Hey ya'll... Bubba here trying to keep you updated from the past week. We were in Talladega for last week's race and we had very high hopes for a promising weekend. After sitting on the pole in Daytona, we knew that we hoped we would have the truck to beat in Talladega also. The weekend started just as we had expected with Colin capturing his fourth pole of the year. And then the rains came...again. It seems like I've seen more rain this year than any other year before. Luckily Mother Nature worked with us, and we got the race started about 30 minutes late on Saturday. You never know what a superspeedway race holds in store for you so I was nervously optimistic. We led a lot of the race and then we got spun mid-way. After a little damage repair, we were right back in the hunt for the win. The big one came with four laps to go and we narrowly missed it. I thought for sure we were in a good spot to have a great finish. On the last lap we were shuffled out of the draft, and came home to a 12th-place finish. I remember years when I would have loved a 12th-place finish, but this year it kinda burns. The one positive to come out of this weekend was that we did move up into fifth place in driver points. Now it’s just a matter of holding onto that spot or moving further forward.
After a short week in the shop, we'll be going to Texas for a Friday night race. This will be Colin's fourth time at Texas and I expect he will run better there than he has in the past. He has really been doing a good job of learning and remembering the tracks we've already been to. I, on the other hand, am looking forward to seeing some of my family, because this is the closest race to their home in Oklahoma City. It’s very important that we finish these last three races on a strong note to help carry us into next season. Although the season is winding down, our point battle is just heating up. Thanks to all the Con-way Freight employees for all their support in the past couple of years. It’s much easier to be successful when you have a strong backing like Con-way Freight and their people. Thanks again.
Stay safe...
Bubba
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Pep in our Step
Hey ya'll, Bubba here... buckling down for our last push of the season. First things first... for everyone who missed it, Con-way Freight did announce they will be going to Nationwide racing with Roush Fenway and Colin next season for 18 races. The company was part of the unveiling ceremony with the new Ford Mustang. This definitely put a little extra pep in everyone's step. I am very grateful that they will be coming back next season, as are my teammates, I'm sure.
With five races to go, the first track we needed to conquer was Martinsville. Remembering what had happened in the spring race, I was more than a little scared to go back to this short track. After qualifying 12th and then sitting in the rain most of Saturday, Colin showed us he is definitely maturing by driving to a third-place finish. To have survived Martinsville and finish in the top three almost feels like a win to me. If you remember the spring race, this is one of the tracks where we have to unload everything we'll need for the weekend. So once again, we built tent city and worked with no trailer. Although this is one of the harder things to do, all of my crew stepped up and made things a little easier this time around. But in the end, I'm glad this race is over.
This week we are preparing chassis No. 23 for Talladega. If you'll remember this is the same truck that sat on the pole at Daytona in the spring. This is a specially built, superspeedway truck that only runs at Daytona and Talladega. For me, this means remembering all of the special parts and pieces because most of the parts on this truck are designed especially for superspeedways. I have real high hopes going into this weekend that Colin will do very well at Talladega. It is very important that we keep finishing in the top five or top 10 so that we can get Colin a secure spot in the top-five driver points standings.
Thanks for the continued support from everyone who is a fan of Colin or part of the Con-way Freight family. It’s very exciting for us to be moving to the Nationwide Series next year, and knowing that Con-way Freight will be supporting us again makes it that much more special. Now it’s time to focus on the last four races of our truck season.
Stay safe...
Bubba
With five races to go, the first track we needed to conquer was Martinsville. Remembering what had happened in the spring race, I was more than a little scared to go back to this short track. After qualifying 12th and then sitting in the rain most of Saturday, Colin showed us he is definitely maturing by driving to a third-place finish. To have survived Martinsville and finish in the top three almost feels like a win to me. If you remember the spring race, this is one of the tracks where we have to unload everything we'll need for the weekend. So once again, we built tent city and worked with no trailer. Although this is one of the harder things to do, all of my crew stepped up and made things a little easier this time around. But in the end, I'm glad this race is over.
