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July 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.
  • Huffman out of the #12 Truck ride? Hamilton Jr. in? UPDATE 2 DW one more time: it was reported on Speed Channel’s coverage of the Memphis Truck Series race by Ray Dunlap, that Robert Huffman, driver of the #12 Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Toyota in the Truck Series, would be replaced for the final ten races of the 2005 season with a Nextel Cup regular with “a clean uniform” but the driver couldn’t be named due to contract issues. Word is that Bobby Hamilton Jr. could be the driver, not sure if that means Hamilton Jr. leaves the #32 PPI Racing job or will run double duty…but Chevy in Cup and Toyota in Trucks, both teams factory backed, seems unlikely.(7-23-2005)
    UPDATE: Hamilton Jr. will run the #12 Toyota for DW in all but one or two races. Hamilton Jr. will do double duty, running the #32 car in all but one race as Ron Fellows will run the #32 car at Watkins Glen, so Hamilton will be free to run the #12 Truck at Nashville on the same weekend.(7-24-2005)
    UPDATE 2: Joe Ruttman joined several Truck Series drivers in a Toyota test session at Nashville Superspeedway, and Ruttman hopes the “audition” will land him a ride as Darrell Waltrip’s new driver. Bobby Hamilton Jr. also is on the list of possible replacements for Robert Huffman, who was released from Waltrip’s #12 Toyota Tundra race truck last week. In the spring of 2001, Ruttman, at age 56, became the oldest winner in any of NASCAR’s top divisions when he won a truck race at Colorado Springs. Waltrip said he has a list of possible replacements for Huffman, “and Joe is on the list. He’s here to impress me, and he’s got that opportunity.” Huffman’s replacement will join #17-David Reutimann in the Waltrip stable. Reutimann, seventh in the standings, said he would be delighted to have Ruttman as a teammate.
    Waltrip can empathize with Ruttman’s desire to keep racing. Since retiring from Nextel Cup at the end of the 2000 season, the three-time champion has raced occasionally in the truck series. Yesterday, Waltrip said he intends to run one final race, Oct. 22 at Martinsville, Va., and then retire for keeps. “I know I said that last year,” said the 58-year-old Waltrip. “But after qualifying was rained out I wasn’t able to get in the lineup, so that doesn’t count. This time I really mean it — it’s my last race.”(Tennessean)(7-29-2005)
  • Jack Bailey Is Headed To The Craftsman Truck Series: Jack Bailey, NASCAR Dodge Late Model Series standout is headed to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series. Bailey will make his debut August 5, 2005 at Indianapolis Raceway Park in the Power Stroke Diesel 200, and will be driving the #07 Green Light Racing Ford for owners Bobby Dotter and Gene Christensen. For more information on Green Light Racing and Jack Bailey please visit www.jackbailey.com.(7-29-2005)
  • Key Motorsports announces 2005 plans: Chesapeake, VA -Key Motorsports announced their return to the Craftsman Truck Series Circuit with driver Andy Houston and crew chief Lance Hooper. The first race will be the O’Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 24th. Houston, son of former Busch series standout Tommy Houston, is returning to the Craftsman Truck Series for his first race of 2005. In 120 Craftsman Truck Series’ starts, Houston has collected 3 wins, 27 tops fives and 51 top tens. Hooper, a former Nextel Cup driver and West Series Champion, recently moved over from the number #65 Truck Series team of Glynn Motorsports. During his tenure with Glynn, Hooper propelled the team to their best finish of this season, eighth place, at Texas Motor Speedway. Key Motorsports is a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team based in Chesapeake, Virginia. Both associate and primary sponsorship opportunities are available for the remainder of this year and for the 2006 season.(Key Motorsports)(7-29-2005)
  • Hamilton Sr. to run Indy, maybe more, not retire?: Bobby Hamilton [#04] will try to qualify for the Aug. 7 Brickyard 400, his first race in NASCAR’s top tier since he left at the end of the 2003 season. “If I can qualify, I’ll be in the race,” said Hamilton, who won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship last year and is currently third in the standings. “It’s a no-pressure thing and I’m looking forward to it.” Hamilton said he is dabbling in Nextel Cup for two reasons. He hopes to transfer some of the chassis technology to his truck racing team, and also help his son, Bobby Jr., get his [#32] car up to speed. Bobby Hamilton Jr. has struggled in his first full Nextel Cup season. “We’re working together, helping each other,” the senior Hamilton said. “We were at Indy testing last week and I had