Saturday night the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will head to the nation’s heartland for the American Ethanol 200 at the Iowa Speedway. SS Green Light Racing’s Ross Chastain is ready to get back behind the wheel for the 200-lap event after mechanical issues shortened the last event for the South Carolina Watermelon Association Toyota after just eight laps.
Hard luck and unexpected mechanical failures have slowed the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate’s 2012 season resulting in four DNF’s just eight races into the NCWTS campaign.
“Right now I just want to show people how good we are capable of running,” a determined Chastain said. “I feel like we have had really good trucks and each time we’ve had troubles we were headed towards the front. If we can get a race where nothing bad happens we’ll show everyone how strong we can be.”
Chastain’s rollercoaster ride of strong runs and hard-luck finishes leaves the talented young Floridian twenty-first in the NCWTS point standings. He has been as high as eleventh and low as twenty-fifth through the first eight weeks of racing.
“I’ve never seen Iowa Speedway before, they tell me to look left after the cornfield and it will be right there,” he added with a chuckle. “I’ve watched a bunch of the races there and they always get a nice crowd so I want to be sure we can show them a good race. I’m excited to get there to see the track and get behind the wheel.”
“The SS Green Light guys have been working hard in the shop and hopefully we’ll unload off the truck as good as we were at Kentucky, we’ll see when we get there how good the melon is. The guys are also going to help an ARCA team Friday night so they’ll have some extra pit practice to be ready for Saturday.”
The South Carolina Watermelon Association will return to the hood of the SS Green Light Tundra for the American Ethanol 200 along with the National Watermelon Promotion Board. The Florida Watermelon Association and Georgia Watermelon Association will also have a presence on the No. 08 this week at Iowa.
The American Ethanol 200 is the 279th consecutive NCWTS start for the SS Green Light Racing team and the fourteenth career start for Chastain in the Truck Series. Ross has an average starting spot of 22.1 and an average finish of 21.1 including two top-ten finishes in his thirteen previous starts.
There are 39 trucks on the entry list for the American Ethanol 200, which will follow Friday’s ARCA Prairie Meadows 200 at the Iowa Speedway. Jeff Agnew will pilot the No. 07 for SS Green Light Racing. It will be the first of two events at Iowa for the NCWTS in 2012.
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