This week we are preparing chassis No. 23 for Talladega. If you'll remember this is the same truck that sat on the pole at Daytona in the spring. This is a specially built, superspeedway truck that only runs at Daytona and Talladega. For me, this means remembering all of the special parts and pieces because most of the parts on this truck are designed especially for superspeedways. I have real high hopes going into this weekend that Colin will do very well at Talladega. It is very important that we keep finishing in the top five or top 10 so that we can get Colin a secure spot in the top-five driver points standings.
Thanks for the continued support from everyone who is a fan of Colin or part of the Con-way Freight family. It’s very exciting for us to be moving to the Nationwide Series next year, and knowing that Con-way Freight will be supporting us again makes it that much more special. Now it’s time to focus on the last four races of our truck season.
Stay safe...
Bubba
Monday, October 12, 2009
Looking Forward to a Strong Finish
Hey ya'll, Bubba here...trying to catch everyone up on some much needed blogging. I guess first we need to start with the Loudon, NH race. Honestly, there wasn't much too exciting about Loudon. We qualified in the top 10, and finished in the top 10, but we were never really in contention for the win. For some reason this track has always been tough for us. Who knows...it could have been a different story if we could have salvaged our St. Louis truck for this race.
After a quick trip home, and a 34-hour reset, it was already time for us to leave for Las Vegas. This is one of the roughest stretches of driving that we do during the year. We are almost going from corner to corner of the United States. It’s very important that Mike and I, and our equipment, are ready for these long hours. Thankfully our trips to Loudon and Vegas both went flawlessly. As far as the Vegas race goes, I really had high expectations because we were bringing truck No. 43. We qualified well, and if the beginning of the race was any indicator, it was gonna be a good night for us. We quickly moved to the lead before our first pit stop. After changing tires and taking on fuel, the truck was never the same. It’s almost like a mystery for us that will never be solved. By the time we had a chance to change tires again we were already a lap down. This was very disappointing for a team and a driver who had hopes as high as we did. But, we still have to move on.
During the last couple of weeks off, I've had a chance to go testing with the No. 99 Sprint Cup car as well as time to get my truck and trailer serviced. I know in a few weeks we will be doing a five-race push so it’s very important that everything is working well. We are also preparing to do our first Nationwide test next week. This test is not only to benefit us for the following year, but it’s also to help our current Nationwide teams in their last few races. I can honestly say the end is in sight, and now it’s time to dig deep to finish strong.
Stay safe...
Bubba
After a quick trip home, and a 34-hour reset, it was already time for us to leave for Las Vegas. This is one of the roughest stretches of driving that we do during the year. We are almost going from corner to corner of the United States. It’s very important that Mike and I, and our equipment, are ready for these long hours. Thankfully our trips to Loudon and Vegas both went flawlessly. As far as the Vegas race goes, I really had high expectations because we were bringing truck No. 43. We qualified well, and if the beginning of the race was any indicator, it was gonna be a good night for us. We quickly moved to the lead before our first pit stop. After changing tires and taking on fuel, the truck was never the same. It’s almost like a mystery for us that will never be solved. By the time we had a chance to change tires again we were already a lap down. This was very disappointing for a team and a driver who had hopes as high as we did. But, we still have to move on.
During the last couple of weeks off, I've had a chance to go testing with the No. 99 Sprint Cup car as well as time to get my truck and trailer serviced. I know in a few weeks we will be doing a five-race push so it’s very important that everything is working well. We are also preparing to do our first Nationwide test next week. This test is not only to benefit us for the following year, but it’s also to help our current Nationwide teams in their last few races. I can honestly say the end is in sight, and now it’s time to dig deep to finish strong.
Stay safe...
Bubba
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Racing into the Top Five
Hey ya'll...Bubba here back from St. Louis and getting ready to head to Loudon, New Hampshire. First let’s wrap up St. Louis. Gateway has never been a favorite, but I was sure things would turn around when Colin put the No. 6 truck on the pole. Things were looking promising for another top-three finish until a late race spin by Colin and then a wreck with Todd Bodine and Matt Crafton that we were innocently caught up in. Chassis No. 55 took a beating, as well as Colin. Our driver was hit right in the driver's door, but thanks to NASCAR's safety innovations, he was not hurt. Believe it or not, Colin told me today that this hit felt harder than the Atlanta wreck, which surprised me quite a bit. Thankfully he is okay and now we must move on to Loudon.
