History shows Dennis Setzer (No. 18 BHR-V Dodge) as the only North Carolina-born driver to win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Charlotte.
Setzer, from Newton, N.C., won in 2004 and is the only Tar Heel winner in NASCAR national series points competition at Lowe's Motor Speedway since Dale Jarrett's UAW-GM Quality 500 victory in 1997.
That's a far cry from earlier eras when names like Petty, Baker, Parsons and Earnhardt dominated.
The birth of the Craftsman Truck Series in 1995 aided the rush of non-southern and off-oval competitors into the sport. Only one champion -- the late Bobby Hamilton -- was born south of the Mason-Dixon line.
After scoring an emotional victory at Martinsville, Dodge Driver Dennis Setzer and crew went west to Kansas with high hopes of capitalizing on the team’s momentum.
Setzer made his way to the front of the pack, climbing as high as fourth position before disaster struck. On lap 73 as Setzer was coming out of turn one he was unable to miss a competitor who spun directly in front of his racing line. Crew Chief Marcus Richmond jumped into action on the radio giving each crew member a job as they went over the wall. “Get a bat, a hammer, lots of bearbond and duct tape,” said Richmond in a hurry. “Make sure you get the grill pulled back out so it does not over heat.” The Dodge Racing Team repaired the substantial front end damage and Setzer returned to the track still on the lead lap.
As the No. 18 Dodge headed into turn four on lap 113 the right front tire blew sending Setzer hard into the turn four wall. The extensive damage forced the team to retire from the event, where they finished in the 25th position.
Anytime you can come out of the third race of the season and still be in the top 10 in points it is a good thing. It is a great way to start the season. So many times you hope for a good start to the season and bad luck comes your way and ends that. I am excited about being ninth in points, but I am more excited about making the drive to get inside the top five over the coming weeks.
I know the average person cannot see how much our team as grown since Daytona, but we have come a long way in a short time. The guys have put in a lot of long hours to make our trucks run more competitively and I think that is just beginning to show. Our team is only going to get better as the races go on.
Thanks to Dodge we are spending a substantial amount of time in the wind tunnel and at the eight post shaker rig. The Martinsville test went really well, but we still spent time in the tunnel and at the eight post after the test to make ourselves better. On top of that we tested at the Monster Mile to get some more track time before this weekend. If we can stay out of trouble at Martinsville I think we will be on our way to a solid spot in the top 10 in points.
My favorite Craftsman Truck Series Driver is Bobby Hamilton. But I like Ken Schrader too. So it is with mixed emotions that I read this today. On one hand it looks like Bobby will not be driving next year. This is not surprising given he is a cancer survivor.
Being from Tennessee it was natural to pull for Bobby after becoming aware of him during the filming of Days of Thunder. He had to actually qualify the Mountain Dew car for the movie before NASCAR would let the producers put the car on the track to get film footage. Things have changed a lot since then with NASCAR now tripping all over itself to accommodate the movie industry to get a cut of the (all of a sudden Hollywood wakes up and realizes family movies can deliver a) profit.
On the other hand I lived in Valley Park, Missouri, in a subdivision right above Schrader's Uncle Dennis's automotive shop. I caught smallmouth bass while wading the creek right behind the shop (while on their property probably). I used to walk around the old Lake Hills Speedway just across the creek where Kenny ran many a race against the Wallaces back in the day. The people that ran Schrader's modified operation went to school where my kids went and my wife taught. (I was talking racing in a line at the school one night with this dude with Federated Auto Parts Kenny Schrader apparel on when all of a sudden the dude says "I was talking to Kenny last night.") So, while I hate to hear (between the lines apparently) that Bobby will not be racing this year, I am thrilled for Kenny who may need to fall back on this if his Nextel Cup opportunities come to an end.
And oh, by the way, if the Nashville based Little Debbies sponsorship eventually followed Kenny over to the Nashville (Lebanon) based Bobby Hamilton Racing (BHR), that would be "one sweet ride".
From: That'sRacin.com,
Schrader to Drive a Hamilton Dodge in Some Truck Races
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Ken Schrader will drive the No. 18 Dodge trucks for Bobby Hamilton racing in 2007. A driver to be named will take over when Schrader’s Nextel Cup responsibilities with the Wood Brothers prevent him from competing in Truck events.
From: bobbyhamiltonracing.com
Schrader Set to Pilot the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge Orlando, FL | 12-07-2006 Four-Time Cup Winner Partners with BHR and Fastenal for Majority of 2007 NCTS Campagin - NASCAR fan favorite Ken Schrader has been tabbed to drive the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge for Bobby Hamilton Racing during the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. Schrader and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton have been both friends and competitors throughout their NASCAR careers and now they have joined forces to help re-establish BHR as a championship caliber NCTS team. “I am thrilled to get the opportunity to drive the Fastenal Dodge,” Schrader said. “Bobby Hamilton and I have been friends for a long time so to get the chance to work with him is just an ideal situation for me."
BHR has always had some of the most competitive equipment in the series and I look forward to climbing into the seat and racing hard. Fastenal is a great company, I don't think there is a race team out there that doesn't use most of their products in some form or fashion and I can't wait to represent them proudly next year."
From: truckseries.com
12-07-2006
Schrader Set to Pilot the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge
Four-Time Cup Winner Partners with BHR and Fastenal for Majority of 2007 NCTS Campagin
The Fastenal Company, is a Minnesota based industrial and construction supply company with more than 1,800 stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Singapore and the Netherlands.
"We re really happy to be able to get a driver the caliber of Ken Schrader for the Fastenal Dodge," Hamilton said. 'We looked at a number of different drivers as a possibility for this job but Kenny was just a perfect fit for both BHR and Fastenal. He is a proven winner both on the track and off and he will provide us with great feedback that will help us win races and compete for championships in the future."
Schrader has four NASCAR Nextel Cup wins, two NASCAR Busch Series wins and one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win to his credit. He has logged an amazing 283,398 miles in NASCAR Cup, Busch and Truck series events, that is equal to racing around the world 12 times or from New York to Los Angeles 94 times. In other words, Schrader has raced enough miles to go the moon and is now almost a fourth of the way back.
In 2007 the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will run 25 races on 22 separate racetracks across the United States. All of the NCTS events will be broadcast live nationally on the Speed Channel.
"But all this must be suffered by those who profess the stern order of chivalry" Most Interesting Blog, June 16, 2008 and six other occasions. Lisa awarded him Best "breaking news" blogger March 31, 2008. Blog of The Day, Christmas Day, 2007. edhardiman wrote, "Falco's tribute to Rocket Richard reminds us all the stars of today stand on the shoulders of giants..." October 23, 2007. Three Golden Swirrly p00p Awards (Hockey, NASCAR and Use of Graphics), FlyingPig, July 18, 2007. 2007 Memorial Day Weekend Trifecta sponsored by williamwilman . Featured on WFORacingFans April, 2007. "Stylin'" award, Dusty, February 07. "One of ten new bloggers to watch" Dudski, January 2007.
