September 8, 2003

Chad Chaffin Just Missed Another Top Ten Finish at Richmond International Raceway

Chad Chaffin and the No. 18 Dickies Dodge Team came up about two feet short of getting their third top ten finish in a row, at the conclusion of the Virginia is for Lovers 200 at Richmond International Raceway on Thursday night. Chaffin battled back from a late race spin to finish in the 11th position and gain points on the four teams in front of him for the second week in a row.

Qualifying was rained out for the event, which relegated Chaffin to the 12th position on the starting grid, but that did not dampen the hopes of the team and their focus on the big picture.

When the race started, Chaffin held his own as he told the crew the truck was tight in the middle of the turns. On lap 34, the caution came out for the first time, and the team made the decision to pit early and work on the truck. On lap 36, Chaffin came down pit road for four tires, fuel, and a chassis adjustment. When he rejoined the race, he was in 22nd position.

Over the next 60 or so laps, Chaffin moved up to the 14th position, even though the truck was still not perfect. Chaffin made his second stop of the day on lap 96. Again, the team changed four tires, added fuel, and made a slight chassis adjustment. When the race went back to green flag racing, the No. 18 Team was in ninth position.
Over the next 50 laps, Chaffin moved back and forth between the ninth position and the 14th position, depending on which driver got the best break in traffic. It was a tremendous battle, but on lap 151 following a caution, Chaffin was coming back up through the traffic when he and a lapped truck tangled, sending Chaffin spinning. Chaffin managed to keep the truck off the wall, but he did not escape the accident without damage. As the truck spun around, another truck came along and stuck the left front fender and air dam. During the caution, Chaffin made four pit stops so the crew could make repairs.

When the race restarted, the front of the Dickies Dodge was completely covered with yellow duct tape to hold the fender together. But that did not stop Chaffin. He got up on the wheel, as they say, and battled his way back from the accident to give the tenth place truck a run for his money on the final lap. As the two exited turn four, Chaffin drove low, the two touched, smoke flew into the air, and they flashed across the line in a photo finish. Unfortunately, Chaffin came up about two feet short, but it was an outstanding effort with a damaged truck.

“We really kind of struggled today,” said Chaffin. “We just weren't how we've been lately. I could pass two or three guys, but then some of the guys in the back could pass me. Everytime things cycled out, we were about a 12th or 13th place truck. Attrition helped us tonight, but we got spun out too. The lapped trucks out here aren't very considerate, and that's just part of it. Our Dodge got faster all night. We just ran out of time. We really thought that with another 10 or 15 more laps, we could have passed five or six more guys.”

Four weeks ago, Chaffin and the No. 18 Dickies Dodge Team were over 300 points out of eighth place in the points standings. They are now 109 points back. This is significant because this would put them behind their teammate, Bobby Hamilton, who is in seventh position.

“We feel like if we can continue to get the solid finishes, we have a great chance of getting back into the top ten in the points standings,” said Chaffin. “Hopefully we can get as high as we can, maybe somewhere between fifth place and tenth place, and Bobby can get back in the fight for the title. That would be a solid finish to the year for the whole organization.”

With eight races remaining in the 2003 season, there are 17 drivers still alive for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship.

Driver: Chad Chaffin, No. 18 Dickies Dodge Team
Starts Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens Earnings Points Position
17 2 0 2 7 $ 194,835 11th

Race-by-Race Run Down:
Location Start Finish Laps Status Money Won
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 8 167 of 167 Running 13,900
Memphis 2 28 76 of 200 Engine 8,940
Milwaukee 7 13 196 of 200 Running 10,115
Kansas 1 14 166 of 167 Running 13,640
Kentucky 3 26 50 of 150 Engine 11,540
St. Louis 13 13 160 of 160 Running 11,240
Michigan 2 3 100 of 100 Running 22,975
Indy 3 12 199 of 200 Running 10,515
Nashville 1 6 150 of 150 Running 11,950
Bristol 7 7 200 of 200 Running 10,050
Richmond 12 11 200 of 200 Running 8,800

Loudon (Next Event)

Totals 2748 of 2988 (91.9%) $ 194,835

NEXT EVENT: The New Hampshire 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire on September 13, 2003. The event will be televised live on SPEED Channel at 1:00 PM Eastern Time and also live on MRN radio at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.