NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News & Rumors
June 2011 Archives

  • ThorSport’s new state-of-the-art facility set to open soon: ThorSport Racing, due to compete in its record, 354th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event later this summer at Pocono Raceway, is proving to be not only involved in the series but committed to take the next step toward its championship. While Johnny Sauter continues to savor a 20-point championship lead, largest of 2011, his team is putting the finishing touches on what will be by far the largest, most state-of-the-art NCWTS–only facility. The 100,000 square–foot headquarters will be operational in the next several weeks with a grand opening planned for Aug. 17. The facility will house three teams: Sauter’s, the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet of Matt Crafton and the No. 98 Chevrolet of newcomer Dakoda Armstrong, who is set to make his debut on July 16 at Iowa Speedway. ThorSport, owned by husband and wife Duke and Rhonda Thorson, is based in Sandusky, Ohio, far from the Charlotte area home to virtually every fulltime NASCAR national series team. The Thorsons wouldn’t have it any other way and would be pleased to join 2004 NCWTS champion Bobby Hamilton as the only team based outside North Carolina to win a series title. “It opens a new chapter for ThorSport Racing and gives us the ability to grow this organization into the future,” said Pepper. “This is truly a long–term business plan that will help us offer substantially more resources and support to our employees, sponsor partners and crew members as well as our series.”(NASCAR PR) [For more of NASCAR’s Open Week News & Notes, see the Kentucky Race page.](6-29-2011)

  • SS Green Light Racing tests at GMP: Although NASCAR Camping World Truck series has the weekend off, some drivers aren’t slowing down. Two of those drivers include SS Green Light Racing’s David Starr and John King, who spent a long day at Gresham Motorsports Park to prepare for their next race in Kentucky. John King of Kingsport, Tennessee joined Starr on the track at GMP to make adjustments to the truck to prepare for Kentucky. King is looking to finish the season strong in the Camping World Truck Series. [King made four series starts in 2010; Kentucky would be his first 2011 start.] (Gresham Motorsports Park PR)(6-29-2011)

  • Coca-Cola presented by Hy-Vee to sponsor Iowa race: Iowa Speedway is pleased to announce that two big names in the food and beverage industry are sponsoring the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, July 16. The Coca-Cola 200 presented by Hy-Vee is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Newton, Iowa. Coca-Cola and Hy-Vee are both official partners of Iowa Speedway but this is their first race sponsorship. Fans should be on the lookout for Coca-Cola and Iowa Speedway promotional deals going on at their local Hy-Vee grocery stores for the duration of the 2011 racing season. Race-goers are invited to hear pop/rock band Green River Ordinance perform live on the Grinnell Mutual Concert Stage immediately following the Pizza Rach Victory Lane celebration. As always, parking is free and fans can enjoy a fireworks show after the checkered flag.(Iowa Speedway PR)(6-28-2011)

  • ThorSport’s rookie-to-be Armstrong wins Winchester ARCA race: Dakoda Armstrong of New Castle, Ind., 2010 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year, currently looks to his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Iowa Speedway with ThorSport Racing with a “winning momentum.” This past weekend, Armstrong powered home to take the checkers at Winchester Speedway in his home state’s ARCA Racing Series event with Cunningham Motorsports – his last ARCA Racing Series race before embarking on his NCWTS career in 2011. Armstrong admitted that Ryan Blaney’s No. 25 Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet was the car to beat before his late tire woes. Nonetheless, he called the win a good one for his team, saying, “We’ll definitely take it.” A native of nearby New Castle, Ind., Armstrong knew that passing at the track just 35 minutes from his hometown would be tough, but did not allow that to slow him. Armstrong’s win made him the 101st driver in ARCA Racing Series history with three career wins, following Ty Dillon, who became the 100th earlier this season by winning at Talladega Superspeedway. He will have a truck and crew chief unveiling at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, July 7th at 12:30pmET in the media center. Armstrong’s debut will be at Iowa Speedway Saturday, July 16th, 2011 in the No. 98 Chevy Silverado.(ThorSport Racing PR)(6-28-2011)

  • Coulter tests ARCA car at Lucas Oil Raceway: In preparation for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ upcoming trip to Lucas Oil Raceway (LOR) at Indianapolis, Coulter Motorsports is set to test today at the 0.686-mile short track with ARCA veteran Joey Coulter. Coulter, who has never seen racing action at LOR, is prepared to get back to his short track roots in his No. 16 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet Impala SS. Coulter, whose next scheduled ARCA race is the Ansell Protective Gloves 200 on Thursday, July 28, will also be participating in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at LOR on Friday, July 29, in his No. 22 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Silverado.(Coulter Motorsports PR)(6-28-2011)

  • Dillon wins SLM Carolina Clash at Volunteer Speedway: Austin Dillon of Lewisville, N.C., grandson of legendary NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, currently sits fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings and knows the joy of winning on the national racing scene as he has two truck victories to date in his career. But the 21-year-old Dillon is a dirt racer at heart, and Saturday night following the conclusion of the inaugural Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series “Tennessee vs. Carolina Brawl” he sat parked in victory lane at Volunteer Speedway to the cheers of big crowd in attendance. Dillon earned the pole position for the $5,000-to-win event by touring the high banks at 12.413-seconds (116.140 mph), with Chris Ferguson second-quickest at 12.513.(Volunteer Speedway PR)(6-27-2011)

  • Busch wins Berlin Raceway Super Late Model event: Kyle Busch won his second consecutive Rowdy 251 CRA Super Late Model race at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Mich. Wednesday night. Busch, driving the No. 51 Flexco Camry, pulled away from second-place finisher Johnny Benson during a five-lap shootout, which was set up by a late caution, to secure the victory. Busch’s teammate Brian Ickler had a solid run in the No. 5 Kyle Busch Motorsports Camry. Ickler, who started the race from the 12th spot, ran in the top 10 for the majority of the race and despite suffering heavy damage during an accident that brought out the red flag on lap 158, the California native battled back to a sixth-place finish.(Kyle Busch Motorsports PR)(6-23-2011)

