Hampton, Georgia
(October 27, 2007)-Billy
Ballew Motorsports
breaks their winless
streak after Kyle Busch
pilots the No. 51 RedTop
Auto Auction Chevrolet
Silverado into victory
lane at the Atlanta
Motor Speedway Saturday
in the running of the
EasyCare Vehicle Service
Contracts 200
NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series race Saturday,
October 27.
Busch brought home the
second win for Georgia
owner Billy Ballew at
the Atlanta Motor
Speedway; the first win
came in 2005 on a last
lap move. The victory
Saturday was not without
its own excitement as
the window net came
unclipped forcing Busch
to hold the net up and
drive
one handed in speeds
over 180 miles per
hour.
Busch, who qualified in
the third place position
for the 130 laps, 200.2
mile race on the
1.54-mile quad-oval,
took the lead on lap two
and pulled away.
A competition caution
flag was thrown on lap
30 to check tire wear
and Busch came down pit
lane for four tires,
fuel, wedge and track
bar adjustments. Busch
returned to the track in
the third place position
but quickly moved into
the second spot noting
to the team that the
leader, Ron Hornaday was
able to drive deeper in
the corners but Busch’s
persistence paid off
when he retook the lead
on lap 54. Hornaday and
Busch traded the lead
again on lap 67 with
Busch once again taking
the lead on lap 82
holding it until lap 94
when Johnny Benson
passed Busch who
suddenly started to fall
off. Busch fell back to
the fourth place
position where luck was
on his side when a
caution flag flew on lap
104 after Busch had been
black flagged for
holding his window net
up for countless laps.
Busch pitted with crew
chief Richie Wauters
asking if the truck
needed any adjustments
as he noticed him
falling off before the
caution. Busch radioed
to Wauters “you try to
hold the window net up,
drive with one hand and
not wreck.” The team
put on four tires and
refastened the net
sending Busch back out
to claim his first
victory in eight starts
for Ballew in the 2007
NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series season.
Busch restarted in the
sixth place position
with only twenty laps
remaining in the 130 lap
event where he continued
to be able to run
anywhere on the race
track. In Rowdy Busch
style, Busch had
advanced to the third
place position for the
eight laps shoot out
after the last of five
cautions had occurred on
lap 119.
In front of his team
owner and sponsors
hometown crowd, Busch
closed in on the Johnny
Benson in second going
high on the race track
passing him and the
leader Ron Hornaday with
only seven laps
remaining. Busch had
three truck lengths
between his and the
second place truck.
With only five laps to
the checkered, Todd
Bodine had a problem on
the track but the
caution never came out
allowing Busch to post
the victory becoming the
first NASCAR Nextel Cup
Series driver to win in
the Craftsman Truck
Series in 2007 and the
first ever repeat winner
at the Atlanta Motor
Speedway.
“It is so great to be
back here in Victory
Lane with these guys,”
Busch said. “We do
about the most here with
the least. I am so glad
to be a part of this
Billy Ballew Motorsports
team. Richie Wauters,
Dennis Shoenfield and
everyone on this team
that helps us out. Greg
and JR Norris who want a
shot but are here with
us working together.
All the guys on this
team work so hard, they
work from seven in the
morning until eleven at
night every day, I
swear. It is
unbelievable the
dedication they put in.”
"It is great racing and
it is fun to be able to
go out there and run
with these guys in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series. We put on a
great race for the fans
there before that last
caution came out. And it
is fun anytime you can
do that. There are
certain programs that
are trying to bring it
along and anytime I can
race with Billy Ballew;
it is a lot of fun. So
to be able to go out
there and have fun and
race for no points, just
for fun and for wins; we
race to try to win of
course every time we
come out. We are
limited on funds so we
are trying to get back
going and back to up
where we need to be. It
is just a good time,
nothing anything
special. The track time
is good, any time you
can get out there and
see what the trucks do
on the long run and see
what I might be able to
learn for the Cup race.”
“The No. 15 team and
the No. 51 team with
Doug George and
everybody over there on
the No. 15; they have
done a great job of
helping us out. Richie
(Wauters, crew chief)
and I have taken over
the No. 51 deal, kind of
a start up thing, it has
been good. All the
trucks are the same. We
share trucks, there are
different truck numbers,
and you just never know
who is going to get
which one. I picked two
of them for myself and
Billy is ok with that. I
have picked No. 11 and
No. 24, those are my
babies. We don't know
which one we are going
to run next week, but we
will figure it out. I
told Richie I would have
to think about it."
Busch will be back
behind the wheel of the
No. 51 Billy Ballew
Motorsports Chevrolet
Silverado next week at
the Texas Motor Speedway
with the 2006 AutoZone
Southeast Series Tour
Champion and team’s
developmental driver,
JR Norris as a teammate
in the No. 15 Chevrolet
Silverado.
The Silverado 350k
NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series race at the Texas
Motor Speedway is slated
to begin at 9:00pm ET
(8:00 CT) Friday,
November 2nd.
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