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June 23, 2002
Robert
Pressley Battled to a 12th Place Finish After Handling
Problems
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Career Statistics
Robert Pressley and the No. 18 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge
finished a disappointing 12th place after fighting an
ill-handling truck for most of the weekend. Pressley's
weekend began pretty good with a seventh place qualifying
effort, but later that day in Happy Hour practice, the truck
just would not respond to the changes the team was making.
So the decision was made to go back to the setup that they
had started the weekend with. This would mean that they
would probably need some major adjustments early in the
race.
When the race started, Pressley was very loose and as soon
as the team could, they began the process of getting the
truck better. Unfortunately, they just never could get the
truck where Pressley was fast for long periods of time. They
tried everything but changing the driver. They ran from
seventh place to 19th place for most of the day.
"We just missed the setup this week," said Pressley. "I
think some of it is I had never been to the track in
Memphis, and some of it is just learning what Todd (Myers)
liked and what this team likes. Sometimes you have a bad
weekend. Sometimes you win the race. It's just one of those
things. We're still learning together and getting the trucks
the way I like them. I have no doubts that we'll be in
victory lane again this year. We just have to keep our heads
up, and that has never been a problem for a Bobby Hamilton
Racing Team regardless of what had happened the week
before."
The No. 18 team lost a little ground in the points race, but
over the next seven weeks, things will change dramatically.
The team is now eighth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
points standings, just 148 points out of first place.
Driver: Robert
Pressley, No. 18 Dodge Team
Starts
Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens Earnings Points Position
8 0 1
3
4 $190,690
8th
Race-by-Race Run Down:
Location Start Finish Laps Status Money Won
Daytona 10 1 100 of 100 Running $ 81,635
Darlington 3 2 147 of 147 Running 25,875
Martinsville 17 14 248 of 250 Running 7,365
St. Louis 7 31 141 of 160 Running 7,985
Pikes Peak 10 30 152 of 200 Engine 8,590
Dover 9 2 200 of 200 Running 32,875
Texas 3 6 167 of 167 Running 15,500
Memphis 7 10 200 of 200 Running 10,865
Milwaukee (Next Event)
Totals 1299 of 1424 (91.2%) $ 190,690
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First Lead Lap Finish for Bill Lester
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Statistics
Some people would say that
Bill Lester's 17th place finish at Memphis Motorsports Park
on Saturday was a let down, but when all the circumstances
are viewed, it was a good day. It was a solid finish for the
No. 8 Dodge Team despite some long odds before the race
started as regards to where they rolled off the starting
grid from.
Lester began the day from the 31st position after a spin
during qualifying dropped him off of the pace. During the
race, Lester was patient and methodical in his approach to
the event. He paced himself, taking what the track and the
competitors gave him, and when the checkered flag fell, he
had recorded his first lead lap finish of his career. He
also picked up the Waste Management Pick Up Award for
gaining the most positions during the event, 14 spots, and
also elevated himself to second in the Rookie of the Year
Points Standings, just 26 points behind leader, Brendan
Gaughan.
"It was hot out there and was not cooler behind the wheel,"
said Lester. "This was a learning experience for us. We had
a rough time in qualifying, and we definitely had a better
truck than that. We're just dejected with the finish, but
we're happy to just finish on the lead lap. We should have
finished 15th, but after one of the restarts, I was really
trying to be courteous to the No. 4 Dodge and I went a
little bit too wide. As a result of that, I got up in the
loose stuff in turns one and two, and gave away two or three
spots that I just couldn't get back. So, we definitely had a
top 15 truck, and we brought it home 17th. We'll go on to
the next track. We're still heading in the right direction.
We didn't gain too much on the guys in front of us today,
but we didn't get away to much either."
Lester and the team remained in the 18th position in the
NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series point standings, just 23 points behind the 17th
position.
Driver: Bill Lester, No. 8 Dodge Team
Starts Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens Earnings Points Position
8 0 0
0
0 $91,480 18th
Race-by-Race Run
Down:
Location Start Finish Laps Status
Money Won
Daytona 19 18 98 of 100 Running $ 15,165
Darlington 13 28 115 of 147 Running 7,090
Martinsville 13 25 230 of 250 Accident 7,865
St. Louis 12 17 158 of 160 Running 10,790
Pikes Peak 9 15 199 of 200 Running 11,690
Dover 22 12 197 of 200 Running 13,465
Texas 7 11 166 of 167 Running 13,350
Memphis 31 17 200 of 200 Running 12,065
Milwaukee (Next Event)
Totals 1363 of 1424 (95.7%) $ 91,480
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Brian Rose
Rebounds With a Top Ten Finish After Two Bad Weeks
Click Here For Brian Rose Career Statistics
Brian Rose
and the No. 4 Perry Connection Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge
led on
two different occasions, for a total of 23 laps, before
finishing in the 10th position. It marked the team's fifth
top ten finish of the season and first since Pikes Peak last
month. Over the last month, the No. 4 team has had two
difficult finishes to handle, but a run like this is just
what they needed to get the ball rolling for the eight-race
stretch that is starting.
"That was a pretty important 10th place spot I was battling
for," said Rose. "I was proud of all of the Perry Connection
guys today. My crew busted their tails all week. We kind of
didn't have a break in the pit cycle today. We led a lot of
laps and had a great Dodge when we were out front, but it
just didn't cycle out to our favor. Coming out with about 40
laps to go, we took on four tires and went back to about
16th position, and I was only able to march up to 10th
position. Robert (Pressley) raced me so hard, I maybe should
have had an eighth place finish. But he can do that. That's
the heart and soul of a racer that we all are."
Rose started from the 13th position in the event and raced
in the top 15 for most of the day. Crew Chief, Danny
Rollins, went with a slightly different pit strategy that
got Rose the lead on two different occasions, but each time,
the rest of the teams behind him were able to get by him
with newer tires.
"We kind of got off to a slow start today," said Rose. "We
started 13th and didn't want to race too hard. You give and
take, and we did a whole lot more giving this week compared
to those last couple of races. This one mainly was just for
points this week. It would have been nice to had a win, but
I needed a finish."
Unfortunately, the No. 4 Team did not move any in the points
standings. They still remain in the 13th position in
the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings.
Driver: Brian Rose, No.
4 Dodge Team
Starts
Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens Earnings Points Position
8 0 0 1 5 $ 114,785 13th
Race-by-Race Run Down:
Location Start Finish Laps Status Money Won
Daytona 4 3 100 of 100 Running $ 39,640
Darlington 18 8 147 of 147 Running 9,975
Martinsville 9 27 223 of 250 Running 7,815
St. Louis 27 8 160 of 160 Running 14,425
Pikes Peak 13 10 200 of 200 Running 12,675
Dover 15 30 49 of 200 Running 9,415
Texas 14 35 3 of 167 Accident 8,740
Memphis 13 10 200 of 200 Running 12,100
Milwaukee (Next Event)
Totals 1082 of 1424
(75.9%) $ 114,785
NEXT EVENT:
GNC Live Well 200 at The Milwaukee Mile in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin on June 29, 2002.
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