Last week, Brian Rose and the No. 4 Perry Connection Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge ran one lap before the race was over. This week, the team will be looking to put that type of start behind them and get back into the top ten.
"We had a bad race, but that was last week," said Rose. "It's a new week and another great track for us to compete on. Texas is a great facility. It's fast, and I love it! The only thing that may give us a little trouble to start with this coming week is the new pavement they put down over the winter. It'll be interesting to see just what changes in the chassis we have to make to race on it."
Rose fell to the ninth position in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings, but crew chief, Danny Rollins, knows it's still early in the season.
"We had a bad week last week, but we've got time to make it up," said Rollins. "We just have to keep getting stronger as a team and learn more what it takes for Brian (Rose) to feel comfortable in this truck. A lot of the guys on this team have to learn about the trucks, as well as the driver, so it's an on-going process."
Last year, Rose failed to finish the event at Texas Motor Speedway after a suspension part broke, and the truck was just too much to handle at the speeds that you run at the track. Rose parked the vehicle.
Danny Rollins: Despite last week's 30th place finish, Crew Chief Danny Rollins has put up some very impressive numbers in his first 30 races calling the shots. In 30 races as a crew chief in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Rollins has won the biggest race in the series at Daytona, won at Pikes Peak last season, recorded 11 top five finishes, and recorded an amazing 24 top ten finishes. That means that 80 percent of the races he has crew chiefed a truck, it finished in the top ten.
Rollins said, "The only thing I can say about my record is that it's not me. It's the team I'm with, the guys I work with, and the two drivers I've worked with. It's all just about teamwork."
2002 Earnings: Rose needs only to start the event at Texas Motor Speedway to surpass the $100,000 mark in earnings for the season. Rose is currently $6,055 from the century mark.
This Week's Truck: Rose will be racing "Hulk" at Texas Motor Speedway. It is the same truck that owner, Bobby Hamilton, won Darlington in last year. It is also the same truck that Rose ran at Martinsville earlier this year. Performance Chart: Hulk
DATE RACE START/FINISH DRIVER
10-13-00 Texas 25 11 Joe Ruttman
3-04-01 Homestead 5 9 Joe Ruttman
5-12-01 Darlington 3 1 Bobby Hamilton
7-21-01 Loudon DNQ 25 Bobby Hamilton
8-26-01 Nazareth 33 31 Sammy Sanders
9-28-01 South Boston 10 5 Joe Ruttman
3-15-02 Darlington 18 8 Brian Rose
4-13-02 Martinsville 9 27 Brian Rose
Rose Quotes
"I have to give it to the guys on this team. I figured we were done for the
day last week at Dover, but they managed to fix it, and we got out and gained
a few positions. It just goes to show that we're never going to give up."
"I'm ready to race every week. Everyone is worried about the next two months of racing, but I can't wait. If I could, I would race every week."
