David Stover’s Gateway Run Shortened by Broken Rocker Arm Bolt

David Stover had raced and won at Gateway International Raceway a few years ago, however it was in shifter go-karts on the road course, not a 3400-pound NASCAR Craftsman Truck on the circle track oval. Rain washed out any thought of practice and qualifying on Friday, so the field was set on points, with the #63 Ford Truck starting 26. David piloted the Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool / Dave Porter Truck Sales #63 Ford immediately to 20th position where he ran most of the night gaining valuable experience. He ran competitively until lap 117 when two rocker arm bolts broke, relegating him to a 26^th place finish.

"I like this track. It was a lot of fun," commented David. "I ran go-karts here on the road course a few years ago and won 3 races, but we only used turns 3 & 4. We had a push in turns 1 & 2 all weekend. I was shifting in 1 & 2 and that really helped slow the truck and also to get off the corner. We had a strong motor. I could run with anybody down the front and back straights. The crew did a great job on the pit stops. They made changes that helped but never eliminated the push. Turns 3 & 4 were fine."

Over 200 friends, fans, family, and sponsors were on hand to cheer on David and the #63 Ford Truck team at their hometown track. David adapted well to the challenging Gateway International Raceway. Two half-hour practice sessions late Friday night were all that David and the team got to dial-in the truck setup and give David experience on the track. The racing competition was close all night long as David found himself in 3-wide racing several times and did a masterful job to bring the #63 Ford Truck into the garage with no scratches, dents, tire marks, etc. - just normal grime from racing hard.

"We are very proud of David and the job he did tonight," stated Mike Mittler, owner & crew chief. "The rain on Friday took away our practice session and gave David very little time to gain experience with the shortened happy hour. We were extremely tight in turns 1 & 2 during happy hour, so we completely reworked the front-end setup before the race. It helped some, but we never did get rid of the push. David had his hands full in 1 & 2 trying to control the push and also having to shift. We always want to run good and finish the race in front of all our friends, family, and sponsors. We had a top-10 or at least a top-15 truck tonight, but a 75-cent bolt shortened a good run."

The MB Motorsports #63 Ford Truck will race next at Indianapolis Raceway Park at 8:00 PM (central) on August 1, 2003. Be sure to watch or listen to all the action on Speed Channel television or MRN radio.