No. 88 Menards / ThorSport Racing Chevrolet Silverado

“Yep, I’m fired up. There is no other way to say it. Me and my guys were seeing red, blood red, after Martinsville,” said Crafton. “We knew we were a better team than that performance, especially this year. It takes perfection at the race track week in, week out to beat the field in this environment in the Truck Series. We know we can do it. So I told my guys this week when I flew to Sandusky – ‘we are going to finish where we left off in Martinsville.’ We are, and we will, prove that we can win races and hopefully win championships with consistent performances.”

ThorSport Racing Sets Standard in 2011

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series recently reported that “ThorSport Racing is, arguably, the team to beat in 2011.” Crafton is five points away from the leader spot where his teammate, Johnny Sauter sits. Crafton has been atop the standings for the first four races of the season.

Nashville Superspeedway’s Bully Hill Vineyards 200 marks ThorSport Racing’s 327th consecutive race, matching that of Circle Bar Racing for second all-time. Crafton has been a part of the organization since 2001, one of the longest-standing driver/team owner relationships in the Series. That determination and loyalty sits well with the driver and his confidence on the race track.

Matt Crafton

He went on to say that it’s time to really tackle this track. “It’s no secret that I really love asphalt tracks, and I’m pretty outspoken about it. Concrete is a challenge. But again, we really are not just competitive this year, but ready to win races at any track. We’re bringing the No. 35 chassis for the 88 team – used most recently at Darlington. It was strong there, and Bud and I have worked on it since. Time to race and show how we can make it happen in Nashville. I want a Gibson guitar.”

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

Jennifer Jo Cobb Photo Credit: Jerry Markland / Getty Images

Instead, the Camping World Truck Series rookie drove from her home in Missouri with a stop in Nashville, Tenn., to save on travel costs. Those are the kinds of sacrifices Cobb is making in the first year of owning her own team.

Cobb, along with some help from investors, bought the trucks from the No. 10 Circle Bar Racing team and is running the full truck schedule for the first time in her career. Prior to this season, the 36-year-old had made only four starts in the series.

“I want to be an inspiration to people of what’s possible with so little. I think that can transfer to not just racing but other things in life,” said Cobb, the only female competing full time in any of NASCAR’s top three series.

While Cobb was able to buy the trucks, the technical support and engineering didn’t come along with it. Cobb says the team has only five full-time employees but has several volunteers who help out.

Still, Cobb said there are some weeks where she has to do little things like the accounting work and filling out the entry lists.

“All the things that need to be handled from a small-team perspective has been challenging,” Cobb said.

Cobb also doesn’t have a full-time sponsor for the car. Instead, she runs her clothing line, Driver Boutique and Drivenmale.com, on the truck each week.

- South Carolina Now

ThorSport Racing

When the green flag flies, the team will move into second-place in all-time races with 328, ahead of Circle Bar Racing – which suspended operations after three races in the 2010 season – and behind only Roush Fenway Racing. Roush Fenway Racing, which is no longer participating in the NCWTS, participated in 353 races between its debut in the middle of the 1995 season through the end of the 2009.

Additionally, when Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton take the green flag it will be the 499th and 500th cumulative starts for the team that made its debut at the Milwaukee Mile in July, 1996.

“We’ve come a long way since our first start back in 1996,” said team owner Duke Thorson. “We started out with one truck in a backyard garage. Now we have two teams that are contenders to win each race and have been fighting for championships. We’re proud of our relationship with Menards, which has grown into the longest-lasting sponsorship in the series. We’ve had success finding some partners on Johnny’s truck so far this season, but we’re actively looking for a full-time sponsor for the 13 team for 2011. We are very confident that the marketing platform we offer can deliver that potential sponsor some real tangible business results and an immediate return on their investment. ThorSport Racing has grown into one of the most competitive teams in the series and we’re going to contend for wins every week and be fighting for the championship every year.”

While most teams are based in the Charlotte, N.C. area, ThorSport Racing’s longevity and sustainability can be credited to its location; it has been located in Sandusky, Ohio since day one – in the shadows of the world-renowned amusement park Cedar Point. While some may see the team’s success as an anomaly, Thorson has always seen the potential for success racing out of Ohio.

