NASCAR Trucks: Willy T. Ribbs No. 8 Dodge Race Notes

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Hoping for Better Luck: Willy T. Ribbs and his No. 8 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge will be looking to put Daytona's bad luck behind them and hopefully, record their first top ten finish of the year at the Homestead Miami Speedway. But this maybe a tall order because Ribbs has never raced at the south Florida speedway, nor has he even seen it.

With just two hours of practice on Saturday morning to get up to speed, the team will definitely have to have the truck as good or better than two weeks ago at Daytona, where Ribbs started third in his first race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The good thing is that Ribbs will be able to get some help from his teammate, Joe Ruttman, who has two poles at the speedway. One other thing that should help Ribbs is the testing the team is planning to do to prepare for the event at Homestead. Ribbs and his truck owner, Bobby Hamilton, spent Tuesday, February 27, and Wednesday, February 28, in Lakeland, Florida, at USA International Speedway testing the No. 8 Dodge. This is just one of many tests that Ribbs and the No. 8 team have planned to help get up to speed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Rocket: The truck that Ribbs will be running in the Florida Dodge Dealers 400K is a former Petty Enterprises truck, "Rocket" that Steve Grissom campaigned during the 2000 season. Bobby Hamilton Racing purchased the truck late last season and rebuilt it from the ground up to better fit Ribbs,s driving style.

Going Back Home: Ken Evans, Truck Chief for the No. 8 Team, came to Bobby Hamilton Racing from Clearwater, Florida where he worked on Late Models and Parts Pro Truck Series vehicles. Evans will be going to south Florida for more reasons than just racing this week. His ties to the south Florida area run very deep as this weekend will be one of the few times he will be able to see his fiancée, Elizabeth, who still lives in Florida.

Text Provided By Bobby Hamilton Racing

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