Craftsman Truck Series: Jimmy Spencer Dodge Ram feature

Jan. 17, 2005
Daytona International Speedway
Material from 2005 Testing.
Craftsman Truck Series.

 

JIMMY SPENCER (No. 1 Mopar Dodge Ram)

NOTE: The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series test session encountered several
weather-related problems on Saturday and Sunday. The test was totally
washed out on Saturday,  and the trucks didn't get on the track until
mid-afternoon on Sunday. They tested under the lights Sunday night and
got on the track under cold, windy, sunny conditions Monday morning. The
second NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Test Session gets under way Tuesday.

 

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A MEMBER OF THE SENIOR CIRCUIT NOW? "I don't
think the guys realize over there in that Nextel Cup garage the
opportunities these guys have. Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman
- it's just phenomenal to think those guys have stepped into those
rides, but this sport has progressed that way over the last 15 years.
When I look at the series now, I want to drive Nextel Cup every day.
That's the No.1 series in the country, but the bottom line is if you're
not with a good race team there's no reason doing it. A lot of those
guys think they're with a good race team. It's obvious Hendrick, Yates,
Roush and some others. Will I get that opportunity again? No, but I
think I can contend for wins in the trucks and the championship. I love
working with Dodge. I'm glad to be back on board again. You can't ask
for a better situation, the Ram Tough Dodge and me fitting in that No.
1. That's awesome man. I will drive a limited deal in Nextel Cup in a
Dodge and try to build for the future. I'm probably not a contender for
the Nextel Cup, but I'm a contender for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series title. I'm driving for Jimmy Smith and Ultra Motorsports. The No.
1 and No.2 (with Ted Musgrave) will be teammates. Ted and myself will
share all the information we can. I think the world of all those guys
over there. Buddy Barnes (Red Dog) will be my crew chief, and I was
ready to drive anything competitive, so when the offer came up I was
ready. I was in a situation last year and the car I drove was terrible.
The bottom line is if you have a chance to step into a truck owned by
Jimmy Smith, you're dumb not to do it, so I'd much rather run in a
series where I can win and contend for a championship than just run
around in the back of the field on the Nextel Cup Circuit."

 

YOU USED TO DRIVE FOR ULTRA IN THE CUP SERIES AND YOU'VE ALREADY WON A
RACE IN AN ULTRA MOTORSPORTS TRUCK. "Actually I had a chance to win in
all three truck races I drove for Ultra Motorsports in 2003. I won in it
the second time out. This team, when you see the shop and see the people
working on the trucks and the organization... We contended for wins when
I drove Cup for Jimmy Smith in the Sirius Dodge. I truly believe I can
contend for championships in any series and I can contend for wins."

 

WAS IT ENCOURAGING TO SEE WHAT BOBBY HAMILTON DID IN HIS DODGE RAM LAST
SEASON? "Bobby did an awesome job. They call it the senior citizens
store. Well, there's a lot of young guys failing over there and I like
it. You're going to see more and more of them fail. There's more and
more pressure being put on the above 40 crowd. I know Cale Yarborough
and David Pearson and Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt won a bunch of
races over 40. It ain't changed. It's just the people that work on the
cars. That's the key ingredient. Why did Junior (Dale Earnhardt Jr.)
change his group? Why did Hendrick change his bunch of people around?
The bottom line is it's not just the driver. It's also the people who
are turning those wrenches."

 

WHY DID THE 1 AND 2 TEAMS SWITCH? "It doesn't matter. All winter long
there's not been a number on the trucks. They all weigh five pounds
within each other. It's incredible what the guys have done at the shop.
I think the change they made was to the loyalty that Team ASE had.
They've always tried to find the right guy for that truck, and it's
never materialized. Ted loves the trucks and that was the switch. Team
ASE has been very loyal to Jimmy Smith, and I think they wanted it to
have a shot to win the championship. Ted will be a contender for the
title. Jimmy Smith will have two trucks contending for the championship
in 2005. It's going to be the year of the Rams."

 

IT SEEMS LIKE MORE AND MORE CUP DRIVERS ARE HANGING IT UP AND COMING TO
THE TRUCK SERIES. IS IT REALLY THE SENIOR TOUR? "NASCAR is looking at
the truck series as being the tournament for above 40. Then the Cup is
25-30. Everything in the past has worked for 'em, so maybe this will
work for 'em. I'm a finesse driver, so I don't know what people are
talking about when they say the racing is rougher in the truck series,
(laughing loudly) but this series is definitely a masculine series.
These guys don't go out there with the intention of roughing people up.
They do get close to one another at times, and it's some awesome racing.
Fans will tell you that the truck series dollar for dollar is probably
the best racing on the circuit and I happen to agree, but I don't think
there's rough driving. Guys don't go out there and intentionally spin
people out. You don't see that, but you do see close racing. It's
exciting to watch and it is a series where they've allowed a lot more
leniency in decision making on aggressive driving. Aggressive like Dale
Earnhardt used to be is the proper aggressiveness, not like Robby Gordon
did at New Hampshire and Robby learned. The Tony Stewart aggressiveness
at Chicago was not the right aggressiveness. To me, I think there's a
line that NASCAR watches and if you go over that line no matter if it's
in Cup, Truck or the Busch Series, they're going to pull the carpet out
from under you."

 

WITH THE EXPERIENCE BETWEEN YOURSELF AND TED MUSGRAVE, WILL ULTRA
MOTORSPORTS BE AHEAD OF THE GAME WHEN THE SEASON STARTS? "I don't think
so. You've got the Childress organization involved and the Roush
organization. Bobby Hamilton is doing good. In my opinion I think Ultra
Motorsports is the No. 1 truck team. I think Hendrick is No. 1 in Cup.
Jimmy Smith's organization proves it's the best in the truck series.
He's got the most wins, he's only one win behind Roush really, but that
won't last long. We'll take care of that for him. He's got the most
poles by far."

 

HOW MANY WINS WILL IT TAKE TO SATISFY YOU THIS SEASON? "I want to try to
win every one, and if I can't, I want to know what happened that weekend
and we'll look forward to the next. I think this team between the 1 and
2 truck has an opportunity to win every race. Can it happen? No, but you
build on that. You've got to go with that attitude. If you don't feel
you can win, they why even unload. That's the biggest difference between
driving for this team and driving for somebody else."

 

IS THERE LESS PRESSURE IN THE TRUCK SERIES? "I think there's still a lot
of pressure anywhere you go. Those guys in Cup complain a lot, but
there's just as much pressure in the truck series or Busch series. If I
don't put pressure on myself to perform, then I need to quit. That's why
I was so upset last year. The incompetence of the team was there. It's
just one of them deals. You can't afford to have the driver mess up, but
then you can't afford to make a pit stop and lose a lap and a half. You
can't afford to run out of gas. So many scenarios are built into a team,
and until you grasp that nucleus and start from the guy that's cleaning
the shop to the girl that's answering the phone to the girl that's
scoring the truck, if they don't have the proper attitude, that team
won't be a success. That's the way I look at it. You can always have fun
when you're running good. That's the bottom line. When I ain't running
good, don't be around me. I hate it. Just get away."