|
|
|
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Race #5 |
Dodge Ram Tough 200
Gateway International Raceway
Saturday April 30, 2005
|
|
Gateway International Raceway announced that the Missouri/Illinois Dodge Dealers will sponsor a special paint scheme on Bobby Hamilton's #4 Truck for the Ram Tough 200 on April 30.
|
|
|
|
Todd Kluever spent two days this week testing at Gateway International Raceway to prepare for the upcoming Craftsman Truck Series race there later this month. Kluever had never been to Gateway so the test was very beneficial for the rookie contender.
|
|
|
Terry Cook (No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford) has gone to the dogs – literally. Cook, one of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ most veteran competitors with five victories in 194 appearances since 1996, is a spokesperson for Paws With A Cause, a national non-profit agency that custom trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities. The relationship results from Cook’s personal affinity for man’s best friend and that of his sponsor. Cook and his wife Amy East frequently take their twin Beagles Abby and Toby to the racetrack. Power Stroke’s research found that 75 percent of its owners either are dog owners or have an emotional tie to a canine companion. (Ronda Greer Photo)
|
|
|
Texas veteran short-track champion Brandon Bendele will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving debut in the No. 24 Mighty Motorsports Chevrolet race truck at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, IL. The race is scheduled for Saturday night, April 30th. (Team PR Photo)
|
|
|
John Michael Montgomery and Chris Cagle To Play Post-race Concerts Following NASCAR Events - Gateway International Raceway announced today the 2005 T.R. Hughes Homebuilders concert series will feature country music artists John Michael Montgomery and Chris Cagle in post-race concerts following the NASCAR Truck and Busch Series races. The announcement was made live on the air this morning, by the presenting sponsor 93.7 The Bull.
|
|
|
|
After four starts in 2005, Starr has one top- five and two top-10 finishes, and he sits 12th in the points standings. Next week, Starr (who has three career wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series) returns to Gateway International Raceway where he won last season’s race. The dramatic race took four attempts at a green-white-checker finish, 14 extra laps and a bump-and- run on the final lap of the race before Starr finally took the checkered flag and was named the winner. Read the transcript from today’s teleconference with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver David Starr (driver of the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet).
|
|
|
Dodge Ram Tough 200 Gateway International Raceway
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event Schedule
|
|
|
e
"This year we are looking to have an advantage on the competition at Gateway. Teams are limited to the gears and transmissions that they can run, so that is going to mean that no one can use a gear and transmission combo that will allow them to shift during the race. Most of the teams in the past have run a taller gear and lower transmission were able to shift into third gear in the corner. That gave them a good jump off the corner and then they would shift back into fourth about halfway down the straights."
|
|
|
|
"We are looking forward to going to Gateway. I've never been there before (in the NCTS), so I am looking forward to seeing what the track is like. But it's a racetrack just like any other; it has four corners and two straightaways. I am sure the Team ASE/Ultra Wheels crew will have a strong setup under our Dodge. We run strong everywhere. We'll figure it out the first hour of practice and I think you'll see us up near the front in the race."
|
|
|
|
Trying to capture his first top-10 of the season, David Reutimann predicts the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Gateway International Raceway will be a turning point for his No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota team. “If it wasn’t for bad luck, we’d have no luck,” said Reutimann. “Hopefully, Gateway will break our string of bad luck. Last season, the truck drove well and we led some of the race. During that time, we could shift at Gateway, but this year we are not able to with the transmission ratios we’re running. Last year, we basically tore fourth gear out of it with about 15 laps remaining. We were running around sixth or seventh and moving forward when it happened.”
|
|
|
Jimmy Kite will return to the No. 06 MRD Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado for the April 30th Ram Tough 200 at Gateway while his third NASCAR race will come a few weeks later at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. Kite sees his second Truck Series' race as the next logical step in his progression to more NASCAR sanctioned racing. (High Sierra Photo)
|
|
|
|
America Online Donates Public Service Campaign to Raise Awareness - For more than a century, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States has been helping families of American service personnel.
