|| *Comments on the 1997 NAPACARD 200:* View the most recent comment <#13> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. mcmurrayfan posted: 06.25.2006 - 5:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael Dokken scores his best career finish (3rd.) 2. RaceFanX posted: 12.20.2007 - 5:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last career start for original series regular T.J. Clark. 3. Pacer posted: 12.17.2009 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rich Bickle's second win in a row 4. The Great Dave posted: 02.11.2012 - 8:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Add Mark Kinser to the DNQ list. 5. The Great Dave posted: 02.11.2012 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lance Norick caught Fire in a wreck at lap 146 6. The Great Dave posted: 02.11.2012 - 9:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) SPonsor Corrections #20 Old Millwaukee / Orleans Casino #90 NHL on Fox 7. 83andJoe posted: 08.20.2013 - 10:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Kinser DNQ'd the #92 Rotary Lift Chevrolet (Raymond Scanlan) 8. Z posted: 05.10.2020 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) More To Come... If nothing else read this, 'cause I find it hilarious. So @ ~52min. into the broadcast, there was a great story about Michael Dokken & his father. The previous season, Michael & his father would drive their truck to each race & sleep in it leading up to the race, they did this for x5 months. Well, they were basting turkeys over peanut oil filled Coca-Cola cans routinely, & several motels asked them not to do that in their parking lots. Now, I love everything about this, but part of me hopes they miscooked one, if only because I find the idea of a propelled, fully cooked turkey shooting through a hotel hysterical. 9. Z posted: 05.10.2020 - 4:23 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Pt. II (x23 Years Ago Today) Rich Bickle, after nearly making Darrell Waltrip throw up in nervous anticipation of his 1st win a week prior, backs it up & goes 2/2 in the win column. Bickle had the clear best Truck in this one, but that's not to say there weren't movers & shakers that had a shot at it. Ultimately Bickle would prevail & carry the good feelings into next race weekend w/ another pole position. Ron Hornaday would "struggle" in this one, finishing a mortal 9th. Hornaday's next worst finish @ Evergreen was 4th, & he actually headed into Segment II a lap down. 95/00: Jack Sprague, Rick Carelli, Jimny Hensley (X95), Lance Norick (X95), Joe Ruttman (X99), Mike Bliss (X00), Ron Hornaday (X00), Butch Miller (X00) BF: Rich Bickle (tied) Michael Dokken Bob Keselowski (@EVG) FR: Stacy Compton (@EVG, WF) Chuck Bown (@EVG, BF) Tony Roper (@EVG, WF) Tony Raines (@EVG) Rick McCray (@EVG, BF) Boris Said (@EVG, WF) Jay Sauter (@EVG, WF) Andy Gezman ('97, @EVG-WF) -LR w/ DeWilton Gezman- 2R: Brandon Butler Bryan Reffner (@EVG, WF-tied) Randy Tolsma ('97, FR @EVG-WF) Ron Barfield ('97, @EVG-WF) -FR w/ Tom Gloy- LR: Tobey Butler (@EVG) Dave Rezendes (@EVG-WF) Kenny Allen (@EVG-WF) Dan Press (@EVG-WF) TJ Clark (BF @EVG) OR: Kenny Irwin (@EVG) Tammy Jo Kirk (@EVG) WF: Ron Hornaday (@EVG) Rick Carelli (@EVG) Rick Crawford (@EVG) Jimmy Hensley (@EVG) Lance Norick (@EVG) 10. Z posted: 05.10.2020 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Pt. III *Hornaday's next worst @EVG was actually 2nd, not 4th - an even better record -Also, broadcast mentioned this as the 1st Truck race Bob Keselowski led laps- TBS Broadcast -Ken Squier/Dick Berggen, w/ Mike Hodgwood & Steve Byrnes- Rich Bickle same Truck as week prior Pre-Race: Rich Bickle & Ma Bkckle Rose Bliss: "Good luck, have a safe finish, & I love you" Mike Bliss: "Thanks mom, & we'll do this one for you & all the mothers, & hopefully we'll be in victory lane Ron Hornaday - pacing/tire management Econo Lodge Starting Lineup - NOTES: Tammy Jo Kirk, Kenny Allen, Kenny Irwin, & Dave Rezendes were all said to have taken provisionals (the way I understood it x4 of the DNQs would've made it otherwise); Joe Ruttman was said to've posted a provisional worthy QL1, team also installed an extra bar in driverside door to keep metal from caving from contact/keep wheels