HANDLING ISSUE STYMIES CHAFFIN’S CALIFORNIA RUN

FONTANA, CALIFORNIA (February 23, 2008) – Plagued by handling issues, Chad Chaffin and his Key Motorsports team struggled at the newly named Auto Club Speedway here Saturday afternoon during the running of the San Bernardino County 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. The end result was a frustrating 28th place finish for the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado.

“It was nearly impossible to steer the truck through the corners,” Chaffin said. “To be a contender here, with all of those Toyotas, you need to be able to drive the thing (race truck) through the corners pretty much wide open. I could never do that,” Chaffin added.

“Even during cautions, the steering wheel was jerking the truck to the left, so there is something wrong with the front end or a steering box problem. We’re going to have to find a remedy for that if we are going to be any factor in Atlanta,” Chaffin ended, alluding to the March 7th date at the Atlanta Motor Speedway – another of the fast intermediate tracks on which the NCTS competes and comparable to the wide, fast, 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval – that is the next race on the 2008 truck series schedule. (Pictured Right: Chad Chaffin poses with his #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado prior to start of Saturday's race in California.)

With rain canceling qualifying on Friday afternoon, the starting grid was determined by the 2007 season’s final owner points, putting the #40 Key Motorsports machine in the 26th spot.

Chaffin started fairly well, moving up a half dozen positions by the fifth of the race’s 100 laps when the first caution flag flew for the turn 2 spin by rookie driver Justin Marks. Chaffin radioed back that his truck was loose entering the turns after which the race was re-started on lap seven with the #40 showing 19th on the scoreboard.

From there it was all backwards for Chaffin, loosing a spot a lap over the next six circuits until the second caution flag was displayed for debris. Crew chief Gary Showalter used the opportunity to bring his race truck down pit road for fuel and a track bar adjustment in hopes of clearing up the problem. It never happened.

When the race re-started on lap 17, Chaffin lost positions on eight consecutive laps and fell to 28th in the field. That is where Chaffin was on lap 39 when the Key Motorsports machine fell a lap down to eventual race winner Kyle Busch in his Toyota.

Chaffin was ordered to pit road for another stop on lap 44 under green flag racing conditions for a 4-tire change, fuel and an opportunity to again have some work done on the chassis to correct the loose handling condition. As Chaffin was slowing his race truck to make his way down pit road for the pit stop, the yellow flag flew again for debris. Chad motored down the pit road to get back onto the race track but in the process lost a second lap, pitting finally on lap 47 for a wedge adjustment, four more tires and fuel.

When the race re-started on lap 48, the #40 was 31st and battled the rest of the day with the likes of Andy Lally, Jason White, Erin Crocker and Scott Lynch for position. Chaffin ended up out-dueling all of them but was overtaken by Crocker on the final lap to end up with his 28th place finish.

“We have some work ahead of us trying find out just what caused the truck to handle as poorly as it did,” said Showalter. “Most of the Chevrolets had handling problems today, but we should have been better than what we showed today,” he added.

Key Motorsports also entered its #44 Chevrolet in the California event as a field filler with 66-year-old Morgan Shepherd finishing 34th after completing just seven laps. This start enabled Shepherd to remain the oldest driver ever to start a NCTS race.