Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Category: Truck Series

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series news and information

  • On Pit Road: 2010 winding down looking gloomy

    On Pit Road: 2010 winding down looking gloomy

    As teams and driver’s in NASCAR’s number two and three series arrive at Phoenix looking past the final two races, things are not looking rosy.

    I caught up with some of the players in the garage at PIR to ask how they see 2011 shaping up. In the NASCAR Nationwide Series there is a lot of uncertainty for sure. Kenny Wallace announced earlier in the year that depending on how he performs in 2011, it may be his final curtain for NASCAR as a driver. I had heard earlier in the month of changes coming to Jay Robinson Racing for next year, including the possible shuttering of the #28 team. When I spoke with Kenny at PIR he was pretty blunt. “ I am embarrassed, I can’t run another season in cars with no power. I don’t know right now what the answer is, but we can’t keep doing this.”

    If Kenny is looking for another ride for 2011, the pickings are slim. RCR announced earlier that they will not return to the series in 2011 and have an arrangement to turn the #21 over to Morgan Shepherd. But folks inside the Shepherd camp admit that it is getting harder and harder to keep showing up at the track week in and week out with little to no sponsorship money. Add that sponsor problem to the cost of building all new cars for next year, combined with the ‘purse’ cuts in 2010 and more cuts in line for 2011, and it spells more doom and gloom. The day of the single car teams is looking dim and could provide little more than start and park teams.

    While the larger operations, such as Roush Fenway, Joe Gibbs, and Hendrick/JR Motorsports have room to work with Cup revenue and sponsor exposure with their Cup drivers, these smaller one and two car teams are in a real bind. ML Motorsports, out of Indiana is another single car team that could be promising with driver Shelby Howard. For 2010, they teamed up in a partnership with Jay Robinson Racing and driver Mark Green to fill in for the races other than the 22 Howard runs. This effort has pushed the #70 team into the top 30 and a guaranteed starting spot each week, and will lock them in for the first five races of 2011. But the uncertainty at Jay Robinson Racing may put that program in jeopardy for next year.

    A few weeks back Diamond Waltrip Racing released promising developmental driver Trevor Bayne. Wasting no time, RFR signed the talented young Knoxville, TN driver and placed him in a spare car in the NNS for the final races. In a surprise move, RFR made a deal to put Bayne in the legendary Wood Brothers #21 Sprint Cup car at Texas Motor Speedway. An impressive Bayne finished on the lead lap consistently running along side seasoned veterans in the series. That race earned Bayne NASCAR’s approval to attempt the 2011 Daytona 500. Now NS or will this signal the release of Ricky Stenhouse of Colin Braun?

    At about the same time, leading rookie of the year contender Brian Scott was released from his ride after Braun Racing sold out to Turner Racing. Scott managed to stay running and continue to compete for the ROTY honors. He is driving in the 09 RAB racing car now but has signed on with Joe Gibbs Racing for 2011. When Scott moved into the 09 car the team had gone through a myriad of drivers and musical crew members. With Scott came the switch to Toyota and the question now becomes, will the 09 team become part of JGR, with RAB leaving the series?

    The Nationwide teams are not alone as the Camping World Truck Series also has a lot of teams in financial straights. Danny Gill, who started to the season with two trucks in the opening race at Daytona, both finishing in the top 10. He had kept both teams in the top 25 in points until the lack of sponsorship forced him to pull the #95 truck from contention. Struggling each week, Gill managed to keep his #46 team locked in, but he was running out of money. A few weeks ago Eddie Sharp Racing made a deal for the #46 team for some of their developmental drivers. The Sharp deal brought in new Toyota Trucks to use. NASCAR veteran Steve Park took the wheel of the #46 truck at PIR.

    When I spoke with Gill On Pit Road at Phoenix, he confided that he simply ran out of money. He has sold the #46 ‘team’ to ESR who be buying all new Toyota trucks from Kyle Bush Motorsports in 2011. The physical assets of the #46 team have been sold to another individual and the Gill Motosports shop in Murfreesboro, TN will be closed by the end of November.

