Piquet Jr. Anxious to Make First Start with Billy Ballew Motorsports

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 17, 2010) – Nelson Piquet Jr. will make his inaugural start at Charlotte Motor Speedway this week.  Although the Brasilia, Brazil native has never raced at the 1.5-mile oval, he was able to get a head start on learning his way around the track. Piquet volunteered as a guest driver at the Richard Petty Driving Experience while in Charlotte earlier this month.  Piquet took several passengers for rides and received tips from the instructors on conquering the speedway. Piquet hopes his experience will give him a head start on a solid race performance in his No. 15 Qualcomm, ArcSight Toyota Tundra.

The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 will mark Piquet’s third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start, his first with Billy Ballew Motorsports. He raced at Daytona International Speedway earlier this season and finished sixth. He also drove in one stock car event at a mile-and-a-half track, which came at Texas Motor Speedway last April. Piquet started first and finished ninth.

Piquet Jr on the North Carolina Education Lottery 200:

“I’m really happy to be racing with Billy Ballew Motorsports.  It’s a great opportunity with a really good team.  I’m really anxious to go to the track already with his trucks and crew. I’ve seen his team do very well.  They’re consistently in the top-10 or top-five, and always fighting up there.  It’s going to be a good chance to be in a good truck, and hopefully continue their string of good results.

“Charlotte Motors Speedway seems like a quick track, quicker than Texas (Motor Speedway), where I raced a few weeks ago. It’s going to be exciting. I’ve met some of the boys at the karting track and they told me that it can be flat out in qualifying, so I’m really anxious to get on the track and start driving. It’s going to be a heck of a weekend.”

Almirola Aims to Ride Momemtum into Charlotte

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 17, 2010) – After coming close at multiple races this season, Aric Almirola and the No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals team went to victory lane last week at Dover International Speedway. The win was Almirola’s first in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) arena, and has the Tampa, Fla., native anxious to vie for the checkered flag in Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS).

The No. 51 team’s achievement last week at Dover marked a significant accomplishment. Billy Ballew Motorsports now has won a race in seven consecutive seasons, the most by an active team. The record is 11 (1995-2005) by Ultra Motorsports. Two other teams have won in seven consecutive seasons: Hendrick Motorsports (1995-2001) and Roush Fenway Racing (2003-2009).

Almirola has one previous NCWTS start at CMS, which he started from the 16^th position and finished ninth. The No. 51 team has one win at CMS, which came in May 2006 with Kyle Busch.

Almirola on the NOrth Carolina Education Lottery 200:

“Last week at Dover is just what we needed. We proved to ourselves that we can get the job done. Everyone on this team is confident and anxious to go out and fight for another win.  Momentum plays a huge part in this sport, so hopefully we’ll keep it rolling into Charlotte.

“I really wish we had the folks from Graceway Pharmaceuticals at the race last week. They’re such a great sponsor and if it weren’t for their partnership, we wouldn’t have this opportunity. I can’t thank them enough for all they do. Unfortunately they weren’t at Dover and missed their chance to celebrate with us in victory lane. It won’t be long, though, until we’re there again and give them a chance to experience it.

“A lot of people thought that this team wouldn’t be the same after Kyle Busch left.  He’s an awesome driver, but he was only one part of the operation.  A team is more than just one person.  All of the guys at Billy Ballew Motorsports work so hard to make us competitive at every track we go to.  We showed we can still win races and we’re ready to do it again.

“Last week we went back to the basics and it paid off. We’ve had a good balance the previous weeks, but we experimented, knowing that it was early in the season and that we might learn a few things to help us get ahead for later in the year. We got back on our game at Dover.  Our truck was really fast and I expect the same thing out of our truck at Charlotte. A lot of the setups correlate from track to track and we’ve been pretty stout at the mile-and-a-half venues so far.  I think we’ll be really good at Charlotte and Texas.

“The best thing about Charlotte is being able to sleep in your own bed. You can sleep in your own house and lay on your own couch. When you spend so many weekends away from home, it makes it so nice to truly have a ‘home base’ for a race weekend.”

