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July 8, 2002
Robert
Pressley Finishes Seventh for the Second Week in a Row
Click Here For Robert Pressley
Career Statistics
Robert Pressley and the No. 18 Bobby Hamilton Racing Team
started the weekend with a new crew chief in Danny Rollins,
and a hope of a strong run at Kansas Speedway. As it turned
out, the team posted its second seventh place finish in a
row, and sixth top ten finish of the season. Everyone
involved
with the team was pretty happy with the results of their
first weekend together.
Pressley started from the seventh position and raced in the
top fifteen all day long. Pressley and the team even worked
a little pit strategy late in the race, on Lap 108 to stay
out during a caution flag, and pick up the five bonus points
for leading a lap.
"It was slick coming to that green flag at the end of the
event," said Pressley. "I guess when that No. 14 truck blew
up it was a mess out there. We lucked out and got a seventh
place finish. It was a pretty good points day for us all in
all. We need to get things going and start clicking off some
top-fives and some wins, and I think we're heading that way.
The truck was good. We just pulled the wrong gear. We
weren't low enough on our gear today. I never thought the
pace would slow down so much. We just went wrong, but Danny
and all of us are learning now, and we'll get better."
The finish helped close the points race up just a little
bit. Now, Pressley trails the points leader, Ted Musgrave,
by 165 points, which is a sizable margin, but second place
back to Pressley, in eighth position is separated by a mere
104 points.
The next event for the Truck Series is at Kentucky Speedway.
Last year, Rollins led Joe Ruttman to a second place finish.
So everyone will be looking to improve by one spot this
year.
Driver: Robert
Pressley, No. 18 Dodge Team
Starts
Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens
Earnings Points Position
10 0 1
3
6 $ 215,590
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 12 200 of 200 Running 10,865
Milwaukee 8 7 203 of 203 Running 11,775
Kansas 7 7 167 of 167 Running 13,125
Kentucky (Next Event)
Totals 1669 of 1794
(93.0%) $ 215,590
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Bill Lester's Day Ends Early After Tangling
With the No. 29 and the No. 46 Trucks
Click Here For Bill Lester Career
Statistics
Bill Lester and the No. 8
Team had a truck that was a contender after qualifying a
career best third for the O'Reilly 250. Unfortunately, for
Lester and the team, a lack of respect from a few of their
fellow competitors cost them a shot at solid top five
finish. Early in the event, Lester was running in the
seventh position when two of his fellow competitors made a
three wide scenario that resulted in the damaging of the No.
8 truck. The result was a 65-lap stay in the garage for
repairs. When the truck returned to the track it was still
somewhat competitive, until a spin that cut a tire down in
the final laps of the event on Saturday.
"I thought we were all going to behave ourselves going into
turn one," said Lester. "I knew the No. 46 had a run up
high, but I didn't know the No. 29 was going to try and make
it three-wide. That's what he did and all I could do was
hold my line. The No. 46 came down on me, getting me in the
right front fender, pushing me down, I think, into to the
No. 29. The No. 29 just spun off into the infield. I did all
I could and saved it. The problem was that the damage that I
incurred on the right front tore up my entire front aero,
and I think cut down my front tire. All I know is coming
through turn three it felt a little peculiar. Then as soon
as I tried to come off turn four I gave it all I could to go
left and it just went straight. I darn near took down that
fence. But the Bobby Hamilton Racing guys did everything to
get me back out there, and we actually ran some pretty good
speeds. We just want to prove that we're a force to be
reckoned with. We were fast starting off third in
qualifying. We'll just look forward to a better outcome in
Kentucky. It'll be somewhat of a similar track, and we know
we'll be fast. We'll just do what we can to get that
finish."
Lester and the team will be looking to gain back the ground
lost due to the accident this week. They now sit in the 18th
position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points
standings just six points out of 17th place. The finish also
brought to a halt Lester and the team's string of six top
twenty finishes in a row.
Driver: Bill Lester, No. 8 Dodge Team
Starts Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens
Earnings Points Position
10 0 0
0
0 $110,440
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 Running13,465
Texas 7 11 166 of 167 Running 13,350
Memphis 31 17 200 of 200 Running 12,065
Milwaukee 16 18 200 of 203 Running 9,665
Kansas 3 29 87 of 167 Vibration 9,295
Kentucky (Next
Event)
Totals 1650 of 1794 (91.9%) $ 110,440
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Brian Rose’s
Day Ends Against Turn Four Wall Again
Click Here For Brian Rose Career Statistics
Brian Rose's frustrations continued again this week when a
cut tire sent him crashing into the turn four wall with ten
laps to go in the event. At the time of the crash Rose was
running in the sixth position. During the day Rose was out
of the top ten in the running order only once. A pit call to
try and lead a lap returned Rose to the race track in the
14th position.
"I don't know what we have to do to get a little luck going
our way," said Rose. "We've had solid runs the last two
weeks and left with crashed trucks and disappointing
finishes. This time I was just riding to the end. I
had a top five or six place truck and was just trying to get
to the end. Then the tire cut down and off to the wall
I went. I just hate it for the guys and the Perry
Connection. They have both been giving their all to support
me and this program, and lately we just can't seem to give
them a good finish. Next week it's off to my home track,
sort of, and I have a lot of people in the stands cheering
me on. So hopefully we can put it all together and get a win
or a top five finish."
Rose remained in the 14th position in the points race
despite the poor finish. It was also the first race for
Randy Seals as crew chief for Rose.
"I had a great time up to the last ten laps," said Seals.
"Brian (Rose) has a lot of talent and these guys are working
their butts off to give him a good truck. So now all we need
is for things to play into our favor. We need the racing
gods to shine on us. I told Brian after the crash not to get
down, because I'm not going to get down. It's us against the
world. Now we just have to go out and make it happen."
Driver: Brian Rose,
No. 4 Dodge Team
Starts
Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens Earnings
Points Position
10 0 0
1
5 $133,665
14th
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 12 19 200 of 203 Running 8,365
Kansas 16 21 157 of 167 Accident 10,515
Kentucky (Next Event)
Totals 1439 of 1794
(80.2%) $ 133,655
NEXT EVENT: Kroger 225
at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky on July 13, 2002.
The event will be televised live on ESPN at 8:00 PM Eastern
Time.
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