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March 2005
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
General News
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Racing fans in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana are getting an up close look at Texas Motor Speedway and motorsports through a new radio program, Texas Motor Speedway’s Total Access Presented by Chevrolet. The weekly show is produced and distributed by Texas Motor Speedway and is currently aired in 16 markets in four states.
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Although Talladega Superspeedway is steeped in 35 years of rich history and tradition, its presence on the World Wide Web has enabled it to progress within a technological age that seems to evolve as quickly as cars zipping around the legendary track. Now that presence has been remarkably enhanced through a new, cutting-edge web site design launched Tuesday, March 1 at
www.talladegasuperspeedway.com
.
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With just a few days until Bike Week 2005 takes over Daytona Beach, Fla., millions of two-wheel enthusiasts are counting the hours until the start of American motorcycle racing's biggest event. If you're not among the lucky that will watch the action in person, SPEED Channel will once again be your home to catch the entire slate of racing.
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THE FREAKS COME OUT AT NIGHT ON SPEED: SpeedFreaks returns to SPEED Channel Saturday at midnight ET (9 p.m. PT) with an impressive guest lineup: NHRA's Top Fuel Pilots Scott Kalitta and David Grubnic, Supercross' James Bubba Stewart and Kevin Windham, NASCAR's Tony Stewart and Bobby Hamilton Jr.
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National Fruit Product Company’s White House brand has been a household name and a race sponsor of Robert Huffman’s for nearly a decade. “In 1996, we began sponsoring Robert Huffman in the No. 37 car in the Dash Series,” said William Armstrong, assistant vice president of National Fruit Product Co., Inc. “We continued with Robert in the Dash Series through the 2003 season after which NASCAR discontinued sanctioning the Dash Series.”
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So the Nextel Cup cars are all qualified but you still have a bit of a racing jag left in you. What to do? What to do? Well, The Orleans Racing teams would like to help you unwind a little with a stop by the team’s 30,000 square-foot shop for their first annual open house. The shop, located just outside Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s turn one, will be host to all comers on March 11th, from 3 to 5 pm, who want to see the west coast’s largest working NASCAR team race shop.
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I am pretty pleased with our California effort. We think we had the truck to beat, but had some problems early in the race so we were set back. At the end of the race we were turning the fastest laps. I was really happy for Steve Park, that makes two weeks in a row with Dodge finishing one and two. A lot of people have commented on our strategy at Daytona and in the race at California. We go when it's time to go. (Emmett Byrd Photo)
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After months of preparation (OK, a long night at their local laundromat), SpeedFreaks lay waste to their 2004 Speed Channel format. Now, on Saturday nights at midnight Eastern and 9:00 p.m. Pacific, it's the Freaks Night Out on Speed Channel. They have concocted a remedy of rhymes so flirtin' that Cab Calloway would take a step back and say, Whaddya say, gate? Are you in the know, or are you a solid bringer-downer? Yea, exactly!
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Track officials announced today the additions of Kacy Harmon as Guest Services Supervisor, Kristen Posey as Advertising and Promotions Manager, and Brett Tolbert as Business Development Manager. Harmon, Posey and Tolbert Bring Energy and Experience to Memphis Motorsports Park.
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Race fans will soon have the opportunity to do some Saturday ticket shopping at Martinsville Speedway. Beginning Saturday, March 12, Martinsville Speedway's ticket office will begin staying open on Saturday's from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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NASCAR racing, unlike other professional sports, has no player draft. Future prospects are where you find them. Jack Roush arguably is the best in the business at beating the bushes and identifying the stars of tomorrow – especially through competition in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The Ohio native has identified those diamonds in the rough in a variety of ways: via recommendation (Greg Biffle), a “Gong Show” competition (Kurt Busch) and performance with a competing team (Carl Edwards). It’s hard to argue with success. (High Sierra Photo)
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SPEED Channel will expand its current line of SPEED Swag™ -- network gear and apparel available on SPEEDTV.com and at motor sports events around the country -- to include SPEED Girl, a select line of items designed specifically for women.
