The No. 15 Silverado finished 24th in the American Commercial Lines 200 after the Ergon team struggled to find the handling on Marc Mitchell’s truck.

Mitchell was forced to start at the rear-end of the field following an accident in practice. The Ergon Chevy ran through some moisture on the track and spun into the outside retaining wall. The damage forced the No. 15 team to roll out the backup truck for qualifying. Mitchell turned a qualifying lap good enough for 29th place, however, he started from the 31st position because the team switched to a another vehicle.

When the race got underway, Mitchell’s truck was too free for his liking. The team did their best to remedy the situation on their first pit stop. They gave Mitchell four fresh tires, fuel and lowered the track bar three rounds. Following the service, Mitchell rejoined the field in 20th place. (more…)

Team looks for third win in three starts with Busch at AMS

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team owner Billy Ballew heads home this week to the Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) for the first time in the team’s 13-year history as the point’s leader after Kyle Busch scored the team its first win of 2008 at the Auto Club Speedway (formerly known as the California Speedway).

Busch’s points lead over former Craftsman Series Champion Todd Bodine by 20 points marks the second time a current NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor has headed the points coming to Atlanta (Mark Martin 2006). Both Busch and Martin have won seven races a piece; a record for a current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.

Busch found victory lane at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in both his starts in the Craftsman Truck Series (2005, 2007) for Billy Ballew Motorsports. He also holds the widest margin of victory in the seven races the series has run at .971 seconds over Ron Hornaday Jr., (Oct. 27, 2007). The track’s total margin of victory is 3.165 seconds. Busch holds the best driver rating at AMS in the trucks at a rating of 141.2; just less than eight points shy of perfection. Ballew is the only owner to win more than one race at the 1.54-mile quad-oval. (more…)

Rookie’s Roots Firmly Planted in the Peach State

Atlanta Motor Speedway Fast Facts:

· The American Commercial Lines 200 will mark Mitchell’s first-ever Craftsman Truck Series start at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.

· Mitchell has one previous ASA start at AMS.  Mitchell and teammate Mark Martin were forced to start in the back of the field after qualifying was rained out.  Mitchell worked his way into the top-five, but blew a tire with five laps remaining in the event.

· Mitchell finished second in the 2004 point standings of the GAS Late Model Series at Cordele Motor Speedway

· Mitchell ran a limited asphalt Late Model schedule at Senoia Speedway in the Big 8 Late Model Pro Series in 2001. He won four out of eight races.

· The No.15 Ergon Hyprene Chevrolet will compete in 21 races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2008.  Mitchell is competing for Rookie of The Year Honors. (more…)