    Truck Series Rookie contender Jennifer Jo Cobb who entered the series this year with financing from her own clothing line told me that she is uncertain at this point what the future holds. She attempted a handful of Nationwide races this year with the intention to go full time in 2011 in that series, but wrecked cars and no sponsor money ended that quest. “ There will be no idea of a full time Nationwide run next year” she told me Friday night before her truck race. “ At this point, I don’t know what we will be doing next year, except that I will tell you that I will be at Daytona. After that, it depends on sponsorship.”

  • Bodine Locks Up Truck Series Championship; Bowyer Wins Lucas Oil 150

    Bodine Locks Up Truck Series Championship; Bowyer Wins Lucas Oil 150

    Following a pit stop with 50 laps to go, Clint Bowyer beat Kyle Busch off pit road and never looked back as he won the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    “When Kyle got up there, I had to get back up on the wheel and fight for it,” Bowyer said after the race. “I knew he’d get the truck fixed and be up there.”

    The caution came out with 50 to go, following an incident involving Austin Dillon and Ron Hornaday. Dillon was trying to pass Hornaday when he got loose and tagged Hornaday.

    Hornaday, who just signed a multi-year contract with Kevin Harvick Incorporated, hasn’t had the year he’s wanted as a result of bad luck.

    “We just keep wrecking,” Hornaday of his sixth DNF of the year. “Its not because of bad trucks. I just got to put myself in better situations.”

    “I was getting under Ron there and got loose,” Dillon said. “Appologies to Ron, KHI and all the guys that work on those trucks.”

    Bowyer became the fourth different driver to win for Kevin Harvick Incorporated this year, with the other three being Hornaday, Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler.

    Busch finished second, extending his team’s lead in the owner’s championship standings to 120 points over Germain Racing.

    “We were racing for the win but there in the beginning, we didn’t have the tundra we were looking for,” Busch said afterwards. “But there in the middle, Eric got to where we were competitive and could run up there. There at the end, couldn’t get up there. Bowyer had the field covered.

    “Second is disappointing, however looking at the overall picture, we’re doing good.”

    Johnny Sauter finished third followed by Matt Crafton and Aric Almirola.

    “Consistancy is the key for sure,” Sauter said aftwards. “I’m just proud of all the guys at Thorsport…..They say consistancy will lead to wins. Had things gone differently at the beginning of the year, we could’ve made a run for the championship but congrats to Todd.”

    “It was really good on the long run, but for some reason, we just got on the splitter really hard,” Crafton said. “Very disappointing considering how good the truck was in practice and the fact that we thought we could win the race.”

    The spotlight for the night shined on Todd Bodine though as with his 12th-place finish, he clinched the 2010 Camping World Truck Series Driver’s Championship.

    “It’s pretty awesome,” Bodine said afterwards. “It’s a little disappointing due to our performance tonight., But it shows the performance of this team due to how good we were all year. Yes, we got four wins yet the top five are what matter and that consistancy that that we had.”

    “With the way we were able to run all year, it allowed us to be able to clinch this championshp early so I can’t thank these guys enough,” Crew Chief Mike Hillman Jr. said after the race. “We went from not knowing if we’d make every race to becoming champions.”

    “I’m just really proud of Germain Racing,” General Manager Mike Hillman Sr. said. “Great to have my son excel the way he has. Great to see him and Todd jell like they have. I’m just really proud of everything the Germain Brothers have done with this team.”

    Bodine and Germain Racing have experienced their share of struggles, including the lack of sponsorship for this season.

    “We did this without a sponsor,” Bodine said. “We’ve got Germain Racing on the side but that’s three guys who really care about this team. They funded this all year and knew that they’d do it whether able to get a sponsorship or not.”

    “I’m excited to be representing all of our employees and Germain Racing,” owner Steve Germain said. “A lot of things have gone our way, though a lot has not.”

    A couple different sponsors jumped on board, though for the majority of the year, it was the Germain brothers paying to run the race team out of their own pockets.