I always dread these next two weeks, because for me it means a lot of time away from my family. We travel to Loudon this week, and then must be in Las Vegas the following week. These two tracks are about as far away from each other as you can get. I spent most of today getting all the Loudon parts and pieces together, as well as making a separate cart for all my Vegas parts and pieces. By doing this in advance, it really helps speed up the turnaround time. I will also depend a lot on my crew guys to help get things swapped out while I am taking my 34-hour reset. It’s something that takes a lot of thought and planning every year, but we always manage to make it go smoothly. We are racing chassis No. 39 this week. Hopefully we can transfer some of our recent flat track luck to this truck as well. We are really trying hard to get Colin into the top five in driver's points. We can see it’s within our grasp, now we just need to dig in and get there.
Now on to some reader comments. To answer the first question...I spend most of my driving time listening to Sirius radio. I can always find a channel that fits the mood I'm in, plus I love the fact that there are no commercials. My favorite channels are No. 60, which is a country channel, and No. 9 which is a 90s music channel. Plus, it’s always nice to able to listen to the races while I'm traveling on the NASCAR channel. To answer the second question...the race trailer I haul is a Featherlite. Their factory is in Cresco, Iowa, and I have had the privilege of going there twice to pick up new trailers. Although it’s in the middle of nowhere, they have quite a nice operation.
Because of our quick turnaround this week, I will do my best to get a Loudon blog to everyone. Hopefully I'll find a little bit of time to catch up. If not, maybe I'll do it while I'm on the road. In case I don't talk to you next week, I will definitely catch everybody up after the Vegas trip.
Stay safe...
Bubba
I always dread these next two weeks, because for me it means a lot of time away from my family. We travel to Loudon this week, and then must be in Las Vegas the following week. These two tracks are about as far away from each other as you can get. I spent most of today getting all the Loudon parts and pieces together, as well as making a separate cart for all my Vegas parts and pieces. By doing this in advance, it really helps speed up the turnaround time. I will also depend a lot on my crew guys to help get things swapped out while I am taking my 34-hour reset. It’s something that takes a lot of thought and planning every year, but we always manage to make it go smoothly. We are racing chassis No. 39 this week. Hopefully we can transfer some of our recent flat track luck to this truck as well. We are really trying hard to get Colin into the top five in driver's points. We can see it’s within our grasp, now we just need to dig in and get there.
Now on to some reader comments. To answer the first question...I spend most of my driving time listening to Sirius radio. I can always find a channel that fits the mood I'm in, plus I love the fact that there are no commercials. My favorite channels are No. 60, which is a country channel, and No. 9 which is a 90s music channel. Plus, it’s always nice to able to listen to the races while I'm traveling on the NASCAR channel. To answer the second question...the race trailer I haul is a Featherlite. Their factory is in Cresco, Iowa, and I have had the privilege of going there twice to pick up new trailers. Although it’s in the middle of nowhere, they have quite a nice operation.
Because of our quick turnaround this week, I will do my best to get a Loudon blog to everyone. Hopefully I'll find a little bit of time to catch up. If not, maybe I'll do it while I'm on the road. In case I don't talk to you next week, I will definitely catch everybody up after the Vegas trip.
Stay safe...
Bubba
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Another Third-place Finish
Hey ya'll... Bubba here, back from the vast cornfields of Iowa. Well, we went to another new track, and scored another third-place finish. The Iowa Speedway is a nicely built race track I look forward to racing at in the future. The fans there were very gracious to have NASCAR visiting their town. Plus, it always helps when you run well in the race. Chassis No. 55 ran so well we decided to do a quick turnaround and bring it this week to St. Louis. Because we are bringing the same two trucks this week, it made some of my job a little easier. All the specific parts for these two trucks were already in the trailer. So basically all I had to do this week was re-stock any used items and re-organize the toolbox.
