Calm Nerves
Responsive Driving
"I'm happy with the way we performed," said Rose following the race. "We were running with an engine that was just dropped in right before the race started, and we were doing well.
Following the 2000 season, Rose plans to continue running at Nashville's famed 5/8 mile oval every chance he gets. "I'm going to drive a lot of the Late Model races at Nashville this year. I missed some early races because I was driving in the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia in the American Racing Association." He pondered, "What will I do with the prize money? Go buy a new pair of White Air Maxes," ... of course.
Mount Juliet, Tennessee (December 3, 2015)-Beginning in 2016, Bobby Hamilton Racing (BHR) will expand to become the first full-time, three-team operation in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Brian Rose, who began his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career last season at Memphis Motorsports Park, will compete in his first full schedule on the tour in the No. 4 SunClear Energy Dodge Ram for BHR. Rose’s No. 4 Team will operate out of the same 46,000 square foot race shop in Mount Juliet, Tennessee where BHR’s other two teams are based.
“Joining Bobby Hamilton Racing is an amazing opportunity for me,” said Rose. “The professionalism of everyone on the team shows why they’ve had so much success. This is a big plus for my career. Bobby’s (Hamilton) equipment wins races. There isn’t a better-equipped team in the Truck Series than Bobby Hamilton Racing, and no better crew chief either. Danny Rollins is one of the best, and I’m excited to just be a part of this team.”
Rose’s new team will have the services of last year’s third place finishing crew chief, Danny Rollins, in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings. Rollins worked with veteran,
Joe Ruttman, last season, and together, they won the opening race at Daytona International Speedway and then went on to finish the season with 20 top ten finishes.
“We have some really high expectations next year, starting with Daytona,” said Rose. “We’re not expecting to start out timid and improve as the year goes on. We’re expecting to start out with a top-five qualifying run at Daytona, and then build quickly on that start.”
In Rose’s short driving career, he spent two years racing the Late Model Division at Nashville Speedway USA, before making the jump to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this year. In 15 career Truck Series starts, Rose’s best career finish is a 12th place effort at California Speedway at the final race of this year.
“We’re very excited about Brian (Rose) coming on board with us here at BHR,” said Bobby Hamilton, owner of Bobby Hamilton Racing. “He’s going to make a great addition to our stable, and I think he’s going to surprise some people. He has been out there getting experience, and now he will have the equipment to showcase his driving talent. What we like about the deal is that he gives the team a young, aggressive driver to hopefully move into the future with, if everything works out. We took a look at several situations over the last month since the season ended, and it just made good business since for us to run a third team with Brian (Rose) and SunClear Energy. It gives us more depth in the organization and more information to make that run for the championship with one of our three trucks. It also helps us offer more to our sponsor partners, depending on what team and driver image their company is looking for.”
Also teaming with Rose and the SunClear No. 4 Team for Bobby Hamilton Racing will be African-American driver, Bill Lester, in the No. 8 Dodge Dealers Dodge Ram, and the No. 18 Dodge Ram, currently in negotiations with several sponsors, is also in the process of signing a former Winston Cup driver for next year.
Nashville Speedway, USA has produced such well-know drivers as Darrell Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, Jeff Green, Michael Waltrip, Bobby Hamilton, and Casey Atwood, and is considered one of the best tracks for gaining the experience needed to compete in NASCAR's premier divisions.
Fontana, CA – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie Brian Rose made the switch from Chevrolet Silverado to Dodge Ram hoping to find the right combination to end his rookie season on a high note.
Leading laps and bringing home his best finish of the season in Friday’s Auto Club 200 at California Speedway was the high note the no. 51 Sunclear Energy team was hoping to find in the season ending race.
“We knew we had a good truck,” said Rose. “The crew did a great job all day on the pit stops, getting me in and out and keeping me within reach of the front. Every stop went smooth and just as we had planned them.”
A mix-up prior to qualifying put Rose on the track for his one-lap qualifying attempt with the wrong gear installed, causing the Sunclear Energy truck to post the slowest qualifying time of the day and forcing the team to use a provisional starting position from the 33rd spot. With the problem corrected before race time, however, the no. 51 was faster than many trucks starting in front of it and quickly began the move to the front.
Rose took the lead on lap 50 of the 100-lap race, and gave it up to eventual race winner
Ted Musgrave on lap 57. “It’s exciting to be the leader, knowing you’re the one being chased instead of doing the chasing,” said Rose. “When the race started and I was passing people pretty easily, I knew we were in for a good day.”
After pitting on lap 58 for fuel and left tires, the no. 51 team knew they were getting good gas mileage. “We came out in 20th position after pitting because a lot of the teams didn’t pit when we did,” explained Rose. “But we knew we were getting good gas mileage and if we had a long green-flag run, the others would have to pit again and we wouldn’t. We were right where we needed to be.”
Rose began working toward the front again, but a series of late-race cautions meant slower speeds and better gas mileage for all of the trucks, resulting in teams not needing to pit for fuel. “Our strategy was right,” added Rose. “If we had gotten to the end without all of the cautions, a lot of the trucks would have been forced to pit or run out of gas. We’re happy with the way things worked out anyway, though, and wouldn’t do anything different.”
The Auto Club 200 was the 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season finale, and the 12th place finish catapulted Rose to 22nd in the final driver points standings, even though not joining the team until the 10th race of the season.
Rose’s fans can find all the latest news on his official website at www.RacingRose.com.
The crew was still working to get the back-up engine installed when time came to qualify. Missing qualifying put the #72 starting in the back of the 25 car filed. Although Rose started at the back, he was moving through the field pretty quick, closing in on the top 10 when he was black-flagged for smoke coming from the back of the Monte Carlo.