from harms way; pertaining to Mark Kinser's DNQ, per Squier, Kinser spun QL1 & QL2 - "Truck came all the way from PA & didn't make the show"; 1st x2 Trucks broke 100mph in Qualifying; Lastly, this was Rick McCray's 2nd race back from a bad wreck that sidelined him a long stretch Previous x2 winners @EVG started 2nd; Carelli, starting 2nd today, won his 1st & TTP only race starting 2nd @BRI in '96 (& hadn't started 2nd since until today) #55, Tom Gloy - Penske equipment: leading into this one Gloy had x3 DNQs, after talking w/ friend & 1987 24hr Daytona co-driver Bill Elliot, signed Barfield Elliot: "I think I got a fella who can help you" L13: Bickle, Keselowski, Carelli, Sprague, Bliss, Barfield, Hornaday, Bown, Ruttman, Dokken; Berggen: (from Bliss) "Wilkesboro & [Evergreen] are virtually identical..."; Repeated mentions of caution-lacking @EVG; Ruttman same truck as week prior; mid-GF interview w/ Ron Keselowski - Truck didn't practice last session b/c of engine problems; L26: Entire field still lead lap; C1: Sauter high T3, clipped LR by Dan Press low - spun bottom, smacked wall w/ LR... Truck still looks pretty solid Butch Miller 12th @CAU, mentioned as running conservative - "running slow - to go fast"; Boris Said pitted, extremely loose - x4 rounds of bite, spring rubber added (x2 stops) L38: Keselowski, Bickle, Hornaday, Bliss, Carelli, Barfield, Bown, Ruttman, Dokken, Sprague, Raines, Miller, Crawford, Press, McCray; YF: (Add. Pits) TJ Clark, Stacy Compton, Lance Norick; R39: Single-File Affair Gary Stanton = Keselowski Engine Builder ~L42: Bliss real loose, gets into Hornaday - both bottle it up, Bliss completes pass "And what a great day for Chrysler fans upfront" (Berggen) "Budweiser Who Won?" [May 11th, 1996] A) Tobey Butler B) Mike Bliss C) Ron Hornaday Jr D) Bill Sedgwick E) Jimmy Hensley 11. Z posted: 05.10.2020 - 5:45 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Pt. IV Barry Dodson, in lead-up to this one, caught a x20 pound Salmon from the (Calimas? - spelling what I heard phonetically) River; Bliss would run solid, but any hopes of a Rally Salmon would have to wait another week. Squier: "Lemme tell ya, you're gonna hear about this kid Barfield for years & years to come - he's got all the right stuff" Butch Miller's mom/dad in attendance, "came down from AZ" [Hornaday CC: John Monsam] L66: Sauter -1, Hornaday 9th/Bown 10th - Hornaday running tight, trying to hold on tire-wise; #52 mentioned as working heavily on Truck, spec. taking welders/torches to Truck morning of L69: Bickle, Bliss, Keselowski, Dokken, Miller, Barfield, Sprague, Ruttman, Hornaday, Bown Squier: "If you like your recreation wide-open, 600 hp - welcome to Monroe, WA..." Berggen: "They all know (Hornaday)'s wounded, they're looking for him" ~L81: Raines -1 L85: Bickle, Bliss, Keselowski, Dokken, Miller, Sprague, Ruttman, Irwin, Butler, Barfield; L92: Really Cool shot of inside Hornaday's tire well, noticeably worn & brakes running hot; L93: Carelli -1, Bickle loses ground b/c lapped pack, had been picking solo prev. C2: Carelli spun by Dokken, Bliss beats Bickle to the line but officials keep Bickle as leader - caution helps about to be lapped pack Bickle caught of Rezendes, Barfield, & George; Said pits; Kenny Allen mentioned as running another team's backup & only changing the # (not paint scheme) - camera clearly showed "Rosenblum Racing" on LRQP, w/ RYB paint scheme of red hood, white body, & blue rear R97: Hornaday manages good start but tires just too gone, Truck loose, motions Bliss outside for pass; Keselowski bottled, slips to 6th - night prior, in hope of changing luck, Butch Miller shaved his mustache (IDR anything happening to him, & his results weren't bad @ all... IDK) Seconds prior to YF, Hornaday shreds RF & puts on a drag-line smoke show (It was a visual spectacle, quite a crowd gasper, but Hornaday kept it off wall/others & no lingering damages) Hornaday: "We're gonna go ahead & do something stupid here, we're gonna flop the front springs from left to right, see if that'll make the thing turn - we've been like this since we unloaded, & we just can't figure it out" Bliss Bickle: "This is by far the best Truck I've ever sat in, the average driver could take this Truck & run up front" Miller: "This Chevrolet's been running great since yesterday, we just had a - stupid guy qualify this thing, & he took a 5th place truck & put it in the 18th spot. I expect to be drinking Old Milwaukee in victory lane when this one's over (Reffering to himself in 3rd person) Michael Dokken - planning to save Truck for end (~L20 laps), Truck running smooth all day. HALF: [T13 lead lap] Bickle, Bliss, Dokken, Miller, Sprague, Keselowski, Butler, Irwin, Ruttman, Rezendes, Compton, Bown, Barfield, Allen, McCray, Hornaday, Kirk, Press, Roper, Raines, Carelli, Reffner, Norick, Hensley, Genzman, George, Tolsma, Sauter, Crawford, Butler, Said, Clark x25 NASCAR Officials: x6 Scoring/Timing, x1 Starter, x1 Pace Truck, x3 Race Control (x1 NASCAR VP), x1 Media Coordinator, x13 Pit Row Inspectors Hornaday's mother attending Reffner's mother, multiple aunts attending - raceweek dinner party Boris Said, being his 8th oval start, called Ernie Irvan for advice - Response: "Hippopotamus Approach" - When you get to where you'te thinking you really need to get on brakes, say "Hippopotamus" then hit the brakes 12. Unser1 posted: 05.10.2020 - 6:25 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Squier: "Lemme tell ya, you're gonna hear about this kid Barfield for years & years to come - he's got all the right stuff"" Barfield was seen as a major rising star at the time with ARCA success, some solid Truck series runs, and his position as Bill Elliott's top protege fueling that speculation. His lack of instant Busch series success wasn't seen as an issue in this era where drivers had longer to develop but it's still kind of a shame he sort of faded back after he and Elliott parted ways for 1998 as his new partnership with Ricky Craven didn't become the big thing it was hoped to be. 13. Z posted: 05.10.2020 - 7:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) -CONCLUSION- [Sprague CC: Dennis Connor] From page 24 of the book on motivation: Connor spray painted #24 on the back of his head for this one, w/ the stipulation the crew could shave it only if Sprague won. Connor's wife, OTOH, told Dennis he'd be finding another way home if it happened. Sprague would win @EVG next year, but too little too late. ~L109: Hornaday +1, now LL; ~L116: Sprague -> 3rd; ~L125: Sprague -> 2nd; CAU: debris, Sprague 1st to S/F - Bickle still leader; Barfield's mother attending, noted as missing x2 races in Ron's life Dee Barfield: "I probably walk 3 miles a race" C4: (~1:12) Large wreck w/ ~10 Trucks - not only did Norick's Truck catch fire, he drove a pretty long stretch w/ it ablaze & en route to pit road had the hood block his windshield [Norick CC: Billy Woodruff] Berggen: "I tell you, a cool customer, this Lance Norick is one. This guy's going to make himself into a *real racer in this Truck series for years to come - a guy to watch for sure" Miller pitted, tightened Truck; Reffner, Said, Tolsma, Roper, McCray, Hensley, Rezendes, Bown pit Sauter rights, toe-in concern Hornaday pits, air put RF, 1/2 wedge put RR, poured water on tires to harden - soft, hot tires + cold water = curing R157: [T14 Lead Lap] Sprague, Bickle, Dokken, Bliss, Keselowski, Ruttman, Irwin, Barfield, Compton, Butler, Miller, Hornaday, Bown, Rezendes, Carelli, Kirk, Press, Raines, Allen, George, Roper, Hensley, Reffner, Crawford, Butler, Tolsma, McCray, Said, Clark, Sauter, Norick, Genzman [Bickle CC: Dave McCarty] ~L166: Bickle/Sprague seperated, Dokken closing from battling; Said pits ~L173: Tolsma pits, LF flat Bickle went aboard the USS Georgie race weekend & traded his sponsor jacket for one of theres, also took a spin @ the submarine simulator [Ruttman CC: Randy Goss] ~L190: Barfield's tires wearing, starting to slide (currently 9th) CAU: #56, not shown; L194: Bickle, Sprague, Dokken, Ruttman, Irwin, Keselowski, Bliss, Compton, Hornaday, Miller; YF: Took a while sorting field 2LR: Bickle great jump, GWC b/c Sauter stalled on track - last restart, Bickle lesser jump but stays in front of Sprague & scores win #2 Post-Race: Dave McCarty/Rich Bickle -Bickle lost cylinder ~50TG- Jack Sprague Michael Dokken ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. 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