DOVER, Del. (May 14, 2010) – Aric Almirola piloted the  No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra to his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win today at Dover International Speedway. Almirola secured the victory in stellar fashion, making a thrilling late-race pass and holding off a charging field during a green-white-checker finish. His win catapulted him into the championship points lead and now sits 27 points ahead of second-place Todd Bodine.

The No. 51 Graceway Toyota lined up seventh for the start of the race. Almirola’s truck was “pretty good” when the race got underway, so crew chief Richie Wauters called for a two-tire stop without adjustments  during the team’s first  trip to pit lane, Lap 20. Not everyone pitted, which put Almirola in 12^th-place for the restart.

Green flag action returned on Lap 25. The Graceway Tundra was “a little too free in the center of the corners, but tight on exit” throughout the next run. Although it wasn’t perfect, Almirola cruised into fifth position before the next caution flag waved, Lap 52. Wauters elected to remedy the 51 truck’s handling with for four fresh Goodyears and a wedge adjustment. The crew’s quick work put Almirola back on the track in fourth-place.

On Lap 59, the race went back to green. Almirola’s day nearly came to an end on Lap 77, when he radioed that he had a right-front tire going down.  Fortunately he was able to make it into the pits before the tire blew and get fresh right-side tires. He rejoined the field in 20^th-place, two laps down to the leaders. A fortuitous caution flag waved on Lap 85, which gave Almirola a “wave around” and put him only one lap down to the leaders. Wauters quickly reminded everyone that the team had an awesome truck and just needed a “Lucky Dog” pass to get back in the thick of the race.

Wauters’ words were nearly prophetic. On Lap 114, the caution flag as displayed and Almirola returned to the lead lap in 17^th-place. The 51 team took advantage of the yellow flag and serviced Almirola’s truck with four tires and fuel before sending him back on the track.

Almirola took the green flag on Lap 119 in 17^th-place. Another caution flag waved three laps later.  Almirola stayed on the track, while several of the leaders pitted. He moved into sixth-place for the restart on lap 128. Almirola held his position before the race was halted on Lap 144, when another caution flag waved. Wauters called Almirola into the pits his final stop of the day.  The crew changed four tires and topped off the fuel cell.  The 51 Tundra was starting to “push on exit,” so the team made a track bar adjustment to correct the handling. Following service, Almirola returned to the track in 14^th-place.

The race went green on Lap 152. Almirola pedaled his way into sixth-place during the ensuing green flag run.  His progress was slowed by the yellow flag on Lap 171. He clicked off two more spots by Lap 193, when another caution waved. Almirola lined up on the outside of row two for the restart, Lap 198. Wauters radioed his driver, “You’re behind the leader.  When it goes green, you stick to him and hang on till you clear traffic.  Then go after him.”

When the race went green, Almirola followed Wauters’ instructions to a tee. The leaders bobbled on the restart and Almirola capitalized.  He assumed the lead, but only momentarily before a caution slowed the pace.  The yellow set the stage for a green-white-checker finish, with Almirola in the top spot. Not a problem for Almirola, he never looked back and took the checkers of his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Besides being Almirola’s first win, it also marked the first trip to victory lane at Dover for Billy Ballew Motorsports.

“What a truck!  We had a good truck right off the trailer.  We tried a few things the last couple of weeks at Nashville and Kansas, and we got off our game.  We went right back to our basics and it’s working, man.  I’m so excited.  I can’t wait to go to the rest of these races.  To do it the way we did it — to come back from two laps down — blowing the right front tire and not damaging our truck.  What a race!”

