Dennis Setzer is rumored to be heading the list of veteran candidates for one of two rides at Randy Moss. Setzer is currently on a one-year contract with BHR-VA. In response to the rumors around the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage area, BHR-VA and driver Dennis Setzer released a statement about their future together. At this time, the team and driver are working collectively with each other and individually on options for the 2009 season.
Heading into the Built Ford Tough 225 weekend the Tahoe Dodge Racing team knew they had a good chance at winning the race. Tahoe Dodge driver Dennis Setzer’s stats at Kentucky Speedway were impressive and he was looking to add to them while he was in town for the running of the 13th race of the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. After posting the 11th fastest qualifying lap on Saturday morning Setzer was poised to take on the field later that night.
Once the green flag dropped Setzer drove the No. 18 Tahoe Dodge consistently in the top 15 much of the night. Between laps 22 and 42 Setzer was able to get in a rhythm and passed four trucks to crack the top 10 for the first time all night.
The sixth of eight cautions waved on lap 115 for debris. Setzer hit pit road for his final pit stop. Crew Chief Marcus Richmond made the decision to take on right side scuffs and only one can of fuel. The Tahoe Racing Team jumped into action busting out a great pit stop getting Setzer out in second place. Following the restart on lap 119 Setzer held his own for several laps before falling back to third and then eventually to fourth place before the night was over.
“The truck was the best it had been all night long there at the end,” said Setzer after scoring an impressive fourth-place finish. It was his second top-five finish and fourth top-10 finish of the season.
Dennis Setzer started the #18 Tahoe Dodge Ram 11th in the lineup for Saturday night’s Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway and finished 4th. This moved him up one spot to 10th in the standings after the 13th race of the season.
Which is it truckseries.com? One of your reports says...
For Dodge driver and defending Ohio 250 race winner, Dennis Setzer, the scenery through his windshield was looking very familiar when took the lead on lap 72. Setzer maintained a solid lead for several laps before an impatient second place driver, David Starr, punted him in the rear left side corner of the No. 18 Dodge. Setzer showed off his stellar driving skills by keeping the spinning Dodge Ram off of the wall and away from all other competitors.
Another report says...
Being in the back half of the field, David Starr used patience to work his way back up to the front, while being reminded to save as much fuel as possible. By lap 77, all 36 trucks had made their one scheduled pit stop, putting the No. 11 PIT Corporate Training Toyota Tundra in the second position.A quick caution came out on lap 81 as Starr made slight contact with the leader, which relinquished the lead to the Houston, Texas native.
You can't have it both ways. Patient or impatient?
Whatever! Back to my man Setzer.
After receiving four fresh tires Setzer returned to the track in 30th position and was on a mission. In just 84 laps he raced his way back into the sixth position. It was under the 11th caution of the day that Setzer radioed in saying, “I have smoke in my cockpit.”
Immediately, following the restart it appeared Setzer’s engine expired when a cloud of smoke bellowed from the rear. After pulling the No. 18 truck behind the wall it was determined a lower radiator hose busted draining out all the water out which resulted in a blown engine. Setzer finished in 34th position and dropped to 12th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver point standings.
CONCORD, N.C. -- It took Matt Crafton 178 starts to snare his first Craftsman Truck Series victory. It took about 35-crash filled laps at Lowe's Motor Speedway to set the unlikely win in motion.
Crafton took advantage of the mistakes and ill behavior of others to drive his Menard's Chevrolet Silverado to victory in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Crafton's victory was his first in 177 NCTS starts, the longest stretch any driver has gone before winning his first race in the series.
Crafton held off Chad McCumbee in a green-white-checkered finish to score his historic win in a wild night of racing.
"Finally, we can shut them up," Crafton said. "Now they can say, 'When's the next one coming?
With the win Crafton moved up from seventh to fourth in the points race.
1. Ron Hornaday 874 Leader
2, Rick Crawford 865 -5
3. Todd Bodine 836 -38
4. Matt Crafton 829 -45
5. Dennis Setzer 817 -57
A fierce battle for second ended with Germain Racing's Todd Bodine third in the point standings, spinning points leader Ron Hornaday just past the start-finish line at the entrance to Turn 1. An angry Hornaday limped home 23rd and took umbrage with Bodine, who finished 12th after being penalized for rough driving.
"He just flat tried to kill me," Hornaday said. "You don't spin somebody out on the straightaway. Life is too short to have an #### like that."
Bodine said he didn't mean to cause Hornaday to wreck.
"I was just trying to help him," Bodine said. "And now I look like a goat."
McCumbee was followed by Brendan Gaughan who finished third.
Erik Darnell was leading late in the race but spun his tires in the night's second-to-last restart, recovering to finish fourth. Rick Crawford finished fifth. Hornaday leads the series points race, by five over Crawford.
Dennis Setzer finished seventh and slipped to fifth in the points behind Crafton.
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