    “For those guys who have been here more than one year, thank you for sticking with us,” Hillman Jr. said to his guys on the radio after the race. “Thank you for the great year. That’s why these guys have worked this hard all year long. I can’t thank everybody on this Germain Racing team enough.”

    With the championship, Bodine becomes only the third driver in series history to hold multiple championships. The other two drivers being Hornaday with four and Jack Sprague with three.

    Bodine will look to become the first series back-to-back champion next year as he looks towards defending the title.

    Almirola looks to finish second in the points, sitting 202 points behind Bodine after Phoenix.

    “I’m proud of everything we’ve done this year with Billy Ballew Racing; they’ve done a good job,” Almirola said. “We’ve just got out run every weekend.”

    There is still one more race left on the schedule – next Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway is the Ford 200 at 7:30pm EST. Look for the owner’s championship to be decided between Kyle Busch Motorsports and Germain Racing.

  • Busch, Dollar General Team Up for Five Races in 2011

    Busch, Dollar General Team Up for Five Races in 2011

    Dollar General, the nation’s largest small-box retailer, will sponsor Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) Toyota Tundra in five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in 2011.

    The famous yellow-and-black paint scheme will adorn the No. 18 Toyota with Busch behind the wheel at the season-opening event on Feb. 18 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, April 22 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon Tenn., July 7 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., and at the Nov. 18 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Dollar General was the primary sponsor on Busch’s No. 18 Toyota when he won the April 2 Nashville 200 Camping World Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. The win was the first for KBM in just its fourth-ever race, and took place just 30 miles from Dollar General’s headquarters in Goodlettsville, Tenn.

    “Dollar General is excited to partner with Kyle and Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2011,” said Rick Dreiling, chairman and CEO of Dollar General. “We enjoyed being the sponsor for Kyle’s first win with Kyle Busch Motorsports at Nashville Superspeedway in 2010, and we look forward to seeing him in victory lane in 2011.”

    Beyond their win together at Nashville in April, Dollar General and Busch have plenty of history together as Busch drove Braun Racing’s No. 32 Dollar General Toyota to victory in the May 2008 Nationwide Series race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The Las Vegas native has more than 80 wins in NASCAR’s top three divisions, including four Nationwide Series races in which Dollar General served as race sponsor (July 2008 at Chicagoland, October 2008 at Charlotte, October 2009 at Charlotte, and July 2010 at Chicagoland).

    “We’re extremely happy that Dollar General has decided to partner with Kyle Busch Motorsports for five races next year,” said Busch, who has 23 career victories in the Camping World Truck Series. “They were on our Tundra for our first win at KBM and that’s one of the biggest victories in my entire career. We’re going to do everything we can to put them in victory lane again next year.”

    Busch’s No. 18 Toyota is competing for the 2010 Camping World Truck Series owner’s title and leads the championship standings by 72 points over the No. 30 truck of Germain Racing.

    “We’ve got a great organization at KBM,” said Busch, who will drive in the two remaining Truck Series events in 2010 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., and Homestead. “Getting Dollar General to come on board this early for next season is huge.. We still need partners and sponsors for next year and we feel like we are a championship-caliber organization that can provide a great platform for companies to get their message out. I’m hopeful that we have big things coming up in 2011.”

  • Hornaday to return to 33 in 2011

    Hornaday to return to 33 in 2011

    Although Ron Hornaday’s 2010 season was somewhat of a disappointment in comparison to his stellar Championship winning year in 2009, Kevin Harvick Inc. announced today that the four time Camping World Truck Series Champion, has signed a multi year agreement to compete in the number 33 Cherolet Silverado and compete for his fifth career Truck Series Championship.

    “We are very excited and proud to have Ron Hornaday back behind the wheel of the No. 33 truck,” said KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick. “Ron has been an integral part of our Truck Series program since he joined KHI in 2005. He has driven our organization to two Truck Series championships, and I firmly believe that we will continue to compete for Truck Series championships with Hornaday as our driver.”