“We use our location in Ohio to our advantage,” Thorson said. “We go about our business and we don’t have to worry about what’s going on next door or across the street. The core of our team has been together for many years and a big part of that is because they like being up here and being away from all of that. We’ve been able to bring in some of the best talent in the Truck Series and we’ve finally found the right chemistry to be consistently at the front fighting for wins and racing for championships.”

ThorSport Racing’s No. 88 team is the only active team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to improve its position in the owner’s standings in each of the previous four seasons (2006-2009). In 2006 the team was 15th in owners’ points, ninth in 2007, sixth in 2008, and third in 2009. In the last five years, no driver has had a bigger or more immediate impact on a team than Johnny Sauter; the No. 13 team was 23rd in the owners’ standings in 2008 and jumped 16 positions to seventh with Sauter at the wheel in 2009.

ThorSport’s three wins are more than any other non-Cup affiliated team over that time period (tied with Randy Moss Motorsports), as are the team’s 37 top-five finishes and 54 top-ten finishes. Crafton has been the highest finishing driver with a non-Cup affiliated team in the championship in each of the past two seasons and both he and Sauter are among the top seven in the standings halfway through the 2010 season.

“We’ve shown we can run with and beat teams that are affiliated with Sprint Cup teams,” Thorson said. “We are very proud of what we’ve accomplished and we’re really happy with the direction the team as a whole is going.”

Debuting in 1996, ThorSport has competed in every series event since the 1998 season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway. Terry Cook claimed the team’s first win at Flemington Speedway in August 1998, while Matt Crafton won the team’s second race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2008. Johnny Sauter has picked up a pair of wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September 2009 and Kansas Speedway in May 2010. Crafton currently has the longest active streak of consecutive starts, 234, dating back to the season finale at California Speedway in 2000.

Crafton gave the organization its best-ever championship result when he finished second in 2009, while Sauter is poised to make a title bid as the 2010 schedule hits the halfway point; he currently sits in third just five points behind second-place Aric Almirola and 182 points behind current leader Todd Bodine. ThorSport Racing has also collected two Raybestos Rookie of the Year awards with Willie Allen in 2007 and Sauter in 2009.

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

Matt Crafton – Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images for NASCAR

It seems you and the team have turned a corner with your results the past two weeks, what’s been the difference? “The only difference has been luck. We have run great all season long. We’ve qualified great week in and week out and for the most part we’ve run really good. But we haven’t had the luck to go along with it. It’s not like someone flipped a switch and all of a sudden the 88 truck is starting to run good.

We’ve been good all season long. But we just couldn’t get the luck to go our way. I keep telling people I didn’t need any good luck, I just didn’t want any bad luck. That’s how it’s been at Iowa and Gateway and our results finally show it. I keep telling people the championship isn’t over and it’s not. We lost a lot of points with a few bad races, and those other guys could too. We’re staying focused and we’re going to go out and try to win every week, and if we can’t win we’re going to go after a top-five. If we do that, we should get ourselves back in the points battle.”

You’ve had very good finishes at ORP in the past; what is it going to take to move up from a top-three finish to a win? “You need everything to go your way the whole night. You need a great truck, you need great pit stops, you need the cautions to fall your way and you need those silly things that always seem to pop up to not pop up.

Like last year, we had a great truck and we could have been in the lead group at the end, but there was a caution late in the race. I was on the radio asking the crew chief if he wanted me to pit and he was telling me at the same time to come down pit road. Neither of us heard each other and I drove on past the entrance to pit road. We just need those things to not happen and we’ll have a shot to win.”

How do you work on your setup at ORP? ““I’ve always liked racing at ORP, it’s a flat short track and that’s what I grew up racing on. The big difference is you run right up next to the wall here. We always work on getting the truck to run well in that top groove first. Once you’re good up there, you work on getting it to cut low off the corners. That’s where you make most of your passes, so it has to be able to turn left coming off and get traction off the corner.”

ThorSport Longevity: With the AAA Insurance 200 at ORP, ThorSport Racing will have competed in 327 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, tying team owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson for second all-time with Tom Mitchell and Circle Bar Racing. ThorSport should move into second-place all time, behind only Roush Fenway Racing’s 353 races, in the next series race at Pocono. ThorSport Racing is the active team leader in series starts and driver Matt Crafton is the current leader in consecutive series starts at 233.

- ThorSport Racing Press Release

Rick Crawford

But talk is what the Mobilian is up to these days, on Sirius Satellite Radio on Tuesdays and with potential sponsors as he attempts to get back on the racetrack.

