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Setzer Matches Best Finish at Gateway, Extends Point Lead
CONTACT: Morgan-Dollar Motorsports
Sam Brown (910) 724-1148 Cell
(704) 871-2260 Off.
(704) 871-1928 Fax
Madison, IL – Dennis Setzer equaled his best run at Gateway International
Raceway with a second-place finish in Saturday’s Ram Tough 200. Dennis
survived a wild race that ended with a series-record four
green/white/checkered finishes. Setzer came into the race as the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series point leader. He had held the point lead for eight
straight races, but a 131 point lead had dwindled to just six.
Early on in the race Dennis battled a loose truck, but his #46 Team
Silverado pit crew got the truck dialed in on the final stop. Pit strategy,
fuel mileage, and timely cautions paved the way for Setzer’s seventh
top-five finish of the season.
Crew chief Danny Gill decided to pit on lap 28 with several of the leaders.
Some trucks stayed out, but the gamble to come in early would prove to be
the right decision for track position later in the race. As the trucks that
stayed out pitted on the next caution, Dennis inherited the lead and led the
race from lap 67 to 73. Setzer’s truck would become extremely loose on the
next long run and he would fall back to fifth position by lap 84.
As the laps kept clicking by, the team got ready to pit under green.
However, a timely caution at lap 105 helped the team to keep their position
near the front of the pack. Setzer pitted for fresh tires and fuel, and the
team made their final adjustments.
On the ensuing run to the end, Dennis was able to make his way from sixth to
second place. Several trucks fell out of the race due to mechanical problems
and accidents. The race went fourteen laps past the scheduled 160, with a
record four green/white/checkered finishes. A green/white/checkered finish
is a rule that prevents a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race from finishing
under the yellow flag. Ironically, this is the last race that the Truck
Series will run that will allow more than one green/white/checkered finish.
Dennis was running in sixth position with five laps to go, when the caution
fell due to one of the other top five trucks having a blown tire. On the
next restart under the green/white/checkered finish Setzer was in fifth
place. Dennis was able to maneuver his Chevy Silverado through a crash
involving the front two trucks and would restart on the next
green/white/checkered finish in third place. After the race was red-flagged
for a crash that occurred back in the field, Setzer restarted once again in
third position. He was able to drive by to capture second place, but ran out
of time to contend for the victory.
“Man, I can’t believe we got second out of this tonight,” said Setzer after
the race. “We didn’t have a great truck to start and actually went the wrong
way on our first stop. But Danny and the guys made some great calls in the
pits that enabled us to get into position for this finish. We have such a
great bunch of guys and they just keep digging and digging. I am very proud
of the effort everyone puts into this team.”
The next race for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is July 31st at the
Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The race will start
at 1:00 pm EST on Saturday and will be broadcast live on the Speed Channel
and MRN (Motor Racing Network radio).
For additional information on the GM Racing/Team For more information on
Dennis Setzer and the #46 Chevrolet Silverado, go to www.dennissetzer.com or
contact Sam Brown at szone@mindspring.com or 910-724-1148. The media kit for
Setzer and the Morgan-Dollar Motorsports race team log onto
http://www.keldanmedia.com/mdm & Team Silverado NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series program, log on to
http://www.gm.com/company/racing/index.jsp.
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