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NASCAR Trucks: Joe Ruttman/Dana Racing Notes, Louisville

7 October 1999

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

* Good Record: Joe Ruttman has a strong record at Louisville Speedway but unfortunately he has never been able to win at the Northern Kentucky track. He has two second place finishes and a fifth place finish in the first three years the series ran the track.

Last year, Ruttman was running in the top five and would have probably had another strong finish had he not been involved in an accident early in the event.

"This team has a good short track program so I think we have a good shot at finishing up front," said Ruttman. "The big thing is staying out of trouble, which has been hard for us lately. Heck a crash was what cost me a good finish last year at Louisville."

* Racing in Nashville: Most of the drivers on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series took last weekend off but not Joe Ruttman. He spent the night of Friday October 1st at the Nashville Speedway finishing second in the Late Model event that was held before the All-American 400. Ruttman drove for long time friend Earl Owens.

"Earl has been a friend of mine for years and I owe him a lot," said Ruttman. "So when he asks me to drive his car I'm more than happy to help him out. And it's a lot of fun. I can just get out there and have a good time."

* 100 Races: When Joe Ruttman takes the green flag in the #18 Dana Corporation Dodge truck at Louisville Speedway it will mark the one hundredth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event that a Dana sponsored truck has competed in. The streak started at the opening race of the 1996 season and has run uninterrupted over the last four years.

During that period there have been some impressive drivers behind the wheel of the Dana truck. Just a few have been Bobby Hamilton, Steve Park, Ted Christopher, Butch Miller, Tony Ranies, and current driver Joe Ruttman.

* Goober: Joe Ruttman and the Dana team are racing one of their favorite trucks at Louisville Speedway. They will roll out "Goober" for the last short track bullring of the 1999 season. It is the truck Ruttman drove from two laps down at Nashville to finish fourth. So to say they are pumped about what they think it will do at Louisville is an understatement.

Ruttman's Quotes for Louisville Motor Speedway

"It's just good old short track racing. It's a ball to get out there and beat and bang. It takes you back to your roots in racing that's why I like to run here."

"Hopefully we can shake this bad luck we've been having over the last few races. It's just one of those things that you go through but its been pretty tough on the guys."

"The thing about short track racing, and it's something my father use to say. Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you."

Editors Note: For hundreds of hot racing photos and racing art, be sure to visit The Racing ImageGalleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.