    The 2011 season will be Hornaday’s seventh full time season in the Camping World Truck Series for KHI. Hornaday has made 273 starts and is the series winingest driver with 47 victories. He has earned 4 truck seies championships in 2009, 2007, 1998, and 1996. The last two of which were won with KHI.

    “I couldn’t be happier to be back driving for KHI in 2011,” said Hornaday. “I can’t thank Kevin and DeLana enough for the opportunities that they have given me over the past six years. We’ve had a lot of success together in the Truck Series This season hasn’t been exactly what we wanted, but that just gives me more drive than ever to go after a fifth Truck Series championship with the No. 33 team in 2011.”

    No details of the contract were given. The details of the program including sponsorship commitments was said to be announced later.

  • Ron Hornaday to Return to Kevin Harvick Inc. in 2011

    KERNERSVILLE, N.C. (November 12, 2010) – Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) announced today that four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday has signed a multi-year agreement to compete for the team’s Truck Series program in 2011. Hornaday will return to pilot the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado and compete for his fifth-career Truck Series championship.

    “We are very excited and proud to have Ron Hornaday back behind the wheel of the No. 33 truck,” said KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick. “Ron has been an integral part of our Truck Series program since he joined KHI in 2005. He has driven our organization to two Truck Series championships, and I firmly believe that we will continue to compete for Truck Series championships with Hornaday as our driver.”

    The 2011 season will mark the 52-year-old Palmdale, California native’s seventh full-time season competing in the Truck Series for KHI. To date, Hornaday has made 273 starts in the Truck Series, and is the series’ winningest driver with 47 victories. Hornaday has earned four Truck Series championship titles (2009, 2007, 1998 and 1996), the two most recent of which were achieved with KHI in the No. 33 truck.

    “I couldn’t be happier to be back driving for KHI in 2011,” said Hornaday. “I can’t thank Kevin and DeLana enough for the opportunities that they have given me over the past six years. We’ve had a lot of success together in the Truck Series. This season hasn’t been exactly what we wanted, but that just gives me more drive than ever to go after a fifth Truck Series championship with the No. 33 team in 2011.”

    Program details regarding sponsorship of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado will be announced at a later date.

    About Kevin Harvick Inc.

    Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001 by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. Home of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship team, KHI enters 2010 in its seventh full year of competition with two full-time Truck Series teams and one full-time Nationwide Series team. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday returns to the helm of the No. 33 Truck team looking for his fifth title and third championship for KHI (2009 and 2007), while Sprint Cup series stars Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler guide the No. 2 Truck team. Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Harvick will again shine as the lead driver of the No. 33 Nationwide Series team as he continues to make his mark in motorsports and establish KHI as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A tail gate party in the valley of the sun

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A tail gate party in the valley of the sun

    NASCAR’s Camping Truck Series will be transporting their tailgate party to Arizona’s valley of the sun at the Phoenix International Raceway. Friday night’s running of the Lucas Oil 150 is expected to be a perfect format for these high energy racing trucks. That’s because this speedway is a virtually flat one mile oval. That means PIR is considered to be a short track by modern day NASCAR standards and everyone, who follows this series, knows that NASCAR’s truck series shines on the short tracks.

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    The Phoenix event is the next to the last race of the season and it appears that Todd Bodine will be presenting Germain Racing with their second championship. Going into Friday night’s race the Toyota Tundra drivers holds a 230 point advantage over Aric Almirola while Johnny Sauter holds down third in the standings 304 points back. By the way that’s the second largest points lead in series history. If Bodine finishes the Phoenix race with at least a 195 points lead then the title is his. That’s very possible because Bodine has some very good stats at this track. He’s a former race winner there and, in six official series starts, he’s only finished outside of the top ten twice.

    Still at issue is the coveted Owner’s Points Championship. Bodine also wants to present that trophy to the Germain brothers as well but it’s not going to be easy. Kyle Busch has similar plans for this title and would love to see his motorsports team take the owner’s title during its rookie season. Three weeks ago the Bodine team had a 39 point lead in the standings. But Busch has been on fire lately and now holds a 72 point lead going into Friday night’s race. While the lead is not mathematically insurmountable, it will be tough for Bodine and company to overcome this deficit with only two races left.