I've never really had much luck at St. Louis with any driver I've worked with. It's one of the flatter tracks we go to, and it also has two distinctly different corners. Although we have not run well there in the past, I am very optimistic we can keep our stretch of good luck rolling in the right direction. Hopefully this year will be the beginning of some fonder memories of St. Louis.
Now to answer some questions and comments from my last blog... Although it’s been reported that we are going to the Nationwide Series next year, I know that Colin, the team, and myself remain 100 percent focused on the truck series this year. We are really pushing hard to get ourselves into the top five in driver points. It's a very attainable goal I think we can definitely meet. As for myself, I've spent most of my NASCAR career in the truck series, and with Roush Fenway not running a truck next year, I am a little saddened but excited at the same time to move on... I really love truck racing. Con-way has been the best sponsor I've worked with, and I really hope they will continue with our team in some form or another next year. Colin and Con-way are definitely a perfect fit.
To answer the next question, my opinion of the Iowa Speedway is a good one. Rusty Wallace has built a first-class facility that lends itself to great racing. Although it was out in the middle of nowhere, the fan base at this track is amazing! Well done Newton, Iowa!
Now to answer the question about my sleeping arrangements while on the road... While at the racetrack, the team, including myself, spends all nights in a hotel. The hauler actually doesn't have any sleeping quarters. Only my tractor has a place to sleep. While traveling, my co-driver, or myself, will spend our non-driving time sleeping in the tractor. Or, if we get to the track early, and we can't get to the hotel, we will stay in the truck. A night or two in the tractor will make you appreciate even more the comforts of a hotel room.
Next question... Although I can't speak for the whole team, I prefer racing under the lights at night. I love to see the sparks when the trucks hit the track, and the shine of the reflective decals some teams use, in the lights. It's also a plus to not be working in the sun.
And finally... our team does full pit stop practice, usually about two times a week, with full workouts following right after. In the middle of the season, with everyone traveling all the time, it's very hard to get the whole team together much more than one or two days. Usually on a Monday or Tuesday we will all sit down, watch film from the previous week, and work on any issues we had. Roush Fenway takes pit stop practice and workouts very seriously, and so do we. Keep all the questions coming! Look forward to seeing you at the track, or on the road.
Stay safe...
Bubba
I've never really had much luck at St. Louis with any driver I've worked with. It's one of the flatter tracks we go to, and it also has two distinctly different corners. Although we have not run well there in the past, I am very optimistic we can keep our stretch of good luck rolling in the right direction. Hopefully this year will be the beginning of some fonder memories of St. Louis.
Now to answer some questions and comments from my last blog... Although it’s been reported that we are going to the Nationwide Series next year, I know that Colin, the team, and myself remain 100 percent focused on the truck series this year. We are really pushing hard to get ourselves into the top five in driver points. It's a very attainable goal I think we can definitely meet. As for myself, I've spent most of my NASCAR career in the truck series, and with Roush Fenway not running a truck next year, I am a little saddened but excited at the same time to move on... I really love truck racing. Con-way has been the best sponsor I've worked with, and I really hope they will continue with our team in some form or another next year. Colin and Con-way are definitely a perfect fit.
To answer the next question, my opinion of the Iowa Speedway is a good one. Rusty Wallace has built a first-class facility that lends itself to great racing. Although it was out in the middle of nowhere, the fan base at this track is amazing! Well done Newton, Iowa!
Now to answer the question about my sleeping arrangements while on the road... While at the racetrack, the team, including myself, spends all nights in a hotel. The hauler actually doesn't have any sleeping quarters. Only my tractor has a place to sleep. While traveling, my co-driver, or myself, will spend our non-driving time sleeping in the tractor. Or, if we get to the track early, and we can't get to the hotel, we will stay in the truck. A night or two in the tractor will make you appreciate even more the comforts of a hotel room.
Next question... Although I can't speak for the whole team, I prefer racing under the lights at night. I love to see the sparks when the trucks hit the track, and the shine of the reflective decals some teams use, in the lights. It's also a plus to not be working in the sun.