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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today the hiring of Marcus Jadotte to manage NASCAR’s national media outreach efforts. Jadotte will be based in NASCAR’s Daytona Beach headquarters and will be responsible for strategic planning and execution of all media outreach efforts nationally.
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Bill Janitz has been named Director of Public Relations for Michigan International Speedway, track president Brett Shelton announced today. Janitz, who has been a member of the MIS public relations department since 2001, will assume his new duties immediately. A native of Brooklyn, MI, Janitz is a 2000 graduate of Michigan State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. “We are excited to have Bill advance in his career as our Director of Public Relations,” said Shelton. “I look forward to having him lead our public and media relations efforts for years to come.”
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SPEED Channel has signed veteran motor sports broadcaster Bob Jenkins to co-anchor the network's signature weekend racing news program, SPEED News.
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Q. Steve, what are your plans for the Las Vegas weekend? Park: We’re having an Open House on Friday. All the fans will be there to see myself and Brendan and the whole Orleans Dodge team and the shop that Brendan helped build to what it is today. Q. The Busch teams in the midst of this California-Mexico-Las Vegas swing had to switch out cars a couple of times in Texas. Is that what you guys have to do when you have back-to-back races on the East Coast. Gaughan: I’m not going to let out our secrets. I’m not going to let everybody know how we do it. But there are ways. We are more prepared.
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* Cost Reduction and Better Stability The goals, Regarding Changes to Body Skirts and Cowl Flaps -
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rule book has been amended to require body extension panels and larger cowl flaps beginning with the March 18 World Financial Group 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR officials announced today. The rule changes, according to NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director Wayne Auton, give teams the opportunity to reduce costs and improve the handling of their race trucks.
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Which track is the favorite among NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series insiders according to a NASCAR.com survey? It's America's Premiere Short Track, Richmond International Raceway.
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Ted Musgrave and the No. 1 Mopar Dodge Ram team have seen the 2005 racing season begin on a high note. You could even go so far as to say it's been tinted with rose-colored glasses. But as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rolls into the Atlanta Motor Speedway for next weekend's World Financial Group 200, Musgrave could be seeing a whole new hue. Beginning in Atlanta, Musgrave will begin a march toward becoming the sixth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver to earn $3 million in series' winnings. (High Sierra Photo)
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The Drive for DiversitySM program announced today that NASCAR driver Michael Gallegos has been added to the program’s 2005 roster, competing for Innovative Motorsports in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series (NDWS) this season.
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The Drive for DiversitySM program announced today that NASCAR driver Terri Williams has been added to the program’s 2005 roster, competing in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series (NDWS) this season for SCORE Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR veteran Hermie Sadler and former NBA player Bryant Stith.
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The Greater Charlotte Chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES) is holding its annual Events in Excellence Awards (EVIES) Saturday, March 19, 2005 at The Extravaganza Depot located at 1610 N. Tryon St.
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With tax day looming the week after the running of the Advance Auto Parts 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race, Martinsville Speedway has found the perfect pole-day partner. Speedway officials announced today that Jackson Hewitt Tax Service will be the sponsor of pole day for the Advance Auto Parts 500.
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Steve Park’s victory in February’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at California Speedway made him the 10th driver to score the hat trick of winning a race in all three of NASCAR’s top divisions – the Craftsman Truck Series, Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series. Park joined Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Hamilton, Ken Schrader, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte, Jimmy Spencer, Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle in that exclusive club.
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Roush Racing has added four drivers to its development program, Erik Darnell, Danny O'Quinn, Joey Logano and Marc Davis. Each driver has a different racing background, but all four possess the talent to eventually succeed in the NASCAR ranks. Darnell and O'Quinn were both discovered through Roush's "Race For The Ride" program last fall. Both drivers made it to the final test at Darlington and were considered for the ride in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which was awarded to Todd Kluever.
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Tracy Hines and ThorSport Racing welcome David Zoriki Motorsports as an associate sponsor of Hines’ No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet for the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. Hines, currently in his second full season in the NCTS with ThorSport, first met Zoriki while in the USAC open wheel divisions and is happy their relationship has carried over to NASCAR.
