Dennis Setzer No. 18 BHR Dodge Ram - Driver Biography

Dennis Setzer No. 18 BHR Dodge Ram

Dennis Setzer is a proven commodity in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage area.  He has been in victory lane numerous times, on many different types of tracks and to beat it all in different manufacturers and teams.  So if you are a betting person, chances are you should look into Dennis Setzer as a hot commodity for the 2008 season.

This season Setzer is looking forward to driving full-time for the late Bobby Hamilton’s brainchild, Bobby Hamilton Racing, a team that Hamilton not only owned but he drove and won the championship for as well.  BHR is factory-backed by Dodge which also happens to be what Setzer drove in his first career NCTS victory.  Coincidence, not really, Setzer won four more races in a Dodge and BHR has 19 to its credit.

“Pretty much all my early success in the truck series came while I was driving a Dodge,” said Setzer. “It is really neat to be back with the Dodge camp. Several of the same guys I worked with back then are still involved in the program. My teammate Stacy (Compton) and I have never been teammates in the same shop, but we worked extremely close together during our Dodge days. To have him as an actual teammate this season will only make our organization stronger.”

Even though Setzer’s first journey into NASCAR competition was in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 1994 he can safely call the NCTS his home. In 242 starts Setzer has 17 victories, 73 top fives and 140 top-10 finishes to his name. He also has finished second in the series point standings three times, once to his owner Hamilton.

Setzer ran part time in the NNS and the NCTS in 1996 and into the 1997 season. When fellow competitor Bob Keselowski, driver and owner of the K Automotive Dodge, was injured in a wreck mid-way through the 1998 NCTS season, Setzer was selected as his replacement. Right off the bat Setzer proved he was the right choice by winning his first career NCTS victory in only his eighth start in the No. 29 Dodge.  He continued to drive for the Keselowski’s for two more seasons winning four more races and one pole.

Then at the beginning of 2001 Setzer made the move to Morgan Dollar Motorsports switching to another manufacturer Chevrolet. Even though he had proved himself as a winner while driving for the Keselowski’s he set it in stone will driving for Morgan Dollar Motorsports over the next five years when he went on to win 11 more races.

He made the move to another Chevrolet truck team in 2007 when he went to Spears Manufacturing. Despite winning the Ohio 250 at Mansfield, OH in May, Setzer and Spears Manufacturing parted ways a few months later.  The next week with Setzer looking for a ride and Bobby Hamilton Racing who needed a driver to fill in for Sprint Cup Series regular Ken Schrader because of scheduling conflicts, the two paired up. Setzer climbed behind the wheel of the No. 18 Dodge at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with seven races left in the 2007 season.  That night he left with a seventh-place finish and the two stuck together, finishing the season with four top-10 finishes.  This season Setzer returns as the driver of the No. 18 Dodge with new crew chief Marcus Richmond.

“I am looking forward to starting this season right where we left off,” said Setzer. “Because of the way the cards fell last season I didn’t end up with BHR until seven races to go, but I think both of us proved a lot in just a little bit of time. Marcus (Richmond) proved he has a great talent at making pit calls last season with Mike (Bliss). So, I am excited to get the opportunity to work with him. Hopefully, my experience on the track and his confidence on the pit box will prove to be a winning combination.”