Ready for Thursday Night Thunder at Kentucky
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 25, 2012) – Racing on Thursday night rekindles fond memories for Jason Leffler. The former open wheel standout put his name on the racing map by winning several of the United States Auto Club (USAC) Thursday Night Thunder shows that were televised nationally in the late 90’s. The California native is hoping that the UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta will provide another sentimental moment in his racing career, as he aims for his first win behind the wheel of the No. 18 Dollar General Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM).
Leffler has rebounded from misfortunes that plagued the team earlier this season, posting a pair of solid finishes in his last two starts behind the wheel of KBM’s flagship Tundra. The 36-year-old driver registered a season-best fourth-place finish in the N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and after a one-race hiatus, which saw Brian Scott in the truck at Dover, returned with a sixth-place effort at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
While top-10 finishes are a step in the right direction, after leading the Series in victories each of its two seasons in existence, the No. 18 team is still looking for its first win of 2012. The venue for this week’s race - located along the famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail - may be just the elixir that Leffler and his Dollar General Crew need, as both have previous success in the Truck Series at the 1.5-mile Tri-oval.
Leffler captured the pole for his first Truck Series event at Kentucky and led double-digit laps en route to fifth-place finishes in both of his previous starts in NASCAR’s third division. The Dollar General Tundra is the defending UNOH 225 winner, as owner-driver Kyle Busch came from the rear of the field - after being late to the driver’s meeting due to Sprint Cup Series testing - to earn his team’s sixth 2011 victory. Busch also had the dominant truck in the 2010 event in The Bluegrass State, leading a race-high 73 laps before being relegated to a seventh-place finish, when the race was decided by fuel strategy.
Jason Leffler, Driver of the No. 18 NCWTS Dollar General Tundra:
Does running a Thursday night race bring back memories for you?
“It definitely brings back memories of the old Thursday Night Thunder. It should be a cool event and I think that the TV viewership should be pretty good. I was fortunate enough to win a lot of races on Thursday Night Thunder and it helped me get noticed by a lot of people -- it’s too bad that it’s not around today. Maybe we can get a few more truck races on Thursday night -- that would be pretty cool.”
Is Kentucky the most unique of the mile-and-a-half tracks?
“For sure -- it has a lot of character. It’s rough, it isn’t banked as much as some of the other ones and it’s really wide. It’s a really cool place to drive. You have to get your truck handling right in order to have a lot of speed.”
The team has showed improved results in your last few races, do you feel like you’re on the cusp of your first KBM victory?
“Absolutely -- we had a shot to win at Charlotte and we are bringing the same truck that was decent at Texas. It was a new truck at Texas and since that race Eric (Phillips, crew chief) has fine tuned that thing. I look forward to running it with the updates he and the guys made and seeing how they go when we get on the racetrack. We have a lot of confidence rolling into Kentucky.”
Eric Phillips, Crew Chief of the No. 18 NCWTS Dollar General Tundra:
What makes Kentucky a difficult track?
“With all the repaving that has gone on the last few years, it is really the only mile-and-a-half track that we go to that is really rough. It was rough when they originally built it, and over the years, the pavement has gotten a lot older and it has gotten so rough. There are a lot of bumps, so it presents a lot of different things we have to work through. Trying to get the truck to ride through the bumps with the front end and still continue to try and turn is a difficult challenge.”
How would you evaluate your team’s performance so far this season?
“We’ve been fast. I feel like we’ve had really good trucks, but haven’t been able to finish the weekend as strong as we’ve been when we unload. We had a lot of issues early in the season -- we had an engine issue, been in a wreck and a few other things of our own doing. I feel like we’ve had top-three or four race trucks every week in practice, but we haven’t been able to finish that. Hopefully going into this weekend and this summer stretch, we can put those things behind us and be strong.”
Jason Leffler’s No. 18 Dollar General Tundra:
Chassis KBM-12: The Dollar General Racing team will unload, KBM-12, which made its debut in the last Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. After having to start from the 18th spot when qualifying was washed out, Leffler went on to post a sixth-place finish.
Notes of Interest:
Jason Leffler @ Kentucky Speedway:
- Captured the pole, led 20 laps and finished fifth in his first start in the Truck Series at Kentucky Speedway (7/13/02)
- Started and finished in the top five and led double-digit laps in each of his two previous Truck Series starts
- Registered two top-10 finishes in seven Nationwide Series starts
- Ranks in the top five of several NCWTS Loop Data categories this season: second Fastest Early in Run (5.750 Average Rank), third Fastest Green Flag Speed (6.250 Average Rank), third Fastest on Restarts (8.167 Average Rank) and fourth Fastest Late In a Run (7.750 Average Rank)
- Has qualified in the top 10 for four of his six starts this season, including a second-place starting position at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. (4/21/12)
- Has finished sixth or better in each of his last two starts, including a season-best fourth-place finish in the N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (5/18/12)
- In 52 career starts, has accumulated one win (Dover ’03), 10 poles, 20 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes
- In 2002, captured a NCWTS series-leading eight poles, ranked second with 494 laps led and registered 11 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes en route to a fourth-place finish in the final series standings
- In 292 career NNS starts, has registered two wins (IRP ’07 & Nashville ’04), eight poles, 42 top-five and 106 top-10 finishes
- Finished in the top 10 in the final NNS standings for five consecutive seasons (‘07 – ’11)
- Captured the pole for the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway in 2001; has at least one pole in each of NASCAR’s top three series
- After starting at the rear of the field, for being late to the driver’s meeting, Kyle Busch went on to lead 61 laps en route to victory in last year’s UNOH 225
- Brian Ickler finished fifth in the fall race at Kentucky last year
- The last time that the No. 18 Tundra was on the track, Jason Leffler posted a sixth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth after starting from the 18th position when qualifying was cancelled due to rain (6/8/12)
- After seven races, resides 15th in the 2012 NCWTS owner’s point standings – improved 11 positions over the last five races
- In 2011, ranked first in Truck Series wins (8) and second in Owner’s Points (920), Laps Led (878), Fastest Laps Run (448) and Top-Five Finishes (16)
- Three different drivers won a race in the No. 18 Tundra in 2011 - Kyle Busch (series-leading 6), Kasey Kahne (1) and Denny Hamlin (1)
- Since debuting in the Truck Series in 2010, the team has compiled 16 wins and 34 top-five finishes over 57 starts
- In 2010, became first team since the NCWTS originated in 1995 to win the Owner’s Championship in its inaugural season
Dollar General is giving fans an extra reason to cheer for Jason Leffler this season. If the No. 18 Dollar General Tundra brings home a top-10 finish in Thursday’s UNOH 225, everyone will receive 10% off on all online products purchased at DollarGeneral.com next Monday, July 2 and if he wins, the savings increase to 20% off.
The Phillips File:
Crew chief Eric Phillips has registered two wins (Kyle Busch ’11 & Dennis Setzer ’05), four top-five and five top-10 finishes in eight races calling the shots for Truck Series races at Kentucky Speedway. His drivers have combined to lead 151 laps, including 61 by Kyle Busch in last year’s UNOH 225 victory.
