Arrangements have been made for a giant bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken to be picked up. The giant bags of Lays Potato Chips have been purchased and the Budweiser is already getting cold in the refrigerator. I’m going to be hosting my own private tail gate party. The party location will be at the tail end of my living room couch. That’s where you’ll find me watching Wednesday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from the Bristol Motor Speedway.
Any racing format that you could name in racing on this concrete bullring is a fan’s dream come true. But when you add the traditional elements of a Bristol race with NASCAR’s truck series, and their definition of a tail gate party, then you’ve got the makings of a special evening.
SOME PRE RACE NOTES OF INTEREST.
All eyes will be on series points leader Ron Hornaday Jr Wednesday night to see if he can win his sixth, consecutive, race. Hornaday will be in his traditional #33 Chevrolet Truck, for Kevin Harvick Inc, with the not so traditional colors of Georgia Boot as the team’s primary sponsor.
Hornaday is the only driver on the race entry list who is a multiple winner at Bristol. But that was accomplished quite awhile ago and since that time. his numbers on this concrete oval have slipped a little. His average finish there since 2005 ,when NASCAR began calculating these type of stats, is a 17.8 and he hasn’t led a lap at Bristol since 1999. This could be the green light his competitors have waiting for so they can take a turn celebrating in victory lane.
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There are some rather interesting names and scenarios on the entry list for Wednesday’s O’Reilly 200, presented by Valvoline.
Kevin Harvick Inc will be field two other teams in addition to the Hornaday entry. J R Fitzpatrick, who has alternating this seat with Ricky Carmichael, returns to the team’s #4 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Equipment Express.
His team mate will be Sprint Cup driver Ryan Newman who will be doing a guest stint in KHI’s #2 Chevrolet Truck with sponsorship from Pringles. Newman will be the driver to watch during the Bristol weekend. In a case of being an iron man, Newman will be running four different races at Bristol. He starts the quad run Wednesday afternoon in the NASCAR Whelen Modified event that precedes the Camping World Truck Series race later that night. Friday has him entered in the Nationwide Series race and of course Saturday he will perform his regular duties in the Sprint Cup race for Stewart Hass Racing.
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Billy Ballew Motorsports will also be in full force Wednesday night with three teams in the Bristol race. After a brief absence, Kyle Busch returns to the #51 Miccosukee Indian Gaming Toyota although many observers are saying that the driver should curtail extracurricular activities in order to focus on getting his Sprint Cup team into the Chase For The Championship.
Aric Almirola will be behind the wheel of Ballew’s #15 Grace Pharmaceuticals Toyota. Almirola, a development driver for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Cup Series, is using the truck events to get lap and seat time while waiting to hear about his Cup future with EGR for next year.
But the two teams will be working with new crew chiefs following a recent swap announced by team owner Billy Ballew. Richie Wauters will leave the Almirola team to guide the Kyle Busch effort. In turn veteran chief Doug George, who guided Busch to wins at Fontana and Atlanta, will work with Almirola.
The third Ballew Toyota, also sponsored by Grace Pharmaceuticals, will be driven by a young up and coming driver named Nate Monteith. Of particular interest here is the fact that NASCAR veteran crew chief Brad Parrot will be manning the pit box. It’s being reported that this is a special one race deal only.
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Another interesting entry is the presence of former driver, now Speed Channel analyst, Hermie Sadler who will be donning a driver’s suit for the first time in quite awhile but for a very worthy cause. Sadler will be driving an Andy Hillenburg owned Chevrolet with special sponsorship from the Victory Junction Gang Camp and the Hermie and Elliot Sadler Foundation.
Virginian resident John Denere will make a very prominent presence with this team Wednesday night. Denere was the recent winner of the Mega Millions Lottery last May and has pledged a $100,000 donation to each worthwhile charity.
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