NASCAR TRUCKS: David Starr Looking to be Impressive at Indianapolis Raceway Park
4 August 1999
David Starr is hoping for an impressive showing Thursday night at the Power Stroke 200 by Ford and International. After all, this is one of the highest profile events on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series due to the location and timing of the race. The event takes place at Indianapolis Raceway Park, an older 0.646-mile facility, but the timing of the race, two days prior to the Winston Cup Brickyard 400, makes this a tremendous opportunity for Starr and his No. 73 Nitro Fish Chevrolet. "This is a huge event for the Truck Series. All the Winston Cup drivers, owners, and sponsors are going to be in Indy for the Brickyard 400," explained Starr. "There are a lot of VIP's who will be at all three races and we are planning on having an impressive run to show them what we are capable of. And the TV audience should be great given that the race will be shown in prime-time and with all the publicity surrounding the three races." The city of Indianapolis will play host to all three of NASCAR's national touring series as the Trucks race first, followed on Friday evening with the Busch Grand National cars, and then the Winston Cup event on Saturday afternoon. This is the first of just two events that will combine the three series together in the same location. Last week at Loudon, N.H., Starr put the other drivers on notice as he twice paced the field for a total of eight laps. These were the first laps he has led in the Truck Series this year, and marked only the second time in his career he has been on the point. Last season he was scored as leading a single lap during the race at Texas Motor Speedway. With the laps Starr became the 25th driver to lead the Craftsman Truck Series this year, a testimony to the competitiveness of the division. "It was a great feeling to look in my rearview mirror and see the entire field behind me," Starr said enthusiastically. He credits a number of factors, including pit strategy, crewmembers, and the addition of sponsor Nitro Fish as the reason he was able to lead the field. "We took a bit of a gamble by not coming in early with the other leaders," Starr explained, "and it took us to the front of the pack. We did this again late in the race and we were hoping for another caution where we could get a splash of gas and stay up front with the leaders. "Then we dropped a cylinder and couldn't keep up any more. But the crew guys did a great job keeping me in the event. They are all volunteers and are really coming together and learning their jobs. And knowing the people from Nitro Fish were watching really pumped the team up for the race. Now we need to take that enthusiasm to Indy," Starr said. Starr has been on the Indianapolis Raceway Park track before, and even made a qualification run in this event last season, but did not make the field. That, however, does not dampen his spirits. "We had a top-10 start at Odessa earlier this year so I know our short-track program is good. Hopefully I can take some of what I learned about IRP from last year's practice and put in a good qualifying run," Starr said. The format for the Power Stroke 200 is different because the entire event is compressed into a single day. After just two-hours of practice the Trucks will qualify at 5:30 p.m. EDT and start the race at 8:30 p.m. EDT. The event will be televised live on ESPN and MRN radio. "There is not a lot of time get the truck set up. With just a couple of hours of practice the truck better be ready to go straight out of the trailer," Starr said. "And to make it more complicated, practice will be in the heat of the afternoon and the race is at night so the setups will change drastically. This will be a challenge." While Nitro Fish may be new to the sport of NASCAR racing, they currently have a presence in motorsports through sponsorship of an NHRA Funny Car. Nitro Fish sells apparel, decals, and other items featuring their unique prehistoric fish logo, and fans interested in their products can see their trailer at the track or visit their web site at www.nitrofish.com. A resident of Ft. Worth, Starr currently stands 21st in the overall points standings and third in the USG SHEETROCK Brand Rookie-of-the-Year standings. He also races a limited Winston West schedule in the #35 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. For more information visit his web site at www.davidstarr.com.