TOMMY MORGAN STEPS IN LATE TO GUIDE SHANE HUFFMAN
TO 24TH PLACE FINISH IN QUAKER STEAK & LUBE 200 AT LOWE’S

CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA (May 18, 2007) – Veteran Tommy Morgan stepped up from shop foreman to crew chief for the night Friday, helping driver Shane Huffman and his Key Motorsports contingent rally during the second half of the Quaker Steak & Lube 200 presented by Circle K NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The end result was a better-than-expected, 24th place finish.

Morgan stepped in at the last minute to replace Barry Dodson as crew chief of the Mooresville, North Carolina-based race team, and despite experiencing some difficulties during the first half of the race managed to steadily improve the #40 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet Silverado to give Huffman something that he could drive.

Huffman appeared to be somewhat of a factor at the outset of the scheduled 134-lap event, improving 10 spots from his 32nd starting position to 22nd on the grid after just 10 laps of racing. However, handling woes began to seriously set in once Huffman got some heat in his Goodyear tires that began to chatter on top of a tight handling condition to his race truck that began dropping his machine back through the field.

Unable to turn the truck through the corners, Huffman soon found himself a lap down to then leader and eventual race winner Ron Hornaday, Jr. by lap 33. Jack Sprague brought out the race’s second yellow flag on lap 37 when his Toyota made hard contact with the third turn wall and came to rest near pit road. Morgan used the opportunity to pit his truck on lap 42; raising the track bar four rounds and making a tire pressure adjustment to help alleviate the problems.

It worked only slightly, and while running 29th on lap 47 when another caution flag flew for an incident involving the truck of rookie driver Bryan Silas, Huffman again came down pit road on lap 49 to have the track bar raised another two rounds as the effort to solve the handling woes continued.

The #40 lost a second lap at the race’s midway point, and when Dennis Setzer lost control of his Chevrolet coming off the fourth turn and spun into the infield grass to bring out the race’s fourth yellow flag on lap 71, Morgan pitted the #40 again. Four more rounds up with the track bar and fresh tires were ordered this time, and for the first time all night after these adjustments, Huffman finally was able to drive his race truck with some consistency.

“It got better at the end there, but I really can’t believe how far off we were,” Huffman said of the set-up to his truck. “Tommy did a good job getting everyone together and focused on the race, and he worked hard to get the truck handling better,” Huffman added.

“We just adjusted it as often and as much as we could, and I’m proud of the way everyone stuck together tonight so we could make things better for Shane. He did a good job under the circumstances,” Morgan explained, having to put on his crew chief cap for the first time in a couple of years at basically the last minute.

Dodson abruptly stepped down from the crew chief post and left the Key organization altogether shortly before the start of the race. Morgan will fill in on an interim basis until a full-time replacement is found.

“I’m proud of the way Tommy jumped right in there tonight to help us out at a very difficult time,” said team owner Curtis W. Key, Sr. “We’re just so fortunate to have had someone with the experience that Tommy has to run the ship,” Key added.

Morgan’s best years in NASCAR racing came in the mid to late 1990’s when he served as crew chief at Roush Racing for the Busch Series effort of many-time winner Jeff Burton. Morgan is expected to continue running the team’s performance side while a suitable, full-time replacement is sought. He will be atop the pit box next Saturday when Clay Rogers will be behind the wheel of the 40 at the Mansfield Motorsports Speedway