Track Details
Construction Completed in 1959
Distance : 1.5 miles
Shape : Quad-oval
Banking : 24° turns 5° straights
Frontstretch : 1,980 feet
Backstretch : 1,500 feet
Seating : 165,000
Intermediate Tracks Have Arrived: This Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway kicks off a four-race stretch of racing at 1.5-mile ovals. Though driver Craig Goess has never visited the asphalt quad-oval, he has shown success in the past at similar tracks in the ARCA Racing Series. Driving last season for current team owner Eddie Sharp in the development series, Goess picked up four top-five finishes at the intermediate tracks on the ARCA schedule, including a runner-up finish Charlotte look-alike, Texas Motor Speedway.
Craig Goess NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Craig Will Be Racing at Home in North Carolina
Last Race: A string of unfortunate events at Dover International Speedway, including changing track conditions and two separate incidents on the backstretch, added up to the first premature ending of a race this season for Eddie Sharp Racing and driver Craig Goess. After taking the green flag for the Lucas Oil 200 from the 11th spot, his best start thus far in 2011, Craig’s day would stop short of the scheduled 200 laps when contact with another truck on Lap 186 sent the No. 46 Greenville Toyota of North Carolina Toyota Tundra into the retaining wall.
Craig Goess on Charlotte Motor Speedway: “I’ve been anticipating this visit to Charlotte since the beginning of the season. The only laps I’ve taken there was during Andy Hillenburg’s Driving School course that I took a few years ago, but I was able to have a lot of success last year in ARCA on similar tracks. It’s going to be a blast for me. Most importantly, we need to qualify well, keep the truck in one piece and shoot for a top-10 finish to get back on track.”
Crew Chief Trip Bruce on Charlotte Motor Speedway: “We’ll actually be going into Charlotte with a very similar setup to what we had at Dover. Both tracks are smooth and the banking is similar, but a lot like Dover, if something happens it comes up quick on you. A lot of success at Charlotte is running fast across the corners and maintaining focus.
“We had some bad luck at Dover, but it’s important for us to get back on track to the consistent runs we were having before last weekend. Our objective is to score top-15 finishes and complete as many laps during the race as possible in order to get race experience and build our program.”
Truck Information: Chassis number 008 will be competing at Charlotte with Goess behind the wheel this weekend. Purchased last season from Kyle Busch Motorsports, the truck was brand new when it made its first start at Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing 12th with Craig at the controls.
For More Information: Follow updates Eddie Sharp Racing, Craig Goess and the No. 46 Greenville Toyota of N.C. Tundra throughout the weekend by following @TeamESR on Twitter, and log on to the Eddie Sharp Racing Fan Page on Facebook.