|
|
|
|
Todd Kluever was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the April 9 Kroger 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Kluever placed 16th, on the lead lap with winner Bobby Labonte, and took top rookie honors for the second time in four races this season. Kluever holds a seven-point lead (47-40) over Sean Murphy in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the April 30 Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.
|
|
|
|
Robert Huffman’s focus at Gateway International Raceway is to reposition his No. 12 Toyota Tundra team in the top-10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings Saturday night.
|
|
|
|
“The majority of my No. 22 Bill Davis Racing team is intact from last year,” says Bill Lester. “But, I do have a new crew chief this year -- Doug Wolcott -- who came to the team from Bill Davis’s R&D shop. Doug has a lot of experience and he’s also very technically savvy, which I think plays to my personality because of my engineering background.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No racetrack on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule is simple. Gateway International Raceway, an egg-shaped, 1.25-mile layout hosting Saturday’s Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200, is more difficult than most. Considerably more difficult. Since joining the series in 1998, Gateway has produced seven different winners – each among the most seasoned of NASCAR Craftsman Truck veterans. This week’s race figures to have the same characteristics to it as defending champion Bobby Hamilton (No. 04 Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Dodge), two-time series titlist Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 6 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet), Ricky Craven (No. 99 Super Chips Ford) and Jimmy Spencer (No. 2 Team ASE Dodge) are among those hoping to join the victor’s list. (David Vaughn Photo)
|
|
|
|
The Missouri/Illinois Dodge Dealers will sponsor a special paint scheme on Hamilton’s No. 04 Dodge this weekend for a one-race deal for the Ram Tough 200. “We are thrilled to have Dodge’s first NCTS Champion carry our name in what has become one of the premiere stops on the Truck Series’ schedule,” stated Vince Capatosa, President of the Missouri/Illinois Dodge Dealers.
|
|
|
|
Brandon Whitt and the #38 McMillin Homes/Cure Autism Now Toyota Tundra team head to the 1.25-mile Gateway International Raceway, located in Madison, Ill., for Saturday night’s Gateway 200; the fifth race in the 2005 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.
|
|
|
|
Truck figures enter hall of fame …
Two figures with early NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ties will be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame on July 22. Marion Collins, owner-operator of Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., was among the first to host a series race in 1995. His son, Gary Collins, built the prototype pickup truck. Daytona 500 winner Ernie Irvan, co-owner of Irvan-Simo Racing, also enters the hall. Irvan’s driver, Joe Ruttman, scored Ford’s first series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in 1995 and finished second in the championship standings.
|
|
|
Rich Bickle will return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this weekend in the Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway. Out of the series for over a year, the veteran of 74 NCTS starts is returning with a solid opportunity and a solid cause. “I didn’t like sitting out last year, but you have to have the right opportunity and every driver knows those can be in short supply at times,” said Bickle, whose last Truck Series ride was the 2003 season finale at Homestead, FL. “Fortunately, this latest opportunity with the VFW has a great program in place both on and off the track. It’s going to be fun to race in the Truck Series again.”
VFW Hidden Heroes and Wounded Warriors Fund
(PR Photo)
|
|
|
|
“Gateway is one of the more complicated tracks we race on in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It isn't that Gateway is so difficult as it is both ends are so different. Turns three and four are high-speed corners while turns one and two are not. You have to set up the truck to work at one end and give up the other end."
|
|
|
|
Ted Musgrave (No. 1 Mopar Dodge) can become just the sixth competitor in series history to win $3 million with a victory in this week’s race. Musgrave enters the Gateway event with $2,959,431 and needs $40,569 to join a select group that includes Hornaday, Sprague, Dennis Setzer (No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado Chevrolet), Joe Ruttman and Rick Crawford (No. 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford). Musgrave won the Dodge Ram Tough 200 in 2001.