  • Lofton parts ways with Germain Racing: UPDATE: Lofton returns to ESR: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Justin Lofton has parted ways with Germain Racing, effective immediately. Lofton, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion, will finish out the remainder of the 2011 racing season. He will announce his plans prior to the next event at Kentucky Speedway on July 7th. I have nothing but respect for Mike Hillman, Sr. and everyone at Germain Racing,” Lofton said. “We had a good run during my last race for them and I plan on building on that through the rest of the season. I am really excited about the rest of the year, that is for sure.” Lofton currently sits 18th in the driver point standings after the first nine NCWTS races, with a best finish of 10th. He also led his first laps of NASCAR competition two races ago in Kansas, leading the way for seven laps. Lofton earned four top-five and eight top-10 finishes last season during his rookie season in trucks.(Justin Lofton PR)(6-21-2011)
    UPDATE: Germain Racing and Eddie Sharp Racing have reached an agreement to put Justin Lofton back behind the wheel of ESR equipment. The 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion earned victories and his title with ESR. The move has been facilitated by the departure of Craig Goess from ESR. “Eddie and I talked at length about this and we feel it’s the best decision for Justin’s career. Justin earned his championship with ESR and that’s a special bond we can certainly respect,” said Mike Hillman Sr., general manager of two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champions, Germain Racing. “Winning championships is about chemistry as much as it is about being the best. We wish Justin and ESR success in finding that chemistry together again soon.” Germain Racing and ESR will work cooperatively to make the transition seamless for Lofton. Ryan “Rudy” Fugle, crew chief for Lofton’s No. 77 Tundra at Germain Racing, will remain with Germain Racing.(Germain Racing PR)(6-22-2011)

  • Congrats to Justin Marks & Erin Peppers: Justin Marks and Erin Peppers were married on Saturday, June 18th at Lake Lanier Islands Resort in Buford, GA surrounded by 200 of their closest family and friends. The reception followed in the grand ballroom at the 1,100-acre resort. Surprise guests included Justin’s close friends, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Michael McDowell and Andy Lally who flew in from the Cup race in Michigan, and good friend Mark Morton, who is a Grammy nominated metal guitarist, that flew in from a concert in Montreal. While on the alter, Morton surprised the couple by playing a song he had written for the pair, then he gave them the guitar he played as a memento. The couple is currently honeymooning in Anguilla.(Turn One Racing PR)(6-21-2011)

  • Red Bull may remain with Whitt: The sponsorship will end for Red Bull in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series at the end of the 2011 season but could remain with development driver Cole Whitt who competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and a few NASCAR Nationwide Series events. Officially the team isn’t indicating what Red Bull’s future in NASCAR will be. The team currently fields a Toyota for Whitt. A team official speaking off the record while the final details are being worked out said that sponsorship could remain with Whitt which will allow Red Bull to maintain a NASCAR connection. The official also didn’t rule out the possibility of sponsoring another driver in the Sprint Cup Series, something that would cost much less than the sponsorship of an entire team. Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz is reportedly disappointed in the results of the NASCAR team but wants to continue to have some form of marketing as part of America’s largest spectator sport.(Examiner.com)(6-21-2011)

  • Ty Dillon may run Nashville & Loudon: Richard Childress joined his grandson, Ty Dillon, in Victory Lane for the second time at an ARCA Racing Series event this year, following his attendance at Talladega Superspeedway in April. [Dillon has four series wins so far this season.] “I’m really proud of him and the whole race team,” Childress said. “That move on the last lap was just awesome.” Childress said that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Nashville and Loudon, N.H. are among the events in which Dillon may make his NASCAR debut later this year.(ARCARacing.com)(6-20-2011)

  • Papis teams up with KHI for Road America NNS event: Max Papis teams up with Kevin Harvick Inc. for the second time in his NASCAR career this weekend behind the wheel of the No. 33 Menards Chevrolet Impala for the Bucyrus 200 at Road America. Papis made his first start with the team at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal last season in the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet. He qualified for the event in the ninth position and finished second. While this Saturday’s event will mark Papis’ first Nationwide Series start at Road America, it will not be his first time to compete at the 14-turn road course. The Italian-born driver competed in the Champ Car Series for eight seasons collecting several podium finishes at Road America.(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR)(6-20-2011)

  • Cooper Standard announces partnership with BKR: As the 2011 National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) season makes its first Michigan stop of the season June 18 to 19 at the Michigan International Speedway, Cooper Standard is pleased to announce its partnership with Brad Keselowski Racing. Through the partnership, Cooper Standard will sponsor and supply parts to Brad Keselowski Racing’s entry in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, enter into a personal services contract with Keselowski and work cooperatively with his race team on technology innovations to enhance on-track performance in the areas of fuel savings, sealing and ride handling with special attention to translating these innovations to production vehicles. On Aug. 20, at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the MIS, the Cooper Standard-sponsored Brad Keselowski Racing Truck No. 29 will make its debut.(Cooper Standard PR)(6-17-2011)

  • Carmichael set to make 2011 Nationwide debut: Ricky Carmichael will make his 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in the cockpit of Turner Motorsports’ No. 30 Monster Energy Chevrolet Impala in the Bucyrus 200 Presented by Menards at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. In addition to his duty at the division’s second-annual stop at the at the famed 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course, the 31-year-old driver will also pilot the No. 30 Monster Energy-sponsored entry at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, Richmond International Raceway on September 9 and at Phoenix International Raceway on November 12. Veteran Turner Motorsports crew chief Stewart Cooper will call the shots for Carmichael’s debut in the No. 30 machine. The Bucyrus 200 presented by Menards will mark his first road course race in Nationwide Series competition. In two NASCAR Camping World East Series road course races in 2008, Carmichael finished ninth and 12th, respectively at Watkins Glen International and Lime Rock Speedway.(Turner Motorsports PR)(6-15-2011)

  • Coulter set for ARCA run at Michigan: When the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards visits the Irish Hills this week for the RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan International Speedway, a familiar face will be back in the field. Joey Coulter and his Coulter Motorsports No. 16 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet will be back in action for the third time this season. Coulter, who drives full time for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 22 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry, ran full-time the last two seasons, and now runs a partial schedule and is a mentor for the Coulter Motorsports Driver Development Program in 2011. Coulter Motorsports participated in the ARCA open test session at Michigan in late May in hopes to further their performance at the two-mile facility. Coulter only ran a handful of laps before rain ended the test early, but posted the 12th fastest time at 39.679 seconds (181.456 mph). The team took the data gained and applied it to car 011, the same car Coulter finished second in last year at Michigan.(Richard Childress Racing PR)(6-14-2011)

  • Texas TV ratings mark sixth consecutive increase: SPEED coverage of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Texas scored an average Household Rating of .74, up 9 percent from last year’s race on the corresponding weekend (.68, Michigan) according to Nielsen Media Research. Compared to last year’s Texas race, this year’s event was up 3 percent (.74 vs. 72). Friday night’s race, won by former champion Ron Hornaday Jr., peaked at .82. It marks the sixth consecutive NCWTS race to score a year-to-year ratings increase (Kansas +28%, Martinsville +4%, Nashville +18%, Dover +26%, and Charlotte +42%). To date, live and exclusive coverage of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on SPEED is pacing up 7 percent year-to-year. Next up for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on SPEED – July 7 from Kentucky Speedway. NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda begins at 7:30 p.m. ET and race coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET.(SPEEDtv PR)(6-14-2011)

