Martinsville, VA
(October 15, 2007)-
Billy Ballew
Motorsports will
bring out the big
guns this week when
the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series teams
head to the
Martinsville
Speedway for the
running of the 21st
race of the 25 race
season Saturday,
October 20.
Ballew will not only
pilot Kyle Busch who
frequents the series
in the No. 51
Craftsman Truck in
Saturday’s Kroger
200 but will put
future teammate and
current 2007 Chase
for the NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup
contenders against
one another by
putting Virginia
native Denny Hamlin
in the No. 15
Chevrolet Silverado.
Flanders Beef
Patties will serve
as the primary
sponsor for both
Busch and Hamlin
this weekend at the
.526-mile paperclip
shaped short track
in Martinsville,
VA.
“We are excited to
have Flanders
onboard this weekend
for both Kyle
(Busch) and Denny
(Hamlin),” team
owner Billy Ballew
said. “Chris Huff
and Flanders
Provisions have been
very supportive of
the team this season
and we’d like to
take them to victory
lane soon. I’m sure
that Kyle and Denny
will put on one heck
of a show out there
Saturday afternoon.
We also want to send
our condolences to
the Hamlin Family
with the passing of
Denny’s grandfather,
James “Junior”
Hamlin a few weeks
back. We’d like to
see Denny go to
victory lane
Saturday in his
honor.”
Billy Ballew
Motorsports has 13
NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series starts
at the Martinsville
Speedway posting two
top-five finishes
(Kyle Busch 2005,
Rich Bickle 1998)
and four top-ten
finishes.
The current sixth
place driver in the
2007 Chase for the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup,
Kyle Busch has eight
starts at the
Virginia short
track; five in the
NEXTEL Cup Series
with two top-5
finishes, three
top-10 finishes and
led 10 laps. Busch
has only one start
in the NASCAR Busch
Series and two
starts in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck
Series. Busch
posted one top-five
finish and two
top-10 finishes and
lead 29 laps in the
Billy Ballew
Motorsports
Craftsman Truck
Series entry.
“It’s going to be
cool to race against
Denny (Hamlin) in
the truck this
weekend in
Martinsville,” Busch
said. “We’re going
to be teammates next
year but we’re great
friends off the
track so it will be
kind of the first
time that we will be
comparing notes and
actually on the same
team. It’s going to
be pretty cool.”
Hamlin, who is
currently in the
ninth place position
in the 2007 NEXTEL
Cup Championship
Chase, has six
starts at the track
in his native state
of Virginia
including four
starts in the NEXTEL
Cup Series racking
up one pole in the
spring 2007 race,
two top-5 finishes
and three top-10
finishes. Hamlin
has only one start
in the NASCAR Busch
Series finishing
third in the 2006
event and one start
in the Craftsman
Truck Series where
he posted an eighth
place finish in
2006.
“I am very excited
about running the
truck race this week
in Martinsville,”
Hamlin said. “I
normally run at
least one a year and
this is my first
opportunity to run
Billy Ballew’s
equipment which is
some of the best out
there. This is my
first chance to work
with Kyle (Busch) in
a teammate capacity
and we’ve already
started trash
talking about the
race. Hopefully
we’ll be able to
race around each
other out there and
bring home a truck
series victory for
Billy Ballew.”
“I think the truck
race will be
valuable for us in
the Cup race on
Sunday. The COT
(Car of Tomorrow)
and the Craftsman
Trucks are very
similar in the
draft. On the
competition side, it
will be valuable for
both Kyle and me as
we can learn a lot
on pit strategy and
the draft with a
vehicle that doesn’t
turn real well like
the trucks because
of the long wheel
base. I know this
race will be more of
a learning
experience for me
from last year’s
truck race because
of the COT in the
Cup Series. It
should be a lot of
fun mixing it up out
there and I hope to
walk away with a
solid finish and
valuable information
for Sunday.”
Busch in the No. 51
and Hamlin in the
No. 15 Flanders Beef
Patties Billy Ballew
Motorsports
Chevrolet
Silverado’s will
take to the track
for the 200 lap,
105.2 mile Kroger
200 at the
Martinsville
Speedway Saturday,
October 20th. The
race is slated to
begin at 3:00pm ET
with televised
coverage beginning
at 2:30pm ET on
SPEED. MRN Radio
and their affiliate
station coverage
will also be live
beginning at 2:45pm
ET.
Qualifying for the
event will also be
televised live on
SPEED beginning at
11:00am ET Saturday,
October 20.
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