|
|
|
|
Crawford and Gateway Are Like A John Michael Montgomery Song -
Going into last years Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway Rick Crawford thought Gateway would "Be My Baby Tonight". Prior to the 2004 race, seven starts netted 5 top 10 tens and Crawford was coming off his first dirt track win at the I-55 Raceway owned by Cup regular Ken Schrader, "That's What I'm Talking About". "I Swear", the 2004 installment of the Dodge Ram Tough 200 would not turn out so well for The Circle Bar Truck Corral Team. A green, white, checker finish would bring out the "Little Devil" in some of the drivers and it took 3 times to get a winner. In what would become the Speed Channels Top NASCAR finish of 2004, Crawford and his F-150 set a new world record for a slide on the side without flipping.
|
|
|
|
“It’s safe to say that Gateway is my kind of track. I thought we had the race won last year but came home with a fourth place finish instead. I seem to run good at flat tracks like Gateway. It is a unique track that has two distinctly different ends to it and long straightaways. The new gear rule will come into affect here as in the past a lot of people have shifted but that will not be the case now. My team has given me great Toyota trucks these first four races and we will have another one this week. TRD gives us tremendous horsepower for our Toyota Tundra and that will really help down these long straightaways. The most exciting finish the series’ had last year was at Gateway and I led seven of the last eight laps of the race – just not the right one. I expect the same kind of excitement again and maybe this time we can bring home the trophy.”
|
|
|
|
Deborah Renshaw is looking to rebound after a disappointing 28th place finish last time out at the Martinsville Speedway.“Gateway is a completely different track than from any other on the circuit. We tested there a few weeks ago and that was my first time seeing the track. It is a track where it is crucial to get the best balance as possible underneath your truck and then go out there and hit your marks on each lap."
|
|
|
|
Todd Kluever will drive the No. 50 World Financial Group Ford F-150 at Gateway. This will be the third of 15 races World Financial Group will be the primary sponsor on the truck. “The two days we spent at Gateway testing a few weeks ago were very helpful. The truck we tested wasn’t the one we planned on racing there, but it ran so well in the test that I told the guys I’d be happy to race it."
|
|
|
“It was such an exciting race last year in St. Louis. It was the end of the multiple green/white/checkered rule - when NASCAR went to only one attempt at a green/white/checkered finish in each of their premier Series. The rule sure went out with a bang and the race never to be forgotten."
|
|
|
|
Chevrolet Team Silverado driver David Starr has been looking forward to returning to Gateway International Raceway. The Texas native pulled off a last lap pass in one of the most exciting races of the 2004 season to capture is first victory of the year in the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Silverado. Starr’s victory came on the fourth green-white-checkered attempt that saw the race go a historic 14 laps beyond the scheduled 160 laps and was the final race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series under the old rules stating every race would end under green flag conditions.
|
|
|
|
“Timothy picked up on the configuration at Gateway really fast. It is very important for us to test as much as possible with Timothy and to get him acclimated to some of the racetracks that he has not been to. It is important for him to see the characteristics of a place like Gateway. It really helps when we get ready to unload for the race.” --
Crew chief Randy Seals
|
|
|
|
"Gateway is a fun track. I remember when it was being built a lot of people compared it to New Hampshire so immediately I figured I would like it. Actually it is only half like New Hampshire. Turns three and four are much flatter, or at least they seem to be flatter than one and two. The straightaways are very long, but that might be more a product of how sharp turns one and two are."
|
|
|
|
“Gateway is going to be interesting with NASCAR’s new gear rule because we’re not going to be able to shift anymore. It is going to be a challenge for the engine builders. I’m sure our folks at TRD are working on a combination already to compensate and pull that thing up off of the corner, with that tall gear in it at places where we used to shift, but still be able to take the RPM at the other end."
|
|
|
Talk about your name being mentioned for the No. 6 Nextel Cup car once Mark Martin retires.