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Ted Musgrave is on the move in the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and there's one thing that definitely stands out: For the first time in several years, Musgrave and the No. 1 Ultra Motorsports Mopar Dodge Ram team are on top of their game early in the season, and it seems that Lady Luck has dealt Musgrave a good hand right from the start. It's a toss of the dice that Musgrave isn't familiar with.
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NASCAR’s 1960 champion, Rex White, and his biographer, Anne B. Jones, will speak at Appalachian State University on March 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone. The event, sponsored by the Appalachian State University Libraries, is free and open to the public.
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Tracy Hines enters the Easy Care 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a new crew chief calling the shots on the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet. Shane Tesch, who spent several seasons working with Mike Garvey in the defunct American Speed Association, has joined the team and will call the race from atop the pit box for the second-year driver starting this weekend.
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Sad News:
Michelle Gross, daughter of Ken Clapp, retired Vice President of Western Operations for NASCAR and longtime associate of truck series pioneers DJ and Jim Smith, passed away on Thursday at the age of 41. On behalf of the entire NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series community, we send our thoughts and prayers out to Michelle's friends and family during this difficult time.
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The 1995 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, Mike Skinner, has battled for victory many times during his successful racing career, but on March 22, he will join other Daytona Beach, Fla., dignitaries not for a checkered flag, but for the State of Florida. Skinner, along with Daytona International Speedway president Robin Braig, will head to Tallahassee, Fla., to meet with Gov. Jeb Bush.
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A quick look at the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner’s points after two races shows an interesting mix of teams that would be locked in the starting field and those would need to race their way in, if we were using current 2005 season standings versus the final 2004 standings. The series will use 2005 standings to determine Truck Owner Provisional eligibilty starting with the fifth race at Gateway International Raceway. While 2004 series champion Bobby Hamilton would be in regardless based on his status as the defending champion, he wants to eliminate all doubt. (High Sierra Photo)
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Memphis Motorsports Park announced today that Chuck Hutton Chevrolet, a Memphis-based new and used car dealership, has signed an agreement to become the Official Car Dealership of Memphis Motorsports Park. The agreement extends the track’s long standing association with Chevrolet vehicles.
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The first of two issues of RACING FAN, a big, bold, photo-driven magazine, debuts this month. Celebrating NASCAR fans, their heroes, their passion for the sport and the NASCAR lifestyle, RACING FAN gives the people who love everything about NASCAR information they can use, whether they collect memorabilia, are planning a trip to the track, or want to win their next trivia argument.
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Over the next few months, SPEED Channel will produce and distribute stories about what it takes to deliver massive motor sports projects like the 70 hours of coverage during Speedweeks at Daytona, exclusive behind-the-scenes specials and unique automotive lifestyle programs that define the network as it rolls toward its 10-year anniversary.
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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has announced a renewal of its longstanding association with Atlanta-based Diversified Electronics/Racing Radios to provide two-way radio communications for all NASCAR officials and competitors in NASCAR’s three national series.
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Race fans will have the opportunity to have a good time and help the Victory Junction Gang Camp the night before qualifying for the Advance Auto Parts 500 and Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. At least 10 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers will be on hand to sign autographs at Kroger Night With The Drivers on Thursday, April 7 at the old Lowe's building, just south of the entrance to Martinsville Speedway.
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Lowe's Motor Speedway has scheduled 35 hours of open testing for NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series teams in preparation for the track's slate of May races, including the May 21 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge and the May 29 Coca-Cola 600.
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Norris recently left his native state of Alabama and made the move to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area to concentrate on his racing career. Norris has been helping out the #15 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team for which his car owner, Richie Wauters, is the crew chief of.
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Allgaier Motorsports, an Illinois-based racing team that fields dirt late models, midgets and an ARCA RE/MAX entry with 18-year-old Justin Allgaier behind the wheel, recently learned that they were tapped to receive an important distinction - the “Air Force Salutes Award”.
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The more things change, the more they stay the same. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, “10 Years Tough” in 2005 and beginning its second decade as a NASCAR national touring series, is decidedly higher profile than in its inaugural season with events at many high-speed tracks like Daytona International Speedway and – most recently – Atlanta Motor Speedway. But the racing remains fiercely competitive, whether on short track or superspeedway. And the list of series stars has come full circle, along with the tough competitors they’ve been able to beat.