    Is Indy Racing League superstar Dan Wheldon coming to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series next year? That’s one of the hot garage rumors these days. Sponsorship issues has left some serious question marks regarding Wheldon’s future IRL plans. The rumor mill is now saying that Wheldon has been having exploratory talks with Kyle Busch Motorsports regarding a future NASCAR ride for next year.

    Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr may be performing double duty at Phoenix this weekend. Depending on the stork’s delivery schedule, Hornaday may be taking over the wheel of Ryan Newman’s #39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race if Newman has to hurry home on maternity leave. The Newmans are expecting the arrival of their first child literally any day now.

    ************

    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The Lucas Oil 150 is 150 laps/150 miles around the Phoenix International Raceway’s one mile, practically flat, oval.

    The race has 36 entries for a 36 truck event. That means the go or go home teams, those outside of the series’ top 25 in owner’s points, will get a free pass this week and all entries will make the race.

    There has been 19 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Phoenix that has sent 11 different winners to victory lane. Ron Hornaday Jr and Mike Skinner leads the PIR win list with two each. Other previous race winners, in the the field Friday night, include Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch and David Starr.

    The defending race winner is Kevin Harvick who is not entered in Friday night’s race. Harvick’s Childress Racing, Sprint Cup, team mate Clint Bowyer will be making his first series start since 2007 in Kevin Harvick Inc’s #2 Chevrolet Truck.

    Friday night’s Lucas OIl 150 will be broadcast live by the SPEED Channel with the pre race set up show beginning at 730 pm eastern time.

  • Timothy Peters Carrying Momentum To Phoenix

    TIMOTHY PETERS QUICK FACTS

    Phoenix International Raceway

    Lucas Oil 150

    November 12, 2010

    .         Peters at Phoenix.The Lucas Oil 150 will mark Timothy Peters’
    second career start at Phoenix International Raceway. Last fall Peters
    started from the 16th spot and earned a 16th place finish. Despite
    struggling in his first PIR start, Peters is determined to turn that around
    this season.

    .         On The Rebound.After a couple rough weeks at Las Vegas and
    Talladega, Peters seems back on track. Accidents at both tracks left him
    with 26th and 34th place finishes respectively. In the last two weeks Peters
    has been able to turn things around with a seventh place finish at Talladega
    Superspeedway and a 12th place finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Peters’ isn’t
    slowing down yet. He plans to secure top-10 finishes in both Phoenix and
    Miami to firm up his place in the point standings.

    .         Every Point Counts.Just two races remain for Peters to work his
    way back inside the top-five in Camping World Truck Series driver point
    standings. After a 12th place finish at Texas last weekend, Peters moved up
    one spot to the sixth position. He is just 46 points behind fifth place.
    With the goal of getting back inside the top-five, Peters knows he must earn
    as many points as possible before the checkered flag falls at
    Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    .         Lufkin On Board At Phoenix. The Lufkin logo will adorn the #17
    Toyota Tundra as an associate sponsor at Phoenix International Raceway.
    Tough LufkinR measuring products have been providing precise measurements
    for professionals and guys who just know tools since 1869. Back then, Lufkin
    yardsticks and folding rules earned the brand its reputation for quality and
    strength. Today, tough “Hi-Viz Orange” Lufkin retractable tapes are
    recognized the world over. Whether the job is laying out a foundation or
    checking the height of a race vehicle, those who know each for Lufkin. Grab
    a Lufkin tape and measure tough.

    Timothy Peters on racing at Phoenix International Raceway “I’m looking
    forward to getting back to Phoenix. We really struggled there last year and
    I came into this season looking at New Hampshire and Phoenix as my “Achilles
    Heel.” We had a good run at New Hampshire so I feel confident we can have a
    good run at Phoenix. Our goal right now is to earn as many points as we can
    and capitalize on the mistakes of others. We were able to do that in Texas
    and we will need to keep doing it these last two races to reach the top-five
    by Homestead.”