the quickest lap and Little Bobby the second-quickest. After Indy I may run a few more Cup races on some tracks that we need help on.” Hamilton purchased the Nextel Cup car from PPI Racing, the team for which Bobby Jr. drives, and rebuilt it at his racing complex in Mt. Juliet. “It’s a good car,” he said. “I’m anxious to race it. I’ve still got a lot of buddies over there and it’ll be fun to see them,” said Hamilton, who has run five Busch Series races this season for Sadler Racing [#95] in addition to his full-time truck schedule. Hamilton hopes to eventually evolve his truck racing team into a Nextel Cup team, with his son driving for him. Earlier this year Hamilton said he intended to retire from driving at the end of this season in order to oversee his team and develop young drivers on a full-time basis. Since then those plans have become less definite. “I’ll do what I think is best for my race team,” he said. “It’s hard to predict the future.”(Tennessean)(7-27-2005)
  • The ‘biggest’ announcement in Talladega history UPDATE: no idea what this is about but Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, AL says they will hold the biggest announcement in Talladega Superspeedway history in the past two decades at Talladega Superspeedway on Tuesday, July 26 at 11:00am/local.(7-21-2005)
    UPDATE: hearing the track will be repaved…not sure if before the race in October or for the first 2006 race. AND/OR have heard it could be a Truck Series race to run next Oct 2006.(7-26-2005)
    UPDATE 2: Talladega Superspeedway Vice President and General Manager Rick Humphrey announced that in 2006, the 2.66-mile Alabama racetrack will welcome the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the first time in history! The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 7 during the 2006 UAW-Ford 500 event weekend set for Oct. 5 – 8. The 2006 UAW-Ford 500 event weekend slated for Oct. 5 – 8 will include Discount Food Mart Qualifying for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series as well as qualifying for the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The Food World 300 ARCA RE-MAX Series race will be held on Friday, Oct. 6, with Talladega Superspeedway’s newest addition to its spectacular fall schedule – the track’s first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race – held on Saturday, Oct. 7. The UAW-Ford 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race is set for Sunday, Oct. 8. Race fans that purchase a Saturday, Oct. 1 ticket to the 2005 Food World 300 ARCA RE/MAX Series race will be allowed to renew that seat to the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event in 2006.
    Currently, the staff at Talladega Superspeedway is preparing to welcome fans for the second time this year, with the 2005 UAW-Ford 500 event weekend set for Sept. 29 – Oct. 2. The weekend includes Alabama Beef Producers Qualifying Day for the ARCA RE/MAX Series on Thursday, Sept. 29; Discount Food Mart Qualifying Day for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series on Friday, Sept. 30, which also features an ARCA RE/MAX Series driver autograph session; the Food World 300 ARCA RE/MAX Series race on Saturday, Oct. 1 and the UAW-Ford 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race on Sunday, Oct. 2. Kids age 11 and younger are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets for the UAW-Ford 500 are available by calling the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office at 1-877-Go2-DEGA or purchase your tickets online today! More information on reserving a spot in Talladega’s overnight parks and reserved infield area is also available online or by calling the Ticket Office. You may also purchase tickets in person at Talladega Superspeedway’s Ticket Office 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CDT, Monday – Friday.(Talladega Superspeedway Site)(7-26-2005)
  • Testing at Nashville: Nashville Superspeedway will host a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Test on Wednesday, July 27. Some drivers testing include: #5-Mike Skinner, #17-David Reutimann, #23-Johnny Benson, #30-Todd Bodine, #38-Brandon Whitt, Joe Ruttman (Toyota test team driver and Nashville native), #46-Dennis Setzer and #14-Rick Crawford.(Nashville Superspeedway)(7-26-2005)
  • Whitt wins at Memphis: #38-Brandon Whitt won the O’Reilly 200 Presented by Valvoline at Memphis Motorsports Park for his first ever Truck Series win after #6-Ron Hornaday spun while leading with one corner to go, Hornaday ended up 21st after leading 79 of the 202 laps. Whitt led three times for 55 laps. Whitt also won the $18,000 Craftsman Win from the Pole Bonus. With his fourth place finish #16-Dennis Setzer increased his points lead to 158 points over #1-Ted Musgrave. There were 13 cautons for 55 laps.
