: CTS driver Andy Houston is on Travis Carter’s list to replace Darrell Waltrip in the #66 Ford in 2001. Houston may test the car in the next few weeks(RPM 2Night), hearing Houston will test the #66 at Kentucky this Wed or Thurs. Also of Note: still unsure if Kmart will return to the #66 or Jimmy Spencer’s #26 in 2001, it was reported on 6-20-2000(see #66 page) by the Daily Press(VA) that Kmart would not return to the Carter team. More Houston: Also hear he is a candidate for the Cal Wells McDonald’s Ford ride and has interviewed for the ride, but Wells seems to be leaning more toward a Cup veteran(7-24-2000)
  UPDATE 2: hearing that Houston and Darrell Waltrip ran the #66 Ford at Kentucky on Tuesday(7-26-2000)
• More Ultra Motorsports News: actually hearing the #7 team may run a Ford as soon as Charlotte and not wait until Talladega AND that BGN driver Jason Leffler will run a second Ultra Motorsports truck Indianapolis Raceway Park(7-26-2000)
• Engine Change News: Crew chiefs and car owners were informed this past weekend at Nazareth Speedway that engine compression ratios would change next year from the current 9.5-to-1 ratio up to 12-to-1 in the BGN and CTS. This will add about 100 total horsepower to the engine output. There will also be modifications to the strict rules regulating the 390-cfm carburetors used in the BGN division. See the full story at the ESPN site by Ray Dunlap, along with a Pros and Cons of the changes(7-19-2000)
• Roper to CTS UPDATE: Tony Roper, who started the season out in the #50 WEM/DR Pepper BGN ride before that team folded, announced that he will be running several races in the CTS later this year for Mike Mittler’s #26 team. Plans are for Roper to debut at IRP on August 3. Other races include Richmond, Texas, Chicago, and possibly Nashville(Tony Roper Site)(7-13-2000)
  UPDATE: MB Motorsports announces that Tony Roper will drive the NCTS #26 Ford Truck for the remainder of the 2000 season. Roper, an experienced BGN and NCTS driver, takes over the driving duties, effective immediately. Jamie McMurray, who drove the #26 Ford for 10 races in 2000, has left the team. The first race for Roper in the #26 MB Motorsports Ford Truck will be at Indianapolis Raceway Park, on August 3rd. Other planned races that Roper will drive are Chicago, Richmond, Texas, and Nashville(MB Motorsports PR)(7-19-2000)
• #14 Circle Bar team switches engines: The #14 Milwaukee Electric Tool/Circle Bar race team will be moving to Roush Racing engines starting with the Michigan 200 on July 22nd at the Michigan Speedway. The team had been using Pro Motor Engineering for their engine needs since the first race of the season in Daytona. In the late part of the 1998 season; driver, Rick Crawford and the rest of the team, made a move from Bob Burnham engines to Robert Yates. They had been with Yates motors until the end of the season in 1999 when Yates informed the team that he would not be building 9.5:1 engines for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams in 2000(Circle Bar PR)(7-19-2000)
• Ruttman-Hamilton crew chief: Danny Gill will take over crew chief duties for the #4 Kodak MAX Film Monte Carlo at Morgan-McClure Motorsports. The change, effective Monday, July 10, moves former crew chief Robert Larkins into the Shop Foreman position. Larkins will also remain the jackman on race day. Gill moves into the crew chief position from the same duty held with Bobby Hamilton Racing for the #18 DANA Dodge driven by Joe Ruttman in Lebanon, Tenn. Gill had been with Bobby Hamilton Racing’s Craftsman Truck Series team since its inception in 1999(Morgan McClure PR). Fred Wanke, former #43 CTS crew chief takes over Gills spot on the #18(NOL)(7-14-2000)
• Some Rumored Driver changes: hearing Jamie McMurray will take over the #41 TKO Motorsports ride effective immediately. Randy Renfo has supposedly been released. Tony Roper will drive McMurray’s old ride, the #26 truck in a few events, no idea if the #26 will try to run the full season or not(7-13-2000)
• Philadelphia Daily News: ‘Senor Hot Wheels’ hopes to burn up track by Bill Fleischman
• Setzer Injured: #1-Dennis Setzer was injured in an accident at NHIS during the Thatlook.com 200 CTS race. The accident occurred in infamous turn three with Jack Sprague. Setzer has a broken right shoulder blade(TNN’s Raceday/NOL)(7-9-2000)
• Nashua Telegraph: Can the trucks succeed at NHIS? by Gary Fitz(7-4-2000)