A late race penalty for pit road speeding pulls a top-five finish from Aric Almirola and the No. 15 Graceway Pharmaceuticals™ /AKAwareness.com Billy Ballew Motorsports team Friday night in the running of the Ford 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway  Friday, November 20, 2009.

Almirola placed the Billy Ballew Motorsports entry in the 16^th-place position on the starting grid for the series season finale on the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway.  The team had advanced to the ninth-place position on lap 33, coming down pit road for scheduled service under caution when the trucks all checked up in front of Almirola on pit road causing an accordion effect resulting in damage to the nose of the Tundra.  The No. 15 Graceway Pharmaceuticals™ /AKAwareness.com team snapped into action fixing the damage under caution.

Despite the issues Almirola advanced through the field leading lap 117-123 giving up the spot to come down pit road under the green-flag for scheduled fuel service.  NASCAR penalized Almirola for speeding down pit road forcing him to serve a drive-thru penalty relegating him to a 13^th-place finish.

Almirola has piloted a Billy Ballew Motorsports entry in 16 -races in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season posting seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.

The No. 51© Billy Ballew Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owners Points Championship was fouled by a cut tire and a speeding penalty Friday night in the running of the Ford 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Kyle Busch who piloted the No. 51© Miccosukee Resort / Graceway Pharmaceuticals™ Tundra for Billy Ballew Motorsports placed the truck in the eighth-place position on the starting grid but an engine change after practice sent the team to the rear of the field for the final 2009 NCWTS race.

Busch bulleted through the pack on the 1.5-mile race track picking up the point position on lap 60 holding the spot for eight-laps.  On lap 82 Busch had to come down pit road for a cut tire under the green flag and was penalized for a pit road violation relegating the team to a 12^th-place finish in the 2009 series season finale.

Busch has piloted the No. 51© Miccosukee Resort / Graceway Pharmaceuticals™ Tundra in 15 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in 2009 for Billy Ballew Motorsports posting seven wins, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.

The No. 51© Billy Ballew Motorsports team with five drivers posted a career best second place position in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner Points Championship.

“To me we won the championship before we even started the race,” Billy Ballew said.  “We’ve had a heck of a year with both these teams and to come out second with a small budget and a small amount of employees is unbelievable.  I’m awful proud of each and every member of this team.  My name is on the door but it is all of them who make Billy Ballew Motorsports.”

‘Team goes to series season finale 60 points out of Owner Points Championship’

Kyle “Rowdy” Busch and the No. 51 Miccosukee Resort / Graceway Pharmaceuticals™ Billy Ballew Motorsports team will take to the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the final 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.

Billy Ballew Motorsports has 11-previous entries at the 1.5-mile Speedway in Homestead, Florida posting a best finish of second in 2007.

Busch has three previous starts in the Camping World Truck Series, four NASCAR Sprint Cup starts and three Nationwide Series starts on the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Busch has piloted the No. 51 Tundra in 14-starts posting seven wins, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, leading 859 of the 2161 laps he ran in the Truck Series for the independent team owner, Billy Ballew.  The success of the No. 51 Miccosukee Resort / Graceway Pharmaceuticals™ team this season puts the team just 60-points outside the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owners Points Championship for Billy Ballew.

“It’s pretty awesome that we’ve been able to narrow the gap to just 60-points and we feel pretty fortunate about that,” Billy Ballew said.  “But anything could happen in the race.  We’re not changing the strategy that we have every time we go to the race track that is to race for the win, the pole and lead the most laps.  It would be great to win the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owners Points but we are just going to Homestead to do what we’ve always done and let the outcome be what it may.”

“I can’t close the gap, I’ve got to take that gap,” Kyle Busch said.  “They’re going to race next week hard as ever. They’re going to go and try to win the race. That’s going to be the plan. They’ve got the driver’s championship locked up so if they go out there and try to win the race and are successful at that then we can’t catch them. But if they go out there and try to win the race and have problems by having issues whether it’s a wreck or engine or a tire – it could be anything. That’s why we race races.  Hopefully we can battle it out and have a good, strong run and see if we can’t beat them. Sixty points, I don’t know how many spots that is but I take it that it’s probably 17 or so. So it’s going to be hard to do.”

The Ford 200 (134 lap, 201 mile) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is slated for Friday, November 20, 2009 at 8:00pm ET.

SPEED will have expanded live televised broadcast of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series beginning with final practice Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 6:30pm ET.  Live televised coverage of the series qualifying begins Friday, November 20, 2009 at 5:00pm ET with race coverage beginning at 7:30pm ET.

The Miccosukee Resort & Gaming is holding a NASCAR Driver Autograph Session & Concert, Thursday, November 19, 2009.  Kyle Busch will be making a special appearance at the event.  For more information on the event visit www.MiccosukeeResort.com.

‘Ballew & Almirola Look for Solid Finish to NCWTS Season’

Aric Almirola and the No. 15 Graceway Pharmaceuticals™ / AKAwareness.com Billy Ballew Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team head to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the last race in the 2009 Series season for the running of the Ford 200 Friday, November 20, 2009.

Billy Ballew Motorsports has fielded 11-previous entries at the 1.5-mile speedway in Homestead, Florida posting a best finish of second in 2007.

Almirola has one previous NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start, one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and one Nationwide Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 25 year-old driver piloted a Billy Ballew Motorsports entry in 15 -races in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.  To date, Almirola has posted seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes for the independent team owner. 

“I’ve said its bitter-sweet,” Aric Almirola said! “I love going to Florida any chance I get, but going to Homestead you know the season is over. It’s been a great year that I’ve had running for Billy Ballew Motorsports and all of the sponsors that have supported me throughout the last 15 races. And I hope to take Graceway Pharmaceuticals and AKAwareness.com to victory lane for race 16 to finish out the season. I can’t thank Billy enough for putting me in his trucks to race this season. It sorta worked out good for the both of us, I needed a truck to drive and Billy needed a driver. I just hope that we can continue our relationship into 2010 and continue our partnership with Graceway Pharmaceuticals™ and continue to support their campaign of ‘Is it AK or OK?’

 “The Camping World Truck Series is really a great series for NASCAR, but we need to support of sponsors and of the fans! The Truck Series has a great fan following and I would love to see it continue to grow. You can’t find racing anywhere else like in the Truck Series, with side-by-side battles the entire race.”

Aric Almirola, of Cuban-American decent, began his racing career in his hometown of Tampa, Florida.

“I love any chance I get to go back to Florida and spend time with my family,” Almirola said.  “Because between the races in Daytona and Miami it’s only a couple hours drive for my family to come from Tampa.”

The Ford 200 (134 lap, 201 mile) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is slated for Friday, November 20, 2009 at 8:00pm ET.

SPEED will have expanded live televised broadcast of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series beginning with final practice Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 6:30pm ET.  Live televised coverage of the series qualifying begins Friday, November 20, 2009 at 5:00pm ET with race coverage beginning at 7:30pm ET.

Aric Almirola has joined with the teams sponsor Graceway Pharmaceuticals™, LLC, in partnership with The Skin Cancer Foundation to help promote a national public education program to raise awareness of actinic keratosis (AK) — a potential early warning sign of skin cancer — as well as the long-term consequences of sun damage over a lifetime.  It is estimated that about 10 million Americans have AK, a common pre-cancer that often develops on skin frequently exposed to the sun.  

“I’m protected from the sun when I’m racing, but my fans aren’t,” said Almirola. “Because sun exposure is the cause of most skin cancers, fans should always use sunscreen and see a dermatologist for regular skin checks, especially if they notice something abnormal.” 

For more information on AK please visit www.AKAwareness.com.