NCWTS POINTS RUNNER-UP ALMIROLA LOOKING TO RIDE MOMENTUM WAVE INTO KANSAS SPEEDWAY

CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER DENIES PRESSURE IN TAKING OVER REINS OF KYLE BUSCH’S FORMER TRUCK

 The two drivers perched atop the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings aren’t the usual suspects like champions Ron Hornaday and Mike Skinner.  In fact, neither is over the age of 29.

 But with only 82 points separating Aric Almirola and leader Timothy Peters heading into Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway (1 p.m. ET on SPEED™; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 12:30 p.m. ET), this may be Almirola’s weekend to make up some ground on Peters in the No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota that Kyle Busch drove to off-the-charts success.  Of the team’s 17 victories, 12 came on tracks one-mile to two miles in length, and Brian Ickler drove the No. 51 to a fifth-place finish at Kansas in 2009.

Almirola took over the reins of the No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals entry fulltime this season and has created his own momentum, finishing 12^th, third, sixth and eighth in the year’s first four races.  He credits his team’s dedication for their quick success.

“We try to capitalize on everything – even at the shop, no stone goes unturned,” Almirola said.  “Our ‘Ts’ are crossed and our ‘Is’ dotted and when we get the chance to pick up spots on pit road, we do it.  Richie (Wauters, crew chief) is making good adjustments and making our trucks better throughout the race.  Atlanta was what we’re capable of.  We ran top five all day and finished third and had a shot at running second.  We were off a little bit at Martinsville and Nashville but looking forward to Kansas to get back to what we’re capable of.  We want to show up every week to win races.”

Almirola, in his second full Truck Series season, is amidst the best start he’s ever had.  Not only does he view his team as capable of winning races, he considers them to be a legitimate championship contender and says his continued maturation behind the wheel has readied him for this opportunity.

“I’ve come a long way as a driver,” Almirola said.  “I’m a lot more patient than I’ve ever been, but at the same time, I know how to be aggressive and take care of my stuff. I’ve learned a lot over the years and I’ve been able to capitalize on it.  I’ve put it all into place.  As a driver, I feel like I’m a far better driver than I was yesterday and I hope I’m a better driver tomorrow than today.”

While he’s currently chasing Peters for the points lead, Almirola already is looking past the present for a clue into who his biggest championship challenge will be once the Truck Series gets back in the rhythm of weekly racing.

 “Of course it will be Hornaday,” Almirola predicted.  “That’s nothing against Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner because I’m sure we’ll be racing those guys, too.  But KHI really has their stuff together and is running strong.  They’ll be tough.  Hornaday has won four championships for a reason.  You never can count them out and he will be tough weekly, but I feel like we can run with them.  If we pick up on a few things here and there that we’ve been off just a little bit with, we’ll be right there with those guys.”

But first he has to start knocking off wins.

“We’ve got to make no mistakes and win some races,” Almirola insisted.  “That’s the way you’re going to win this championship.  Hornaday and Skinner and those guys will win.  We’re not going to be able to top-five them to death and win this championship.”

While Almirola puts pressure on himself to contend for victories, he insists no undue expectations were thrust upon him when stepping into the same truck that Kyle Busch drove to 14 wins between 2006 and 2009 (plus three wins in 2005 in the No. 15 BMM Toyota).

“I don’t feel added pressure,” Almirola said.  “I realize that Kyle is a great race car driver but one person doesn’t make up a team.  You can put Kyle in the worst equipment out there and he won’t win, but if you give him good equipment, he’s going to win races.  When I look at Billy Ballew Motorsports as a whole, we’ve still got the same group of people.  All you’ve done is remove one guy and one guy doesn’t make or break a team. 

“I really feel like our team is as strong or stronger than it’s ever been,” he continued.  “I don’t pretend to compare to Kyle or say I’m as good.  I’m a completely different driver. He’s proven and won a lot of races and I’m still trying to get to that point.  I’m excited about our team and our chances to go out and try to win races.”

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Benson Not Asking for Much, Just to Improve Last Year’s Finish by One Spot

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 26, 2010) – Johnny Benson will take the wheel of the No. 15 Red Top Auto Auction Tundra in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway.  The event will be Benson’s second in a Billy Ballew Motorsports-fielded entry this season. In his first race with BBM, Benson rallied to a fifth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway. 

Although Benson has never visited victory lane at Kansas, he finished second there last season. Benson feels his team’s abilities, along with his Kansas Speedway know-how, will allow him to improve on his 2009 performance.  