“I’m answering a lot of phone calls,” Crawford said. “We have a lot of irons in the fire. They just aren’t hot enough to get us back on the racetrack. But we hope to be back on the track soon.”

Crawford, 51, hasn’t driven in the past four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races after sitting out just one of the previous 328.

Circle Bar Racing’s No. 14 Ford started 2010 without a primary sponsor. Crawford raced in the season opener at Daytona with a one-shot sponsor, then soldiered on without a primary sponsor for three races. Despite two top-10 finishes in those events, the Circle Bar operation was shuttered by the lack of funding. Crawford filled in at Kansas for a part-time team and has been sidelined since.

- al.com

Jennifer Jo Cobb - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

That task done, she walked through the door to the lounge area of the trailer and started cleaning up T-shirts scattered among the mess covering the tables and seats.

“I wish somebody would take charge and take care of some of this stuff,” she said, harried but still able to laugh about it.

Chaotic? Sure. But this is the life Cobb has chosen.

As the only woman owner/driver in NASCAR, Cobb finds herself having to deal not just with the driving, which she’s always been good at, but landing sponsorships, securing equipment, keeping track of the crew and, apparently, cleaning the hauler.

It’s been like this since Cobb bought the team from Circle Bar Racing to run a full trucks schedule this season.

The chaos reached a pinnacle this weekend at Kansas.

Cobb’s return to her hometown is always big news and she gets inundated with requests from fans and media, packing her days so full that she had to ask her crew chief on Saturday if there was time to go the bathroom before heading out for the second practice session.

- USAToday.com

Rick Crawford – Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

But it will be the first time in 14 years that he won’t be behind the wheel of a Circle Bar Racing Ford.

Circle Bar fielded Crawford’s familiar No. 14 without sponsorship for the first four races of this season but couldn’t continue on to Kansas Speedway this week. Much of the team has been laid off.

“The 14 truck will not race again without financial backing,” Crawford said. “I’m surprised the No. 14 truck made it those four races.”

Crawford’s 326 career starts is a record in the Truck Series. The only race the driver from Mobile has missed since 1997 was a 2005 race at Kentucky he skipped after a hard crash in practice.

But now Crawford, 51, is leaving the No. 14 — at least temporarily — to drive the No. 76 Ford for Ray Hackett Racing this Sunday at Kansas.

- The Birmingham News

Jennifer Jo Cobb

You can’t help but notice her with her good looks, that mane of red hair, and those piercing eyes.

Jennifer Jo Cobb has a game plan, with her commitment to race her own team full-time in the Camping World Truck Series, and it’s one she’ll win in the end.

Cobb’s a 36-year-old racer who grew up around the sport and has been racing intermittently since she was 18.

She’s worked hard funding her racing, trying to make her way in NASCAR, racing in the Nationwide and Truck Series and running ARCA races.

Cobb’s mostly run the Kansas races on her home track in all three series, but that all changed over the offseason heading into 2010.

She purchased the total assets of Circle Bar Racing’s No. 10 team, with the help of investors, forming a alliance with Mike Harmon.

- Bleacher Report

R3 Motorsports Logo

Robert Richardson, Sr., sole owner of R3 Motorsports, has named Steve Plattenberger as the team’s Shop Foreman to oversee the team’s day-to-day operations. John Quinn will crew chief the No. 23 Chevrolet driven by Robert Richardson, Jr. Both were with the team at the conclusion of the 2009 season.

Richardson, Sr. has two more veterans of motorsports lending their support in the corporate offices. LouAnn Santerre has been named the team’s Office Manager and Tim Packman was recently brought on as the Director of Communications and Marketing for R3 Motorsports.

“After trying to do this several different ways in the past, I feel we have a strong group of people to lead us into the 2010 season,” Richardson, Sr. said. “Plattenberger and Quinn have been working to get us ready for Daytona, and the rest of the season. The cars for Daytona are done and the California and Las Vegas are ready to get decaled.

“Right now, we have Robert Jr. in for 18 of the 35 Nationwide Series races. Mahindra Tractors is coming back for Daytona and some other races. We’ve been talking to other drivers about filling out the rest of the season with some deals they have going on, too. We do have the capabilities of going to two teams, as long as the situation is right.

“Plattenberger has the shop running full tilt right now and we have the cars we need to be competitive. Like most teams, we just need to secure the right partnerships to be even more successful. Once we get on the track this year, I’m very confident we will prove our worth in no time.”