    For race results see:
    Truckseries.com
    Motorsports One
    NASCAR.com.(7-23-2005)
  • Whitt wins pole at Memphis: #38-Brandon Whitt won the pole for the O’Reilly 200 Presented by Valvoline at Memphis Motorsports Park with a speed of 118.801mph, for his first career pole. #17-David Reutimann ill start 2nd, followed by #04-Bobby Hamilton, #16-Jack Sprague and #6-Ron Hornaday. Points leader, #46-Dennis Setzer will start 13th. Missing the race were: #63-Justin Allgaier, #74-Jim Walker, #64-Sam Beam and #27-Frank Wilson Jr.
    See qualifying results/starting lineup at:
    Truckseries.com – Starting Lineup
    Truckseries.com – Qualifying Results
    NASCAR.com.(7-23-2005)
  • Arnold sells truck interest to Germain, back to Cup: Saying he’s sold his interest in the Germain-Arnold Racing Craftsman Truck Series [#9, #30] team, Don Arnold confirmed he’s once again focusing on going Nextel Cup Series racing [#50 team]. “I just wanted to concentrate on Cup,” Arnold said from his new 40,000 square-foot shop located in Mooresville, N.C. “I hope within the next week to announce a Cup sponsorship deal for the rest of the 2005 season and all of 2006.” Arnold said veteran driver Jimmy Spencer would remain at the wheel of the #50 Arnold Motorsports machine. He added that the new sponsor officially would be unveiled the first week of August at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — just in time for the team’s qualifying effort for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Spencer was among those testing at Indianapolis on July 5 in the Arnold Motorsports Dodge. But he crashed in Turn 1 in the afternoon, causing heavy rear-end damage to the only car the team had taken to the speedway. “We were good, but we crashed,” Arnold said. “We’re in the process of building three new cars right now.” Spencer has driven the #50 car in only three Nextel Cup Series races so far in 2005. He qualified 22nd and finished 29th in the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta. The next week at Bristol, he qualified 29th for the Food City 500 and finished 21st. In the Coca-Cola 600 at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte on May 29, Spencer had a notable 17th-place spot on the starting grid, only to finish 42nd after getting tangled up in a three-car accident and retiring to the garage after 98 official laps. Spencer, who drives full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series and also appears regularly on SPEED Channel racing programs [NASCAR This Morning and Victory Lane]. Arnold ran his first full season in the Cup series in 2004, with Derrike Cope at the wheel the first 12 races. Before the year was out, Mike Wallace, P.J. Jones and Todd Bodine all got shots in the driver’s seat. With Arnold now set up in the larger Mooresville facility, the truck team continues to lease the shop located in Concord.(Naples Daily News)(7-22-2005)
  • New Spotter for Starr: #75-Spears Motorsports has now added the talents of former truck competitor Rick Carelli as their spotter. “I’m really excited to have Rick aboard,” says driver David Starr. “His ability, experience and knowledge will be great and I think he will be a great boon in helping make our way to the front.” Carelli was spotting for #6-Ron Hornaday and Kevin Harvick Inc., no word on why they parted ways.(Spears Motorsports PR)(7-20-2005)
  • Same sponsor, different name for Cook: Through its motorsports marketing program in the NCTS, International Truck and Engine Corporation wants to identify its Power StrokeR diesel engine as the leading diesel supplier to Ford Motor Company’s truck, SUV and van production lines. Beginning with this weekend’s race at MMP, the correct sponsor name on Terry Cook’s #10 Ford is Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International. Since 1994, more than two and a half million Ford vehicles are powered by a Power Stroke diesel engine and continue to be the most sought-after engine in its class based on its proven reliability, performance and superior fuel economy. For more information, please visit www.powerstrokediesel.com.(ppc Racing PR)(7-20-2005)
  • Andretti back in the #15 truck at Memphis: John Andretti will return to Billy Ballew Motorsports to drive the #15 Chevrolet Silverado this Saturday at Memphis Motorsports Park in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. Andretti made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Kansas Speedway a few weeks ago in the Billy Ballew Motorsports-entry and made a considerable impression on team owner Billy Ballew, as well as fans alike, by finishing in the ninth position after starting last. Andretti scored a solid top-10 finish in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut with Billy Ballew Motorsports after having to start in the rear for making changes following qualifying. “I enjoyed my first race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Billy Ballew Motorsports,” said Andretti. “They are a great organization and do a top-notch job preparing these trucks. I had a lot of fun, especially since I hadn’t driven since March. Ritchie (Wauters, crew chief) and the guys bore with me while I was shaking the cobwebs off.” Billy Ballew Motorsports, which for the bulk of the 2005 season has remained unsponsored, sits in the top-five in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Owners’ Points Standings just past the halfway point of the season. The #15 team is fifth in the points, less than 200 points out of the lead, with 12 races remaining in the 2005 season.(Billy Ballew Motorsports)(7-20-2005)
