Good Daytona Speedweek for #63 Waterloo Team Shortened by Engine Problem

Larry Gunselman knew he had a strong Ford Truck entering the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck race at Daytona International Speedway, after practicing in the top-10 all week long. His confidence grew as he moved the #63 Ford from the 17th place starting position into 5th place after just 15 laps. The engine, however, lost a cylinder on lap 43 forcing the team to park the truck with a 31st place finish.

"I had a good feeling when we came to Daytona last week," stated Larry Gunselman. "We had a good January practice and we were strong all week long. I could drive the truck wherever needed."

"It was fun out there today. We were able to show our strength in the first 20 laps and move into the top-10 real early. We got as high as 5th place and planned to just stay in line and wait until the end to make our move. I truly believe we had a great shot to do something today. I only used three-quarter throttle for most of what we ran."

The #63 Waterloo Tool Storage Ford developed a miss a few laps after their first pit stop on lap 23. Larry and the crew thought maybe a plug wire came off and pitted during the next caution on lap 38. Nothing was found and the #63 Ford returned to action only to have the engine let go coming off turn two on lap 43.

"It is tough to be as strong as we were today and not able to finish the race," commented Mike Mittler, owner and crew chief. "We already found what caused our engine problem. We will fix it as soon as we get home and be ready to race again."

"Overall, we are very pleased with the entire week," continued Mike Mittler. "It was a confidence building week for the crew and rewarding to run in the top-10 for our primary marketing partner, Waterloo Tool Storage, and two new associate partners, Summit Truck Style and APPGAS.com prepaid gas card."

The #63 NASCR Craftsman Truck team will return to action at Gateway International Speedway May 5, 2002.

The next NASCAR Craftsman Truck race will be March 15, 2002 at Darlington Speedway in Darlington, SC.