NASCAR-CTS: Lance Norick looks to keep consistency going at Gateway
18 September 1998
MADISON, IL -Consistency has been our goal this season, said Lance Norick, driver of the #90 NHL Dodge. It has been a tough road to get there but the last few races our efforts have finally begun to payoff. Bettering our qualifying efforts will help us even further. At Gateway this weekend, that is going to be our strongest focus, to qualify in the top 15 which will in turn improve our opportunity for a good finishing position.
Norick, in his third season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, understands that moving to the front of the field doesnt just happen overnight.
When you look at the level of competition in the Truck series, Norick explained. It is not an easy series to jump into an get immediate success. The guys that run up front every week, including my teammate Butch Miller, have several years of experience in similar-type series. They ran late models and other NASCAR touring series like All-Pro and Busch Grand National. I jumped into the truck right from open wheel cars and there is a pretty steep learning curve, more than I thought actually. I am not making excuses, it is a fact. You can walk through the garage and everyone of those guys will tell you they paid their dues somewhere. This team has worked hard all year and been patient for me to as I continue to learn how to drive the truck. While there is always something to learn every race at every track, I feel like I have gotten a pretty firm foundation of information and it is now translating to how we are racing. Now we can concentrate on moving toward the front of the field.
The NHL Dodge is co-owned by Norick and his Dad, Ron Norick. Both the NHL Dodge team and the DANA Dodge team are headquartered in Concord, North Carolina.
Bud Pole Qualifying for the Ram Tough 200 is slated from Friday, September 18 at 3:00 for positions one through 20. Second round qualifying will be Saturday morning with the race set to start a 3:30 p.m. CDT. TNN will provide live television coverage of the race. The NASCAR Truck Network will broadcast the race to over 400 radio station affiliates nationwide.
