LACK OF QUALIFYING SPEED DOOMS CHAFFIN’S EFFORTS IN ATLANTA

Chad Chaffin has enjoyed a reasonable amount of success at Atlanta Motor Speedway in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition over the years. Unfortunately, that past success was unable to get the 37-year-old Tennessean and his #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado into the field for Friday night’s John Deere 200.

“That’s all the speed she had”, a disappointed Chaffin said after turning in a lap of 
31.272 seconds for a speed of 177.283 miles per hour – only the 35th best out of the 39 trucks that took time. Chaffin would have had to out-qualify three of the nine trucks on the qualifying grid to make the show since the Key Motorsports entry did not have a top 30 position in 2005 owner points to fall back on. He could only beat two of them.

“We knew that it was going to be tough coming into Atlanta because it is a horsepower track, and the same scenario worked against us in Daytona”, added Chaffin. Back in February for the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener, Chaffin posted the 28th quickest speed in qualifying out of 42 trucks. However, he still ended up going home due to the top 30 rule, and the fact that only 36 berths are available for Truck Series events instead of the 43 for Nextel Cup and Busch Series races.

“In Daytona, we had the speed to ordinarily get us in the field but did not because of those 30 trucks from last season that were guaranteed spots. This time (in Atlanta), the bottom line is that we just did not have enough horsepower in this Hutter motor to get the job done”, Chaffin explained. He did say that his truck drove well and could have been a factor in the race had he qualified.

Chaffin and his Lance Hooper-led Key Motorsports team had a tough day all around, having to also battle a fuel distribution issue during the day’s early practice sessions. A faulty fuel pump was finally discovered, but even with that problem solved, the speed was just not there to make the Atlanta field.

Having now qualified for just one of the 2006 season’s first three races, Chaffin and the Key Motorsports team’s attempts to get the #40 machine into the top 30 in owner points after four races this season is in jeopardy. Only the April 1 race in Martinsville, VA remains before NASCAR reverts to 2006 points to determine the 30 guaranteed starters for the season’s remaining races.

“Our backs are against the wall, but it’s not the end of the world just yet”, Hooper said. “We were 29th in owner points coming into Atlanta despite only competing in one of the first two races, and our effort (an 18th place finish and a race leader for six laps) in the race in California was the reason and showed that we have the equipment to get the job done. We’re just going to have to do everything we can now to make the race in Martinsville, have a good run and hopefully be in a position to get back into that top 30 position”, Hooper added.

“Horsepower should not be as much an issue at that flat, half-mile oval as it is at places like Atlanta and Daytona, and Chad usually gets around that place pretty well”, Hooper ended.