And finally... our team does full pit stop practice, usually about two times a week, with full workouts following right after. In the middle of the season, with everyone traveling all the time, it's very hard to get the whole team together much more than one or two days. Usually on a Monday or Tuesday we will all sit down, watch film from the previous week, and work on any issues we had. Roush Fenway takes pit stop practice and workouts very seriously, and so do we. Keep all the questions coming! Look forward to seeing you at the track, or on the road.
Stay safe...
Bubba
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Answering your questions
Hey ya'll, Bubba here... We were in Chicago last week, a new track for us in the truck series, and it turned out to be a pretty good run for our team. Colin did a really good job adapting to this track and brought the Con-way Freight True LTLSM Ford F-150 home to a third-place finish. Our trusty chassis no. 43 was definitely the right truck for this track. I can't wait to take this chassis to Las Vegas, where it has been to victory lane before. Once again, we dodged the raindrops, and got the race in as scheduled. After a quick 12-hour trip home, we had the race hauler unloaded by 2pm on Saturday, and I proceeded to do my weekly 34-hour reset.
This week we are off to another new track, this time in Newton, Iowa. I'm pretty excited about going to Iowa Speedway. After seeing the enormous crowd the Nationwide Series had, I'm sure there will be a lot of fans in the seats for our race, especially since it's Labor Day weekend. For any of the fans who are in or around the Newton area on Thursday, the truck series will be having a hauler parade through the downtown area at or around 6pm. I know there will be extra pressure on all of us hauler drivers to have our rigs sparkling clean for all the fans to see. We all take a lot of pride in this and to me it's about taking pride in our sponsor too. We were fortunate to do a tire test at this track in May which should help us in the long run. It is important to the team, me, and especially Colin to keep our recent good luck rolling in the right direction. Hopefully any bad luck that was around was left in Montreal, where Colin ran the Nationwide race last weekend.
Now to answer some of my recent questions... First I'll talk about our pit stops for Colin. Although we've been doing really well, we all strive to be the best on pit road every week. Some weeks we achieve this goal, and some weeks we fall a little short. It's a whole lot more fun when you're on top, and there's no better feeling than knowing you got the driver out ahead of all these other teams that are trying to beat you. Hopefully, this gives you some insight into our pit stop mentality. To answer the next question posted, my family is doing great. Both of my boys are growing like weeds, and my wife is going crazy trying to keep up with both of them. She deserves more credit than I give her sometimes, for putting up with my schedule and taking care of our family. I definitely couldn't do it without her. Although she hasn't been to many races since the boys were born, I'm sure as they get older, she'll be there again to support me in person. Now on to the third post... My Oklahoma family goes to at least two races a year, both of these being the Texas races in the spring and fall. Since Dallas is only three hours away from them, it's the easiest for them to get to. Both they and my wife never miss a race though... a lot of this is thanks to the greatest invention... DVR. I also use the DVR to watch the races when I get home, especially if it was a good one. Thanks for all the comments, and I look forward to answering more of your questions!
Stay safe...
Bubba
This week we are off to another new track, this time in Newton, Iowa. I'm pretty excited about going to Iowa Speedway. After seeing the enormous crowd the Nationwide Series had, I'm sure there will be a lot of fans in the seats for our race, especially since it's Labor Day weekend. For any of the fans who are in or around the Newton area on Thursday, the truck series will be having a hauler parade through the downtown area at or around 6pm. I know there will be extra pressure on all of us hauler drivers to have our rigs sparkling clean for all the fans to see. We all take a lot of pride in this and to me it's about taking pride in our sponsor too. We were fortunate to do a tire test at this track in May which should help us in the long run. It is important to the team, me, and especially Colin to keep our recent good luck rolling in the right direction. Hopefully any bad luck that was around was left in Montreal, where Colin ran the Nationwide race last weekend.