  • Goess out of #46; ESR to continue operations: Eddie Sharp Racing owner Eddie Sharp announced Tuesday the relationship between the No. 46 Toyota crew and driver Craig Goess has been dissolved, effective immediately. Goess, who had driven for Sharp since 2008, recorded one top-10 this season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Sharp’s No. 46 is currently in the top-25 in owner points following last weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway. “It’s really an unfortunate circumstance for all of us at Eddie Sharp Racing and for the Goess family. We’ve had a long standing relationship together, but we will respect everyone’s decision and move forward from here,” Sharp commented. “Craig and his parents have become like family to me, so it’s that much more difficult to see them go in a different direction.” Expectations of the team and driver duo at the beginning of the year ran high following a championship contending season in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards in 2010. The entire team moved up to the NCWTS together, and had hoped for similar results. However, the group had not gelled the way everyone was hoping, which is what contributed to the separation according to Sharp. The team intends on moving forward with business and operations as scheduled and anticipates competing in the next scheduled NCWTS race at Kentucky on July 7th. “We have a championship caliber crew chief in Trip Bruce, and an outstanding team at our shop preparing really fast trucks, and we’re anxious to continue racing the full schedule this season. We’re not going anywhere, we just need to find the correct driver for our organization and finish the year strong,” Sharp concluded.(Eddie Sharp Racing PR)(6-14-2011)

  • Racing Resources – Race Rundown:
    *Ron Hornaday Jr. won the WinStar World Casino 400 at Texas Motor Speedway for his 48th Truck series victory in his 284th start. His last win was at Martinsville in October 2010, a winless streak of 12 races.
    *Hornaday became the sixth different winner in 2011, joining Johnny Sauter as only the second series-eligible driver to win this season.
    *Hornaday posted his third Truck series win at Texas in his 17th start there.
    *Hornaday led three times for 18 laps, including the final two. *Kevin Harvick Inc. posted its 35th Truck series win and second victory of 2011. KHI won the previous weekend at Kansas Speedway with Clint Bowyer driving.
    *Chevrolet posted its third win of 2011 and 10th win overall at Texas, most of all makes. *The 19 lead changes set a track record, as did the 11 different race leaders and 10 cautions. *Johnny Sauter (22nd) crossed the finish line first but was black-flagged for jumping the final restart.
    *Parker Kligerman (second) had his career-best finish in his 10th start.
    *David Mayhew (third) had his career-best finish in his fifth start.
    *Brian Ickler (fourth) rebounded from a Lap 50 spin that put him a lap down in his first Truck series start of the season.
    *Joey Coulter (fifth) matched his career-best finish set the previous week at Kansas.
    *Ricky Carmichael (sixth) had his best finish of the season and third top-10 finish in 2011.
    *Ryan Sieg (seventh) had his career-best finish in his 44th start.
    *James Buescher (ninth) rebounded from front-end damage that dropped him from fifth to 24th on Lap 92.
    *Steve Arpin (23rd) and Stephan McCurley (32nd) made their series debuts.(ESPN.com)(6-13-2011)

  • Bodine & Germain on the outs? or frustrated? UPDATE not the case; still needing sponsorship: Recent “Tweets” from Ray Dunlap on Twitter — late last night: First; ” heard Todd Bodine got FIRED tonight after his 31st place finish. Team GM Mike Hillman had no comment when I called him post race.”
    UPDATE: Most recent “Tweet” — “Im told #30 has sponsorship for next race in KY, and its just regular post race frustration when things are going as poorly as they are!!!!”(6-11-2011)
    UPDATE: Excerpt from Ray Dunlap’s Blog — Friday night after the Winstar Casino 400 in Texas, I sent a message on Twitter that said, “I heard Todd Bodine got FIRED tonight after his 31st place finish. Team GM Mike Hillman had no comment when I called him post race.” Both of those sentences are true… I did hear the rumor – multiple times, and Mike Hillman had no comment.— After a little investigation into the truth of the matter (which I should have done before I jumped the gun on the Tweet) here are the facts. Todd Bodine did NOT get fired. Team owner Bob Germain told me, “Todd has a place at Germain racing as long as he chooses to stay with us. Georgia Boot has a big promotion with the team coming up at the next NCWTS race in Kentucky. ( July 7th, 2011). Tire Kingdom will sponsor the two-time champion again in multiple races this season and are looking to expand the deal. I called Bob Germain first thing Saturday morning to apologize for missing the boat on this story. He told me that my info was not that far off….” The bottom line is, if we do not have sponsorship on the truck for some upcoming events, it makes financial sense not to race based on the fact that we are way out of the championship hunt.” He followed up with “If you heard we are parking the truck, that may or may not be the way it ends up. However, that will probably be true.” Bob Germain finished our phone call with these words of wisdom, “I know a lot of stuff gets said at the track in the heat of the moment. It is always best to take some time to reflect after a hot day at the track. This team is solid and we will bounce back, and you can TWEET that all you like.” For complete story, see RayDunlap.net.(6-13-2011)

