Con-way Freight
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
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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
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