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July 22, 2002
Robert
Pressley Records a Ninth Place Finish After Late Race
Altercation
Click Here For Robert Pressley
Career Statistics
Robert Pressley recorded a ninth place finish after a late
race shoving match with the No. 50 truck on the
green-white-checkered finish, resulting in a damaged side
and front end on the white flag lap.
Pressley started the event from the sixth position and raced
there most of the day. On the first caution of the day when
most of the field pitted, Pressley stayed out for track
position and a tire conservation run. For the most part, the
run was working when after 90 laps, Pressley was running
laps comparable to the leaders with 60-lap older tires. Then
came the green flag stop that put an end to the tire
strategy. Pressley entered the pits on lap 123 and the team
had two lug nuts fall off of the tire. This cost them
valuable time on the track and put them in jeopardy of
losing a lap.
Luckily, the caution came out and Pressley had a chance to
catch up to the field for a restart. That is when he made
contact with Carlos Contreras and began the downfall of the
race. Then after a caution for his teammate, Pressley and
the No. 50 truck had their little altercation and the result
was a damaged truck and the ninth place finish.
"We got into Carlos a little bit there on the last lap,"
said Pressley. "It messed the nose up, and then on the
green-white-checkered, we got into the No. 50. I misjudged
where we were and it sent us in the wall. I guess we gained
one and lost one. It wasn't what we wanted. I thought before
we started the race we had something for 'em, but the longer
we ran, with the sealer coming off, the worse we got.
Winston Cup cars are going to tear up some racetrack
tomorrow. It ain't coming up, but the sealer is coming up.
You get in it and you'll go for a ride. The Cup cars with
800 horsepower, they get in there, they'll rip that sealer
up in a hurry. It could be a nice one."
As it turned out, Pressley was right on as the Winston Cup
race was a pretty rough event for several competitors.
Pressley and the team remain in the eighth position in the
points standings, 155 points back from the leader, Ted
Musgrave.
Driver: Robert
Pressley, No. 18 Dodge Team
Starts
Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens Earnings Points Position
12 0 1 4 8 $ 264,990 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 13 3 150 of 150 Running 37,875
Loudon 6 9 207 of 207 Running 11,525
Michigan (Next Event)
Totals 2026 of 2151
(94.1%) $ 264,990
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Bill Lester Comes Home in the 14th Position
Despite Pit Road Accident
Click Here For Bill Lester Career
Statistics
Bill Lester and the No. 8 Dodge Motorsports Bobby Hamilton
Racing Team began the weekend by posting the ninth fastest
time off of the transporter in the first practice. Then in
qualifying, Lester and the team had a mysterious problem
that resulted in a 20th place qualifying effort.
When the race started, it did not take Lester long to move
up in the field. In fact, he passed six trucks in the first
31 laps. Then he settled in to a race pace that would help
keep him in the hunt for a solid finish. On the first
caution, Lester did not pit when most of the rest of the
field did, as to gain track position and make the race a two
pit stop event. That meant he restarted the event in the
seventh position. For most of the first 100 laps of the
event, everything was going as planned until the green flag
pit stop. That is when the race got away from them.
Lester was finishing his pit stop and leaving the pits when
the No. 50 truck was entering pit road. The two of them made
contact and the entire front end of Lester's No. 8 Dodge was
crushed. The team tried to make repairs, but from that point
on, the truck had no downforce and was a handful to drive.
Lester soldiered on to finish in the 14th position with a
severely damaged truck.
"We just keep getting snake bit," said Lester. "I hate to
keep saying it, but Good Lord. Our whole downfall today was
coming together with the No. 50 truck in the pits. I saw him
back there, but I didn't know where he was pitted. I thought
he was coming out of the pits from way back. I didn't see
him cutting in on me. My instructions as I understand them
are that when the jack is dropped you go. That's what I did.
As soon as I turned the wheel, we hit. It tore up the truck
bad. The aero was terrible after that. It was tight coming
off. We were so excited at first. We knew our qualifying
effort wasn't indicative of how we were. We knew we had a
top 10 truck, probably a top five truck. We were trying to
make up for qualifying. We don't know what went wrong in
qualifying. We were going to pick 'em off. We started out
well, being smart, knocking them off one at a time. I knew
we were in for at least a top 10 finish. We're pretty
disappointed about it, but we're all very excited about
going to Michigan. I think you're going to see big things
from our race team there. It's my kind of track."
Following the finish, Lester now sits tied for 17th in the
points standings, but the four guys in front of the him are
separated by only a mere 33 points. So with a solid run at
Michigan and a little help, the team has the potential to
move up five positions in the points standings in just one
race.
Driver: Bill Lester, No. 8 Dodge Team
Starts Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens Earnings Points Position
12 0 0 0 0 $135,170 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 16 18 200 of 203 Running 9,665
Kansas 3 29 87 of 167 Vibration 9,295
Kentucky 3 14 149 of 150 Running 14,740
Loudon 20 14 205 of 207 Running 9,990
Michigan (Next
Event)
Totals 2004 of 2151 (93.1%) $ 135,170
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Engine
Failure and a Crash Claim Brian Rose With Two Laps to Go
Click Here For Brian Rose Career Statistics
Brian Rose and the No. 4 Team's string of unbelievable luck
continued when the engine let go down on the front
straightaway, with two laps remaining in the event. This
caused Rose to spin in his own oil and pound the outside
wall in turn one. The result was a very frightening accident
that left Rose a little sore, and the No. 4 Perry Connection
Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge completely destroyed. Rose and
the team were credited with a 25th place finish after
starting in the 10th position. The accident was an
unfortunate end to what had been a solid weekend for Rose
and the No. 4 Team. For most of the weekend, they had been
near the top of the speed charts.
"That was the hardest hit I've taken in a long time," said
Rose. "I just can't believe it. We had a great truck all day
and then it had to end like this. I had a little trouble
early with the No. 5 truck and that is what got us behind,
but Randy and the guys really went to work and got the truck
back to where I could drive it. I was picking people off
there at the end, and I think I was up to about 12th when
the engine just blew up without any warning. I tried to stop
or turn it or something, and it just slid right to the wall.
We'll be back next weekend at Michigan to try again, so
maybe we'll have a better result there."
Rose's accident dropped him and the team to 15th in the
overall NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings. They
are now in a tight battle that includes positions 14 through
18. A mere 33 points separate all five of the teams in this
group.
Driver: Brian Rose, No.
4 Dodge Team
Starts
Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens Earnings Points Position
12 0 0 1 5 $ 152,320 15th
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 19 24 144 of 150 Running 11,640
Loudon 10 25 195 of 207 Accident 7,015
Michigan (Next Event)
Totals 1778 of 2151 (82.6%) $ 152,320
NEXT EVENT: Michigan 200 at Michigan
International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan on July 27,
2002. The event will be televised live on ESPN at 1:00 PM
Eastern Time.
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