News Article
Preview: CampingWorld.com 200
July 14, 2010
NASCAR PR
Todd Bodine (#30 Germain.com Toyota)
believes it's coincidental that experience appears to be the key at
Gateway International Raceway, where a NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series-record seven champions have won in 12 races at the 1.25-mile
track in suburban St. Louis.
"Anybody can hit on that (special)
setup, haul the mail and run up front," said Bodine, the 2006 series
champion and current points leader. Anybody can but nobody has. There have been no first-time winners
at Gateway. No Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender has won a race
there.
The only double winner is Ted Musgrave,
who led a whopping 158 of 160 laps of the 2006 event the year he and
series pioneer-owner Jim Smith won the championship.
Often as not, the dominant truck hasn't
won at Gateway. A year ago, Mike Skinner (#5 Exide Toyota) was a
surprised winner after some late-race fireworks that saw a succession
of drivers abdicate the lead in a series of bizarre, late-race
incidents. "We won with a fourth-place truck and at the end of the
day, when the smoke cleared, the #5 was in Victory Lane,"; Skinner
said. "I kept asking myself, How did this happen?' But I'll take it."
David Starr (#81 Randy Moss Motorsports
Toyota) is another driver who won at Gateway when other drivers'
ambitions overcame common sense. Starr led only the final lap in 2004
in the last of three green-white-checker attempts.
"I was running fifth
and I thought I'd finish third at best,"; said Starr, who executed a
bump-and-run maneuver with less than a lap to go to claim the victory. Gateway, with its tight turns and relatively flat configuration,
requires a lot of braking over the course of 160 laps. By the time a
driver is ready to make a final charge, those brakes may not be able to
sufficiently slow a 3,400-pound truck.
"It invites you to go deeper and deeper and makes for an exciting
(end of the race) when the guy who goes in too deep knocks out the guy
who is running second,"; Starr said.
Still, he agrees with Bodine it's a
great feeling to have the perfect truck. It's not something that
happens frequently. The Houston driver, who made his 250th start a week
ago at Iowa Speedway, remembers having that special setup when he won
his first race in Las Vegas in 2002. "It doesn't happen often,"; Starr
said. "When it does, it's a feeling you can't describe. It's just
awesome.";
Seven different NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series champions have won races at Gateway
International Raceway, most of any series track. (* Won in
Championship Season)
Driver Year(s)
Greg Biffle, 1999
Jack Sprague, 2000
Ted Musgrave, 2001, 2005*
Todd Bodine, 2006 *
Ron Hornaday Jr., 2007
Johnny Benson Jr., 2007
Mike Skinner, 2009
More Than A Decade Later,
NCWTS Still Going Strong In Midwest
"In my opinion, NASCAR has some of its most loyal and vocal fans in the
Midwest. That's not to diminish the fan base in my native Southeast
but we've proved, year-in and year-out, that NASCAR truly is a major
sport with a national following that transcends any single region.
"We saw great crowds last weekend in
Iowa, where families especially those with children came to cheer
the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. This week we can expect the same
thing as the series moves south to Gateway International Raceway.
We've been a fixture at the 1.25-mile track over more than a decade and
we've provided a record book of thrills for the Illinois-Missouri fans.
"There will be a large, pre-race autograph session on pit road.
That's always been a highlight of the weekend.
"And this year, we'll be there with the
NASCAR Nationwide Series as the first half of a huge NASCAR
doubleheader that rolls on to Indianapolis a week later. "Gateway
traditionally has been a track where veterans excel, however, this year
we anticipate a larger than usual field with many drivers new or
nominally new to NASCAR Camping World Truck competition.
"The track is a
good one for those who have come to the series recently and who are
moving up the ladder, so to speak, on their way to racing on the higher
speed tracks like Talladega Superspeedway, which we'll visit in
October.
"Gateway is a meld of short-track turns and high-speed
straight-aways where both speed and handling will challenge any
driver's talents. Doing well at Gateway is a key to building a young
driver's resume and prove he or she has the talent to become a NASCAR
star.";- Wayne Auton, Series Director
Huge Win At Iowa For Dillon And
RCR Team
In 258 NASCAR starts, Granddad famed Sprint Cup Series owner
Richard Childress couldn't do it. Neither could Dad RCR General
Manager Mike Dillon in 154 starts. But it only took Austin Dillon
(#3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) 12 NASCAR Camping World Series starts to
earn his first NASCAR national series victory. Dillon led 187 laps
from the pole Sunday at Iowa Speedway to win both his and the Childress
family's first race. He became the second youngest winner in series
history, adding his name to the short list of winners under the age of
21.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself to win,"; Dillon said.
"Luckily, we came through and had a dominating performance.";
During the off season, RCR announced that he would drive the famed
black #3 Chevrolet with Bass Pro Shops adorning the hood. A natural fit
for the young outdoors enthusiast.
"It's so awesome to see that
number running well again,"; Dillon said. "To see the #3 when you're
leaving the track, it was on top of the board. That was cool for me and
my grandfather."; After a less than stellar start to the 2010 season
finishing outside the top 10 five times Dillon said he earned his
rookie stripes.
