RUSSELL E. GARWOOD ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS TO RETURN AS KEY MOTORSPORTS, CHAD CHAFFIN SPONSOR IN ATLANTA

Following Chad Chaffin’s solid performance in the Racetickets.com 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race last weekend in California, the Russell E. Garwood Electrical Contractors Company of Marco Island, Florida has elected to again sponsor Chaffin and the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in the Atlanta 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia on March 17.

In the California event, the Key Motorsports contingent, led by Team Manager and Crew Chief Lance Hooper, had to rebuild the right side of Chaffin’s #40 machine in order to get into the race. A cut right front tire sent the truck into the turn two wall, but it failed to prevent Chaffin from turning in a strong qualifying effort that put his Key Motorsports race truck into its first show in 2006. Chaffin’s speed, with a Hutter engine under the hood and a taped up body, out qualified no less than seven factory-supported teams and four of the eight trucks that had to qualify for the race on qualifying time.

Chaffin then finished on the lead lap in the 18th position in the race and at one point led for six laps to help build momentum for the fledgling team for the Atlanta event.

“Everyone was disappointed when the truck was bumped from the starting field in Daytona despite turning in the 28th fastest time”, Rusty Garwood, President and founder of Russell E. Garwood Electrical Contractors, said after providing associate sponsorship to the team for the 2006 Craftsman Truck Series season opener. Key Motorsports fell victim to NASCAR’s top 30 rule that awards guaranteed starting berths in each race to the trucks of teams that finished in the top 30 in owner points in 2005. Not being in that position thus cost Chaffin and Key Motorsports a spot in the GM Flex Fuel 250 since six other non-point trucks qualified higher.

“Chad and the team showed what they are capable of doing in California, even while again facing the top 30 rule. I wanted to be on board the race truck earlier than I had planned to help them out in the Atlanta race”, Garwood said. His company had already announced sponsorship of the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet truck for races this season at Daytona, Gateway International near St. Louis, Bristol, TN and Homestead, FL.