LAS VEGAS, (September 25, 2004) - Chad Chaffin battled an extremely loose race truck all night in the Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  The Dickies Racing Team adjusted the truck every opportunity they had to help their driver bring the Dodge home in 16th position. 

Chaffin qualified for the event under the lights in 19th and when the first caution came out on lap 20, it gave the driver time to give some feedback to his Crew Chief, Kip McCord.  “It’s extremely loose in,” Chaffin said.  “When I stand on the throttle it spins the back end around.”  McCord told his driver to, “Be patient, it will come to you.  It is still early to pit, so do the best you can and we’ll fix it next stop.”

Chaffin moved up before the restart because other teams pitted, so on lap 25 under green-flag conditions he was fourth.  Only a few laps later he fell back to ninth.  “The tires just gave out on me,” Chaffin said.  “It’s so loose.”  The second caution came out in time to give the Dickies driver some relief.  On lap 40 Chaffin pitted for four fresh Goodyear Wranglers and Sunoco fuel.  The Dickies Racing Team also made adjustments to the track bar to tighten the truck up.

Chaffin restarted on lap 43 in the 22nd position.  By lap 52, still running in the same position, he said it was looser now than it was when the race started.  Then the third caution came out on lap 76.  Chaffin said, “It feels like the right front is pinned down.  It is like the rear spring is pushing the front down.”

McCord called his driver into the pits.  The Dickies Racing Team made more adjustments to the track bar and changed four tires on lap 78.  Then McCord told Chaffin to get out in front of the pace truck, but to pit once again the following lap.  On lap 79 Chaffin came into the pits so the team could open up the right front shock trying to get the truck tighter. 

Then the race restarted on lap 81.  Five laps later the fourth caution came out.  Chaffin asked for the team to do something else.  So the team pitted once again on lap 89 making adjustments to air pressures in the rear tires and opened up the rear shocks.  Chaffin restarted 22nd on lap 91. 

By the fifth caution on lap 101 he was in 15th position.  The team elected not to pit to give Chaffin more time to adjust to the changes made on the Dickies Dodge.  On lap 118 Chaffin said the truck was starting to get too tight, so the extreme changes worked.  On lap 128 Chaffin radioed, “The tires just gave up on me out here.”  Chaffin held on to bring the Dickies Dodge home in 16th position. 

“We struggled with the Dickies Dodge since we unloaded it earlier in the day,” Chaffin said.  “It was really loose the whole time, practice, qualifying and the race.  We struggled during the race trying to get it tightened up.  Where we adjusted on it and adjusted on it, it finally got really tight there at the end.  The guys worked really hard for me to get it right.  They did everything they could to help.  We just ran out of time.  We just have to look forward to the next one and redeem ourselves there.”

Shane Hmiel won the Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Todd Bodine, Steve Park, Johnny Benson and Bobby Hamilton followed in the top five.