Plattenberger, 51, is a native of Waxhaw, N.C. with 25 years of involvement in racing. He’s worked at Jasper and Hendrick Motorsports and helped Jeff Fuller to NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year honors in 1995. Plattenberger has also been a crew chief for Robert Pressley and then Stacy Compton at ST Motorsports in Nationwide Series racing. He also crew chiefed John Andretti at ppc Racing during his 2007 Nationwide Series campaign.

Quinn, 42, is a native of W. Springfield, Mass. who comes from successful endeavors on pit boxes for Roush Racing. In 2005, Quinn led Ricky Craven to a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 99 car. The next year, he led Erik Darnell to Rookie of the Year Honors and a victory in 2007 during his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series endeavors. He was most recently with Circle Bar Racing.

Santerre is the sister of four-time Camping World East Series champion Andy Santerre and been involved in the racing field her entire life. The native of Cherryfield, Maine has worked in Public Relations, accounting and travel for several teams since 1996 on the NASCAR level. She’s also a licensed realtor.

Packman, 45, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., has been involved in NASCAR working for NASCAR.com, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., MRN Radio and most recently with Richard Childress Racing. He brings more than a decade of public relations, media and marketing experience to the team; along with a lifetime of involvement in motorsports as a writer, announcer and author.

Richardson, Jr., 27, has made 46 Nationwide Series starts since 2007 driving on a part-time basis each year. His best finishes have come at tracks like Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway where he has six top-20 finishes, combined.

“This team is the best it’s ever been going into a season,” said Richardson, Jr., who made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Talladega last year finishing a respectable 18th. “In addition to John Quinn, we also have Jeff Kirkendall helping our engineering efforts. The same guys that ended 2009 with us have come back for the 2010 season and that makes you feel pretty good as a driver.

“I’m looking forward to Daytona and some other things we have on the table this year. It means a lot to have everyone working together towards a common goal of being successful.”

For more information and marketing opportunities with R3 Motorsports, please check out www.R3Motorsports.org

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

Rick Crawford

Crawford, who is from Mobile, plans to be back in the No. 14 Ford with Circle Bar Racing when the season starts back up in February at Daytona. But that’s about the only thing that won’t be different.

Crawford’s sponsor, Power Stroke Diesel by International, won’t be the truck’s primary sponsor. But unlike a lot of teams that are struggling to round up new sponsors, Crawford says he has a new sponsor lined up.

“We’re on the verge of everything going good,” Crawford said Friday. “I feel pretty good about it and we’re looking forward to Daytona.”

- Alabama Live

“Running a two-truck team gave all of us at Circle Bar Racing more than we could handle at times this season, and drew attention away from the #14 truck. So we’ve made the decision to sell off the #10 team; trucks, tools, pit carts and equipment. We’re selling it all, and at fire sale prices. It’s a qualified truck for the 2010 season opener at Daytona,” said Crawford, “and it’s a good truck for someone to get involved in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

- Jayski.com

No. 10 International MAXXFORCE Diesel Ford F-150

Throughout the 25-race schedule, Buescher and his Jamie Jones-led team captured one top-five, three top-10, and 13 top-15 finishes. In addition, the 19-year-old finished third in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings, while claiming Rookie of the Race honors four times.

James Buescher

Buescher started the Ford 200 from the 21st position and quickly moved himself into the top-20, where the youngster ran for the majority of the event at the 1.5-mile South Florida speedway. Unfortunately, Buescher’s No. 10 F-150 was “sliding around” all four turns of the track, which hindered the rookie’s ability to gain positions. Despite making adjustments, Buescher fell one lap down to the leaders in the final stages and ended the season with an 18th-place finish.

“Our MaxxForce International Ford wasn’t handling how we wanted it to this weekend,” said Buescher at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “The truck just seemed to be sliding around the racetrack which didn’t help me when I was trying to pass others for position. The guys on this team worked hard this weekend and all year so I need to thank them. I wish we could have had some different results, but it is what it is. I’m definitely looking forward to 2010 and hopefully I will be up front competing for the wins.”

The 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season kicks off February 12th with the running of the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. Live television coverage can be seen on SPEED, while MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Channel will have the radio broadcast. Buescher will make his NCWTS debut with Turner Motorsports, in the No. 31 Chevrolet Silverado.
H
For more information about James Buescher, please visit www.jamesbuescher.com.