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With the May races fast approaching and on the eve of peak demand, Lowe's Speedway's Web site has undergone a major overhaul. The rebuilt site, located at
www.lowesmotorspeedway.com
, is scheduled to launch at noon on Wednesday, March 23, and features a vibrant new look, a more user-friendly design and a new online fan club.
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The final installation of the SAFER barriers at Dover International Speedway is underway, and will be completed in time for the June 3-5, 2005 MBNA race weekend. The SAFER (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction system) barrier walls consist of rectangular steel tubing backed by foam blocks, and reduces the force of the initial impact of a crash.
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SPEED Channel is taking race fans behind the scenes to take a look at the life and times of a professional motocross team during the 2005 AMA Supercross Season. The Reality of Speed follows the daily life of the riders, mechanics and management at Team Samsung Wireless from the first week of January heading to the first round in Anaheim, to the final round in Las Vegas.
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William G. Miller, President of California Speedway since Sept. 2000, announced his resignation from the speedway effective March 31, 2005. No permanent replacement for Miller has been named at this time. Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan Sperber will oversee operations of the speedway until a replacement is named.
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Team Silverado drivers Dennis Setzer, Jack Sprague and David Starr had more excitement in Atlanta than just racing their trucks over 185 mph around the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. The trio was the guests of management and staff of the GM Assembly Plant in Doraville, GA on Thursday to sign autographs and tour the facility. In the Atlanta-metro area for the third race of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the Silverado truck racers were able to take time from the track to meet as many of the over 3,100 plant workers as possible. (PR Photo)
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Richmond's NASCAR Hall of Fame Bid Gaining Steam: Dozens of area companies have stepped up with financial donations, logistical support and offers of free services including air time and billboards for Virginians Racing for The Hall of Fame, a non-profit group dedicated to bringing the NASCAR Hall of Fame to the Greater Richmond Metropolitan Area.
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The prestigious Crown Royal International Race of Champions (IROC) Series will run its 100-mile race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night, April 15 (6 p.m. CT). The series features just four races for the season to determine the top driver. Texas Motor Speedway is the second stop on the schedule. Mark Martin (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series) is the points leader (24) after the opening race at Daytona in February.
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Tickets for Martinsville Speedway's two non-NEXTEL Cup Series events, the Modified 300 NASCAR Whelen Modified Series race and the Bailey's 300 NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race will go on sale Wednesday, March 23.
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The Milwaukee Mile opens it’s pit gates once a year to allow race fans to drive their personal vehicles around America’s Legendary Oval. From A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones and drivers with the last names of Allison, Andretti and Earnhardt, a virtual “who’s who” of auto racing superstars have raced on the historic one mile oval. Now race fans can drive at a moderated speed around The Milwaukee Mile on Saturday, April 16, 2005.
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Key Motorsports, Southeastern Virginia’s only NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) team, announced today that it has hired two new staff members to complete their already experienced office team. Lisa McAllister, who currently owns the Miami Fury, a women’s professional football team, joined Key Motorsports recently to manage sponsorship relations. Nanci Cowden, a veteran of the motorsports industry, joined Key Motorsports to oversee the daily media and community relations of the #40 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Team.
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One of the major selling points to thousands of loyal NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series fans is the approachability of the drivers and the feeling that the drivers are indeed average folks, just like us. The same goes for the hundreds of crew members and officials that work in the garage area. The crew chiefs and other crew members don't have million-dollar motorcoaches they take to each race, rather they crash in the same hotels that are often packed with the ticket-buying public. They aren't invited to be guest panelists on the talking head shows, and it's rare to see their faces on television except during the race broadcasts on Speed Channel. However, two members of the NCTS community have become television stars in recent weeks.
Click Here to Watch the TV Commercial
•
Listen to the Audio Interview
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Last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway Carl Edwards won his first NASCAR Nextel Cup race. We asked Edwards and his teammates to recall their first Cup Series win and what it meant to them. Here is what they had to say: "My first win in a Cup car came at Martinsville Speedway in the fall of 2001. I remember it was down to the wire with Dale Jarrett. We were sideways going down the backstretch. What stands out is crossing the finish line and the feeling of time standing still."