Benson Comments on O’Reilly Auto Parts 250:

“Billy Ballew gave me a great opportunity to go run Martinsville with “Cowboy” (Kevin Starland). Working with him and Richie (Wauters) was really cool. It’s funny, I used to always race against them, now we’re working together. I’m excited to be running Kansas and Dover with them and going out and seeing what we can do.  We got things off to a good start at Martinsville, finished fifth. Me and the guys on the 15 team worked really well together. They seem to know how to fit the truck to my driving style. When you run as well as we did off the bat, it’s usually a good sign of things to come. I finished second at Kansas last season, so hopefully I can finish one spot better this year.  That’s all I’m asking for.

“Kansas (Speedway) is fun. It’s a mile-and-a-half-style race track, but it can be a tough place to get around. Your truck has to be pretty good. The track is so fast. If you’re a little bit off, it’s easy to fall behind pretty quickly. 

“Thanks to Red Top Auto Auction for coming back and supporting us.  I love working with Billy and his crew and we’ll have a lot of fun this weekend.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 26, 2010) – The No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals team rolls into Kansas City, Kan., this weekend second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings. At only an 82 point deficit to leader Timothy Peters, driver Aric Almirola knows the best way to stay in championship contention is to focus on winning each event.  Almirola sees Kansas as an opportunity to do just that.

Billy Ballew Motorsports’ (BBM) reputation at intermediate tracks speaks for itself. Of BBM’s 17 wins, 12 victories came at tracks one to two miles in length. The No. 51 entry finished fifth at Kansas Speedway with Brian Ickler behind the wheel of the BBM Tundra in 2009. Last season at Chicagoland Speedway, a track with similar characteristics to Kansas, Almirola drove the No. 15 truck to an eighth-place finish, and Kyle Busch drove the No. 51 truck to a win.

Almirola Comments on O’Reilly Auto Parts 250

“As far as the championship goes, it’s never too early to start thinking about that. Everybody goes into Daytona thinking about it. At the same time, we’ve got to focus week-in and week-out on running as good as we can and trying to win races. There’s no better way to secure a championship than to win races and finish in the top-five. I’m looking forward to Kansas. That’s our next focus. We want to go there and run as good as we can and try to win.

“As far as Kansas goes, it’s your typical mile-and-a-half, cookie cutter race track. It’s a lot like Chicago (Speedway), a lot of similarities there. We’re really looking forward to Kansas. We ran really well at Chicago last year. We’re taking the same truck, so hopefully we’ll unload fast off the truck. It’s a fun track to race at and should be a good race.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 13, 2010) – Billy Ballew Motorsports announced today that Nelson Piquet Jr. will drive its No. 15 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) entry for three events this season. Piquet will pilot the Qualcomm, ArcSight Toyota Tundra at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 21, Texas Motor Speedway on June 4 and Michigan International Speedway on June 12.

At only 24 years old, Piquet has already accumulated an impressive track record. In 2005 and 2006, Piquet raced in the Formula 1 developmental series, GP2. He won at Belgium in 2005 and claimed second-place in the championship point standings in 2006. In 2007, Piquet was hired by Renault Racing as a test driver for its F1 operation.  Renault Racing recognized his talent and put him behind the wheel for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. 

Piquet got his first taste of stock car competition this season.  He competed in the ARCA Series and NCWTS events at Daytona International Speedway, finishing 27^th and sixth respectively. His most recent stint was in Texas Motor Speedway’s Rattlesnake 150.  Piquet started first and finished ninth.

“Everyone at Billy Ballew Motorsports is very excited to have Nelson racing with us,” said Ballew.  “He’s obviously an incredibly talented driver.  I think these three races will give him some valuable seat time, which is just what he needs to continue developing his abilities. He did very well at Daytona earlier this year and showed that he has a good feel for stock car racing. The more time he has to get acclimated to these vehicles, the better he’s going to do.

“We take a lot of pride in our program.  We have a talented group of people that can help drivers reach their potential.  When you’re up-and-coming, you need guidance to learn how to get the most out of your truck and how you can make it better. We have a lot of experience doing that and look forward to working with talented drivers, like Nelson, who are on the rise. I think this will be a great opportunity for him.”

Piquet is looking forward to the three-race schedule with Billy Ballew Motorsports and honing his NASCAR craft.

 “I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of a truck again,” said Piquet.  “I really enjoyed racing at Daytona and learned a lot.  I gain a better understanding of how these trucks handle with each lap I take.  These upcoming races will be exactly what I need to continue growing as a driver.

“It’s going to be a great experience to work with the 15 team. They have great people on their team and I’m excited to be working with them. ”