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NASCAR Trucks: Joe Ruttman ready to end Texas struggles

10 October 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Pulling out all the stops: When the Dana Racing Team and driver Joe Ruttman get to Texas this week, they will have one thing on their minds, and that is not repeating the week they had here in June. The team struggled, to say the least, with Ford having the best trucks for the Speedways.

"We took a beating from the Fords here in June, so we've been working very hard back at the shop to get caught up with them," said Ruttman. "We never could get the truck to handle like we wanted, but I think that may change this time around. NASCAR made some rule changes over the last few weeks that the guys at the shop feel will help us, and I'm sure the Dana crew will get the truck fast right off the transporter."

The Dana Team has been going all out over the last two weeks with their testing program. The team spent a day at Birmingham International Raceway in Birmingham, Alabama testing chassis and shock components. After that, they took the truck to a Chassis Dyno and a Chassis Shaker to test more chassis designs. So hopes are very high that they will be fast at Texas Motor Speedway.

"We're pulling out all the stops to get just a few more horsepower out of the truck," said Danny Rollins, Truck Chief for Bobby Hamilton Racing. "We sure don't want to have the same thing that happened to us in June happen again."

In June, the team started 13th and fought an ill-handling truck for most of the day, before crashing with another truck and finishing a disappointing 26th in the event.

Points race: With two races remaining in the 2000 schedule and Greg Biffle posed to win the championship, the points race for positions second through tenth are all still up for grabs. Ruttman and the Dana Team sit sixth in the points standings, just 71 points out of fifth place and only 49 points ahead of Dennis Setzer in seventh place. In fact, only 160 points separate the sixth through tenth positions in the standings.

"We're trying really hard to catch Sprague for fifth in points, but we can't forget about the guys behind us," said Ruttman. "We can't have any problems in the last two races or the guys behind us in the points will get by us. One hundred and sixty points is nothing, so we need to be on our toes."

Ruttman's Quotes for Texas Motor Speedway

"I really don't know what to expect with the rule changes. I was not at the test a few weeks back, but Bobby (Hamilton) was there. I have not talked in great detail with him, but from everything the guys have said, he and the team were pleased with the test. We'll just see if it helps us on Thursday's practice times."

"I've been pretty busy over the break in the races. I've been doing a lot of testing with my truck team and with a Busch Series team. We've been running all over trying to get ready for Texas and the Busch deal is something I'm just doing to help my friend, Mark Reno."

"We had a bad race last time out, so we are going to have to put that behind us. This team is really good about that, so I don't think that will be a problem. The guys and I know that every week is a new week and a new set of circumstances."

Text Provided By David Pepper

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