With Brad Keselowski bowing out of his practice day assignment with Key Motorsports for this weekend’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Memphis Motorsports Park, veteran Stacy Compton has agreed to fill-in to assist the Mooresville, North Carolina based race team.
Keselowski was announced earlier today as the driver retained by Germain Motorcars to practice, qualify and drive its #9 Toyota machine in Memphis for the suspended Ted Musgrave, thus leaving Key Motorsports without a driver.
Keselowski was pressed into service to practice the Key Motorsports entry and then serve in a stand-by role for Chad Chaffin on race day. Chaffin, announced as the driver for the #40 last week before agreeing to pilot the #49 PVA.org Dodge for BAM Racing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race this weekend in Loudon, NH, needed Key Motorsports to secure a driver to practice and help set-up the #40 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet on Friday when he will be at the New Hampshire International Speedway practicing and qualifying.
“Once Brad made his sudden decision, we were basically back to square one and had a difficult time finding a suitable replacement in such a short period of time. Heck, our race truck and team leave for Memphis tomorrow!” said team owner Curtis W. Key, Sr.
“But I think we did OK in getting someone of Stacy’s caliber and experience to help us out. We’ve been spun out and hit the wall twice in the last 72 hours but are still in the race,” team owner Curtis W. Key added.
Compton, under contract with the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing for a limited race schedule in 2007 in both the Craftsman Truck and Busch Series, was not scheduled to race anywhere this weekend and was thus available to Key Motorsports.
The 40-year-old Compton has raced extensively in all three of NASCAR’s top touring circuits and boasts nearly 100 career NCTS starts. He won twice in 1998 and has earned nine poles and enjoyed his best overall season in 1999 when he finished fourth in the Series’ championship driver point’s race. That season Compton posted nearly half of his career top five finishes and 17 of his nearly 50 top ten efforts despite failing to win a race.
He has earned more than $4 million in 88 Nextel Cup Series races between 1996 and 2003 and raced full-time in the Busch Series in 2005 and 2006 before being moved back to the trucks by Wood Bothers/JTG Racing this season. He has shared the #09 Zaxby’s Chicken Restaurants Ford ride with driver Joey Clanton thus far this season and finished a season-best second recently at Dover.
