Mooresville, NC | 08-31-2005

John Andretti passed more trucks in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway this past Saturday than any other competitor.  Although he finished in 11th position, and according to the stats, only passed 14 trucks from his 25th place starting position, Andretti moved his No. 15 Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau Chevrolet through the field three times to gain numerous positions.

During the two practice sessions held on Friday afternoon, Andretti complained the truck was tight off the corners.  Crew chief Ritchie Wauters called for shock and spring changes, as well as trackbar adjustments.  Time ran out during the last practice for the team to get back on the track for a mock qualifying run.  Andretti would find out what he had during qualifying held on Saturday morning.

Qualifying was held on race morning during the heat of the day.  Andretti qualified the Billy Ballew Motorsports-entry 25th on the grid.  As in the previous races with the No. 15 team, Andretti knew starting in the rear would not be a factor in his goal of making his way to the front.  Within two laps and the first caution, Andretti had already picked off four spots and was in 21st position.

During the second caution on lap eight, Andretti radioed, “The truck’s pretty good.  I can get into (turn) three, there’s no bumps, but I hit the bumps in (turn) one.”  Around laps 24-34, Andretti noted the truck was starting to get a little loose, but he had worked his way all the way up to the 11th position in 30 laps.

Andretti’s first pit stop came during the third caution on lap 42.  A disastrous stop for the No. 15 team cost Andretti at least 10 spots.  He returned to the track to restart the race in 21st place, determined to make up ground from the pit stop.  Within three laps, he had gained five spots and when the fourth caution waved on lap 54, Andretti said, “I’m trying something totally different and it seems to be working.  I’m having more fun racing these guys than I would if I was leading.”

Before the race went back green, Wauters told Andretti to try and get all he could get during the next few laps.  Being quite comical during the caution, Andretti called back and said, “I try to get all I can every lap.  It just doesn’t seem to be working during qualifying.”

The fifth caution flag waved on lap 72 and the No. 15 Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau Chevrolet was up to the ninth position with just a few laps shy of the halfway point.  On the restart, Andretti went high, appearing to have a flat tire.  The No. 15 dropped all the way to the rear of the field and was about to make a pit stop when the caution waved for an accident on the track.  Andretti brought the truck in for four new tires and a trackbar adjustment to cure the loose condition.

Andretti restarted in the 25th position and by lap 113 when the seventh caution came out, Andretti was up to the 14th spot and was pitting for another set of tires and three more rounds down on the trackbar.  The No. 15 restarted in 18th place and made its way back to the 11th position when the checkered flag waved.

“I put myself in that one hole,” said Andretti following the race.  “I should’ve known better.  I’ve got more experience than that.  I went into (turns) one and two and got loose, and then I went into (turns) three and four and about nearly lost it.  They told me I didn’t have a flat, so maybe I didn’t scrub the tires well enough.  I could get through the traffic pretty well, and we weren’t bad by ourselves.  We had a good truck and kept adjusting on it.  I was having a lot of fun out there.  I want to thank Billy Ballew and the whole team for their hard work and the opportunity to drive the No. 15 Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau Chevrolet these past few races.  I’ve enjoyed it a lot and hope to be able to drive again in the future.”

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series takes a weekend off before heading to “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” in Bristol, Tenn. to compete in the O’Reilly 200 on Wednesday, August 24 at 9:15 p.m. ET.

Mooresville, NC

John Andretti returns to the seat of the Billy Ballew Motorsports entry this weekend for the running of the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.  This Saturday’s race will be the fourth time Andretti has piloted the No. 15 Chevrolet in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition.  Also returning to the No. 15 will be the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, who sponsored the Billy Ballew Motorsports team at the race in Memphis a couple races ago.

“I’ve never been to Nashville (Superspeedway) before,” said Andretti.  “Not even seen the track, but that’s not anything unique.  I hadn’t been to Memphis before or IRP in 20 years, so I’ll go learn some more.”