  • Crawford Streak Ends UPDATE back at Memphis: #14-Rick Crawford, the ironman of the Craftsman Truck Series, will be starting all over, sort of, next week at Memphis Motorsports Park. Last weekend at Kentucky Speedway, Crawford crashed his #14 Ford in qualifying, slamming hard into the inside wall. While he was in a local hospital being checked out, Boris Said started his truck, ending Crawford’s consecutive start record at 210 races. He’s still tied with Jack Sprague for all-time truck series starts. Crawford took the blame for the crash and credited NASCAR’s safety improvements for keeping his injuries to a minimum. “Physically I’m OK and I survived,” he said. “Thank goodness NASCAR has all of the safety rules and regulations and everything that they put in these vehicles to be able to take a hit like that. . . . I’ll race again.”(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(7-15-2005)
    UPDATE: been told that Crawford has been cleared by NASCAR doctors to race again this weekend in Memphis.(7-20-2005)
  • Gibbs Diverstiy driver to debut at Memphis in the #47: In an extension of its extremely successful diversity program, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will partner with Morgan Dollar Motorsports (MDM) and enter driver Aric Almirola in the #47 Chevrolet Silverado in the O’ Reilly 200 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) at Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park. FedEx Express, which is headquartered in Memphis, will serve as the primary sponsor of the #47 machine while The Home Depot and Joe Gibbs Performance Motor Oil will serve as associate partners on the truck. Almirola, a 21-year-old Hispanic driver from Tampa, Fla., will attempt to make his first career NCTS start July 23 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Almirola is also scheduled to compete in the NCTS event at Indianapolis Raceway Park on August 5. Almirola is in his second year of NASCAR Weekly Racing Series competition. The driver of the #92 Home Depot Chevrolet with associate sponsorship from Rockwell Automation and Cintas has racked up four wins so far this season as he competes in big Late Model races throughout the Southeast. Last year, Almirola competed at the .4-mile Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., recording two wins, six top-fives and 15 top-10s. The link between JGR and MDM began in 2004 when both Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart participated in the Chevrolet Silverado Celebrity All Star program. Between the two NASCAR Cup Series champions, they have driven the #47 Silverado a total of eight times in 2004 and 2005, scoring one win and five top-five finishes. Overall, the #47 Silverado has a total of 15 starts in its existence and has posted a remarkable record of one win, seven top-five and seven top-10 finishes. JGR’s diversity program traces it roots back to May of 2003. In partnership with the late Reggie White, a Hall of Fame defensive end who played in the National Football League, JGR formed the diversity program to create a grassroots stock car team that would identify and assist minorities with the desire and talent to make a career in motorsports. In January of 2004 the diversity program became reality, thanks in large part to the support of JGR’s sponsors, most notably, The Home Depot and MBNA, the team’s primary sponsors, and Rockwell Automation and Cintas the team’s associate sponsors. Prior to the opportunity with MDM, Almirola participated in a GM-directed test session at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C.(GM PR)(7-20-2005)
  • Memphis News and Notes:
    Truck drivers slinging some pre-race mud … Seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitors including Reutimann and defending O’Reilly 200 winner Bobby Hamilton (No. 04 Bailey’s Dodge) will run a Friday night match race in late model cars on Memphis Motorsports Park’s .25-mile clay oval. The 10-lapper is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. CT. Memphis race third of seven on short tracks in ’05 … The O’Reilly 200 will mark the third time in 2005 a race will be held on a track measuring less than a mile. Labonte won at Martinsville and Hamilton at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway. Four of the next five events take place on short tracks – at Memphis, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.
