NASCAR Busch Series Champion Martin Truex, Jr. made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut piloting the No. 15 Earl Small’s Harley-Davidson Chevrolet for this past weekend’s event at The Milwaukee Mile and brought the Billy Ballew Motorsports-entry home in 19th position.  With the finish, Billy Ballew Motorsports was able to maintain their fifth place positioning in the owners’ points standings after 11 events and five different drivers.

During the practice sessions, Truex, Jr. struggled getting a good handle on the machine.  At first, the truck was tight.  Crew Chief Richie Wauters called for several adjustments, including different springs, shocks, and raising the track bar.  Then the truck got loose, so more adjustments were called.  In the end, the team thought they had the set-up that would be good for qualifying and the start of the race, since trucks were impounded following time trials.

Truex, Jr. qualified the No. 15 Earl Small’s Harley-Davidson in the 24th position, comparable to his standings during practice.  After being a few seconds late to the driver’s meeting, Truex, Jr. was relegated to the rear of the field for the start of the Toyota Tundra 200.  Within the first two laps, Truex, Jr. had made up considerable ground, by picking off eight trucks and making his way towards the front.

The race would go caution-free until lap 142, causing a series of green flag pit stops.  Already one lap down to the leaders, Truex, Jr. came in for four tires, fuel and several adjustments.  A crew member had to go underneath the No. 15 Chevy Silverado to unhook the rear sway bar hoping to improve the loose condition they were enduring.  In the process, they lost two more laps.

During the lone caution period of the race, Truex, Jr. brought the BBM-machine in to the attention of the crew for four more tires and more adjustments, including raising the track bar and taking wedge out of the truck.  The crew got him out second among those a lap down or more and Truex, Jr. was able to pass one more truck during the conclusion of the event to come home in 19th place.

“I appreciate Billy Ballew for letting me drive the No. 15 Earl Small’s Harley-Davidson Chevy Silverado tonight,” said Martin Truex, Jr.  “We were a little loose off during the whole race and with no cautions to adjust, the green flag run just killed us.  I burned my right side tires trying to stay up with the pack.  I had a lot of fun though and this is a great group of guys that put together a good truck.  I hope I might have the opportunity to run the No. 15 again in the future.”

“Some days you have it, some days you don’t,” said team owner Billy Ballew following the race.  “We struggled throughout the race, but I appreciate Martin hanging in there and driving as hard as he could.  We’re fighting for points right now and he kept us in the hunt.  I also have to thank Earl Small’s Harley-Davidson and Alpharetta Self Storage for coming on board at the last minute to help us at Milwaukee.  I appreciate their support of the Billy Ballew Motorsports team.”

Billy Ballew Motorsports currently sits fifth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owners’ points standings after 11 events.  The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Kansas Speedway this weekend for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.  Billy Ballew Motorsports will be there with a driver yet to be announced.