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NASCAR Trucks: Randy Tolsma; Drafting California Style

10 July 1998

FONTANA, Calif. - Randy Tolsma, driver of the No. 61 IWX Motor Freight Chevrolet, is looking forward to some drafting - California style - in the upcoming No Fear Challenge on July 18 here at the California Speedway. The 2-mile oval is the largest and fastest track that the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will compete on this season.

"I love the speed here at California," said Tolsma, who finished 5th last season in this race. "When you look at the trucks, you don't think of them as aerodynamic. But what you have to remember is the size of the hole that we need to cut into the air. We cut a pretty big hole and that gives you a pretty good draft if you're behind someone.

"It's funny, but it seems like every time we go to one of these big tracks I end of drafting with Ron Hornaday," continued Tolsma. "Last year, it seems like we raced together for the entire race. At Texas this year we both started midway through the pack. We hooked up early in that race and drafted right up to the front of the field. I guess we work pretty well together and that's good company for me to be racing in."

The fifth-place finish last year was Tolsma's career second top-five finish in the series. Tolsma has three top-five finishes this season and has been consistently running at the front of nearly all the series races. At Texas, another high-speed track, Tolsma was leading the event in the second half when engine failure ended the strong performance. He brings this momentum and a strong truck here to the state-of-the-art facility.

"I think we're going to have an awesome truck," he continued. "We were so strong at Texas which is also a track where aerodynamics is critical. We have a very good truck and I'm very optimistic about California."

The No Fear Challenge, a 100-lap, 200-mile event, will be contested on Saturday, July 18 at 1:00 p.m. PDT. ESPN will have live television coverage of the race, while the NASCAR Truck Network, a division of Motor Racing Network, will have live radio coverage.

IWX Motor Freight is a Springfield, Mo. based trucking firm having a fleet of 400 trucks. IWX serves 48 states and annually the trucks will log more than 98 million miles.