Billy Ballew Motorsports announces the signing of a major primary associate sponsorship with Graceway Pharmaceuticals for the remainder of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season on the No. 51 Toyota Tundra.
"Graceway's partnership with Billy Ballew Motorsports has produced amazing results. A 1st, 6th and 26th in Bristol as well as a 1st and 8th in Chicago. We are very excited about finishing out the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season with Billy and the No. 51 Toyota Tundra," Greg Jones, Senior Vice President, Business Development at Graceway Pharmaceuticals said. "Since teaming up with Billy Ballew Motorsports we have experienced back-to-back trips to victory lane, with one of those being in our hometown of Bristol, and we look forward to strong performances for the rest of the year."
Brian Ickler will return to Billy Ballew Motorsports this week to pilot the No. 51 Miccosukee Resort/Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota Tundra in the inaugural Lucas Oil 200 (200 laps, 175 Miles) race at Iowa Speedway, Saturday, September 5, 2009.
Ickler last piloted the Billy Ballew Motorsports entry in Kentucky Speedway and will take the wheel from mentor and friend, Kyle Busch, who has posted wins in the No. 51 in the past two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races (Bristol, Chicagoland).
Although, the young driver has a lot to live up to after the impressive wins by Busch, Ickler is no stranger to the 7/8-mile asphalt track just outside of Des Moines, Iowa. His résumé at Iowa Speedway includes one win in the NASCAR Camping World East Series in 2008 and finishing second in the same event to Busch in 2009. Ickler also has a fifth-place finish in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and has one NASCAR Nationwide Series start at the track designed by former NASCAR Champion Rusty Wallace.
"The way our schedules have kind of worked out the last couple years we've been fortunate to run in Iowa a couple times in the ARCA series, the East series and a Nationwide race a few weeks ago," Brian Ickler said. "I'm thinking we kind of have an advantage, not advantage, but a little bit head start of having raced here before. Definitely everyone is going to have time to get used to this awesome race track. With the help Kyle (Busch) and Billy Ballew, we've been able to jump in the Truck Series. I'm excited for the opportunity and looking forward to running well for in the Miccosukee Resort, Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra."
Kyle Busch, at a recent press conference at Iowa Speedway spoke about his relationship with Brian Ickler.
"It's a real good relationship that Brian (Ickler) and I have together," Busch said. "We met just last year. He moved to North Carolina, moved all his stuff - actually he didn't really have a whole of stuff, but he started up his own race team for the Camping World East Series and he's been doing a great job over there working with that deal. His mom and dad are still on the West Coast so he's basically doing a team ownership on his own, similar to what I've done with my Late Model team but he's doing it on a bigger scale. He's done a good job with that, they've won races, they've been competitive. They've now started in the ARCA series and they've won a pole and finished in the top-five a few times. Every time he's out on the race track he's done a good job. He's kept his equipment in one piece and he's been fast everywhere he's been. I've worked with him a little bit here and there. I picked him to be my guy for the Truck Series when I couldn't run truck races. We're the same size and we fit in the same belts, I might like mine a little tighter than he does but we're still able to use all the same equipment and everything so it makes things a lot easier. He's a good kid and really like working with him. He's only a year younger than I am so it's fun to have a relationship off the track as well as on.
Brian (Ickler) has done a great job in what he's been able to do. He's worked with some great people over the time that he's had out West and out East here. He kind of came from the same background as Jimmie Johnson with the off-road stuff. Had a family-owned business which kind of got him started. He's' been doing a lot with a little. The thing that makes Brian good is he's fast and he's smooth and he knows what he likes in a race car. Sometimes he's a little more meticulous and picky than I am, so when I send my Late Model somewhere to test I send him along because I can't go all the time. He's more picky than I am and he'll make sure that thing comes back and its pretty right. That's just what makes a guy good, when he can communicate and tell the crew chief or tell everyone what it's doing and sometimes have some input as well."
The Billy Ballew Motorsports team will bring chassis #28 which won at Bristol Motor Speedway after driver Kyle Busch dominated the race.
Graceway Pharmaceuticals will also be the Primary Sponsor on the No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports entry with Aric Almirola piloting the truck. Almirola has posted five top-10 finishes in seven starts for Billy Ballew Motorsports in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.
Race 17 of the 25 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season at Iowa Speedway is slated for Saturday, September 5, 2009 beginning at 9:00pm CT. SPEED will provide live televised coverage beginning at 8:30pm CT with MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio joining at 8:45pm CT.