    Equipment Information Timothy Peters will compete with chassis #103 in the
    Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. This is the same chassis he
    last raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where he started eighth and
    finished sixth.

    Timothy Peters Seeks Sponsorship Partner Peters is still seeking sponsorship
    for his #17 Toyota Tundra. Red Horse Racing is currently running the #17
    without primary sponsorship. For more information on sponsorship
    opportunities please contact Tom DeLoach at 704-662-0039.

  • David Starr Set for Desert Drive

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will head west to the Arizona desert for the second to last race of the 2010 campaign. SS Green Light Racing’s David Starr currently sits ninth in the NCWTS point standings as the truckers make their annual visit to the one-mile track west of Phoenix Arizona for the Lucas Oil 150.

    Starr has had fast Toyota Tundras in each of the last three races; finishing a solid seventh at Martinsville, before a fuel issue at Talladega and a blown right front tire at Texas and have given the Texas native disappointing eleventh and fifteenth place finishes. “We’ve had faster trucks than our last couple finishes have shown,” Starr explained. “We just have gone through a few growing pains, but this team does not give up.”

    As they did at Las Vegas several weeks back, Indianapolis based building enclosure specialist ASI Limited will back Starr’s No. 81 at Phoenix with support from Zachry.

    It’s not hard for David to get excited about traveling to the Phoenix International Raceway, because it is one of four tracks where he has won at in the NCWTS; winning the Chevy Silverado 150 back in 2004 when he drove for Wayne Spears.

     

    “I’m glad to be here racing. I love Phoenix. It’s awesome,” David said with his familiar smile. “There is no place I’d rather be than out here racing. I’m just real excited to go to Phoenix; I’m visiting a job site for Zachry out in Northern Arizona before we go to the track. I love to visit with all the hard working people in the field.”

    “Jason Miller is a great crew chief and the guys on this team work really hard,” Starr continued. “Our stops have been real good the last few races and I’m glad to have the opportunity to work with them. I think we have an opportunity for a couple good finishes to finish the year.”

    SS Green Light General Manager Bobby Dotter knows how important the last two races are for Starr and the No. 81 team. “So much has happened with this team in just two months. When the team David was with ran into trouble just days before Chicago and he jumped into one of our trucks, we weren’t sure what direction it would take us. We quickly built several Toyotas and the result is seven straight top-fifteen finishes. We’ve shown speed and consistency, but we’re hoping for better finishes the next two weeks. There is a big difference in running fast and finishing good, want to get ASI Limited a good finish this week.”

    David has ten career NCWTS starts at the Phoenix International Raceway; with four top-ten finishes highlighted his victory in 2004. David’s average start is 20.5 and his average finish is 14.6. He has finished on the lead lap in seven of the ten previous starts.

    The Lucas Oil 150 is the 244th consecutive NCWTS start for the SS Green Light Racing team and the 264th career start for Starr in the Truck series.

    There are 36 trucks are on the preliminary entry list for the Lucas Oil 150.

    Practice for the NCWTS Lucas Oil 150 will be Thursday, November 11th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Qualifying will be Friday, November 12th at 4:30 p.m. The race will be shown live on SPEED TV at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 12th. All times Eastern. It will also be broadcast live via radio worldwide on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and on SIRIUS Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 128-XM104.

    ASI Limited is a leader in the Building Enclosure and Ornamental Metals industry. Indianapolis based ASI Limited’s ability to take a project from it’s inception to its completion separates them from their competition. In 2003, the Ornamental Division was established as a national supplier of ornate products. Currently the Ornamental Division is supplying materials for many United States Embassies overseas and projects throughout the country. ASI will be partnering with their customers in the NCWTS to continue to build relationship and teamwork.  For more information visit www.asilimted.com.

    For more information about SS Green Light Racing visit www.SSRacingonline.com or email pr@ssracingonline.com.

  • Tom Hessert Set To Make Camping World Truck Series Debut

    Tom Hessert Set To Make Camping World Truck Series Debut

    It was announced yesterday that Tom Hessert will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.

