NASCAR Trucks: Team ASE Ford gearing up for speedway race
21 September 1999
Mooresville, NC. September 21, 1999. With the possibility of more superspeedway races being added to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, this weekend's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway becomes that much more important to Team ASE crew chief Tim Kohuth. Although NASCAR has not officially announced anything for the 2000 season, Kohuth is not taking any chances that more speedway races may be just around the corner, and said this morning that he plans to use Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway to get prepared "for anything". "We plan to use the open test date this Wednesday at Las Vegas which gives us seven more hours of track time," added Kohuth. "We are taking the same truck we tested at Talladega earlier this year, and the things we learned there will definitely help us here at Vegas, and vice-versa. We also have a brand new engine from Yates for this race. From the dyno tests we ran, it should be one of the best we've had all year." The need for horsepower is elevated further at the speedways since NCTS rules dictate that teams must qualify and race with the same engine (a rule that is in effect every race). Ultra Motorsports brings a good record to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as does Mike Wallace. Combined, the two entities have always finished 12th or better, and have an average finish of 8.4th place in five races. Wallace enters race number twenty-two sitting 5th in NCST points, just 66 points behind Stacey Compton in 4th place. Including Las Vegas, there are four races left in 1999 for the NCTS. -more- Ultra Motorsports Record at LVMS: 1998: Q 2nd F 6th 169/169 laps 1997: Q 2nd F 5th 169/169 1996: Q 7th F 12th 124/124 Mike Wallace Record at LVMS (NCTS) 1998: Q 21st F 12th 168/169 1997: Q 30th F 7th 175/175 ASE has been a major sponsor in the truck series since 1996, along with associate sponsors Ultra Wheels, Wagner Brake Products, Snap-on Tools, and Valvoline. ASE, The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, is a non-profit organization founded in 1972 with the mission of improving the quality of automotive repair service through the voluntary testing and certification of technicians. There are over 420,000 ASE-certified technicians working in all types of service repair facilities in North America. Coming on board with Ultra Motorsports in 1999 are Smith Transport, Biagi Bros., Ken Thompson, Inc., and Overland Motorcoach. All four companies are long-time supporters of Mike Wallace Racing. Ken Thompson Racing and Biagi Bros. are also backing the 1999 Ultra Motorsports/Mike Wallace Winston West efforts.
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.