Kyle Busch lays down a great smoke screen after winning at Dover. (High Sierra Photo)

Given their choice, Billy Ballew and Richie Wauters might not do it this way.

But the pair, owner and crew chief, respectively, have boosted a very independent Billy Ballew Motorsports team to fifth place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner championship standings using a unique and improbable approach: Match the team with a different driver and sponsor virtually every week.

That's not supposed to work - but so far it has.

Kyle Busch drove the No. 15 Chevrolet to victories at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway. Kerry Earnhardt and Busch won Bud Poles, Earnhardt at Daytona and Busch at Michigan. Seven different drivers - Busch, Earnhardt, John Andretti, Blake Feese, Shane Hmiel, Johnny Sauter and Martin Truex Jr. - have contributed four top five and six top-10 finishes to the ledger.

And the team may put another driver or two in the seat before Busch's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule allows the 20-year-old Las Vegas competitor to return for the season's final nine races.

Ballew is pleased with the results - especially when competitors from teams with greater support, equipment and staff wonder how he does it.

"In any business, success is having everybody pulling on the same chain," said Ballew, 45, an Atlanta, Ga. retail and wholesale automobile dealer. "We keep it simple."

Kerry Earnhardt climbs out of the truck after his pole win. (High Sierra Photo)

"We don't spend any money foolishly," said Wauters, a 44-year-old, Green Bay, Wis. native. "And you can take any one of our 12 guys and there's not one any better working for another team. Nobody specializes. They're all universal."

The team may be enjoying its best season, but the principals hardly can be considered overnight sensations. Ballew sponsored dirt late model teams before moving to the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) in 1996 with veterans Mark and Tony Gibson.

He did a hit-and-miss NASCAR Craftsman Truck program until late 2003, when Ballew hired Wauters -seasoned car builder and crew chief. Wauters was the long-time crew chief for Wisconsin short track star Scott Hansen. The tandem won an estimated 200 races.

Billy Ballew Motorsports won its first race last year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Shane Hmiel driving, and finished 14th in owner points.

Both Ballew and Wauters credit its engine contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. for boosting the team to an elite level. Ballew also is pleased that NASCAR NEXTEL Cup owner Rick Hendrick chose his team to help with driver development - which brought some sponsorship to the table as well.

"Letting us use his drivers (Busch and Feese) is proof that he's a believer in our equipment," Ballew said.

Wauters, considered a no-nonsense style crew chief, enjoys working with younger drivers.

"They don't have any bad habits and they listen to everything you say," he said. "And they'll drive the wheels off the truck every lap."

Wauters is particularly impressed with Busch, calling him "a natural and a wheelman. He's raced our truck three times and never put a mark on it."

Based on the season so far, Ballew and Wauters believe winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck owner title is a possibility even though few - themselves included - would have made such a prediction six months ago.

"It would be a modern-day David and Goliath story, wouldn't it?" Ballew said.