    This weekend at Phoenix Internationational Raceway in the Lucas Oil 150 and in next week’s Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hessert will be driving the No. 9 Germain Racing Toyota.

    Hessert got his start in racing through his father.

    “My dad raced in sports car for a long time in the late 80s/90s and I grew up going to the races,” he told me earlier this year. “I went to my first race when I was two weeks old and fell in love with it then.”

    His father has been such an influence on him that he calls him one of his idols.

    “My dad was a big influence in my career and my life in general,” he said. “He was a good racecar driver and I learned a lot from him.”

    This past year, the Cherry Hill, N.J. native finished second in the ARCA Series points standings this past season with one win, 10 top-fives and 15 top 10s, driving the No. 77 Cherry Hill Classic Cars entry for Cunningham Motorsports.

    This past year included a lot of highs for Hessert as he won his first race at Iowa Speedway.

    “It’s incredible,” he told me of the experience earlier this year. “It’s my first win in a quite awhile and to win it in that fashion and leading all those laps at Iowa Speedway in front of a great crowd and with the Camping World Truck Series teams being on hand and all those people in the garage area and on Speed, it couldn’t have been a better day.”

    Down the road, Hessert hopes to be racing in the NASCAR ranks.

    “Well, I hope and wish and dream that I’ll be in NASCAR, whether in a truck or Nationwide car or my goal obviously in a Cup car,” he said. “I know that’s a long way but nights like Saturday night go a long way in shortening that distance.”

    To others out there who aspire to drive racecars and move up the ranks, Hessert’s advice is to learn as much as you can.

    “Learn every time you get on the race track,” he said. “I know it’s cliché but don’t make the same mistake twice. You got to learn in this sport and you got take your knocks and keep plugging at it and put your head down and stay focused and do what you need to do, set up for the races and do what you got to do.”

    Away from the track, Hessert likes to play lots of sports, work out and watch movies.

  • Mike Skinner Phoenix International Raceway Event Preview

    No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra News and Notes

    This Week’s Tundra… This weekend the No. 5 International Truck/EXIDE Batteries Toyota Tundra team will utilize chassis RMM-106 at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday night. The chassis was last raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where Skinner turned quick laps during the weekend’s two practice sessions before going on to finish in the 13th position.

    Past Success at Phoenix International Raceway… Mike Skinner is not only one of the more seasoned NCWTS veterans at Phoenix International Raceway; he is also one of the most successful. The 53-year-old California native has recorded two victories and a record-tying two poles at the one-mile Arizona oval. With 206 laps led around the circuit, he is ranked second on the all-time lap leaders list in NCWTS competition, and his average finish of 5.6 is the highest of all drivers with 10 or more starts around the southwest track.

    Most Popular Driver… Be sure to cast your vote for Mike Skinner as the NCWTS’ Most Popular Driver! Voting ends this Friday, Nov. 12, and the winner will be announced at the NCWTS Banquet on Nov. 22. Cast your vote here: http://www.nascar.com/news/features/2010.truck.mpd/index.html.

    Watch and Listen… The Lucas Oil 150 from Phoenix International Raceway will be featured live on SPEED Channel on Friday, November 12. Coverage of the 150-mile race will be aired on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius XM Radio, Channel 128, at 7:30 p.m. EST. Qualifying will take place just hours before the green flag is scheduled to drop at the Arizona track on Friday afternoon and will be broadcast on SPEED Channel at 4:30 p.m. EST.

    Mike Skinner on racing at Phoenix International Raceway

    “What’s great about Phoenix [International Raceway] is that it is a great track for trucks—it’s a place like Richmond, Darlington and Loudon—there are just so many cool things and characteristics that the track has that you won’t find at any other track on our circuit. The big mile-and-a-half cookie-cutter tracks are good, but Phoenix [International Raceway] is just a big short track with its own personality.”

    Crew Chief Stacy Johnson on competing at Phoenix International Raceway

    “Phoenix [International Raceway] is always an exciting place to race. It has just the right mix of short track and intermediate characteristics. You have to have every piece of the puzzle, brakes, downforce and handling to be successful there.”