    ETC. … Rick Crawford (No. 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford) starts from zero this week after a qualifying accident at Kentucky Speedway ended his record string of consecutive race appearances at 210. The top current streak is 185 races by Terry Cook (No. 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford). Crawford and Jack Sprague (No. 16 Chevy Trucks Chevrolet) share the all-time series start record at 210. … Last year’s Memphis race saw 26 drivers complete all 200 laps. That remains the series short track record. … Memphis is among three tracks on the current schedule without a green-white-checker finish. The others are California and Michigan International speedways. … The average margin of victory at Memphis is .458 of a second. Setzer’s 1.608-second victory over Scott Riggs is the only margin of a second or more.
    ON THE RIGHT TRACK
    Five Memphis winners in O’Reilly 200 field … With five (of seven) former winners in the field, it’s open to question whether Memphis will get its eighth new winner. The winners, in order, are Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 6, GM Goodwrench Chevrolet, 1998), Sprague (2000), Setzer (2001), Ted Musgrave (No. 1 Mopar Dodge, 2003) and Hamilton (2004). The five count 93 combined victories – 36 percent of the 255 races run in 10-plus seasons. No repeat owner winners in Memphis race … Six active teams have won NASCAR Craftsman Truck or NASCAR Busch races in Memphis. David Dollar (Setzer), Bobby Hamilton (Hamilton), Jack Roush (Todd Kluever and Ricky Craven) and Jim Smith (Musgrave) have truck victories. Greg Pollex (Cook) and Bill Davis (Johnny Benson, Bill Lester and Mike Skinner) are NASCAR Busch-winning owners.
    10 YEARS TOUGH
    This week marks the sixth anniversary of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ first “live” pit stop race, held July 25, 1998 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. The series’ first 109 races employed some form of mid-race break – first 10 and later five minutes – allowing crews to change tires, make adjustments and add fuel. Ron Hornaday Jr. won the Tempus Resorts 300K, a race that featured 10 lead changes.
    FROM THE ARCHIVES
    With Craftsman’s Win from the Pole bonus reaching $18,000 this week, it should be pointed out that only one Memphis winner has started from the No. 1 position in seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races. Greg Biffle, the track’s only two-time pole winner, drove from first to Victory Lane in 1999. The win was Biffle’s first en route to a record, nine-victory season.
    FAST FACTS
    Next Event: O’Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline.
    Where: Memphis Motorsports Park.
    When: 7:15pm/et, Saturday, July 23.
    Track layout: .75-mile paved oval.
    Race length: 200 laps/150 miles.
    Posted awards: $525,550.
    TV: SPEED Channel, 8:15pm/et
    Radio: MRN, XM Satellite.
    2004 winner: Bobby Hamilton.
    2004 polesitter: Jack Sprague.
    Pre-race schedule (all times local): Saturday – Practice 9:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Qualifying 3:30 p.m. Trucks impounded after qualifying.(NASCAR PR)(7-20-2005)
  • Setzer wins at Kentucky: #46-Dennis Setzer won the Built Ford Tough 225 pres. by Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers at Kentucky Speedway for his 3rd win in 4 races and 15th career win. Rounding out the top five were #30 Todd Bodine, #17 David Reutimann [2nd 3rd place in a row], #5 Mike Skinner and #1 Ted Musgrave. Musgrave moves up to 2nd in pointsm with #04-Hamilton dropping to 3rd after finishing 31st. There were 7 cautions for 33 laps with 11 lead changes among 7 drivers.