Learning these new tracks are something Andretti has become accustomed to here as of late.  Andretti had never been in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series vehicle when he made his debut at Kansas Speedway last month, ran as high as third and finished in the ninth position.  He had never competed at Memphis Motorsports Park before and came home with an eighth place.  It had been some 20 years since Andretti returned to his hometown of Indianapolis to compete at the small oval of Indianapolis Raceway Park.  Andretti learned a hard lesson at IRP, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series motto: “Tough Trucks, Tough Drivers.”  Andretti is determined to show how tough he is when he arrives in Nashville.

“I’d obviously like to have a great run in the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau Chevrolet,” continues Andretti.  “I look forward to competing at Nashville.  It’ll be nice to have an opportunity to go to a track I’ve been to before, should that ever occur, but I know the Billy Ballew Motorsports team is strong wherever we go, so I’m not too concerned.”

The Billy Ballew Motorsports team heads to Nashville seventh in the owners standings, after dropping three spots from a disappointing finish last week at IRP.  The team remains focused and optimistic on their goals for the 2005 season.

“We had a disheartening run at IRP last Friday night,” said team owner Billy Ballew, “but we’re still focused on finishing the season high in the owners standings.  We’re glad to have John back with us this week, and I think he’ll do a good job for us at Nashville.  We’re thankful to have the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau again.  We appreciate the support Kevin Kane (Pres.) and his whole staff have given us.  We hope to give the city of Memphis a great showing in Nashville.”

The Toyota Tundra 200 gets underway at 5:15 ET from the Nashville Superspeedway, located in Lebanon, Tenn.  The race will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel and MRN Radio.

Mooresville, NC

John Andretti would probably rather forget his most recent trip back home to Indianapolis.  Andretti made his third start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) in the Billy Ballew Motorsports-entry Friday night.  Contact with the turn three wall on lap 23 ended the night for Andretti and the No. 15 Stoops Freightliner/Pedigo Chevrolet/Associated Builders and Contractors team which resulted in a 36th place finish.

After rain showers fell throughout the morning and into the afternoon, teams were able to practice for one hour prior to the evening’s race.  Qualifications were rained out and the starting line up was determined by the current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owners points standings, positioning the No. 15 in fourth place for the start of the Power Stroke Diesel 200.

During the brief practice session, the Billy Ballew Motorsports team was left scratching their heads for the right setup on the No. 15 Stoops Freightliner/Pedigo Chevrolet/Associated Builders and Contractors Chevrolet.  Within a lap on the .686-mile oval, Andretti complained the truck was pushing so badly that it was chattering the front tires.  By the end of the hour-long session, the team decided to start all over and change almost everything, including shocks, springs, A-arms, ball joints and trackbar.

At the start of the race, crew chief Ritchie Wauters radioed to Andretti, “Have a good night.  Tell us what the truck is doing, and we’ll try to make the best adjustments we can for you.”  When the first caution waved on lap three, Andretti complained of still being tight off the corner and still having the front end chattering, although he had been able to move the No. 15 Stoops Freightliner/Pedigo Chevrolet/Associated Builders and Contractors Chevrolet to the third position.  Wauters acknowledged the problem and came up with a trackbar adjustment for the first pit stop.

Unfortunately, that first pit stop never came.  On lap 18, Andretti got forced up high into the wall between turns one and two by another competitor.  Contact from the wall caused the front fender to cut down the right front tire and on lap 23, Andretti was sent into the turn three wall, destroying the front end of the truck and ending the night for the Billy Ballew Motorsports team.  This was the team’s first incident since the second race of the season at California Speedway.

“I’m pretty disgusted about this,” said Andretti, following the incident.  “There was no reason for a guy to do something like that, especially that early in the race.  But I guess that’s truck racing, so I’m learning.  I’m pretty disappointed for the team and our local sponsors we acquired for this race.  Stoops Freightliner, Pedigo Chevrolet and Associated Builders and Contractors came on board for this race and I was hoping to have a good run for those guys.  We had a truck we felt we could adjust on, if given the opportunities, but we didn’t get the chance.”

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway for this Saturday’s running of the Toyota Tundra 200.

Mooresville, NC

Billy Ballew Motorsports is pleased to announce the addition of three local supporters for this Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP).  Stoops Freightliner, Pedigo Chevrolet and the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) have agreed to jump on board the No. 15 Chevrolet Silverado in support of their driver John Andretti. (more…)