  • Altercation between Busch & Childress: UPDATE 5 NASCAR penalizes Childress; RC issues statement; brief, final statement from Mr. Childress: Multiple witnesses tell SPEED there was a physical confrontation between Richard Childress and Kyle Busch after today’s NASCAR Truck Series race..RCR driver Joey Coulter and Kyle battled for position..Kyle hit Coulter’s truck on the cool-down lap..multiple sources say Childress took matters into his own hands…developing details on SPEED Center tonight at 8:30 ET after the Rolex race.(Facebook-SPEED Center)(6-4-2011)
    UPDATE: None of the principals have confirmed it, but Ray Dunlap, pit reporter for SPEED, was confident in his sources to post a Twitter message that car owner Richard Childress and driver Kyle Busch had a physical altercation after Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway. “There are some eyewitnesses, crew members who were there and another driver who were right there,” Dunlap said Saturday night after he arrived home in Charlotte. “There were some punches thrown.” Kerry Tharp, NASCAR director of communications for competition, said that NASCAR officials were investigating the reports. The source of Childress’ frustration was Busch’s damaging the right side of rookie Joey Coulter’s truck during the cool-down lap after Coulter, who finished fifth for Childress’ team, bumped Busch’s car while the two battled for position on the final lap. “His fender must have got caught in there and tore a bunch of the truck up,” Dunlap said. “Richard was aggravated about the fact (Busch) had caused damage postrace, when it wasn’t a racing accident, it was stupidity.” Dunlap said Childress, 65, went to Busch’s garage with the intention of talking to him, but “what my friends who were there told me, said Kyle lipped off to him, and said, ‘Don’t worry about it old man,’ or something like that, and that really fired him up. Apparently Childress had him in a headlock,” Dunlap said, “and there were multiple punches thrown … but I don’t know if he was hitting him in the face or in the back of the head or what, but they said for sure, it was physical, he did throw physical punches.” Dunlap, who conducts the victory lane interviews, said he did not see any incidents on pit road. “That’s where it usually happens, guys jump out of the truck and have their words there,” he said, “but this spilled back into the garage, obviously.”(Kansas City Star)6-5-2011)
    UPDATE 2: “NASCAR has reviewed the incident involving Richard Childress and Kyle Busch after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Saturday at Kansas Speedway. We have met with all parties involved and have determined what happened yesterday is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by NASCAR. Richard Childress’s actions were not appropriate and fell far short of the standard we expect of owners in this sport. We have met with Childress this morning and made our position very clear to him. Further, we expect he will make it clear to all in his organization to ensure this situation does not escalate any further. We will announce our actions regarding this incident Monday. Kyle Busch remains on probation with NASCAR and we continue to watch his actions carefully. However, we have determined that Kyle’s involvement in this incident does not violate his probation and no further action is required.”(NASCAR PR)(6-5-2011)
    UPDATE 3: NASCAR has fined owner Richard Childress $150,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing — involved in an altercation in the garage area) of the 2011 NASCAR rule book. The violation occurred following the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race June 4 at Kansas Speedway. The probation includes all NASCAR-sanctioned events. STATEMENT FROM NASCAR: The penalty we have announced today for Richard Childress reflects NASCAR’s response to the incident at Kansas Speedway on Saturday. We feel this action is appropriate and are confident all parties involved understand our position on this matter and will move forward appropriately.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing PR)(6-6-2011)
    UPDATE 4: The following is a statement by Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing, regarding the penalty announced today by NASCAR regarding an incident he was involved in June 4 incident at Kansas Speedway: First of all, I’m responsible for my actions, plain and simple. As you know, I am a very principled person and have a passion for what we do at Richard Childress Racing. I believe passionately in defending my race teams and my sponsor partners. In this instance, I let that passion and my emotions get the best of me. I accept the penalty NASCAR announced today and, as a company, we will now focus on this week’s races at Pocono Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.(Richard Childress Racing PR)(6-6-2011)
    UPDATE 5: Richard Childress, Owner of Richard Childress Racing, met with members of the media at Pocono Raceway. The transcript:
    RICHARD CHILDRESS: “Here is the deal. I am going to make one statement on this deal. I appreciate everyone’s patience during the last week when I couldn’t talk to everyone. The main thing is I take all the responsibility for my actions last week. I am very passionate about this sport. I am passionate about my race teams, our fans and I let my emotions get and come in front of my passion. But that is behind us. I guess the next thing is the fine that was levied against me, I’m going to pay it personal. I agree that NASCAR should have done something with me. I don’t agree that they didn’t handle the situation that happened on the cool-down lap. With that said, we had a lot of fans to send in donations last week toward our fine, I am going to pay it personally. All that money that has been sent in, that is still coming in, we’re going to take and donate to the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma. At least in every bad situation, something good will come out of it. Hopefully Kyle (Busch) and myself will both end up learning something from this. Thank you all very much. Talk to you later. That’s it.”(Team Chevy)(6-10-2011)

  • Goodyear Tire Notes – Texas: Teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will run a slightly different Goodyear tire set-up than those in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series ran at Texas earlier this season . . . Camping World Truck teams will run the same left-side tire code (D-4392) as teams in the other two series, but will run a brand new right–side code (D-4418) . . . in addition to Cup and Nationwide teams running this left-side code at Texas in April, Truck teams have run this left-side at Darlington and Nashville earlier this season and at Texas (twice), Chicagoland and Homestead last season . . . this new right-side code features a tougher compound for better wear . . . this tire set-up came out of a Goodyear tire test at Texas on May 24 . . . drivers participating in that test were Ron Hornaday Jr., Timothy Peters and Johnny Sauter . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Texas . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.(Goodyear PR) [Complete tire specs are posted on the Texas Race page.](6-10-2011)

  • Andrews in the #73 for Tagsby Racing: Tagsby Racing and SUPERSEAL Construction Products are teaming up again for this weekend’s WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway. Tim Andrews will be behind the wheel of the #73 SUPERSEAL Chevrolet Silverado supplied by Ron Crosby and Joey Sontag’s Tagsby Racing. This will be Tim’s first start of the 2011 Camping World Season and the 7th of his career.(Tagsby Racing PR)(6-9-2011)

  • Mattioli planning Texas/Pocono double: Chase Mattioli, having stepped out of a race car for the past few races to complete final exams at Fordham University, will do double duty this weekend, competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck event in Texas on Friday evening, June 10th and the ARCA Pocono event on Saturday, June 11th. At Texas, Chase will be behind the wheel of CollegeComplete.com #99 Ford. For Pocono, he will be piloting the #11 CollegeComplete.com Ford, fielded by Andy Hillenburg. The #11 that Chase will compete in at Pocono commemorates 2011 as the year that College Complete has assisted 50,000 students in furthering their education, a service provided at no cost to the student. College Complete will assist anyone in finding the right school from trade schools to PHDs and all in between.(Chase Mattioli PR)(6-9-2011)

  • Kansas Speedway signs new truck race sponsor: Kansas Speedway President Patrick Warren announced today that SFP has signed a multi-year deal to sponsor the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway starting in 2012. “As a local, family-owned company, SFP is proud to partner with Kansas Speedway to continue to bring the Camping World Truck Series race to Kansas in 2012 and beyond,” said Jake Sanders, vice president, International Market Development. “Kansas Speedway offers a great fan experience and we are very excited to be part of that and offer that experience to our customers and the entire fan base.” SFP was recently named the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year for 2011. Started in 1998 and headquartered in Leawood, Kan., SFP is an innovative agricultural company that has developed a line of revolutionary products to improve fertilizer efficiency.(Kansas Speedway PR)(6-8-2011)

  • Some Texas schemes added: Renderings have been added for the Germain Racing’s #62 Big Red Toyota being driven by Brendan Gaughan; Richard Childress Racing’s #22-American Eurocopter Chevrolet being driven by Joey Coulter and Turner Motorsports #32-Mike’s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet being driven by Steve Arpin in his series debut. Click on the link or see all the latest schemes on the 2011 NCWTS Paint Schemes page.(6-8-2011)