- James Buescher Racing Press Release

FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES

Ford 200 Results,

November 20, 2009

Homestead-Miami Speedway

No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford F-150

COLIN BRAUN – No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford F-150 – (finished 3rd, qualified 1st)

– PIT ROAD COMMENTS

“I’m disappointed because I thought we had a little better truck than that. These guys did a really good job on pit road. My crew chief Mike Beam made a great call taking two tires there at the end. The big thing for us was to get back up in the top five in points and I’m pretty sure we did that tonight. It was a good night.”

Colin Braun

– YOU CERTAINLY HAVE TO BE PROUD OF THE SEASON THAT YOU GUYS TURNED IN. GETTING IN THAT TOP FIVE WAS VERY SPECIAL TO YOU.

“Yeah, that was definitely the goal for us tonight, qualify on the pole. Leading the lap came into a big play there. I don’t think if we would have led a lap we probably would have finished fifth in points. So, certainly that was important for us. We just struggled in the race. I thought we had a really good truck. Ran in practice last night and was surprised it wasn’t a little better in the race. But my guys did a really good job trying to get it fixed up during the race. My crew chief Mike Beam made a great pit call there at the race to get us back up some track position and we were able to hold on at the end.”

HOW LONG WOULD THIS OFF-SEASON HAVE SEEMED TO YOU IF YOU HADN’T GOTTEN THAT JUMP LATE AND GOTTEN UP TO FIFTH? HOW LONG WOULD IT HAVE TAKEN TO GET OVER SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

“I think with how good of a truck we had last night, it would have been pretty disappointing. I think on one side of me I’m really happy to have gotten in the top five in points and the other side is frustrated we didn’t run better than we did. I feel like since we did get in the top five in points we can kind of put this race behind us, and work on building the Nationwide car and get ready to go Nationwide racing next year. I’m sure it will be pretty different.”

No. 14 International Truck and Engines Ford F-150

“I’m proud of my Circle Bar Ford F-150 race team with International Truck and Engine on board for the past three years. It’s been quite a ride. We haven’t had the stellar year that we wanted this year, but we were top 10 in the points for the sixth consecutive year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. That means a lot of consistency and we’re there each and every race. I wish all of the fans out there would drive one of the best Ford pick-ups of any car company out there. I’ll keep turning to the left and Ford F-150 keeps taking me to the finish line. We’re top-10 in points, I’m very proud of my team. Hopefully we’re back next year.”

Rick Crawford

“I was struggling all day, I really did. I don’t understand. Our truck wasn’t what we brought here yesterday and even in qualifying, we were 12th fastest and really optimistic about how the race was going. The green flag dropped and she acted like she had four flat tires. We even pitted there at the end and put four sticker tires on it thinking it would be different to make up some positions there at the end and it just wouldn’t do it. The truck got contrary on me. The truck just wants to go back to Texas and work out on the farm, so that’s what we might do with it. It’s a great truck; it was the 2009 MotorTrend Truck of the Year and the number one selling pick-up in the state of Texas.”

- PCGCampbell Press Release

No. 10 International MAXXFORCE Diesel Ford F-150

VENUE: HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE OVAL)

CIRCUIT: NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES (RACE 25 OF 25)

DATE: NOVEMBER 20, 2009 (134 LAPS, 201 MILES)

BUESCHER AT HOMESTEAD: Buescher has made one career start at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as he competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ season-finale event last year (2008). Piloting the No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports entry, Buescher started from the 10th position and finished in 18th-place, while completing 100% of the laps competed in his Truck Series debut.

CHASSIS INFORMATION: This week, crew chief Jamie Jones and the No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford team will unload Circle Bar Racing chassis CB-16. This will be the fourth race for this particular Ford F-150, as Buescher drove it to a 20th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway, a 13th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and most recently a 17th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

LAST CHANCE: As the white flag waves on the 2009 season, Buescher currently sits third in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year point standings and has one more opportunity to gain ground on his fellow competitors. The youngster is only 15 points behind second-place Tayler Malsam, while first-place Johnny Sauter has all but wrapped up the title with a 58 point lead. Buescher has claimed Rookie of the Race honors four times this season (Martinsville 1, Milwaukee, ORP, Martinsville 2).

