NASCAR Truck
Dover: Rich Bickle race notes
MOORESVILLE, NC (June 2, 2003) -Rich Bickle had never had a race vehicle at Dover that handled as well as the VOKAL Ford he started the MBNA Armed Forces Family 200 with. Unfortunately for Bickle the ride didn't last very long. On lap 5 of the ...
Edited: Jun 4, 2003, 1:16 AM
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MOORESVILLE, NC (June 2, 2003) -Rich Bickle had never had a race vehicle at Dover that handled as well as the VOKAL Ford he started the MBNA Armed Forces Family 200 with. Unfortunately for Bickle the ride didn't last very long. On lap 5 of the 200-lap event Bickle was involved in a two-truck accident with rookie Carl Edwards. When the smoke cleared both drivers were done for the day with Bickle relegated to disappointing 32nd place finish.
"Veterans give and rookies take and he took me right out of the race," Bickle lamented. "This is not a 25-lap dirt late model event somewhere. That truck was so good and I was just riding around biding my time until later in the event. It's unfortunate because I think we were on our way to a good finish."
Bickle started the event in the 8th position after rain-washed away Thursday's qualifying session. The crash made a big impact on the team's standing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner's points. The Billy Ballew Motorsports team fell from 8th to 14th in the series standings.
The VOKAL Ford now heads to Texas Motor Speedway to make up some of the lost ground. The Texas layout seems to agree with Bickle, he has posted good runs there in a variety of NASCAR touring Series.
"I like the facility, I like the track," Bickle stated. "I ran 12th there in a NASCAR Winston Cup event the last time I was there. In 1997 I started on the outside pole in the truck race. It is a smoother surface than Charlotte and it seems a little flatter than some of the other quad-ovals we run."
Team owner Billy Ballew takes a somewhat philosophical outlook as the VOKAL team heads west.
"Nobody ever said that racing was fair," Ballew said. "We are disappointed about last week but this week is brand new game. This team has persevered in the past and will continue to do so. We have picked up Spondivits Bar and Grill in Atlanta as an associate sponsor for Texas. VOKAL and Grupo Mundo continue to lend their support and we are appreciative of their willingness to sponsor our efforts."
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is slated for Friday, June 6th. The event will be broadcast live by the Speed Channel and MRN Radio at 9:00 pm ET.
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