Now to answer some of my recent questions... First I'll talk about our pit stops for Colin. Although we've been doing really well, we all strive to be the best on pit road every week. Some weeks we achieve this goal, and some weeks we fall a little short. It's a whole lot more fun when you're on top, and there's no better feeling than knowing you got the driver out ahead of all these other teams that are trying to beat you. Hopefully, this gives you some insight into our pit stop mentality. To answer the next question posted, my family is doing great. Both of my boys are growing like weeds, and my wife is going crazy trying to keep up with both of them. She deserves more credit than I give her sometimes, for putting up with my schedule and taking care of our family. I definitely couldn't do it without her. Although she hasn't been to many races since the boys were born, I'm sure as they get older, she'll be there again to support me in person. Now on to the third post... My Oklahoma family goes to at least two races a year, both of these being the Texas races in the spring and fall. Since Dallas is only three hours away from them, it's the easiest for them to get to. Both they and my wife never miss a race though... a lot of this is thanks to the greatest invention... DVR. I also use the DVR to watch the races when I get home, especially if it was a good one. Thanks for all the comments, and I look forward to answering more of your questions!
Stay safe...
Bubba
Monday, August 24, 2009
Con-way Freight Champions
Hey ya'll... Bubba here. We need to catch up on the Bristol race, but first I need to give a big congratulations to Dale Duncan for winning the National Truck Driving Championship, and also to Brandon Souder for winning the Rookie of the Year! Well done gentlemen! I know you deserve these accolades. Hopefully we will get to see you at a race sometime soon! Now, on to Bristol... Our Bristol race definitely wasn't as bad as last year...the truck came home in one piece, which can sometimes be a rare thing at Bristol. Colin's 12th-place finish was just enough to help us gain two spots in the points. Any race where you can gain points is always a good race. I also had the pleasure of pitting the No. 60 Nationwide car for Carl Edwards last weekend. He drove the car to a second-place finish while our teammate David Ragan won the race. All in all, it was a good weekend for our shop.
This week, we're off to Chicago for the first-ever truck race at this track. It's another mile and a half, so naturally we will be pulling out chassis No. 43. If I could have picked any truck to take to this track, this would be the one. I personally have only been to this track one time, so a lot of this weekend will be new for me too. NASCAR allows us a lot of extra practice time to help get all the teams dialed in to this new track. It's always good to have the resources that Roush Fenway does to help in the set up, since our Nationwide and Cup teams have been running there for a while. Our company is very good about sharing data between all three series. Another good thing is that because it is the first time we've been there, none of the drivers will have a distinct advantage. This should definitely be good for Colin.
My co-driver Mike and I will definitely be busy this next month. It is good that we have had a few weeks off to help prepare us for a lot of travel coming up. I know that I appreciate any time I get to spend at home with my family. Colin and the team are making a charge right now, and I hope we can keep this surge going in the right direction.
Stay safe...
Bubba
This week, we're off to Chicago for the first-ever truck race at this track. It's another mile and a half, so naturally we will be pulling out chassis No. 43. If I could have picked any truck to take to this track, this would be the one. I personally have only been to this track one time, so a lot of this weekend will be new for me too. NASCAR allows us a lot of extra practice time to help get all the teams dialed in to this new track. It's always good to have the resources that Roush Fenway does to help in the set up, since our Nationwide and Cup teams have been running there for a while. Our company is very good about sharing data between all three series. Another good thing is that because it is the first time we've been there, none of the drivers will have a distinct advantage. This should definitely be good for Colin.
My co-driver Mike and I will definitely be busy this next month. It is good that we have had a few weeks off to help prepare us for a lot of travel coming up. I know that I appreciate any time I get to spend at home with my family. Colin and the team are making a charge right now, and I hope we can keep this surge going in the right direction.
Stay safe...
Bubba
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Gearing up for Bristol
Hey ya'll... Bubba here with another exciting addition to my race blogs. First, let’s catch up on the Nashville race. Chassis No. 43 turned out to be pretty quick in Nashville. Colin Braun sat on the pole for a long time during qualifying before being bumped towards the end by the No. 17 truck. Still, starting outside front row was definitely good for Colin and the team. Our race wasn't a pretty one... for some reason we just couldn't get Colin's truck dialed-in to his liking, but we didn't give up. After a couple of pit stops and some big-time adjustments, Colin roared to a third-place finish! We just need to find a way to slow down Ron Hornaday and that No. 33 bunch.