COMING TO THE WHITE FLAG: Through the first 24 races of the 2009 NCWTS season, Buescher and his No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford team have recorded one top-five finish and three top-10 finishes, along with 13 top-15 efforts. The Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate has completed 92.8% of all laps competed (3594 of 3873). Buescher currently sits in the 14th position in the NCWTS Championship point standings, 115 markers behind 13th-place Terry Cook.

DID YOU KNOW?: One year ago as the 2008 Truck Series season was coming to a close, Buescher made his series debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Texas native has since competed in every race across the country and will complete his first full-time season in NASCAR this weekend.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: As another season closes when the checkered flag waves on Friday night, Buescher will look ahead to his future plans in NASCAR. Previously announced earlier this month, Buescher will pilot the No. 1 Miccosukee Resort & Gaming Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing full-time in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, in addition to competing part-time in the Truck Series for Turner Motorsports.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: As the Truck Series headed to the Valley of the Sun last week, Buescher returned to a track which the rookie had previously competed at twice in his career – Phoenix International Raceway, the site of his first NASCAR start in 2008. Buescher started the Lucas Oil 150 from the 21st position and steadily moved into the top-15, where the No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford F-150 consistently ran for the majority of the race. Unfortunately, with three laps remaining in the event, Buescher and a fellow competitor made contact, which sent the youngster into the wall and relegated the Circle Bar Racing team to a 23rd-place finish.

STAY UP TO SPEED: The Ford 200 from Homestead-Miami Speedway will take the green flag Friday, November 20th at 8:00 P.M. Eastern. Race coverage will be televised live on SPEED, beginning at 7:30 P.M. Eastern, and heard live on select affiliates of MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio Channel 128, beginning at 7:30 P.M. Eastern. In addition, NCWTS Practice can be seen on SPEED, Thursday evening at 6:30 P.M. Eastern, as well as qualifying, Friday at 5:00 P.M. Eastern.

James Buescher

BUESCHER (On racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway): “Homestead is a cool place to race at. I made my first Truck Series start there last year and I was able to learn a lot about how to get around the track. Going back for a second time is always something that helps during practice because we can focus on getting our truck handling the best it possibly can. Hopefully my MaxxForce International Ford guys and I can finish out 2009 with a strong run, contending for the win, just like we started the season in Daytona.”

- James Buescher Racing Press Release

No. 10 International MAXXFORCE Diesel Ford F-150

After qualifying in 21st-place, Buescher patiently worked his way through the field at the beginning of the race. By lap 30, the Texas native had broken into the top-15, as five short laps later, a caution slowed the pace for the second time. Buescher radioed to crew chief Jamie Jones that his Ford F-150 was a little tight in turns three and four. Jones called the teenager to pit road for four tires and an air pressure adjustment, followed by a fuel and track bar adjustment the next lap. Restarting from the 14th position on lap 35, Buescher moved as high as 12th-place during a long green-flag run, before slipping back to 15th-place as the yellow flag waved once again on lap 91.

As the 19-year-old was facing a tight handling condition late in the green-flag run, Buescher returned to the attention of his MaxxForce International pit crew for four fresh tires and an air pressure adjustment, in addition to a fuel stop the following lap. The No. 10 Ford restarted in the 13th position, which is where Buescher continued to run until lap 136 as a caution slowed the field for the fifth time. When the race went back to green-flag conditions on lap 140, Buescher fell back two spots to 15th-place, as the adjustments made the Ford very loose all around the one-mile oval. With three laps remaining in the scheduled 150-lap race, Buescher and a fellow competitor raced side-by-side coming off turn four. Unfortunately, the two trucks made contact, sending Buescher into the wall and leaving the MaxxForce International Ford team with a 23rd-place finish.

James Buescher

With one race remaining in the 2009 season, Buescher currently sits in the 14th position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship point standings. He is currently 115 points behind 13th-place Terry Cook and 133 behind 12th-place Tayler Malsam.

James Buescher and the No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford team will return to action this Friday, November 20th, as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the final race of the 2009 season and the running of the Ford 200. Buescher, who made his NCWTS debut one year ago at the 1.5-mile track in South Florida, will take the green-flag shortly after 8 P.M. Eastern. SPEED will have live television coverage of the 134-lap event, beginning at 7:30 P.M. Eastern. Select affiliates of the MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio will have the live radio broadcast.

- James Buescher Racing Press Release