  • Gaughan debuting #62 Big Red Truck in Texas: Brendan Gaughan, the No. 62 Tundra and Germain Racing crew will showcase a fresh, bright red look as they unload their Toyota truck at Texas Motor Speedway this week for Friday night’s 167-lap NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Gaughan will commandeer the No. 62 Big Red Tundra—an appropriate fit for a four-time winner at Texas to proudly bear the colors of an Austin , TX , company. “Big Red is on the No. 62 Tundra this week. I couldn’t be more excited to have a sponsor and they couldn’t have picked a better race for me. As I’ve said all season, Texas is a race I’ve been looking forward to racing with this Germain Racing team, and, I hope Todd and I can be there at the end, battling it out for a win between Germain teammates. It would make for a great race for our Texas sponsor, Big Red,” said Gaughan, whose familiar South Point Hotel & Casino logos will be present on the bed rails of his Big Red Tundra. Visiting Texas , and doing well there, is more than a racing habit for Las Vegas native Gaughan. It’s a matter of family pride. “Texas has always been a great track for me. It’s near one of my mother’s horse ranches. My family likes to be known as a bunch of cowboys, so it’s important for me to run well there. I think next to our hometown track in Las Vegas , Texas is the most important venue on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule to my dad,” explained Gaughan. Gaughan has 13 NCWTS races at Texas including a four-race win streak. Big Red, Inc. is one of the top 10 beverage companies in North America with a history dating back to 1937.(Germain Racing PR)(6-8-2011)
  • Turn One & Marks welcome Construct Corps at Texas: Justin Marks,#66 GoPro/Construct Corps Chevrolet, considers Texas the “best racing all year.” “I’m ready to get back to Texas,” said Justin Marks. “We’re taking a truck that debuted this year at Charlotte and seemed to race really well so I’m looking forward to continuing its development. Marks will be driving the #66 GoPro/Construct Corps Chevrolet. Construct Corps, a leading provider of temporary skilled workers for construction, disaster response, environmental and manufacturing companies throughout the U.S., has teamed up with Turn One Racing at Texas Motor Speedway. Through its exclusive Construct Buddy recruiting system, Construct Corps provides more workers in more locations with one point of contact than any other company.(Turn One Racing PR)(6-8-2011)

  • Kansas marked 5th consecutive ratings increase: SPEED coverage of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Kansas scored a Nielsen Household Rating of .92, up 28 percent from last year’s equivalent-date Texas weekend (.72), and 44 percent over last year’s Truck race (.64) from Kansas Speedway. It was the highest rated Truck Series race ever from Kansas and the third consecutive race to average more than one million viewers. It marks the fifth consecutive NCWTS race to score a year-to-year ratings increase (Martinsville 4 percent, Nashville 18 percent, Dover 26 percent, Charlotte 42 percent). Ratings for the series are up 6 percent overall versus last year at this point. Next up for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on SPEED – Friday night from Texas Motor Speedway. NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda begins at 8:30 p.m. ET and race coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET.(SPEED.com PR)(6-7-2011)

  • Arpin set for debut with Turner Motorsports: Turner Motorsports welcomes Canadian Steve Arpin as driver of the No. 32 Chevy Silverado. Arpin will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut this week at Texas Motor Speedway, where he returns as a previous winner. The 2010 Canadian Racer of the Year visited victory lane at TMS last year in the ARCA Racing Series, starting 22nd and leading 14 laps before capturing the win. Turner Motorsports also welcomes aboard Mike’s Hard Lemonade, who will serve as primary sponsor of Arpin and the No. 32 Chevy Silverado. Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Arpin are continuing their relationship forged in the ARCA Racing Series, where in 2010 the pair partnered for 14 events, scoring three wins, six top-five and eight top-10 finishes together. A native of Fort Frances, Ontario, Aprin made his ARCA Racing Series debut in 2009, finishing seventh in the championship point standings and earning the Most Popular Driver award. Continuing to race in the ARCA Racing Series in 2010, he recorded three victories, seven top-five and ten top-10 finishes and another Most Popular Driver award. Arpin will pilot the Mike’s Hard Lemonade Chevy Silverado in five outings this summer. In addition to this weekend’s event at TMS, he will be behind the wheel of the No. 32 Chevy at Kentucky Speedway, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Iowa Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway.(Turner Motorsports PR) [Images of the #32-Mike’s Hard Lemonade Toyota is posted on the #32 NCWTS Paint Schemes page.](6-7-2011)

  • Coulter picks up new sponsor for Texas: American Eurocopter joins RCR as primary sponsor of the No. 22 Chevrolet for Texas. Based outside of Dallas, American Eurocopter manufactures, markets, sells, assembles, supports and provides training solutions for Eurocopter rotary-wing aircraft in the United States. Since beginning operations in 1969, it has become a leading provider of helicopters of U.S. civilian, parapublic and military markets. Although Coulter has not previously raced at Texas Motor Speedway in the Truck Series, he has one start at the track in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. Coulter moved up five positions in the NCWTS point standings following his fifth-place run at Kansas, and is currently 11th in the standings.(Richard Childress Racing PR)(6-7-2011)

  • Return to debut track for Kligerman: Brad Keselowski Racing team turns its attention to Texas Motor Speedway where Kligerman made his Camping World Truck Series debut last season starting 13th and finishing ninth. A good run at Texas will continue to move Kligerman up the standings, and into contention for the championship. “I can’t wait to get back to Texas, where I did my first truck race last season, and I am confident we will have a strong run in this [#29] Penske Truck Rental Ram. We are bringing the same truck we ran at Kansas, and I am hoping to challenge for a top-five again”, said Kligerman. “I am still focused on competing for the championship, and the BKR team continues to get stronger each race we run”.(BKR/Penske PR)(6-7-2011)

  • NTB/Service Central/Valvoline return with Bodine at Texas: Todd Bodine has six wins at Texas and is the defending race winner for the June, TMS, Truck Series event. When Bodine puts the No. 30 NTB/Service Central/Valvoline Tundra on track at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, he and his crew will look for nothing less than another win from their efforts. Bodine says that returning to Texas with Valvoline branding on board certainly is part of a familiar scenario he and Germain Racing hope to duplicate.(Germain Racing PR)(6-7-2011)

  • Ickler set to make first 2011 start: Brian Ickler is set to make his first start of the 2011 season in Friday’s WinStar World Casino 400k NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The 25-year-old collected five top-10 finishes in seven starts behind the wheel of the Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 18 Toyota Tundra in 2010, including a season-best third-place finish in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. In 18 career NCWTS starts has one pole, 6/13/09 at Michigan International Speedway, four top 5’s and 8 top 10’s (2009-2010)(Kyle Busch Motorsports)(6-7-2011)