I think it is remote to discuss any idea of me being any part of the No. 6 team next year. But having said that, I think it is a fair question because there’s certainly some interest and there’s been some discussion. Not really as much discussion on my end as there has been among fans and perhaps some of the media. But to be clear, that’s an interest of mine. It’s an interest because I have a desire to get back to Nextel Cup Series level and compete and have success. That’s part of why this path I’ve chosen to be part of Roush Racing is so exciting, and I’m thankful for the opportunity... (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)
|
|
|
Chevrolet Team Silverado drivers Jack Sprague, Ron Hornaday and David Starr along with Bobby Labonte were among the first drivers to make laps on the new surface at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Labonte was testing the No. 47 Chevrolet All Star Silverado for his Joes Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart, who will drive in the May 20th Quaker Steak and Lube 200 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Track management recently completed a process called levigation. In layman’s terms, the track has been polished smooth which will give it more adhesion. Officials expect to see a second racing grove that will create more side-by-side racing. Although testing was cut short by rain, Team Silverado drivers were able to get some laps under green conditions. (Ronda Greer Photo)
|
|
|
|
Justin Allgaier will lead the new generation of “young guns” into the 1.25-mile Gateway International Raceway for this weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event as the 18-year-old Riverton, IL, native will be the youngest competitor to attempt the “Ram Tough 200”.
|
|
|
|
“I am looking forward to going to Gateway. It is a unique racetrack. I have had the opportunity to run a Busch Series car there in 2004, which is the first time that I have run the track. We are going out early to check out the Arch, do some other tourist stuff and then head to the racetrack."
|
|
|
|
The K Automotive Motorsports team has earned a string of five top ten starting positions, three top five finishes, four top ten finishes and one win. This year Brad Keselowski will make his second career start at Gateway with a race truck that has proved to be very good to him in 2005, Two-Dog. Two-Dog was the truck in which he drove to his career-best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finish at Daytona of seventh earlier this season. This week, Keselowski hopes that the luck of Two-Dog can translate into a shorter and even more challenging race track.
|
|
|
Dennis Setzer and his No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado race team could use a little luck as they head into Gateway International Raceway for this weekend’s Ram Tough 200. The team has been plagued by flat tires, accidents, judgment-call penalties, and all together - bad luck. “We have certainly had our share of bad luck this season,” said driver, Dennis Setzer. “I feel like we have had a truck capable of winning in three of the first four races, and a top-five truck at each one. We just can’t catch a break right now.” Over the past two seasons, Dennis Setzer and his No. 46 Silverado crew have been able to make strong runs for the overall championship and have accumulated five victories in doing so. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)
|
|
|
|
Shige Hattori is no stranger to Gateway International Raceway. His second PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship Series victory of the 1998 season came on the 1.25 oval from his inside row two starting position. The win came on the heals of his first 1998 trip to victory lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the Series' season opening event. Hattori has competed twice in the Indy Lights Series, once in CART and twice in IRL races at the track that lies just east of St. Louis.
|
|
|
|
“I like the schedule at Gateway a lot. It is nice to go in and work really hard for one whole day, then go home and spend some down time there. It’s grueling though on race day to be running around here and there, but then I have the rest of the weekend to rest and watch the Nextel Cup race. NASCAR is working hard to help us trim the schedule and keep costs down. It’s easier on everyone if all the tracks would do that."
|
|
|
“It is going to be to interesting because of the new gear rule. We will not be shifting coming off of turn two, which will be different, and my Bill Davis Racing team will have to adapt to that. I like the track because it has two distinct corners. Turns one and two are tighter with higher banking, and turns three and four are flatter and more sweeping. It is definitely a challenge for the driver and the team to find a set up that is a compromise through the whole weekend." (David Vaughn Photo)
|
|
|
|
Gateway is a lot of fun. I have a lot of bad runs there and a couple great runs. It’s one of those tracks where fortunately aerodynamics kind of gets taken out of play. Turns 1 and 2 are really tough corners. It’s high speed and heavy braking down to very slow. It’s a very, very tight corner."