The team, led by crew chief Danny
Stockman, found something in Texas Motor Speedway and hasn't slowed
down. Dillon earned his first career pole in June and his first career
top-five finish. Since then he has started from the pole and finished
in the top five in every race on the schedule. In case you're
counting, that's three consecutive poles and three consecutive top-five
finishes for the 20-year-old.
"You know, I was at the shop last
week,"; Dillon said. "The sign out front, we put different stuff up top
of the sign. I was looking at it. It said, Life is good.' I think
that represents us right now as good as anything.";
Raybestos Rookie Point Standings
Driver Points
1. Austin Dillon, 133
2. Justin Lofton, 105
3. Brett Butler, 87
4. Jennifer Jo Cobb, 34
5. Chris Eggleston, 24
6. Landon Cassil, 7
Germain Racing, Kyle Busch
Motorsports Battle For Owner Points
There's another battle in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and
it's getting white hot. That's the owner points, where the top of the
standings is practically deadlocked. Steve Germain's #30 Toyota is
first, but only 10 points ahead of Kyle Busch's #18 Toyota. Behind them
is DeLana Harvick's #2 Chevrolet (45 points out of first) and Billy
Ballew's #51 Toyota (88 points back).
It's a title hunt worth watching, especially with the interesting
Kyle Busch-Brian Ickler rotation in that #18 ride. This weekend,
Ickler will pilot the successful machine. He had a decent run at Gateway
last year, finishing 15th. In that event, Ickler had a Driver Rating
of 54.0, an Average Running Position of 18.9, a Pass Differential
(passes minus times passed) of plus-five. To keep up with Todd Bodine,
Ickler must improve in one key stat this weekend: Laps in the Top 15.
Last year, he only ran seven of the 160 laps in the top 15.
Bodine could take advantage of the inexperienced Ickler and put some
distance in the owner points standings. Bodine has finished in the top
five in three of the last four races at Gateway. Since the inception of
Loop Data in 2005, Bodine has a Driver Rating of 109.1, an Average
Running Position of 7.5, 55 Fastest Laps Run, a Laps in the Top 15
percentage of 88.0% and a Pass Differential of plus-74.
Germain and Harvick Delana's the defending owner champion both
have wins at Gateway.
NCWTS, ETC
Sprint Cup Drivers Go Trucking
Three NASCAR Sprint Cup regulars will climb back behind the wheel of a
truck Friday at Gateway. Series owner Kevin Harvick (#2 STUBB'S BBQ
Sauce Chevrolet) will join Max Papis (#9 GEICO Toyota) and Brad
Keselowski (#129 Miller Lite Dodge) on the grid. Harvick and Papis have
made three previous starts this season. Keselowski has two. Harvick
leads the way with two series victories (Atlanta and Martinsville) in
2010.
Brad Sweet Returns To The NCWTS
Brad Sweet (#90 Great Clips Toyota) returns to the series after
skipping last week's race to score a victory in his sprint car. Sweet
is no stranger to the mid-west area having raced for Kasey Kahne
Racing's World of Outlaws team since 2007. Sweet has three previous
starts this season and scored his career-best finish (12th) at Atlanta.
Trucks Abound At Gateway
A season-high 44 trucks are entered in this week's CampingWorld.com
200. Daytona in February was the previous season high, with 42. The
NCWTS starts 36 race trucks in each event.
Too Tough To Tame 200
Tickets for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' return to Darlington
Raceway are now on sale. The Too Tough To Tame 200 on Saturday, August
14 will be the first series race at the South Carolina track since
2004. Tickets are for adults. Children are admitted free.
Harvick, Hornaday Play Ball
Ron Hornaday (#33 Chevrolet) and Kevin Harvick (#2 Chevrolet) will
take part in Ollie's Eastern All-Star Game this Wednesday in Harrisburg,
Pa. Harvick will throw out the first pitch.
Home Track Special For Mittler
Sometimes the road to redemption is the route most familiar. At
least Mike Mittler hopes so as he prepares for this week's trip to
his home track, Gateway International Raceway. Mittler's #63 Mittler
Brothers Machine and Tool Ford, driven by Jack Smith, failed to
qualify for last year's event. To make matters worse, a sister truck
also missed the show. If Mittler appears fired up this time around,
the reasons are obvious. "We have been looking forward to this race
since missing it last year,"; he said.
Mittler runs a limited schedule but is the only owner to have fielded
an entry in all 16 seasons of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Mittler is pleased with 2010 so far.
"We feel we have turned the corner with
a 14th-place run at Kansas and a 15th at Texas and with the new truck,
the team is focused on a top-10 run,"; said Mittler, whose shop is
located a few minutes west of St. Louis on Interstate 70. "Jack Smith
will return as driver and we feel his experience will help us attain our
goal of a top 10.";
The team has competed in 11 Gateway races with a
best finish of 15th in 2000 with Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray. This year's entry is dedicated to the fans.
"We have been promoting a hometown sponsorship program where people
sent in and we put their names on the truck,"; said Mittler. "We
want to run good for all our hometown fans. I would also like to
recognize all the volunteer help that has been part of the team and
made all the (16) years possible."
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