  • Mayhew in KHI’s #2 at Texas: David Mayhew will climb into the No. 2 MMI Services Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) this weekend for the WinStar World Casino 400K at Texas Motor Speedway. Even though the Atascadero, Calif. native will be considered a rookie for the race in Texas, he is no stranger to 1.5-mile intermediate style tracks. Mayhew has gathered NASCAR Camping World Truck Series experience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway during the last two seasons, leading laps at each track. MMI Services is an independent well servicing contractor operating in California, Nevada and Arizona. While MMI Services is a new partner to KHI, they have been supporting Mayhew’s driving career for the past three seasons as a primary sponsor on his NASCAR K&N Pro Series Chevrolet.(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR)(6-7-2011)

  • Sauter heads to Texas as points leader; strong history: Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 13 Safe Auto/Curb Records/Carrier Chevrolet Silverado, makes his fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Texas Motor Speedway for ThorSport Racing Friday, June 10th. The Series points leader after a successful second place finish last weekend in Kansas, Sauter is ready to return to the track where he narrowly missed wins twice in 2010. Out of four starts for TSR since 2009, the driver has finished no worse than sixth position – safely saying that the track is a comfortable place for the driver. The No. 13 team will have a chance to become honorary “cowboys” on a special VIP tour with their teammates on the No. 88 Menards Chevy team at Cowboys Stadium on Friday morning. “We’re also hosting Kyle Mohan from Kyle Mohan Racing on Friday – the guys are all going to learn how to Ultimate Drift. It’s really awesome that all these different types of racers will be at Texas Motor Speedway. IndyCar, Drifters and NASCAR. That’s great for the fans.” ThorSport Racing will also take part in a “TweetUp” with IndyCar team Andretti Autosport on Friday for crossover fans.(ThorSport Racing PR)(6-7-2011)

  • SS Green Light Racing & Boot Campaign partner for four: SS Green Light Racing and the Boot Campaign have partnered to help assist U.S. troops returning from military duty through a unique partnership in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011. David Starr and the SS Green Light Racing Team will “get THEIR boots on” at four NCWTS races. The Boot Campaign will join the team as an associate sponsor on the No. 81 Toyota Tundra at Texas Motor Speedway on June 10th, Bristol on August 24th, Martinsville on October 29th and again at the Texas Motor Speedway on November 4th. “I’m going to be wearing my boots on stage during driver introductions at Texas,” Starr proudly said. “We’re all patriotic and we support our troops, but with the Boot Campaign and the charities they give grants to gives you the opportunity to show your support and make a financial commitment. You can make a real difference, it’s a cool deal.” The Boot Campaign is a grassroots initiative started by five women from Texas known as the Boot Girls. They raise support by encouraging Americans to, “get YOUR boots on” for our troops. The Boot Campaign sells a line of signature “give back” boots and other apparel. Proceeds from these sales are donated to the Campaign’s partner charities including, Lone Survivor Foundation, Military Warriors Support Foundation and Not Alone.(SS Green Light Racing PR)(6-6-2011)
  • Buescher & owner consider Texas home track: James Buescher [No. 31 Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet] is a Texas native and considers Texas Motor Speedway his home track. The 21-year-old was raised in Plano, TX and now resides in Katy, TX with his fiancé Kris. Not only does driver James Buescher consider Texas Motor Speedway his home track but so does Turner Motorsports team owner, Steve Turner. Turner along with his wife Sandra live outside of Houston, only four hours from the Great American Speedway. James Buescher and the No. 31 Wolfpack Rentals team had a strong showing at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway in 2010. The team finished well inside the top-10 in both races as Buescher’s Chevrolet Silverado came across the finish line in the sixth spot. The Texas native also captured the pole position for the fall NASCAR Nationwide Series event.(Turner Motorsports PR)(6-6-2011)

  • Hornaday looking for #3 at Texas; Kroger onboard: Ron Hornaday will take the No. 33 Kroger/IAMS Chevrolet to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the WinStar World Casino 400k with the drive to capture his third victory at the 1.5-mile oval. The four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion will make his 17th series start in his Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Chevrolet at “The Great American Speedway.” Hornaday found his way to victory lane at both Truck Series events in 2008 at Texas. Dominating the race in June, Hornaday led 81.4 percent of the race holding an average position of 1.215. The series returned on Halloween where Hornaday spent 139 of the 147-lap event in the top-15 and led 45 laps before grabbing the checkered flag. KHI and Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic Region continue to build a strong relationship both on and off the track in 2011. Kroger and their vendor partners have combined for five wins and 17 top-10 finishes since the beginning of their relationship in 2009.(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR)(6-6-2011)

  • Paludo sponsor’s North American headquarters based in Texas: Miguel Paludo, No. 7 Stemco/Duroline Toyota Tundra, has one start at Texas Motor Speedway. In 2010, Paludo made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts in preparation for running the full season in 2011. Paludo qualified eighth for his inaugural run at TMS, but was side-lined early in the event when he was involved in an on-track incident. Hometown Bound: Stemco, one of Paludo’s primary sponsors for the 2011 season houses their North American headquarters just two hours away from Texas Motor Speedway in Longview, Texas. For over 50 years, Stemco has supplied only the highest quality wheel end components to the heavy and medium-duty vehicle markets. By joining forces with Duroline, a Brazil-based company, Stemco now adds heavy-duty brake linings to their product portfolio.(Red Horse Racing PR)(6-6-2011)

  • Racing Resources — Monday Rundown:
    *Clint Bowyer won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, his third Camping World Truck Series victory in his 11th start. His most recent series win came at Phoenix in November, two starts ago. This was his first win at Kansas in his first start and his first win of any kind at Kansas, where he has finished second in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series.
    *This was the 400th race in series history.
    *Bowyer is the fifth different series winner of 2011, and there has been no repeat race winner at Kansas in the track’s 11 series races.
    *All 11 races at Kansas have been won from a top-10 starting position. Bowyer started second and led five times for 124 laps, including the final 46.
    *Bowyer’s victory was the 34th career win for Kevin Harvick Inc., and the team’s first win of 2011. KHI won for the second time at Kansas. Ron Hornaday Jr. took the checkers in 2008. This was the fifth victory for Chevrolet at Kansas, the most of any manufacturer. Chevy went to Victory Lane for the second time in 2011.
    *Johnny Sauter (second) has earned top-10 finishes in six of the past seven races. He takes the points lead by 12 over Cole Whitt, who finished 15th after a Lap 55 speeding penalty.
    *Todd Bodine (third) earned only his second top-10 finish this season.
    *James Buescher (fourth) has posted top-10 finishes in six of his seven starts in 2011 and four top-5s.
    *Joey Coulter (fifth) had his best career finish in his eighth start after overcoming a Lap 112 speeding penalty.
    *Kyle Busch (sixth) had his first finish outside the top five in his past 12 starts, the last one coming at Kentucky in September.
    *Travis Kvapil (10th) — the 2003 series champion — earned his first top-10 finish of 2011.(ESPN.com)(6-6-2011)