|
|
|
|
Matt Crafton has made four career NASCAR Truck Series starts at the 1.25-mile Gateway International Raceway. When he cranks the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet for his fifth start at GIR on Saturday night, Crafton will look to score his fifth consecutive top-10 finish at the track.
|
|
|
|
“The 2005 race will be quite a bit different than any other NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway International Raceway because it will be the first year we as drivers will not be shifting. We will not have the option to shift under the new gear rules implemented for this year. We shifted for many years at Gateway, where you downshift into turn one and up-shift heading onto the backstretch and into turns three and four."
|
|
|
|
One Race Change in Sponsor!
This week Park will drive the #62 Casino Queen Dodge. The “Queen” is a sister property to Las Vegas based “The Orleans” hotel and casino that normally sponsors Park’s efforts. The Queen is a River Boat property located on the mighty Mississippi, which features full hotel and gaming on the Illinois side of the river. This is one track that Park feels that owes him one. Why? Because Park was running fourth with 20 laps to go in last year’s version of this event when the transmission in his Casino Queen Dodge failed. The problem was exacerbated when Park had little left in the gearbox for the three green-white-checker restarts that punctuated last year’s event.
|
|
|
|
Gateway International Raceway announced today that Sandy Barcus of McHenry, Illinois will serve as the Honorary Grand Marshall and Brian Belchik of Alton, Illinois as the Honorary Starter for this Saturday night's Missouri/Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. This is part of Gateway's "Salute To The Military".
|
|
|
Shane Wallace has been the most consistent driver so far this season in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series as evident by the fact that he is the only driver in the series to have completed every lap so far this season. The 21-year old continued his strong ways on Saturday night at the Concord Motorsports Park as he once again completed all 250 laps in the running of the Turn 4 Pizza 250 and brought his No. 38 Ford safely home to a fourth place finish.
|
|
|
|
"The new qualifying system has been a challenge for many teams, at all levels, this season," said Shelly Brevak. "We've made an attempt to qualify for each race this season and we feel that Gateway should give us a good idea of where our program is at," finished Brevak.
|
|
|
|
Tracy Hines returns for his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Gateway International Raceway full of optimism. A strong run in Martinsville in the last series event has given the No. 13 ThorSport Racing/David Zoriki Motorsports Chevrolet team some needed momentum. And following a strong lead lap finish at Gateway last summer, Hines believes he and his team will find the gateway to their first top-10 finish of 2005.
|
|
|
For Ted Musgrave, this weekend's race presents a lot of opportunity. A chance to win the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 in the Ultra Motorsports No. 1 Dodge Ram, the possibility of earning his first series victory of 2005, and an opportunity to take over the series points lead are all on the table. The most golden opportunity of all, though, is the chance to break the $3 million mark in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series earnings. Only five other drivers have made this achievement thus far in series history. Musgrave will enter the Gateway race only $40,569 short of the $3 million mark.
(High Sierra Photo)
|
|
|
Shige Hattori Claimed an Indy Lights Series Victory in 1998 at Gateway International Raceway - In a season of firsts for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Shige Hattori, this weekend will finally offer a familiar backdrop. Saturday’s Dodge Ram Tough 200 brings Hattori back to Gateway International Raceway, one of two American tracks at which he has notched a victory. His triumph at the 1.25-mile oval came in 1998 in the Indy Lights Series. “I’ve driven at Gateway a few times when I raced in the CART and Indy Lights Series,” Hattori said, while testing a truck there for the first time. “I won there in 1998 with an Indy Light Car. I like the track very much." (David Vaughn Photo)
|
|
|
|
Shane Hmiel will be in Talladega this weekend to compete in the tenth race of the NASCAR Busch series season in the No. 32 WINFUEL Chevrolet. Immediately following the conclusion of the Aaron’s 312, Hmiel will board a plane for St. Louis to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway International Raceway. Regan Smith is scheduled to practice and qualify the No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet in St. Louis for Hmiel.