After a quick trip home, and a day of rest, it was off to Dover to do a tire test for Goodyear. If you remember, Colin blew a right front tire after taking the lead from Kyle Busch during the Dover race. We definitely thought that this test would be beneficial both for our team, and Goodyear. It was only a one-day test, so we were back late Tuesday night. Of course by this time, I was nearing my 70 hours, so I took a couple of days to help reset my log book. Testing after a race weekend definitely helps the week go by faster. We don't race again this weekend, so I'm spending most of my time this week catching up on some housekeeping at the shop. I have already had my tractor serviced, so now I am just going through all of our parts and pieces to make sure we're prepared for our next stretch of races. We are also preparing chassis No. 39 to go to Bristol. This track is definitely my favorite track. For anyone who has not been there, you just can't imagine what a feeling it is to see the trucks running around the track so close to you. I have had the pleasure of going to victory lane there in 2006 with Mark Martin... and last year with Colin, definitely a race both he and the team would like to forget. At a track like this, it comes down to survival, and I believe Colin is gonna be up for the challenge.
I want to give a special thanks to Sonny F. for coming to see us in Nashville. I really enjoyed meeting you, and look forward to seeing you at some future races. And I also want to say sorry to Bill... maybe next year we'll get you the guitar. I definitely feel the team is getting more confidence every week, and I'm sure this will soon bring us another win!
Stay safe...
Bubba
After a quick trip home, and a day of rest, it was off to Dover to do a tire test for Goodyear. If you remember, Colin blew a right front tire after taking the lead from Kyle Busch during the Dover race. We definitely thought that this test would be beneficial both for our team, and Goodyear. It was only a one-day test, so we were back late Tuesday night. Of course by this time, I was nearing my 70 hours, so I took a couple of days to help reset my log book. Testing after a race weekend definitely helps the week go by faster. We don't race again this weekend, so I'm spending most of my time this week catching up on some housekeeping at the shop. I have already had my tractor serviced, so now I am just going through all of our parts and pieces to make sure we're prepared for our next stretch of races. We are also preparing chassis No. 39 to go to Bristol. This track is definitely my favorite track. For anyone who has not been there, you just can't imagine what a feeling it is to see the trucks running around the track so close to you. I have had the pleasure of going to victory lane there in 2006 with Mark Martin... and last year with Colin, definitely a race both he and the team would like to forget. At a track like this, it comes down to survival, and I believe Colin is gonna be up for the challenge.
I want to give a special thanks to Sonny F. for coming to see us in Nashville. I really enjoyed meeting you, and look forward to seeing you at some future races. And I also want to say sorry to Bill... maybe next year we'll get you the guitar. I definitely feel the team is getting more confidence every week, and I'm sure this will soon bring us another win!
Stay safe...
Bubba
Monday, July 27, 2009
Getting back in the swing of things
Hey ya'll... Bubba here, catching up after a couple weeks of racing. It was tough to get back into the swing of things after a couple weeks off. First we went to Kentucky and Colin showed us our previous momentum had not completely left us. We took chassis No. 60, which had only been run at Texas this year. The race was pretty uneventful for us until 16 laps to go. Somehow we were wrecked under caution by another truck. Once again, just a freak thing neither Colin nor the team had any control over. Our assured top-five finish was gone in the blink of an eye.
Luckily for us, the kid came back even more focused to Indianapolis. Indy is one of the hardest tracks for the team, me especially. It’s what is called a one-day show where we park at 6 am, unload everything from the trailer, practice, qualify, and race, all in the same day. My day ended at midnight after the race. Luckily for me, my co-driver Mike was off duty for most of the day. Although I wasn't a big fan of having a co-driver at first, I am definitely starting to see the benefits now. We brought chassis No. 39, which is one of the older trucks in the stable to Indy. After two great practices, Colin put our truck on the pole for the race! The kid was definitely in contention for a win the entire race, but we just lacked one little thing... I'm not sure what it is, but we're working on it! I have to say I'm definitely proud of the way Colin ran the entire race. He has definitely shown a lot more maturity lately.
