Tuesday

Dillon Oliver’s debut produces top 30 finish

Martinsville, VA (March 30, 2009) - After a rain soaked weekend, Dillon Oliver made his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in Monday’s Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Oliver and the Lafferty Motorsports No. 89 team worked hard all weekend long fighting an ill handling truck. However, they still managed to bring home a 30th place finish.

Oliver made his first laps in one of NASCAR’s top three series on Friday during the morning practice session. However, the second session was shortened due to rain. The threatening skies dumped tons of rain onto the famed Southwest Virginia track. The rain would eventually cause NASCAR to cancel all of the afternoon events on Friday.

As the rain fell, the crew made a number of adjustments and repairs to the truck. Oliver was optimistic going into Saturday’s qualifying session. However, a suspension failure left him with a wild ride. He qualified the truck in the 35th position. Due to making repairs to the truck after qualifying, the No. 89 was forced to go to the back of the field for the start of the Kroger 250. Unfortunately, just minutes before the green flag was to drop, the skies opened up once again and poured rain. NASCAR was forced to reschedule the race for Monday afternoon.

Mother Nature was much more co-operative as Oliver strapped into the No. 89 Lafferty Motorsports Chevrolet once again on Monday. But, as the field took the green flag, the team suffered radio difficulties. Even though the team made a radio change on lap 50, communications between driver and crew chief were still difficult. Garbled radio chatter made it hard for Oliver to relay vital information on his truck’s handling issues. The team made the best of the situation. In an attempt to make the truck turn better, the team made multiple adjustments to the track bar and wedge over the course of the day.

When the checkered flag waved, Oliver crossed the line in 30th spot, 14 laps off the pace. All in all it was a good day for the Lafferty team. Oliver learned a lot from the veterans as he ran alongside them. He managed to keep his truck out of trouble, and had no major incidents. When the 19 year old was asked about his experience he said:

“It was a great experience. A major stepping-stone towards the big goal. Just being one of the select few drivers to take a green flag in one of NASCAR’s big three series is major. I learned a lot from the veteran drivers I had a chance to meet this weekend too. I look forward to having another chance to run with them. I want to thank Lafferty Motorsports for giving me this opportunity, and also Potencia Energy Drink and Race Fumes. Without them, none of this would have even been possible.’’

- Dillion Oliver Motorsports Press Release