|
|
|
|
Andy McCollum will trade the pigskin for a pit sign this weekend at the Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway. McCollum, longtime center for the St. Louis Rams, will be on pit road with the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Silverado team to support driver David Starr. Starr will be in pursuit of his second consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win at the oval just east of St. Louis.
|
|
|
|
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) has reported that last Tuesday night April 26, after testing the No. 6 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Silverado at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Ron Hornaday was experiencing pain in is stomach. He took himself to a Mooresville, NC area hospital, and learned that his appendix had ruptured. Outpatient surgery was performed, and Hornaday’s appendix was removed. He was released that same night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ted Musgrave led a 15-driver assault on the former track record at Gateway International Speedway and claimed the pole position in qualifying for the Dodge Ram Tough 200. Musgrave, who was the 37th of 41 drivers to take time, ran a lap of 33.294 seconds/135.159 miles per hour to take his second pole at Gateway. Musgrave knocked Jack Sprague off the pole after Sprague, Ron Hornaday, and David Starr went back-to-back-to-back to knock one another off the pole. Sprague will line up outside row one, and Hornaday will go from third. Bill Lester snuck between Hornaday and Starr to take the fourth position.
(High Sierra Photo)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ted Musgrave led 158 of 160 laps to win the Dodge Ram Tough 200 Saturday night at the Gateway International Raceway. Musgrave becomes the first driver to win two races in the history of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Gateway, and has won both of them from the pole. Musgrave only gave up the lead on pit stops and was never seriously challenged throughout the night. Even with two late race cautions, Dennis Setzer could only manage to stay within a second of the winner at the checkered flag, his third runner-up finish at Gateway. Jimmy Spencer took advantage of late-race contact between Mike Skinner and Ricky Craven to take third at the finish, while Skinner recovered to finish fourth. Rick Crawford rounded out the top-5.
(High Sierra Photo)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Toyota Trio Score Top-10 Finishes at Gateway -
Mike Skinner led a trio of Toyota Tundra drivers that registered top-10 finishes in Saturday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCTS) race at Gateway International Raceway. Skinner guided his No. 5 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra to a fourth-place at the St. Louis-area track, finishing behind race-winner Ted Musgrave. Tundra drivers Todd Bodine and Chad Chaffin, who each recorded their third top-10 result of the season at Gateway, followed Skinner to the checkered flag. Bodine, driver of the No. 66 Fiddle Back Racing Tundra, finished seventh and Chaffin was ninth in his No. 30 Germain/Arnold Racing Tundra.
|
|
|
|
Dennis Setzer, No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado, Qualified 17th, Finished 2nd:
“We all worked hard as a team to finally get a shot at Ted (Musgrave, Dodge, Race Winner). He had been really good all night; I think he probably led the whole race. On that last restart, with two to go, I finally had him in site and thought I might be able to get a run on him with my Chevy Silverado and I missed a shift on the restart. That gave him about five truck lengths on me and unfortunately we didn’t get a run on him."
|
|
|
|
Dodge Ram driver Bobby Hamilton ran in the top 10 for most of the Missouri/Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 until he had a tire go down on air pressure, forcing him to drop to the rear of the field. Once Hamilton got fresh tires he was back in familiar territory where he finished the 160-lap event in sixth position.
|
|
|
|
If there are horses for courses, owner Jim Smith has a pretty good eye for thoroughbreds. On Saturday night, Smith cheered on stable mates Ted Musgrave and Jimmy Spencer to a one-three finish for his second victory at Gateway International Speedway. Musgrave previously won in 2001 – also from a Bud Pole start. This victory – No. 36 for series pioneer Smith – may have been even sweeter than Musgrave’s initial triumph in his first Gateway appearance. The win matched Jack Roush’s career leading victory total. The Musgrave-Spencer tandem also ran Smith’s top three finish tally to seven at the 1.25-mile oval in suburban St. Louis.