  • Chat with Carmichael on SportsNation: UPDATE Chat transcript: Welcome to SportsNation! On Monday, we’ll have Truck Series driver Ricky Carmichael stopping by to chat about the upcoming seventh annual Prelude to the Dream children’s charity race. On June 8, HBO PPV will host coverage of the event starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the dirt track at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Send your questions now and join Carmichael Monday at noon ET!(ESPN.com)(6-4-2011)
    UPDATE: Transcript of Ricky Carmichael’s “chat” with SportsNation is posted on ESPN.com.(6-6-2011)

  • Goodyear Tire notes — Kansas:Teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will run a slightly different Goodyear tire set-up than those in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas this weekend . . . while teams in both series will run the same right-side tire code (D-4408), they will run distinct left-side codes . . . Camping World Truck teams have run both of these two Goodyear tire codes in the past, but never together . . . Truck teams ran this left-side code (D-4380) at Kansas last season, while they ran this right-side code (D-4408) at Nashville this past April and at Bristol last season . . . they will also run this right-side again at each of those two tracks later this season . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Kansas . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire. [Complete tire specs are posted on the Kansas Race Page.](Goodyear PR) (6-3-2011)

  • Dillon headed to “Prelude to the Dream” charity race: UPDATE Hornaday and Carmichael also racing: Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Silverado for Richard Childress Racing, will make a stop in Ohio next week before heading to the Camping World Truck Series event in Texas. For the first time in his career, Dillon is scheduled to compete in the 2011 “Prelude to the Dream” Dirt Late Model race at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on Wednesday, June 8. The 21-year-old NCWTS driver joins Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Bill Eliott, David Reutimann, Ray Evernham and Cruz Pedregon as part of Team Levine, with the team’s race proceeds benefitting Levine’s Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, N.C. Dillon will pilot a 2,300-pound dirt Late Model stock car capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower in the invitation-only race, which can be viewed live at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on HBO Pay-Per-View. [For more information, visit the Jayski Charities “Prelude to the Dream” page.](Richard Childress Racing PR)(6-1-2011)
    UPDATE: Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, 2009 Truck Series most popular driver Ricky Carmichael and 2010 Truck Series rookie of the year Austin Dillon are ready to trade their pickup trucks for 2,300-pound, 800-horsepower dirt Late Model stock cars as they race in the Prelude to the Dream, which will be presented live to the entire nation on HBO Pay-Per-View with net proceeds from the telecast supporting four of the nation’s top children’s hospitals. Hornaday will also be making his first start; Carmichael returns to Eldora’s half-mile dirt oval for a second go at the Prelude. Hornaday and Carmichael join Busch, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte, Justin Allgaier, Kenny Wallace as parat of Team St. Louis benefiting St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The live, commercial-free broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT) with an immediate replay. HBO Pay-Per-View’s racing telecast has a suggested retail price of $24.95 and is available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes.(True Speed Communications PR)(6-3-2011)

  • Sauter doubles up; in the #7 Cup car at Kansas: UPDATE more info: According to a Twitter post by Speed Energy, “Johnny Sauter will be driving the #7 Speed Energy Dodge this weekend at Kansas, while Robby Gordon runs the Baja 500.(6-2-2011)
    UPDATE: Sauter, who is currently second in Truck Series points, will make his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start since the 2010 Coca-Cola 600 when he qualifies the No. 7 Dodge in the 43-car field. Though the team is outside of the top 35 in owner points, the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing car will not attempt to qualify for Sunday’s STP 400, giving Sauter and Robby Gordon Motorsports a guaranteed starting spot in the field.(Frontstretch.com)(6-3-2011)
  • RMM truck chief Showalter also celebrating 400: UPDATE more stats: This weekend marks the 400th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race since the inaugural event at Phoenix International Speedway in 1995. Chris Showalter, truck chief on the No. 5 RMM Tundra, is the only active NASCAR crew member to have participated in each of the series’ first 400 races. Showalter started his NASCAR career in 1995 as a shock specialist with Liberty Racing and was the crew chief for Travis Kvapil in 2003 during their championship run with Xpress Motorsports.(RMM Motorsports PR)(6-2-2011)
    UPDATE: more stats…
    *The Ohio native, Kvapil’s 2003 championship crew chief, boasts three wins in that role at Xpress Motorsports including the Bristol Motor Speedway victory that proved to be pivotal to Kvapil’s title. He also guided Jack Sprague to series victories in 2004-05.
    *As a truck chief, Showalter was part of Mike Bliss’s 2002 championship that included five victories. Showalter also scored truck chief wins with Terry Cook, Dennis Setzer and Randy Tolsma.
    *Showalter went to Victory Lane for the first time in July 1995 at Colorado National Speedway as a shock specialist for Liberty Racing. That was the afternoon that Butch Miller edged Mike Skinner in a photo finish that, at an estimated 0.0001 seconds, remains the closest, non-electronic decision in series history.
    *Showalter also has performed as spotter and tire changer. He’s been a crew member for six different teams and since 2006 with Morgan Dollar Motorsports which became Randy Moss Motorsports in 2009.
    There have been many highlights for Showalter during his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career topped by his 2003 championship season with Kvapil. “But winning at Mansfield (Motorsports Park) in 2004 with Jack Sprague is special to me for personal reasons. I grew up about 30 minutes from the track,” Showalter said. “So to grow up dreaming of racing, leaving town to follow my dreams and then come back and win the inaugural race was just amazing.”(NASCAR Inegrated Marketing Communications)(6-2-2011)

  • Bodine in NTB, Service Central & Valvoline colors at Kansas; imaged added: Germain Racing will show up in Kansas sporting a look similar to what they debuted in Daytona on the No. 30 Tundra. The reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, Todd Bodine, will drive the No. 30 NTB/Service Central/Valvoline Tundra at Kansas Speedway, a track where he finished third last year, and, a track where he and his crew, led by Mike Hillman Jr., know how to win. After a tough weekend in front of the home crowd at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bodine and Hillman are ready for some vindication in Kansas. Bodine is strapping into racing chassis GR-019 for Saturday’s Kansas Speedway Truck Series race. He is currently ranked eleventh in the championship standings. (Germain Racing PR) [Rendering of the #30 NTB/Service Central/Valvoline Toyota is posted on the #30 NCWTS Paint Schemes page.](6-2-2011)