    For race results see:
    ESPN.com
    Truckseries.com
    Motorsports One
    NASCAR.com.(7-9-2005)
  • Lester wins pole at Kentucky: #22-Bill Lester won the pole for the Built Ford Tough 225 pres. by Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers at Kentucky Speedway with a track record of 178.141mph [the old record was 169.641 by Jon Wood in 2003]. It was Lester’s second consecutive pole and 2nd of the season. Rookie #50-Todd Kluever was 2nd, followed by #17-David Reutimann, #16-Jack Sprague, and #5-Mike Skinner. Points leader, #46-Dennis Setzer will start 18th. Missing the race were #63-Justin Allgaier and #76-Blake Mallory.
    See qualifying results/starting lineup at:
    ESPN.com
    Truckseries.com – Starting Lineup
    Truckseries.com – Qualifying Results
    NASCAR.com.(7-9-2005)
  • Feese the driver this week in the #15: In the ever-changing seat of the #15 Chevy Silverado, Billy Ballew Motorsports welcomes yet another talented driver to their team. Hendrick Motorsports driver Blake Feese will fill the role as driver for the #15 ditech.com Chevy in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Built Ford Tough 225 Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway. Billy Ballew Motorsports is also pleased to have ditech.com return as their sponsor for the race weekend. Billy Ballew Motorsports currently sits in the fourth position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owners points standings, an accomplishment considering the team has had six different drivers this season. Feese will become their seventh driver to take the reins of the #15 Chevy Silverado. Feese has competed at Kentucky Speedway on three occasions, twice in the NASCAR Busch Series and once in the ARCA Re/Max Series.(Billy Ballew Motorsports PR)(7-7-2005)
  • Renshaw sponsor for Kentucky: CallSource will ride along with Renshaw as the primary sponsor this week on Deborah Renshaw;s #8 Dodge. The company also was the primary sponsor for the Lowe’s race earlier this season. A group of 130 auto dealers will attend the Kentucky race courtesy of CallSource, to cheer on Deborah Renshaw in the #8 CallSource Dodge. The Westlake Village, California-based company is hosting a hospitality event for members of the Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association (KADA) and other national dealers. Jack Kain, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) will be attending the CallSource event and Deborah’s race, as will Ron Jackson, KADA’s executive vice president. CallSource, which provides call-tracking and recording, performance analysis and sales training solutions to dealerships nationwide, joined the BHR2 team as Deborah’s sponsor in April 2005 and will be her primary sponsor for the Kentucky race.(Integrity Sports Marketing)(7-7-2005)
  • Kentucky News and Notes:
    Kentucky Speedway will host a major milestone in NASCAR history Saturday when Bill Lester (#22 Toyota) becomes the first African American competitor to win $1 million during his career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Lester, 44, has won $993,586 in 90 series starts dating to the 2000 season. He needs only to take the green flag to become the series’ 27th driver to reach the $1 million mark. The Oakland, Calif. driver, who currently resides in suburban Atlanta, comes off a career-best performance in last week’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. Lester won the Bud Pole, his second in the series, and finished fifth.
    Four champions in top 10 a series first … When Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) joined fellow champions Hamilton, Sprague and Ron Hornaday Jr. (#6 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet) in the top 10 of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck standings following Kansas Speedway’s race it marked the first time in series history the top 10 has contained four former series champions. Skinner, who finished fourth, logged his fourth top-five finish in five races. He ranked 28th in points after a 34th-place run at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March; he’s currently ninth.
    Series alum joins SPEED booth this week … The “third man” in SPEED Channel’s broadcast booth at Kentucky will be Boris Said, a 64-race veteran of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition and winner of the 1998 event at Infineon Raceway. Said qualified fourth for last week’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. SPEED Channel has announced that the popular cable broadcaster now is seen in more than 70 million homes.
    Bodine, Toyota break drought … Reunited with Germain-Arnold Racing for the second week, Todd Bodine (#30 Allman Brothers Band Toyota) won at Kansas Speedway to end a 14-race winless streak that followed his October 2004 victory in Fort Worth. That win also was the last for Toyota, which, for the first time, placed four of its Tundra models among the top-five finishers.
