NASCAR Trucks: Bobby Hamilton Racing Goes From Good to Great
15 July 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Nazareth, Pennsylvania-Effective immediately, Fred Wanke
will take over as leader of the No. 18 Bobby Hamilton Dana Racing Dodge,
driven by Joe Ruttman, in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Danny Gill,
who
has served as crew chief for the Dana Racing team since January of 2000,
has
left the Lebanon, Tennessee based operation to join Bobby Hamilton at the
Morgan McClure No. 4 Kodak Chevrolet in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
"This is a positive move for everyone involved," said Hamilton. "Here's the situation. Danny is a good, young crew chief and has shown he can get the job done. Consequently, a lot of teams were talking to him and obviously I didn't want to lose him. So getting him over to my No. 4 Kodak team keeps him in my circle. Now, hopefully he can help me get back up front on the Cup side and if we need help, he is still in the loop as far as my truck team is concerned. But I doubt we'll need any help with Fred agreeing to come on board."
Hamilton went on to say, "I didn't know how good Fred was until last week when he helped us in Loudon and I drove the truck he prepared. It became a natural fit. Joe and the guys like him, and he has the knowledge we need to get back into the top 10 in points. Heck, his record with Petty Enterprises the last few years, along with what he did with Rich Bickle three years ago (second in Truck Series points) was all I needed to know. I think everyone involved will be amazed at just how seamless the change will be."
Wanke is no stranger to the Dana Racing team, as he served as a consultant back in June at Monroe, Washington and last week, at New Hampshire as crew chief on the No.4 Dana truck that Hamilton drove. In both races, the team was in contention to win. At Evergreen Speedway, Ruttman won the pole and finished third and in Loudon, New Hampshire, Hamilton had the dominant truck before falling out near the end of the event.
"It's a shame to lose Danny," said Ruttman. "He is an up and coming talented crew chief that has a bright future in Winston Cup someday. He has been very good to us, but the opportunity to help Bobby and still be in the fold so to speak is great for him and everyone involved. I'm happy for him, but I'm also excited about what Fred can bring to this team. He was awesome to work with in Monroe, and I'm sure the guys on the team liked him. So it should be business as usual this week at Nazareth."
Along with the success that Wanke has had in the NASCAR Truck Series, he also has over 30 years of racing knowledge he gained working for teams in other NASCAR Series, such as, Hendrick Motorsports, RahMoc Racing, Billy Hagan Racing, and Junior Johnson & Associates to name just a few.
"Were very happy to see Fred join our team," said Armedee Nadeau, Manager of Dana Motorsports. "Danny was good for us, but Fred and his experience should be a huge boost for Joe and the team."
Text provided by David Pepper
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