This week we prepare to go to Nashville. This track is a special place to win because they give a Gibson guitar as a trophy. We won one of those guitars in 2007 with Travis Kvapil, and it’s definitely one of the most unique trophies in our series, and also one that everyone wants to obtain. Hopefully after this week, Colin will need to take some guitar lessons!
Be sure to keep all the questions and comments coming! I look forward to hearing from you...
Stay safe...
Bubba
Luckily for us, the kid came back even more focused to Indianapolis. Indy is one of the hardest tracks for the team, me especially. It’s what is called a one-day show where we park at 6 am, unload everything from the trailer, practice, qualify, and race, all in the same day. My day ended at midnight after the race. Luckily for me, my co-driver Mike was off duty for most of the day. Although I wasn't a big fan of having a co-driver at first, I am definitely starting to see the benefits now. We brought chassis No. 39, which is one of the older trucks in the stable to Indy. After two great practices, Colin put our truck on the pole for the race! The kid was definitely in contention for a win the entire race, but we just lacked one little thing... I'm not sure what it is, but we're working on it! I have to say I'm definitely proud of the way Colin ran the entire race. He has definitely shown a lot more maturity lately.
This week we prepare to go to Nashville. This track is a special place to win because they give a Gibson guitar as a trophy. We won one of those guitars in 2007 with Travis Kvapil, and it’s definitely one of the most unique trophies in our series, and also one that everyone wants to obtain. Hopefully after this week, Colin will need to take some guitar lessons!
Be sure to keep all the questions and comments coming! I look forward to hearing from you...
Stay safe...
Bubba
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Keeping Busy During the Off-week
Hey ya'll! Bubba here checking in after a long couple of weeks off. First let me wrap up Memphis... The temperatures soared upwards of 100 degrees so it was mostly miserable. I wish I would have kept track of how much water we went through for the weekend. I'm sure it would have been an impressive number, not to mention the amount of money I spent on ice. Colin brought home another top-10 finish in a truck that was just a little off the mark. It's pretty impressive to note that from Kansas to Memphis we've gone from 19th to 10th in the driver's points. It feels good to have a little momentum on our side.
After a long weekend off for the 4th, which I spent with my family, it was off to Rockingham again. This time we were testing a Nationwide car. It also helps for all of the guys on these weeks off to stay tuned up for the upcoming races. The test was a great success and we learned a lot of new stuff, hopefully to better us in the future.
I spent most of the last couple weeks catching up on maintenance items we haven't had time to do while racing every week. These off-weeks are always a good time to do things like change the oil in the generators, and give everything a good cleaning. Mostly, it’s a lot of busy work, but it usually pays off in the end. This week we prepare for Kentucky, a track where we usually run pretty good. We're taking chassis No. 60, which is the same truck that we ran at Texas to a third-place finish. Other than chassis No. 43, it’s one of the best trucks in our stable. Hopefully Colin and the team will pick back up where we left off.
To answer the question about the Iowa test... everything I've heard from our team tells me that it will be a great race. They've done a really good job building a great track, and the truck race there will no doubt be exciting. Hope everyone has a great week!
Stay safe...
Bubba
After a long weekend off for the 4th, which I spent with my family, it was off to Rockingham again. This time we were testing a Nationwide car. It also helps for all of the guys on these weeks off to stay tuned up for the upcoming races. The test was a great success and we learned a lot of new stuff, hopefully to better us in the future.
I spent most of the last couple weeks catching up on maintenance items we haven't had time to do while racing every week. These off-weeks are always a good time to do things like change the oil in the generators, and give everything a good cleaning. Mostly, it’s a lot of busy work, but it usually pays off in the end. This week we prepare for Kentucky, a track where we usually run pretty good. We're taking chassis No. 60, which is the same truck that we ran at Texas to a third-place finish. Other than chassis No. 43, it’s one of the best trucks in our stable. Hopefully Colin and the team will pick back up where we left off.
To answer the question about the Iowa test... everything I've heard from our team tells me that it will be a great race. They've done a really good job building a great track, and the truck race there will no doubt be exciting. Hope everyone has a great week!
Stay safe...
Bubba
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