“We had a good day.  We had a good truck yesterday.  As soon as we unloaded we had a really fast truck.  It wouldn’t bust off a really good lap like Kyle (Busch) would, but man it would run on a long run.  We knew yesterday — we quit practice a little bit early just trying to be smart because the last couple of weekends we’ve outsmarted ourselves and tried things that really didn’t work for us.  This weekend, Richie Wauters (crew chief) and all of the guys at Billy Ballew Motorsports have had awesome trucks here at Dover forever, so we just went back to basics.  That was really what it was about for us this weekend.  Getting back to our basics and doing the things we know how to do and doing them well and it paid off.  Man, it’s a dream come true.  To come back from two laps down after blowing a right front tire and fighting hard and getting one of our laps back and racing and getting back on the lead lap.  Track position is so tough here.  You have to have a phenomenal truck to do what we did today.  I’m not going to take any credit for that.  It’s a lot of fun when you have a really good truck here.  I’ve been fortunate to have really good race cars here.  This is one of my favorite race tracks.  I just want to thank Billy (Ballew, team owner) for believing in me.  Last year was a rough year for me and I was pretty down and out and Billy gave me a call in the summertime to give me a chance to drive in his truck and we’ve had a lot of fun together.  We do this and we do it because we love it.  He’s as much of a racer as I am and that’s why I love racing for him — it’s just so much fun.  We have fun every single weekend — good, bad or draw we have a good time and that’s what it’s all about.  Billy is a hell of an owner and he puts every dollar he gets from Graceway Pharmaceuticals into our truck and then some.  Without that we wouldn’t be the race team that we are.  A lot of credit goes to him.  I’m tickled to death.  I’ve also got to thank Toyota.  We’ve gotten a tremendous amount of support from them.  We wear those guys out.  We’re up in Salisbury (N.C.) at their facility every week.  They help us out tremendously.  We use their pull-down, they give us wind tunnel time and without support like that we wouldn’t be in the situation that we’re in.  So, they play a big part in this and I want to thank them a lot.”

Almirola’s next race will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 21 at 7:30 p.m. Coverage will be on SPEED and MRN.

DOVER, Del. (May 14, 2010) – Johnny Benson was merely a few gallons of fuel away from getting a third-straight top-five finish in this week’s Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway. Benson was in position to compete for the win on the event’s final restart, however, his No. 15 Red Top Auto Auction lost fuel pressure and sent him to the back of the pack.  The Grand Rapids, Mich., native instead settled for a 10^th-place finish.

Benson started the race from the fourth position. His Toyota Tundra was too loose at the start of the race, so “Cowboy” Starland made a wedge adjustment on the team’s first pit stop, Lap 20, along with fresh tires and fuel. Not everyone pitted, which put Benson in 14^th-place for the restart.

Starland’s adjustments were too severe and Benson began fighting a truck that was “way too tight” now. He made the most of his truck until the next pit stop, Lap 52.  This time, Starland called for four new Goodyears and a wedge adjustment to loosen Benson’s truck up again. Benson went back on the track in 12^th-place.

Green flag action returned on Lap 59. Benson’s Red Top Auto Auction Toyota was running solid lap times when the caution flag returned on Lap 85.  The team changed tires without making any adjustments and Benson rejoined the field in 11^th-place.

The race went green on Lap 91.  Benson’s truck began driving “way too loose.” Starland diagnosed Benson’s handling problems as a result of incompatible tires, so the team decided to change his Goodyear Wranglers during the following caution, Lap 114, without any adjustments.

Benson took the green flag, Lap 119, in 14^th-place. He pedaled into 11^th-place before the caution halted the action on Lap 122. The majority of the leaders pitted, but Benson stayed on the track which moved him into second position.

Benson took the lead on the ensuing restart, Lap 128, and showed the way for seven laps. He remained in second-place until Lap 193, when the caution flag waved. The yellow flag set the stage for a shootout.  Benson lined up on the outside of Row 1 and waited for the green flag to start the battle. Unfortunately the No. 15 truck lost fuel pressure on the restart and didn’t get going.  The caution flag waved on the same lap and allowed him to make a trip down pit lane for a gas and go. He fell to 16^th-place for the final green flag dash of the day, Lap 203. As good as Benson’s truck was, he pedaled his way into 10^th-place in two short laps. The finish was Benson’s third top-10 in as many tries with Billy Ballew Motorsports.

“We had a really good Red Top Auto Auction Toyota today,” said Benson. “We were too loose, then too tight, but it eventually came around.  Cowboy made great calls in the pits and really put us in a good position at the end of the race. When we got out front, one of the trucks with fresh tires got by us, but we were holding our own.  It was looking like we had another top-five heading our way, maybe even a win.  On that restart, my truck just didn’t go. I fell back. Fortunately a caution came out and let us fuel up, but we didn’t have enough laps left to get back up front. Still, a top-10, though.”