BRISTOL, Tenn., (August 25, 2004)- Dickies driver Chad Chaffin raced comfortably in the top 15 in the O’Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway until a wreck in turn three took him out of contention with only 33 laps to go. The Dickies Racing Team was able to repair the No. 18 Dodge with one lap to go allowing Chaffin to finish the race. Chaffin brought home the mangled Dodge in 29th place.
“I was racing behind Dodge teammate Steve Park and the lapped truck of David Ragan going into turn three,” said Chaffin. “Park went under Ragan for position and they got together. Ragan spun right in front of me and I had no where to go. I am okay, but the truck’s not. The whole right front is gone. It bent a tie rod and the toeing is all messed up. I hate it for my guys; they have lots of work to do.”
The one-day show started with a two-hour practice session in which Chaffin was listed in the top 10. Then teams qualified around the 0.533-mile concrete oval. Chaffin earned the eighth starting spot, the fastest Dodge in the field. Immediately following qualifying the trucks were impounded by NASCAR and no adjustments were made before the start of the race.
Trouble for the Dickies Dodge started early on lap 10 when Chaffin’s air conditioning unit malfunctioned. Despite the hot conditions, Chaffin battled his way in the top 10 for the first 40 laps. “I am really loose all around and I am having trouble passing,” said Chaffin.
Chaffin drove the No. 18 Dodge down pit road in seventh place during the second caution of the night. The Dickies Racing Team changed four tires, taking a rubber out of the right rear to aid his loose condition. Chaffin restarted in 13th position.
Over the next several laps Chaffin continued to run in the top ten until his loose condition persisted and caused him to get passed for the 10th spot on lap 100. The third caution was waved on lap 101 for a spin of the front stretch.
“That caution could not have come at a better time,” Chaffin said. “It is so hot in here. My feet and rear are boiling. I’m doing the best I can”
Chaffin was running 16th on lap 163 when Brad Teague spun in front of him causing damage to the Dickies Dodge. Immediately the Dickies Racing Team sprung into action with a plan to fix the damage. It took only 36 laps for them to repair the broken tie rod and cut away most of the front sheet metal. The fast work of the crew allowed Chaffin to return to action with one lap to go. Despite a crippled truck he finished the event in 29th position which dropped him three spots in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings. He now sits sixth, 247 out of first.
“Every now and then you’re going to have a bad race,” said Chaffin. “I hope tonight was our last one. It was so competitive out there. People were running into each other for 15th position. It was crazy. I got pushed into Ted Musgrave and knocked him into the wall. I respect Ted a lot and wouldn’t do that on purpose. You can’t predict what’s going to happen at Bristol. I am of proud of my guys and how well they worked together tonight. We didn’t get a DNF and they worked hard for that.”
Carl Edwards won the O’Reilly 200 under green-white-checkered flag conditions. Shane Hmeil, Matt Crafton, Robby Gordon and Kevin Harvick followed in the top five.