  • KBM team accomplishments – Fast Facts: As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) prepares to celebrate its 400th race Saturday at Kansas Speedway, the individual accomplishments of Kyle Busch, Rick Ren and Eric Phillips over the first 399 races rank among the most celebrated in series history.
    Kyle Busch – Owner/Driver – NCWTS Career Highlights:
    *Tied with Mike Skinner and Jack Sprague for second most wins in NCWTS history with 28
    *Winning driver/owner in closest margin of victory in NCWTS history (.002-seconds over Aric Almirola in the Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 30, 2010)
    *Youngest driver (20 years, 18 days) in NCWTS history to win a race (Quaker Steak & Lube 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on 5/20/05)
    *119.6 career driver rating entering the 2011 season is the highest accumulated by a NCWTS driver since the stat was introduced in 2005
    *Average career finish of 7.1 ranks first among active drivers with 10 or more career starts
    *Has won 30.7% of the NCWTS races he has entered and finished first or second in 49.4%
    *In 2010 KBM became the first team to win an owners’ championship in its inaugural season since the NCWTS originated in 1995
    Rick Ren – General Manager – NCWTS Career Highlights:
    *Winningest crew chief in NCWTS history with 27 wins
    *Has gone to victory lane an additional 13 times as an executive at KBM — making him a part of one in every 10 wins in NCWTS history
    *Has won two NCWTS championships as a crew chief and one as a General Manager
    *Won a NCWTS record five consecutive wins with driver Ron Hornaday Jr. in 2009
    *Has collected NCWTS wins with five different drivers (Hornaday Jr., Johnny Benson Jr., Travis Kvapil, Rick Carelli and Andy Houston)
    Eric Phillips – Crew Chief – NCWTS Career Highlights:
    *Winningest active NCWTS crew chief with 23 career wins — which also ranks him third on all-time list
    *Crew Chief for Toyota’s first-ever NASCAR touring series victory (Travis Kvapil at Michigan International Speedway on 7/31/04)
    *Has collected NCWTS wins with five different drivers (Busch, Kvapil, Dennis Setzer, Clint Bowyer and Mike Skinner)
    For complete story including most memorable moments, see the FB-Kyle Busch Motorsports page.(KBM PR)(6-2-2011)

  • Lofton to make return visit to Fort Riley; honoring Brigade on Kansas truck: UPDATE images added: For the second year in a row, Justin Lofton, driver of the No. 77 Lofton Cattle Toyota Tundra in the Camping World Truck Series, will be heading to Kansas early in order to visit soldiers at nearby Fort Riley. Located roughly two hours from the Kansas Speedway, Lofton will spend Thursday at Fort Riley meeting soldiers, family members of deployed soldiers, signing autographs, and participating in various activities. Lofton’s No. 77 Toyota Tundra will also be on display at Fort Riley throughout the day. Many of the soldiers Lofton met last season are now deployed. Fort Riley currently has close to 1,000 soldiers in Iraq and nearly 1900 in Afghanistan, with more set to deploy on Thursday, June 2, the day of Lofton’s visit. This year, Lofton’s trip will be even bigger. He will be joined by Germain Racing teammates Todd Bodine and Brendan Gaughan, as well as a SPEED camera crew. The visit will be featured on the pre-race NCWTS Set Up show next week in Texas. Lofton’s No. 77 Toyota Tundra will have a different look this week in honor of his friends within the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team (1HBCT), 1st Infantry Division (1ID) of Fort Riley. The hood of Lofton’s Tundra will feature the “Devil Brigade” Crest, as well as the Brigade name across the quarter panels. Over two dozen soldiers will join Lofton and the Germain Racing team at Kansas Speedway on Saturday to see the No. 77 Devil’s Brigade Tundra battle it out in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.(Lofton Racing/Germain PR)6-1-2011)
    UPDATE: Images of the #77-Lofton Cattle / Devil Brigade Toyota are posted on the #77 NCTWS Paint Schemes page.(6-2-2011)

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series celebrates its 400th race: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was born from a simple conversation between Bill France Jr. and four off-road racing owners who wanted to explore the possibility of pickup truck racing at the NASCAR national series level. Two decades later, that intimate discussion has morphed into a success story 400 races long. The series has bridged the gap from the local short tracks to the high-banked — and high-profiled — superspeedways, producing champions along the way. NASCAR champions such as Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch all got their NASCAR national series start racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. With rising stars like Cole Whitt, Austin Dillon and Timothy Peters competing head-to-head with seasoned veterans Ron Hornaday Jr., Todd Bodine and Johnny Sauter, the future of the sport indeed looks promising. The O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway this Saturday will mark the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ 400th race. Over the last month, NASCAR media members have voted on their top-10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series moments with the 2003 three-truck photo finish at Daytona International Speedway taking the top honors. Check out the top-10 list on the Kansas Race page.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(6-1-2011)

  • New crew chief for Sweet: Turner Motorsports welcomes Doug George as crew chief of the No. 32 Chevy Silverado. George previously served as crew chief for the No. 33 NCWTS team during the 2010 season. Before taking his experience to the top of the pit box, the Atwater, CA.-native made 56 NCWTS starts as a five-year span in which he accumulated one top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. This weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Kansas Speedway will mark Brad Sweet’s first career-start at the 1.5-mile track. The rookie driver hopes to build on his learning experience this season in the NCWTS by adding to his solid start thus far in 2011.(Turner Motorsports PR)(6-1-2011)

  • Peck Motorsports to compete in five races; looking toward 2012: Peck Motorsports, the family-owned NASCAR race team competing out of Pennsylvania is poised to make its return to NASCAR this July. The Glenville-based team will compete in five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) events with driver Todd Peck behind the wheel of the No. 96 Chevrolet Silverado. With the 25-year-old Peck behind the wheel, Peck Motorsports’ five-race NCWTS campaign will begin at Iowa Speedway in the Iowa 200 on July 16. The team will also be at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Ind., for the AAA Insurance 200 on July 29. On August 24, Peck Motorsports will tackle the high banks of Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, followed by the F.W. Babb 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 24. Peck Motorsports will close out its schedule at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in the Kroger 200 on October 29. “This is a huge step for me, and as a family we’re proud to be back into the national series of NASCAR,” said driver Todd Peck. “We’ve worked hard to get back to this point, and we’re going about it methodically. We’ve got equipment from Kevin Harvick Inc. and we’re starting with a five-race schedule to build momentum to race a full schedule in 2012.” Peck Motorsports will not only return to the track with top-rated equipment, but is currently working with national partners for future growth of the team. The team will be led on-track by current crew chief Keith Wolfe who has been with the team the past six seasons.(Peck Motorsports PR)(6-1-2011)

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