|
|
|
|
Even though it wasn’t his birthday, NASCAR newcomer Timothy Peters had somewhat of a sweet sixteen of his own on Saturday night. Peters drove his No. 4 Bailey’s Dodge to a solid sixteenth place finish in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway International Raceway. Peters’ efforts earned him the NCTS Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award.
|
|
|
Bobby Hamilton Racing driver Chase Montgomery drove a smart race in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway bringing the No. 18 Dodge home in 19th position. Montgomery’s first top-20 finish of the season enabled him to move into 30th place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings.
|
|
|
|
A costly penalty resulted in a 24th-place finish for David Reutimann’s No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota Tundra at Gateway International Raceway Saturday evening. “NASCAR said that I sped on pit road,” said Reutimann. “It’s hard for me to take because I’m always careful not to do something like that."
|
|
|
Robert Huffman finished 35th at Gateway International Raceway after his No. 12 Toyota Tundra was forced behind pit wall prematurely during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event Saturday night. “A valve retainer broke,” said Huffman, who completed 80 laps. “The part that broke is something that you just can’t control. I feel like we would’ve had a top-10 finish if that didn’t happen."
|
|
|
|
"When we came down for the green-white-checker finish, I seemed to be able to get a really good run going into turn one and made it stick off turn two. When the truck ahead of me went to take position, I simply followed his through and almost got the 14th position away from Shane Hmiel at the start finish line, but he only got me by a couple inches."
|
|
|
|
Robert Pressley, driving the No. 59 Harris Trucking Dodge, garnered an eighth place finish during the running of the Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday night. It was a season best effort so far in 2005 and is a clear sign that Pressley's team is on its way to accomplishing one of several pre-season goals.
|
|
|
Musgrave Becomes Series' Latest 3 Million Dollar Man
- Ted Musgrave led all but two laps in scoring a dominating victory in Saturday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Dodge Ram Tough 200 race at Gateway International Raceway. Musgrave, who won the 160-lap, 200-mile race in 2001, put his Mopar Dodge Ram pickup on the Bud pole with a record qualifying lap of 135.159 mph and dropped to second place just twice during a pair of routine pit stops under caution. The 49-year-old veteran – oldest to win on the series in four years - took the lead for the final time on the 108th trip around the 1.25-mile oval and held off Dennis Setzer’s Chevrolet Silverado Chevrolet in a two-lap dash following the race’s seventh caution period. (High Sierra Photo)
|
|
|
Ted Musgrave led 158 of 160 laps to win the Dodge Ram Tough 200 Saturday night at the Gateway International Raceway.
Musgrave becomes the first driver to win two races in the history of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Gateway, and has won both of them from the pole. Musgrave only gave up the lead on pit stops and was never seriously challenged throughout the night. Even with two late race cautions, Dennis Setzer could only manage to stay within a second of the winner at the checkered flag, his third runner-up finish at Gateway.
Jimmy Spencer took advantage of late-race contact between Mike Skinner and Ricky Craven to take third at the finish, while Skinner recovered to finish fourth. Rick Crawford rounded out the top-5.
(Nate Mecha/High Sierra)
|
|
|
|
Jimmy Kite continues his strong rookie season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The Stockbridge, Georgia-resident marked his second NASCAR start with his second top-20 finish earning 18th at Gateway International Raceway's Ram Tough 250. Kite qualified the No. 06 MRD Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado 32nd for the 200-mile race at the St.Louis-area oval and, despite dropping back in the opening laps, began to fight his way towards the front.
|
|
|
Jimmy Spencer was the benefactor of a late-race tangle between two competitors in front of him within sight of the checkered flag bringing the No. 2 Team ASE/Ultra Wheels Dodge to a third-place finish in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 200 at Gateway International Speedway. Spencer, who was fifth prior to the incident between Mike Skinner and Ricky Craven, dove to the inside when the two made contact in turn three coming to the white flag and held the position over the final lap to take his second top-3 finish of the 2005 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. (Ronda Greer Photo)
|
|
|
Matt Crafton quickly raced his way into the top-10 and was poised to fight for his first top-5 of the 2005 NASCAR Truck Series season, but an ill-timed caution flag trapped the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet a lap down and resulted in a 17th-place finish. With the race’s longest stretch of green flag racing leading up to a round of green flag stops, Crafton made his way to the pits just moments before a crash in turn two brought out a caution.
