Tuesday
Dusty Davis, No.15 Vision Airlines / Emerald Coast Resorts Toyota Tundra Darlington Preview
Press Release
Race: Too Tough To Tame 200
Date: March 12, 2011
Location: Darlington Raceway
Vision Aviation Racing (VAR) NASCAR Camping World Truck (NCWTS) Series Notes
Two Trucks are Better Then One: VAR was originally slated to enter only the No. 51 truck of Justin Johnson for this week’s race in Darlington. Early last week the team decided, based on the performance in Phoenix two weeks ago, to also enter the No. 15 Toyota Tundra with rookie Dusty Davis at the wheel.
Crew Member Spotlight: This week’s crew member spotlight is on VAR Fabricator/Mechanic, Craig Kemp. Kemp, who is affectionately known as ‘Shrek’ around the shop, is originally from Randallstown, Maryland and had his first job in racing by age 16. Kemp has worked for such well known organizations as Bill Davis Racing and Billy Ballew Motorsports, among others. The former dirt car racer was able to achieve one of his highest career goals this year when VAR and the No.15 Tundra went to Daytona victory lane with driver Michael Waltrip. Kemp is a dedicated family man, married to wife Amy and has five children, Ashleigh, Michael, Taylor, Graci and Katie.
Simulated Darlington Stripes: Because NASCAR’s testing policy limits the amount of seat time for rookies, both VAR drivers have been logging as many laps as possible on the egg-shaped oval with the team simulator. Competition Director, Rip Michels commented, “Justin and Dusty have run about 1000 laps at Darlington on the simulator and I think they permanently flat sided the video game truck. They are getting really good and now they get the real Lady in Black this weekend.”
Air Time: Catch all the action Live on SPEED starting at 4:30PM/ET on March 12th, 2011. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio starting at 5:00PM/ET.
No.15 Vision Airlines / Emerald Coast Resorts Toyota Tundra
Race Notes and Quotes
Last Race: Davis qualified his Toyota Tundra 19th in the 36 truck field two weeks ago in Phoenix and was running in the top-15 when a late race accident kept him from finishing on the lead lap, forcing him to finish 26th.
This Week’s Chassis: Davis will be in chassis number 024 this week in Darlington. Originally part of Billy Ballew Motorsports, this chassis has been driven by Steven Wallace, Johnny Benson, Aric Almirola and Denny Hamlin. Brian Ickler also drove this chassis to a pole position and 3rd place finish at Michigan in 2009.
Change of plans: Davis was originally scheduled to run only seven races this season with the next race slated for Nashville on the 22nd of April. A change of plans has Davis in the No.15 seat this weekend in Darlington. The decision was based on the early success Davis showed in Phoenix before the late race accident took away his chance at a top-15 finish.
Davis Quotes:
Originally not scheduled to race again until Nashville, tell me what went through your mind when you heard you would be racing Darlington?
First off, I was really excited to get my Vision Airlines Tundra out in Darlington. My second thought was ‘oh boy’ Darlington is an intimidating track to run as a rookie. It’s going to be difficult to say the least. I have been focusing on the simulator. I have over 300 laps on the simulator this week just trying to get prepared.
Why is Darlington so intimidating for a rookie?
Well, the Lady in Black is a legend. It’s a really difficult track. It’s a mile and a half so you’re going about 180 miles an hour on average and it’s a tight little track. It’s a mile and a half track but it drives like a half mile. You drive right up against the wall and the racing groove is only one to two trucks wide. There is not a lot of room for error. The way you drive it, you are right up against the wall at your fastest points and so you only have about half a foot of error room. If you mess up, you’re going to mess up big.
What are your goals for the weekend?
I would like to say a top-10 but I think realistically a top-15 would be good because that place is so tough and I have never run there before. When we went to Phoenix I really wanted a top-10, and we were on our way there before the wreck late in the race. I had experience there so I was really looking for a top-10, but I would be happy with a top-15 at Darlington.
Vision Aviation Racing
Vision Aviation Racing is a NASCAR race team located near the metro Charlotte, North Carolina area. Still in its early days, the team has already proven to be a winning platform. In 2011, VAR went to victory lane at Daytona in their first ever Camping World Truck Series start with driver Michael Waltrip behind the wheel. Full time VAR driver, Justin Johnson, won the championship in the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series while teammate Dusty Davis finished a strong second. Overall the Vision Aviation Racing squad earned a win percentage of 74% over the 19-race season. 2011 is the team’s first season in the Camping World Truck Series, led by General Manager, Tom Davis.
Vision Airlines
Vision Airlines started in 1994 offering aerial tours of the Grand Canyon. Over the past 16 years, Vision Airlines’ fleet expanded to include Boeing 767′s, Boeing 737′s, Dornier 328 and Dornier 228 turbo prop aircraft. Vision Airlines has become one of the premier charter airlines in the United States. The company’s clients include US Presidential candidates, heads of state, countless celebrities, Fortune 1000 companies and some of the world’s most-recognized resorts. The company’s headquarters is located in Suwanee, GA. It also maintains offices in Las Vegas, NV; Louisville, KY and Miami, FL.
Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.
Emerald Coast Resorts - Unpretentious, breathtakingly beautiful and named the “No. 1 Beach Town in the South” for 14 consecutive years by the readers of Southern Living, Florida’s Emerald Coast is famous for 24 miles of sugar-white sands and emerald-green waters. Year-round, vacationers indulge in simple pleasures – from the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village” and spirited seaside celebrations to challenging holes of golf and 14,000 affordable, Gulf-edge accommodations.
- Vision Aviation Racing Press Release
Article Tags: Aric Almirola, Bill Davis Racing, Billy Ballew Motorsports, Brian Ickler, Craig Kemp, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Denny Hamlin, Dusty Davis, Johnny Benson, Justin Johnson, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NCWTS, No.15 Vision Airlines / Emerald Coast Resorts Toyota Tundra, Steven Wallace., Too Tough to Tame 200, Vision Airlines, Wounded Warrior Project®, WWP
