Mooresville, NC

John Andretti made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Kansas Speedway this past Saturday and finished in ninth position.  The top-10 finish allowed the team of Billy Ballew Motorsports to move into fourth place in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Owners’ Points following 12 events.  The team, who has for the most part, remained unsponsored for the season remains optimistic about their chances of capturing the overall crown.

The No. 15 team worked on the setup of the Chevrolet truck during the two practice sessions held on Friday.  Andretti’s first laps on the track in the truck were amongst the best of all competitors, as he placed 10th in practice session one.  As the track got warmer during the day, the truck got looser and the crew was forced to make several adjustments, including shock changes and trackbar tuning.  Before qualifying, the team also elected to switch to a new steering box.

Andretti qualified the No. 15 Chevy Silverado in the 23rd position, but during qualifications, felt uncomfortable with the new steering box and pleaded to NASCAR to be able to switch back to the old one.  Following qualifying, the trucks would be impounded and not allowed to have any work done to them prior to the race.  Any adjustments or changes would need to be approved by NASCAR and would result in the team dropping to the rear of the starting field.  Crew Chief Richie Wauters was able to sway the officials and upon arrival to Kansas Speedway on Saturday morning, the No. 15 team went to work changing back to the original steering box.

After starting in the last row, Andretti was able to pick up three spots on the first lap.  By lap 10, he was back at his original starting position of 23rd.  He radioed into the crew the truck was a little tight and on lap 30 when the first caution came out, Andretti brought the Billy Ballew Motorsports-entry to pit road for four tires, gas and a trackbar adjustment.

When caution number two waved, Andretti said he was still a little tight up off the corners and the adjustments hurt more than helped.  Wauters noted they would make an air pressure adjustment to the tires on the next stop, which came at lap 67 as Andretti had moved the No.15 into ninth position despite the truck’s conditions.  Along with the air pressure changes, the team also dropped the trackbar and exited pit road in 10th place.

On the restart at lap 74, Andretti jumped to the inside and picked up four spots.  By lap 78, he made his way up to third position, a great feat for a driver who was making his first start in the series and before that week had never sat in the seat of a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series vehicle.  Andretti radioed in that the truck was now experiencing a loose condition, but was also still a tad bit on the tight side.  Another round of pit stops on lap 120 for four tires with an air pressure adjustment and gas sent Andretti on his way to complete the 250-mile race.

The No. 15 Chevy Silverado was still loose at the end of the race, but Andretti was able to hang on and bring home a top-10 finish for his first-ever run.  Andretti brought the truck to the garage and the team noticed the right rear tire was flat, which was most likely the cause of the loose condition at the end of the race.

“What a fun ride,” said Andretti.  “The guys did a good job, and I’m glad I was able to salvage a little something.  That was a lot of fun out there.  You can really race these trucks.  You can go out there and run side-by-side.  We were able to make our way to the front after starting at the rear and had a good result.  I brought it back with all four fenders on it and I didn’t hit anything.  That’s always good.  I just have to thank Billy Ballew for the opportunity and hope I can jump back in one of these trucks soon because I had a great time.”

Billy Ballew Motorsports gained one position in the owners’ points standings and now sit fourth.  The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Kentucky Speedway this Saturday evening.  The race will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel and MRN Radio at 8:00 p.m. local time.