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Dana Dodge Racing Notes & Quotes

13 October 1997


#18 Dana Dodge Notes & Quotes


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Cornelius, NC (October 13, 1997)  --  ASA points champion Kevin Cywinski piloted the #18 Dana Dodge this weekend at Mesa Marin Raceway in the 23rd race of the 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.  Cywinski starting 20th, battled a slick, abrasive track all day in which passing was at a real premium.  Still, the Wisconsin native kept away from the trouble spots and brought the #18 Dana Dodge home in 15th in his first visit to the 1/2 mile California oval.

"This was one of those days when you wished you had finished better,
but was happy to bring the truck home in one piece," said team manager
Scott Treichler.  "We learned a whole bunch about the track, and got
some very good data.  Kevin had never run this track before, and its a
real hard track to get to know.  The surface is very slick and
abrasive, and its real tough on tires.  We were off on the setup just
a little bit.

We were sixth fastest in final practice, but without a top qualifying
run, its very difficult to pass.  Still, it was a good, solid run for
us, and we came up a few positions. These truck series guys are very
competitive- nobody cuts any slack, even the lapped trucks.  If you
are going to get any breaks, you have to make you own breaks.  Still,
we'll take what we learned and go from there."

Next up for the DANA Dodge...

...is NASCAR Winston Cup veteran Robby Gordon in the #18 Dana Dodge at
the new California Speedway for the No Fear Challenge on October 18th.
The No Fear Challenge will be Gordon's fourth start in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series, and his second start in a truck fielded by #18
Dana Dodge team owner Kurt Roehrig.  Gordon's last Truck series race
was in November of 1996 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he started
16th and finished 6th after running in the top five much of the race.

"We're real encouraged going in to the race at California," said
Treichler.  "We were in the top five in testing this past week, we
have a good truck, and we have a driver behind the wheel that we've
worked with before and has good experience at this track.  Barring any
problems, we should have a good finish at California.

The No Fear Challenge will be 100 laps around the two mile oval, and
will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 4:00pm, EST.  Radio coverage will
also begin at 4:00pm on Truck Racing Network, a division of Motor
Racing Network.
 
Dana Dodge On-Board Activity...

 The next on-board camera event for the #18 Dana Dodge will be the GM
Goodwrench/Delco Battery 300 at Phoenix International Raceway on
November 1st.

In Team News...

Roehrig Motorsport teammate Tony Raines started the Dodge California
Truckstop 300 in seventh, and brought it home in 11th , the last truck
on the lead lap.  The #19 Pennzoil Dodge carries associate sponsorship
from Dana Corporation.

About DANA Corporation...

Dana Corporation and four of its major brands- Spicer_, Victor Reinz_,
Wix_, and Perfect Circle_, comprise the primary sponsorship of the #18
Dana Dodge.  Dana is the worldwide leader in the engineering,
manufacturing, and distribution of products and systems for the
vehicular, industrial, and off-highway markets.  A unique aspect of
the relationship of Dana Corporation and Roehrig Motorsport is in the
product and engineering provided.  Many of the automotive components
that Dana Corporation manufactures are used on the race truck,
including filtration products, sealing products, gasket technology,
driveshaft, and drivetrain technology.  For more information on DANA
Corporation's products and technology, or the #18 Dana Dodge, please
call Patti Kelly at (704)895-1952, or e-mail
pattikelly@worldnet.att.net"