    Kluever’s runnerup finish best by Raybestos rookie in ’05 … The 2005 season hasn’t been an overly productive one for Raybestos Rookie of the Year contenders, but Todd Kluever’s (#50 Shell Rotella T/World Financial Group Ford) runnerup finish in Kansas could portend a different story as the schedule reaches its midpoint. Kluever, whose best previous finishes were a pair of fourth-place efforts, was backed by new Roush Racing crew chief Mike Beam. Beam, formerly boss of Ricky Craven’s #99 Superchips Ford outfit, last week swapped positions with former Kluever crew chief John Monsam.
    ETC. … With posted awards of $736,500, this week’s Kentucky Speedway race is the second richest of the year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Daytona’s awards totaled $807,103. … Setzer, Terry Cook (#10 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford) and Rick Crawford (#14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford) have competed in all five Kentucky Speedway races. … Crawford’s 10th-place finish at Kansas Speedway was his 100th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. … Hamilton’s 133 (of 153) laps led in last year’s race was the most of any Kentucky Speedway winner. … The Build Ford Tough 225 is the 13th and middle race on the 2005 schedule of 25 events. There have been nine different winners over the season’s first 12 events. … Lester was the season’s 11th different Bud Pole winner. Ted Musgrave (#1 Mopar Dodge) is the season’s only pole/race winner – on April 30 at Gateway International Raceway. Craftsman’s Win from the Pole bonus is worth $16,000 at Kentucky Speedway. … Kelly Sutton (#02 Team Copaxone Chevrolet) started her 33rd race Saturday at Kansas to break a deadlock with Tammy Jo Kirk for most series appearances by a female competitor.
    ON THE RIGHT TRACK
    Points leader Setzer tough at Kentucky Speedway … Setzer hasn’t won at Kentucky but he’s completed all 753 possible laps around the track, which translates into 1,129.5 miles. He’s the track’s leading money winner with $133,440, and with three top-five finishes, shares that mark with Sprague. Sprague has finished second, third and second in his three appearances.
    10 YEARS TOUGH
    Seven states – Arizona, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin –hosted a race in each of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ first 10 seasons. All are part of the 2005 schedule as well. Mike Skinner won the series’ first appearance in Kentucky on June 3, 1995 at the old Louisville Motor Speedway. The victory was the fourth of eight that Skinner won en route to the inaugural championship.
    FROM THE ARCHIVES
    Since joining the schedule in 2000, Kentucky Speedway has been a predictor of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship on three of five occasions. The track’s winner has gone on to claim the title in 2000 (Greg Biffle), 2002 (Mike Bliss) and 2004 (Bobby Hamilton).
    FAST FACTS
    Next Event: The Built Ford Tough 225 by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers (Race 13 of 25).
    Where: Kentucky Speedway.
    When: 8:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, July 9.
    Track layout: 1.5-mile paved oval.
    Race length: 225 miles/150 Laps.
    Posted awards: $736,500.
    TV: SPEED Channel, 8:15 p.m. ET.
    Radio: MRN, XM Satellite.
    2004 winner: Bobby Hamilton.
    2004 polesitter: Not held.
