CHAFFIN ENDURES ENGINE CHANGE, LOOSE HANDLING CONDITION
TO POST RESPECTABLE 22ND PLACE FINISH IN PHOENIX TRUCK RACE

AVONDALE, ARIZONA (November 9, 2007) – Chad Chaffin had to overcome a blown motor in practice and a suddenly loose handling race truck mid-way through Friday night’s Casino Arizona 150 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Phoenix International Raceway to post a respectable 22nd place finish.

The engine in Chaffin’s #40 Westerman Companies/Alicecooperstown Sports Bar & Grill Chevrolet Silverado broke early in Thursday evening’s final practice session requiring the Gary Showalter-led Key Motorsports crew to change engines.

Despite the setback, Chaffin was able to post the 19th fastest qualifying time during Friday afternoon’s time trials but was forced to start the race from the rear of the field because of the motor change. (picture right: Alice Cooperstown Sports Bar & Grill GM Jeff Myers and his wife, Heather, pose for a photo before the race with Chad. )

Utilizing some pit road strategy to gain better track position, Chaffin was showing 17th on the scoreboard on a lap 74 re-start following one of the race’s 13 caution flags when he pitted for fuel only on a lap 72 pit stop.

Chaffin remained in the top 20 for the next 11 laps when he reported that his truck was suddenly running loose. That enabled several trucks to bypass the #40 and Chaffin was in the 25th spot on lap 96 when the Chevrolet of rookie driver Chris Jones spun in turn 4.

Crew Chief Showalter elected to bring Chaffin to the pits for a stop on lap 99 for fresh tires and to add two rounds of bite to the left rear, moving Chaffin back to the 31st spot when the race was re-started with 50 laps remaining.

With fresher tires than most of the trucks still on the lead lap, Chaffin had moved all the way up to the 23rd position by lap 114. However, when the 11th yellow flag flew on lap 127 when the Chevrolet driven by Andrew Myers spun in turn 4, Chaffin reported that his truck was tightening up and now making it that much more difficult to pass in a race where passing for position was at a premium.

(picture left: Crew chief Gary Showalter (left) supervises the removal of the blown engine during the final practice session.)

During the final 20 laps of racing that was interrupted by the second of the night’s two red flag situations for emergency repairs to an inside retaining wall, Chaffin was able to get as high as 21st in the running order only to lose that to the Ford of Jon Wood with only five laps left. He was able to hold off the challenge for position by Travis Kvapil to take the 22nd spot.

“The truck ran well but it was just so tough to pass out there tonight,” Chaffin said after the race.

“I could catch the trucks in front of me, but getting past them was another story. I did what I could to pick up positions, but having to start the race at the back of the field put me at a great disadvantage right from the start. I am happy with how we ran, though, and how we bounced back from that blown motor. I just hope to end the season next week in Homestead with a better run,” Chaffin added.

Showalter knew that his driver was in for a tough night because track position was critical and with the other 35 trucks in the race starting in front of the #40.

“Only the front three or four trucks were able to pass and breakaway at times tonight because of cleaner air. That was pretty much it,” Showalter explained. “Chad did the best he could under the circumstances.”

All but seven of the 36 trucks that started the race finished on the lead lap, rare for a race on a 1-mile race track and especially in a race that had so many cautions. That made track position all the more critical.

“Pitting for fuel only halfway through the race was all that we could do to give Chad better track position and it ended up giving us about a half dozen better positions on the race track that he might have had a tough picking up racing,” Showalter ended.