HAMPTON, Ga. (March 7, 2009) – Kyle Busch lost third gear, was losing second gear and had fallen back in the field with just a handful laps to go, but he still managed to win Saturday’s American Commercial Lines 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
It was his fourth win in five truck races at Atlanta and his second win in three races this season.
“I stayed on the gas wide open,” Busch said. “I don’t think we out-trucked ‘em today, but I think we outran ‘em at the end.”
Busch outran a closing Kevin Harvick and third-place Todd Bodine by skipping a fuel stop during the final caution period with 14 laps left.
But without third gear, Busch quickly dropped back on the restart and had to claw his way back to the front. When Colin Braun hit the wall hard two laps later to bring out the final caution, Busch had made it back up to second but was faced with another restart.
This time, Busch’s truck seemed to fall back even faster, leaving him 8-10 cars deep with just eight laps remaining.
“On that last restart, I stepped on it to go and second (gear) broke as soon as I stepped on it,” Busch said. “I had to put it in fourth – and hope there was a fourth gear – and just lug it through. Fortunately we got going sooner than later and were able to make it back up through there.
“At least it was exciting for the fans; if we’d have had second and third gear we might have pulled away.”
Harvick, in his first Camping World Series truck race at Atlanta, was closing on Busch in the final laps but was fighting a tight truck and a competitor who was running his preferred line. He was also fighting a slow final pit stop, which clearly irked him more than anything else.
“I got tight when we took the white going in to turn two there … and lost a little too much ground going into three,” Harvick said. “Thing was fast, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t do a pit stop.”
Tucker native Shane Sieg finished 23rd in his Phoenix Construction Toyota.
From Marcy Scott / Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 08, 2009
NASCAR: Kyle Busch wins Truck Series race at Atlanta
NASCAR: Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick finishes 22nd in the Mammoet/TRG Motorsports Chevy iin Atlanta
Fitzpatrick Finishes the Mammoet/TRG Motorsports Chevy 22nd in Atlanta Camping World Truck Race
Atlanta, Georgia (March 7, 2009) - John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick soldiered through a wheel problem to finish the No. 7 Mammoet/TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in 22nd place in today's running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Fitzpatrick was the furthest Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate up the grid at the start thanks to a strong seventh place qualifying effort this morning. At the start Fitzpatrick was able to hold onto the lead group until lap five when he started to report a tight truck. By lap 21 the tightness turned into a vibration and the team brought him to pit road on lap 24. The culprit was a left rear wheel coming loose.
"We had a great truck at the beginning," Fitzpatrick said. "We easily had a comfortable top ten truck. The truck started to vibrate after the fifth lap and we found out the left rear wheel was loose. On that pit stop we adjusted the truck, but it was too free. We ended up going a couple of laps down as a result of the green flag stop. The truck was fast I was running top ten times. If we can put it all together I think we will be alright."
J.R. was able to keep his head in the race, keep pushing and adjusting on the truck to learn and grab every available point.
"There were a couple of miserable moments, especially when you are sitting in a much better truck than where you are running. We just had to ride it out. There were a couple of times when it got really loose on me. I am getting more and more miles under my belt and learning the limits of this truck. We will come back stronger."
TRG Motorsports team principal Kevin Buckler likes how J.R. is responding to the challenges early in the season.
"We had a fast truck for J.R. today," Buckler said. "He showed that he knows what is going on with the handling when he felt the change to the truck when the wheel was coming loose. It was tough to pit under green like that, but we are thinking full season and we need to take every green flag and every checkered flag to come out toward the front at the end of the summer."
The next round of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be the Kroger 250 at Martinsville on March 28.
Mammoet (pronounced Mamoot) is a specialist in customer-driven and tailor-made heavy lifting and transport solutions at any onshore or offshore location. The company's core activities are turnkey lifting and transport operations, factory-to-foundation heavy lifting and multimodal transport projects, maintenance lifting services and plant stops, day-to-day rental of mobile cranes, salvage and wreck removal of ships and offshore installations, and trade in new and used equipment worldwide. Additional information can be found at www.mammoet.com.
TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Currently the team fields a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry as well as a Camping World Truck Series effort and an ARCA RE/MAX Series team. The Racer's Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of sports car racing. TRG's Porsche sports car program is run out of the company's headquarters in Petaluma, California. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (three) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com.
NASCAR: Atlanta Motor Speedway Pit Notes - Sunday, March 8 Page 1
Truex was examined and administered fluids while at Spalding Regional, then released shortly after 5 p.m. He passed the stone a few hours later.
Driver spokesperson Amanda Jones said Truex was doing great Sunday morning and was eager to hit the track.
GROWING TRUCK CROWD: Even in a slumping economy, race fans came out in droves to watch Kyle Busch win Saturday’s American Commercial Lines 200 Camping World Truck race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The infield was sold out and total attendance for Saturday’s race was higher than last spring’s Nationwide event, thanks largely to an enormous walk-up crowd.
With another sunny, mid-70s day on tap, AMS President
“It’s a beautiful spring weekend in
HITCHING A RIDE WITH DAD: Chase Elliott might already be a racer in his own right, but he had never been around Atlanta Motor Speedway’s high banks in a full-size race car … until Saturday.
After filming a TV segment to promote
The younger Elliott tried to play it cool as he exited the car, but his beaming grin – and his mother – belied his casual manner.
“He was trying to play it cool, but he was so excited,” Cindy Elliott said.
And being an Elliott, it should come as no surprise that Elliott’s first remarks about the ride centered on the driving line.
“You get back on the gas so fast,” Chase Elliott said. “It’s so big, and the corners are so sweeping.”
Chances are, those won’t be the last laps the younger Elliott turns at AMS.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
NASCAR TRUCKS: TRG Motorsports' J.R. Fitzpatrick Ready for Atlanta Truck Race
TRG Motorsports' J.R. Fitzpatrick Ready for Atlanta Camping World Truck Race
Mooresville, North Carolina (March 3, 2009) - John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick and his No. 7 Mammoet-sponsored, TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado is headed to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200 to be run Saturday, March 7.
Fitzpatrick is running for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year. With his rookie season comes learning new tracks, Atlanta Motor Speedway will be one of those.
"I am excited to run Atlanta Motor Speedway," Fitzpatrick said. "I am getting the tapes of last year's race from Butch (Hylton, crew chief) so I will be studying them before we start practice on Thursday. We are using the same truck as we did in California. We need to get the truck to handle a little better and we can be in the top 10 for sure."
TRG Motorsports ran solidly in the top 10 at Atlanta last year.
"The team ran eighth with the truck there last year. So that is why we want to take the same piece back. In California they ran a different truck, so our notes weren't quite as good. I hear that the trucks do 190 mph around Atlanta. The speed doesn't bother me, but when you are going that fast and you have to roll out of the gas, you lose a few places. We have to get the truck handling so we can run towards the front. We are going to try and keep it really free. I was just way too tight the last race in California."
Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports team principal, knows that Fitzpatrick will have his challenges as he goes through his first full season in the Truck Series.
"We are committed to helping J.R. through all of the challenges and development of his first full season in the Truck Series," Buckler said. "We have committed Butch to the program. Butch is very good at bringing the best out of young talent as well as managing all aspects of a championship level program. Atlanta will be a big race for J.R., but with his natural talent and tremendous learning curve we all know he can do the job."
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200 will be televised live on the SPEED Channel Saturday, March 7 starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.
TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Currently the team fields a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry as well as a Camping World Truck Series effort and an ARCA RE/MAX Series team. The Racer's Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of sports car racing. TRG's Porsche sports car program is run out of the company's headquarters in Petaluma, California. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (three) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com.
From Kyle Chura / TRG Motorsports
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