    Pre-race schedule (all times local): Friday – Practice 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday – Practice 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. Qualifying 5:00 p.m. Trucks impounded after qualifying.(NASCAR PR)(7-7-2005)
  • Penalty for #12 Crew Chief: NASCAR announced Thursday that a penalty has been issued to a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series crew chief resulting from a rule violation during pre-qualifying inspection at Kansas Speedway on July 1. Glenn Funderburk, crew chief for the #12 Toyota driven by Robert Huffman, was fined $500 for violating Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4-Q, any determination by NASCAR officials that the truck, truck parts, components and/or equipment used the event do not conform to NASCAR rules. The truck was determined to have an unapproved filler panel installed at the rear of the cab.(NASCAR PR)(7-7-2005)
  • Roush teams switch crew chiefs: during the Truck Series race coverage on Speed Channel, it was mentioned that the #99 and #50 Roush Racing teams switched crew chiefs, with Mike Beam going from Ricky Craven’s #99 team to Todd Kluever #50 team and John Monsam going to the #99 team.(7-2-2005)
  • Norris back in the #07 at Kentucky: Eric Norris To Drive #07 Pavestone Chevrolet in the Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by The Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers at Kentucky Speedway. Stuntman, Movie Director and Race Driver Eric Norris will once again be behind the wheel of the #07 Pavestone Chevrolet Silverado, fielded by Green Light Racing. Norris will compete on the 1.5 mile Kentucky Speedway for the running of “The Built Ford Tough 225” Presented by The Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers on Saturday July 9th in Sparta, KY. This will be Norris’s second NCTS start this season and his first time racing on the Kentucky track. The Dana Point, CA native has competed in 2 NASCAR Busch Series and 1 Craftsman Truck Series races so far in 2005. He is committed to securing a full time sponsor to run in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series. Norris entered into a four race sponsorship agreement with the Dallas, TX based Pavestone Company. Norris posted his best career Craftsman Truck Series finish of 12th place at Texas Motor Speedway during the Chex 400K in June.(RPG Event Services)(7-2-2005)
  • Bodine wins at Kansas: #30-Todd Bodine picked up where he left off in 2004 with the #30 team, in his 2nd race with the team in 2005 [and 10th total], Bodine won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway in a green-white-checkered finish after a scary late race wreck between #4-Chris Fontaine and #02-Kelly Sutton, who ended up on her roof. Both drivers are ok, Sutton went to the local hospital for observation. Bodine led 81 of 170 laps [scheduled for 167 laps]. #50-Todd Kluever was 2nd for his career best, followed by #17-David Reutimann, #5-Mike Skinner and pole sitter #22-Bill Lester [his career best]. #46-Dennis Setzer, the points leader going into the race, finished 11th and increased his points lead by 3 points to 38 over #04-Bobby Hamilton.
    For race results see:
    ESPN.com
    Truckseries.com
    Motorsports One
    NASCAR.com.(7-2-2005)
  • Lester wins pole at Kansas: #22-Bill Lester won the pole for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway with a new track record lap of 173.633mph for his first Bud pole of the season and second career pole; his other pole was at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 2003. Thirty-one of the 36 trucks broke the previous track record of 166.323mph. Teammate #5-Mike Skinner will start 2nd followed by #50-Todd Kluever #17-David Reutimann and #16-Jack Sprague. Points leader, #46-Dennis Setzer will start 12th in his bid to win his third straight race [Lowe’s and Milwaukee]. With her start Saturday, #02-Kelly Sutton will break the record of most starts in the series by a female driver, Sutton will start 32nd. All 36 Entries Qualified for the race.
    See qualifying results/starting lineup at:
    Truckseries.com – Starting Lineup
    Truckseries.com – Qualifying Results
    NASCAR.com.(7-1-2005)

  • 2004 CTS Yearbook can now be ordered: UMI Publications, Inc. is proud to announce two brand new exciting books, The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Yearbook and The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Yearbook. These two books continue the celebrated history of the yearbook series by delivering unsurpassed quality and value to NASCAR fans since 1988. Both of the yearbooks are beautiful leather-bound coffee table books that cover each of their respective series and capture all of the action-packed racing in words and pictures from every event during the 2004 season. These books are licensed by NASCAR and are part of the “NASCAR Library Collection.”- ***”First Edition”*** Introducing the Inaugural edition of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Yearbook. For 10 years, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has offered some of the most exciting and competitive racing in the country, and now all of the action is presented in a beautiful, hardback coffee-table book for you to enjoy over and over again for years to come. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to own the FIRST-EVER edition of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Yearbook. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Yearbook 2004 contains 176 pages of amazing full color photos from some of the best photographers on the circuit.

    Each of these books may be ordered directly at www.umibooks.com or by calling 800-747-9287. Delivery by Christmas is guaranteed in the continental United States if ordered by December 10th 2004. Also, orders can be shipped via UPS Air as late as December 20th for a small additional fee.(11-19-2004)

 

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2004

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Born On Date: March 22, 2005

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