|
|
|
|
Brendan Gaughan returned to the track this week after he qualified his No.77 Jasper Engines and Transmissions Dodge 27th for the Ram Tough 200. That 27th place starting spot came after the team helped the driver find the front bite he was searching for in the morning practice sessions.
|
|
|
Tracy Hines came to Gateway International Raceway brimming with optimism, but several bouts with Lady Luck left the driver of the No. 13 ThorSport Racing/David Zoriki Motorsports Chevrolet with a disappointing 25th-place finish in round five of the 2005 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.
|
|
|
|
Steve Park arrived at Gateway International Raceway eager to collect the victory that he felt should have been his in 2004 when a late race transmission problem dropped him from contention. And while he may have to wait for another day to cash in on that one that got away, his 13th-place finish in Friday night's Dodge Ram Tough 300 was exactly what he needed to get his season turned around.
|
|
|
|
Chad Chaffin and his Germain / Arnold Racing team continued their impressive ways on Saturday night as they garnered their third straight top ten finish. Chaffin piloted his No. 30 Toyota Tundra to a ninth place finish in the running of the Dodge Ram Tough 200 under the lights at the Gateway International Raceway.
|
|
|
|
Mike Skinner and the No. 5 Toyota Tundra team had their strongest run of the 2005 season Saturday night. They gained three positions in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings while gaining momentum going into a busy month of racing in May. Skinner had only two starts at Gateway International Raceway entering Saturday’s event, but the team knew his veteran experience would shine through and was looking forward to a solid run.
|
|
|
|
Shige Hattori gained ground from experience in the seat of the No. 9 AISIN / AISIN AW Germain/Arnold Racing Toyota Tundra this weekend at Gateway International Raceway, just west of St. Louis. Hattori returned to a track where he captured a 1998 Indy Lights win for the running of the Dodge Ram 200. This time Hattori returned in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing in only his fourth race of his rookie season.
|
|
|
|
Bill Lester’s top-15 performance at Gateway International Raceway propelled him into the top 20 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings. The No. 22 Waste Management team expected a strong run in Saturday night’s event. Lester posted his season-best finish at the track last year and planned to build on that finish this time around.
|
|
|
|
After a solid start to the season, Deborah Renshaw has had two straight disappointing races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The latest came on Saturday night where a late race accident left Renshaw with a 34th place finish in the running of the Dodge Ram Tough 200 at the Gateway International Raceway.
|
|
|
Johnny Benson was cautiously optimistic about Saturday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway International Raceway. Having only one start at Gateway, which has two distinctly different turns, and the NASCAR-mandated gear rule, Benson did not know what to expect out of his No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles (TCUV) Toyota Tundra. The team was excited about the new sponsor program and was looking to give its new partner a strong first showing.
|
|
|
Dennis Setzer and the No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado team proved one again that teamwork pays big dividends in out running the competition in the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series. Setzer came from his 17th starting position to finish a strong second-place in Saturday night’s Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway, just east of St. Louis. (High Sierra Photo)
|
|
|
I was definitely happy that we were able to pull off a solid second place finish in St. Louis. Our team needed that boost. Although we qualified a little farther back in the field than we would have liked, I knew we had a great truck for the race. My crew chief, Eric (Phillips) and the crew kept making adjustments all night and we got a good finish to show for the hard work. Now we head back to the short track in Mansfield. We finished second there last year to fellow Team Silverado driver Jack Sprague. Short tracks like Mansfield and Martinsville are one of the reasons the racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is so exciting and the competition is so intense.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