Starting in 32nd position after
getting loose in qualifying, Rose quickly began
advancing through the field and by lap 20 had advanced
to 20th position. On lap 22 the no. 17 and no. 73 trucks
got together, putting oil on the track which Rose hit,
sending him into a spin. Although he managed to avoid
hitting other trucks or the wall, a prolonged pit stop
was required, putting Rose back in action in 29th
position.
"We were running well when that first bit
of bad luck caught us," said Rose. "All we could do
after that was regroup and try to head back toward the
front."
The Sunclear Energy team was again making
progress through the field, advancing to 23rd position
when caution was thrown on lap 72 for the no. 20 truck
hitting the wall.
"The crew did great on the stop,"
said Rose. "But when I got back out on the track, I
couldn't see anything. The sun was coming in at a low
angle, and the windshield looked like it was smeared
with something. I had to go back in to the pits because
I was afraid I'd run over somebody."
During the pit
stop, the crew had removed the first layer of the
windshield tear-off, a thin film which is applied in
layers to the windshield and is designed to be removed
quickly to clean the windshield. However, a thin film of
glue remained behind instead of coming off with the
first tear-off layer. A second layer of tear-off was
removed when Rose re-pitted and the problem was solved.
However, he had dropped back to 26th position.
Rose
again began working his way through the pack again, and
when caution fell on lap 148 Rose was in 21st position,
with only a couple of laps remaining.
"I knew I was
faster than the trucks in front of me on the restart,"
explained Rose. "I started around the truck in front of
me on the outside, and soon found myself too high on the
outside of a three-wide situation."
Rose was forced
into the wall, breaking the truck's rear-end and
finishing in 23rd position.
"We played catch-up all
day," said Rose. "Everybody worked hard, the truck was
right, but it was one of those days when you just don't
get the breaks. But we have another race left, and we're
due some breaks now."
Rose and the Sunclear Energy
team head to the two-mile D-shaped oval of California
Speedway on Saturday, November 3, for the Auto Club 200.
Television coverage begins on ESPN at 4:30 p.m. ET, with
MRN radio coverage beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET.
"We were lucky we had one in the shop that we were able to get pretty quick." The crew was still working to get the back-up engine installed when time came to qualify. Missing qualifying put the #72 starting in the back of the 25 car filed.
Bowling Green, Ky. — Bowling
Green, Kentucky’s Brian Rose has signed with Ware Racing
Enterprises to drive the #51 Chevrolet Silverado in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series' remaining 15 races in
2001, beginning with the Memphis 200 on June 23 at the
Memphis Motorsports Park.
Joining the #51 team as
primary sponsor for the remainder of the season is
Sunclear Energy, Inc., a Nevada corporation with
worldwide interests in the development and operation of
oil and gas properties.
The Memphis 200 will be the
first start for the 21-year-old Rose in the Craftsman
Truck Series, which many call NASCAR's most competitive
series. Rose was voted the fans' "Most Popular Driver"
at the prestigious Nashville Speedway, USA following
last year's season in NASCAR's Late Model Stock Car
division.
"I'm excited about entering the Craftsman
Truck Series, especially with a team as experienced and
professional as Ware Racing," said Rose. "I've been
working with the team since early this year and I've
tested with them a number of times, so I know we'll come
out at full speed."
Sunclear Energy, Inc. President
and CEO Hugh Sackett is confident that the
competitiveness of the Truck Series, the fan appeal and
talent of Brian Rose, and the winning tradition of Ware
Racing will combine to build name recognition for the
company. "We've associated with a group that has a
tremendous amount of potential," said Sackett. "Brian
Rose has the ability to run up front and Ware Racing is
the team to get him there. Joining this team is
definitely the right move."
Rick Ware, owner of the
Thomasville, NC-based Ware Racing Enterprises, is
confident of Rose's chances for success. "Brian has what
it takes to be a winner in this series," said Ware. "I
first noticed him last winter when he was testing with
another team in Las Vegas, and he wasn't driving like
most rookies. He settles in, quickly finds his line, and
gets after it like a veteran. After talking to him, I
knew he was a perfect fit for our team."
"A top ten
finish at Memphis wouldn't surprise me at all, even
though it would be unusual for someone in their first
truck race to finish that well," added Ware. "I really
like the way he's driving, though, and he'll only keep
getting better as the season goes on. With Sunclear
Energy on board now, we have the pieces in place for
those consistent top ten and top five finishes. And I
expect to visit the winner's circle before the year's
over."
Ware also knows that Rose has a large group of
fans that follow his racing each week on his website
(www.RacingRose.com) as well as at the track. "Brian was
voted 'Most Popular Driver' by the fans at Nashville,
and has over 18,000 members in his fan club," said Ware.
"That's amazing for someone who hasn't been driving any
longer than he has. He's great with the fans, makes a
lot of public appearances, and spends a lot of time
before and after races signing autographs. When you
spend a little time with him, you can see why he's so
popular with the fans."
This is only Rose's third
year as a full-time driver, starting his career in the
NASCAR Late Model Stock Car division at Nashville
Speedway, USA, where he learned to race against some of
the best drivers in the country. Nashville Speedway, USA
has produced such well-know drivers as Darrell Waltrip,
Sterling Marlin, Jeff Green, Michael Waltrip, Bobby
Hamilton, and Casey Atwood, and is considered one of the
best tracks for gaining the experience needed to compete
in NASCAR's premier divisions.
The June 23 Memphis
200 will be broadcast live on ESPN. The race is
scheduled to begin at noon Central Time.
"That was an unbelievable job done by the crew. "I don't think there's a crew out there, in any level of racing, that could have done that any quicker or better."
visibly delighted, bRIAN rOSE