NCTS - SEASON ENDING RUMORS BEGINNING

Source: Lance Allison
Date: 10/29/1999

The "NAPA AUTO PARTS 200" the final NASCAR Truck Series event of 1999 will be held on Saturday, October 30 at California Speedway. It will also mark the final race for NAPA AUTO PARTS driver, Ron Hornaday, in the NASCAR Truck Series. And as the series runs its final laps, the NCTS silly season has begun. Drivers are in and out of rides, looking for rides, you have to wonder what it will be like in the year 2000.

A number of drivers that have participated in the NASCAR Winston West have been taking advantage of the NCTS. Driver Jimmy Kitchens has been rumored to be close to a truck deal with a Winston Cup team owner. ARCA, Winston West driver Rich Woodland is going to try to make the field this weekend in a truck recently purchased from DEI. The #6 Chevy he will pilot is said to be owned by Ron Hornaday with crew chief is Calvin Humphrys.

Then there is Winston West driver David Starr who has chosen to step down as driver of the #73 Sonntag Racing Chevy truck. Rumor has it that he is being considered for a number of rides. Of course Kevin Harvick will be stepping out of the Porter Cable truck and moving up.

#4 Dupont Stainmaster Chevy truck owned by Tim Buckley will be piloted this weekend at the California Speedway by Winston West driver Austin Cameron. Butch Miller, veteran NASCAR driver, has agreed to assist the #46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports team and will act as driver-coach for the current pilot of the #46 Acxiom Ford, Rob Morgan, in California this weekend.

Then there are rides that are rumored to be filled, but no one knows for sure. #60 Craftsman Truck Series Chevrolet owned by Mike Addington, the #55 Icehouse Beer Ford F150 campaigned on the Craftsman Truck Series circuit by Gloy-Rahal Motorsports (or is it for sale?) and the #11 Ford F-150 of Shen Valley

It seems the better drivers of the Trucks come from the west. You think of trucks and you think of Hornaday, Mike Skinner and Greg Biffle. There is of course the non-westerner Jack Spraque and rumor has it Kyle Petty will have his son Adam in a truck, but all and all the cream for the Trucks seems to rise from the west. Afterall the trucks were born in the west at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, California.

And there are a number of drivers rumored to be ready to leave the west driving a truck. Drivers rumored to be available for truck rides? NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series Champion, Kurt Busch, his fellow competitor Matt Crafton, NorthWest champion Gary Lewis, and amazingly enough former NASCAR Winston West champion, Butch Gilliland who competed in the inaugural Truck season in and is rumored to possibly be leaving the Winston West in search of a Truck or Cup ride. Finally, West Coast driver Tom Hubert who drove in the Craftsman Truck Series for Tom Gloy is looking now for a full time ride.

One thing is certain the rumors and news of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will provide plenty of entertainment this winter when the engines are silent....except for owners testing possible drivers.

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