July 16, 2003

Chad Chaffin No. 18 Dickies Dodge Race Notes: Gateway

Performance Gateway International Speedway
Busch Series (Two starts with a career-best finish 28th on 7-21-01)
Truck Series (Never raced at facility)

No. 18 Team History:
Year Start Finish Driver
2002 7 31 Robert Pressley
2001 5 12 Joe Ruttman
2000 30 5 Joe Ruttman
1999 16 7 Joe Ruttman

No More Black Clouds: Over the last few weeks, Chad Chaffin and the No. 18 BHR Dickies Dodge team have stepped up their qualifying effort. They have started three of the last four races in the first three positions and the other from seventh place, but finishing has been a problem.

“I don’t know what to say,” said Chaffin. “It seems like the better we run, the worse we finish. We’ve had everything in the world happen to us. I tell you what. When we do get the bad luck behind us, we may just win one of these races.”

Chaffin and the team enter this race in the 12th position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings.

Ram Tough:  This week, the No. 18 Dickies Dodge Team will definitely be Ram Tough. During the Ram Tough 200 event in St. Louis, Brian Young, Defensive Tackle for the St. Louis Rams, will be a guest of the team. Young was drafted in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft and has started 36 games for the Rams. He was born in Lawton, Oklahoma and attended University of Texas-El Paso.

“It will be interesting to see what he thinks about racing,” said Chaffin. “I’m sure in a lot of ways the two sports are alike. Both require a tremendous amount of teamwork and preparation.”

Appearances: Chaffin will be attending the media luncheon on Thursday, July 17, 2003 at the Casino Queen in St. Louis, Missouri. He will also be signing autographs at the Dodge Merchandise trailer at Gateway International Speedway on July 19, 2003 at 5:00PM Central Time.

Chaffin Inching Toward the $ 200,000 Mark in Earnings: Chaffin will most likely surpass the $ 200,000 mark in career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series earnings when he starts the Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Speedway.

18 Starts in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: The Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Speedway will be Chaffin’s 18th career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Chaffin’s 2003 Craftsman Truck Series Event Results
Location Start Finish Laps Status Money
Daytona 6 17 103 of 106 Running $ 13,015
Darlington 7 5 147 of 147 Running 9,175
Bakersfield 27 20 253 of 255 Running 5,665
Martinsville 23 26 245 of 250 Out of Gas 6,865
Charlotte 10 8 136 of 136 Running 11,075
Dover 12 7 200 of 200 Running 15,375
Texas 10 8 146 of 146 Running 13,900
Memphis 2 28 76 of 200 Engine 8,940
Milwaukee 7 13 196 of 200 Running 10,125
Kansas 1 14 166 of 167 Running 13,640
Kentucky 3 26 50 of 150 Engine 11,540
St. Louis (Next Event)

2003 Totals
Starts - 11
Poles - 0
Wins - 0
Top fives - 1
Top tens - 4
Earnings - $ 119,305
Laps Completed - 1739 of 1978 (87.9%)
Laps Led - 97 of 1978
Races Led - 4 of 11
DNF’s - 3


This Week’s Truck: The team is planning on racing “Angel” at Gateway International Speedway this week. In 2001, Angel competed in 11 events, recording one win at Pikes Peak International Raceway, three top fives, and eight top tens. In 2002, Angel competed in 14 events, recording one win at Michigan Speedway, two top fives, and eight top tens.

DATE RACE START FINISH DRIVER
2003 Angel Performance Chart
3-23-03 Bakersfield 27 20 Chad Chaffin
5-16-03 Charlotte 10 8 Chad Chaffin
5-30-03 Dover 12 7 Chad Chaffin

Chaffin Quotes
“This is a big week for this team. We’ve got to get a solid finish. This is the last race of the first half of what has been a very disappointing season. Everyone on this team knows that we are a top five team, but we just need to finish these races. Every person that has anything to do with this team is working nonstop to make sure we don’t have anymore problems like we’ve had at Memphis and Kentucky.”

“I know there may be a few guys that shift at this track, but we’re just going to see what everyone else does before we make a call on that. I’ve been here before in a Busch Series car, and I know the track a little bit. At least that will give me something to base the truck off of.”

“We’re taking one race at a time at this point. We’ve got ourselves in a hole the past few weeks, and it will take us a few weeks to get out of it.”

For More Information see www.bobbyhamiltonracing.com