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WHO: MotoGP bar bangers Max Biaggi and Nicky Hayden (swear). NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon and teammate / Funny Car winner from Pomona, Tommy Johnson Jr. Plus, the first, and maybe the last, installment of ‘Who Freakin’ Bites First’ …oh yeah!
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SPEED Channel joins with RacingJunk.com, the performance racing industry's leading classified ad portal, in announcing the exclusive web cast of SPEED Channel's upcoming new series, "Pinks." - This marks SPEED Channel online debut of an episode of a television series, as well as a first for the highly trafficked racing portal. SPEED Channel is partnering with RacingJunk's community of users to showcase the new reality based show online. The March 29 (8 p.m. ET) online release will be a full four months in advance of its July 2005 debut on SPEED Channel.
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From 1955 mechanical and styling innovations that changed the motoring landscape to owners who have turned automobiles into artistic masterpieces that stretch the bounds of imagination, the April 7-10 Food Lion AutoFair at Lowe's Motor Speedway will showcase American automotive ingenuity. Featured displays in the massive Food Lion AutoFair Pavilion include: Two radical rides handcrafted on Discovery Channel's hit series "Monster Garage;" a tribute to the cars of 1955, one of the most important years in automotive history; a side-by-side comparison of futuristic concept cars built nearly 50 years apart; and eight automobiles that have been transformed into the nation's most unique pieces of contemporary art.
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Ken Weaver earned his career-best ARCA RE/MAX Series starting position of second, his career-best finish at the Nashville Superspeedway of sixth and climbed 12 positions to the third position in points this past weekend during the PFG Lester 150. The 49-year old native of Dallas, Texas started his weekend by qualifying second during Friday afternoon’s Pork Qualifying round posting an impressive lap of 29.802 seconds at 161.023mph giving him his career-best starting position in his 14 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts.
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Well we have three races under our belt and they have all been distinctively different for us. Our team ran well at Daytona, but didn't finish well. We ran decent at California, were thrown some curves in the race, and were able to rally back to a respectable finish. Then last week at Atlanta, we had a good solid run and scored our first top-five finish of the season. Atlanta was a great race for the Morgan-Dollar Motorsports race team. This was the site of the first Silverado All-Star race of the 2005 season. The Silverado All Stars use the combination of veteran Chevrolet Cup drivers behind the wheel, and musical artists' likenesses on the hood.
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Rick Crawford was an award presenter at the Annual Urban Youth Racing Awards Dinner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) was founded in 1998 by Anthony Martin. It is dedicated to providing inner-city kids ages 8-18, an opportunity to enhance their life skills using motor sports as the magnet, and education as the compass.
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Former Star Of Hit Series "The Apprentice" Doesn't Rule Out Future Behind The Wheel In NASCAR
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Jimmy Kite finished his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event with a flourish, running in 19th, backwards across the start-finish line at the Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). The overall run so impressed MRD Motorsports’ owner Dave Malcolmson (Largo, Fla.) and crew chief Bryan Berry (Concord, N.C.) that they have brought the Stockbridge, Georgia-resident back to run two more Truck Series events in the next two months.
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Ed Clark, president and general manager of Atlanta Motor Speedway, announced today the addition of Marcy Scott as Director of Marketing and Promotion for the facility.
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In the sport of auto racing, drivers experience many rough days at the track. Chris Fowler is one driver that never has a bad day at the race track – he just cherishes his opportunities in the sport and in life. See, Chris has Cystic Fibrosis and battles everyday of his life - so being at the race track is an escape for this 29-year-old driver from Jacksonville, Florida. The 2005 season will see Chris take one step closer to his overall goal as he will start the 2005 race season competing in the ASA Late Model Series.
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Dave Mullison has been promoted to Director of Advertising and Promotion, Atlanta Motor Speedway President and General Manager Ed Clark announced today. Mullison, an employee at Atlanta Motor Speedway since 1999, has served as Marketing Communication Manager for the past six years. He will continue primarily in that role, managing all aspects of advertising and event promotions, as well as the AMS website.
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