Olympia Racing News

Martinsville, VA. (July 22, 2006) - Veteran Ricky Craven's return to the NASCAR Busch Series ended just 66 short laps into the Goody's 250 Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. The No. 14 Family Dollar Dodge succumbed to brake failure resulting in a disappointing 39th place finish.

Craven's qualifying effort, hampered by a tight condition, forced the Family Dollar Dodge to start near the rear of the 43-car field. Unfazed, the young crew knew that with a veteran like Craven the Family Dollar Dodge would quickly charge to the front once the green flag flew.

Craven, as expected, expertly maneuvered the Family Dollar Dodge through the field making his way up to the 29th position in just 13 laps.

Despite complaining of a worsening tight handling condition Craven continued his steady climb through the field picking off cars one by one.

Misfortune would strike Craven on lap 34, as contact from another car would cause the Family Dollar Dodge to spin, bringing out yet another caution to slow the field.

"I'm locking up the left front brake!" Craven radioed his crew. "It's way too tight, I think we have a problem with the brakes."

Craven would bring the No. 14 to pit road to the attention of his crew for four tires and Sunoco racing fuel before returning to the race in the 38th position, one lap down to the leaders.

The Family Dollar Dodge's troubles would continue not long into the green flag run as Craven radioed crew chief, Greg Ely with an update.

"I can't get this thing stopped," radioed Craven. "I've lost the front brakes completely. We've got to come in and take a look at them."

Sitting helplessly behind the wall Craven could only watch as his crew worked feverishly to replace both front brake rotors in an effort the get the Family Dollar Dodge back out onto the track.

Craven would briefly return to the race before terminal brake woes would force the No. 14 Family Dollar Dodge to the garage, resulting in a disappointing 39th place finish.

"It's unfortunate that we didn't have the opportunity to really show how good the car really was," said Craven. "Had we not suffered brake problems, I think we could have had a solid top-10 finish."

The NASCAR Busch Series heads to Gateway International Raceway this weekend for the Gateway 250 presented by Shop n' Save. TNT and MRN Radio will broadcast all the racing action live beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Olympia Steel Buildings is a proud co-sponsor of the No.12 Dodge owned by FitzBradshaw Racing

Contreras Battles Brake Problems, Perseveres to Bring Home 29th Place Finish Martinsville, VA. (July 22, 2006) - Carlos Contreras battled back from brake problems to salvage a 29th place finish in the Goody's 250 Saturday at Martinsville Speedway.

Starting 31st in the No. 12 Supercuts/Beach Bash Dodge in only his second start of the 2006 season, Contreras methodically began picking his way through traffic from the drop of the green flag. With the help of veteran spotter Scott Clodfelter Contreras was able to maneuver his racecar into the top-25 in only 5 laps.

A caution flag on lap 68 would allow crew chief, Paul Wolfe to call his driver to pit road for some much needed adjustments. Hoping to alleviate the tight handling condition plaguing the No. 12, Wolfe would call for four tires, fuel and two rounds down on the right jacking bolt before sending Contreras back to the racing surface. These changes appeared to be exactly what the Supercuts/Beach Bash Dodge needed as Contreras broke in to the top-10 on lap 86.

The carnage out on the racetrack would continue with the caution flags flying with regular occurrence. Crew chief Wolfe offered this advice to his driver on one such caution.

"Carlos, you've got to keep this car clean," explained Wolfe.

"Be smart about it, you see how these guys are racing, you're doing a great job."

Mid-race contact from another car would cost Contreras a dozen spots forcing the Supercuts/Beach Bash Dodge back to the 24th position. Battling his way back up through the field Contreras began complaining he was losing the handling of his No. 12 Dodge.

"I'm tight, very, very tight," radioed Contreras. "I think my brakes are going bad."

"Hang in there buddy," encouraged Wolfe. "We've go to try and hang in there, you let me know if it gets worse and we'll get you in here." Contreras would fight brake problems for the remainder of the race bringing the Supercuts/Beach Bash Dodge home on the lead lap in the 29th position.

"This is not the finish I had hoped for," commented Contreras. "The Supercuts/Beach Bash car was good. My crew gave me good stops, made all the right adjustments. I really think we had a top-20 car today for sure."

"We had a lot of problems with the brakes," added Contreras. "They just got so hot, all I could do was hang on till the end."

The NASCAR Busch Series moves on to Gateway International Raceway for the Gateway 250 presented by Shop n' Save Saturday July 29th. TNT and MRN radio will carry all the racing action live beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Olympia Steel Buildings is a proud co-sponsor of the No.12 Dodge owned by FitzBradshaw Racing

Event: Goody's 250
Date: July 22nd, 2006
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Laps/Miles: 250/131.5
TV/Radio: NBC/MRN 3:30 p.m. ET.

• Saturday's Goody's 250 marks the first of a nine-race deal between Family Dollar and FitzBradshaw Racing. The Family Dollar Dodge will stop at IRP, Michigan, Bristol, Richmond, Kansas, Charlotte, Texas and the season finale at Homestead.
• NASCAR veteran Ricky Craven returns to the NASCAR Busch Series Saturday July 22nd in the Goody's 250 at Martinsville Speedway. This marks Craven's first start of the 2006 race season.
• No stranger to Martinsville Speedway, Craven has 27 starts at the historic half-mile oval in all three of NASCAR's top-three series.
• Craven boasts five top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He has an average starting position of 16th with an average finish of 13th.
• Craven has seen victory lane twice at Martinsville Speedway. His NEXTEL Cup Series win came in October 2001, followed up by a Craftsman Truck Series win in October 2005.
• Craven's first pole positions in both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series came at Martinsville Speedway.
• FitzBradshaw Racing will unload chassis #04 this weekend. This is the same car the team raced to a 13th place finish in Bristol earlier this year.

Craven On Returning To Racing At Martinsville Speedway

"Martinsville is obviously a special venue for me, and I am eager to race again in the NASCAR Busch Series. I am looking for positive results this week for FitzBradshaw Racing and Family Dollar."

Olympia Steel Buildings is a proud co-sponsor of the No.14 Dodge owned by FitzBradshaw Racing

Event: Goody's 250
Date: July 22nd, 2006
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Laps/Miles: 250/131.5
TV/Radio: NBC/MRN 3:30 p.m. ET.

• Carlos Contreras will make his second NASCAR Busch Series start of the 2006 season behind the wheel of the No. 12 Beach Bash Dodge for FitzBradshaw Racing.
• Contreras has three previous starts at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He has completed 94% of all possible laps at the half-mile oval.
• Contreras has an average starting position of 15th at Martinsville with an average finish of 20th.
• FitzBradshaw Racing will unload chassis #10 this weekend in Martinsville. This chassis was last raced in April at Phoenix Raceway.

Contreras On Racing At Martinsville Speedway

"It's great to be back racing in the NASCAR Busch Series with FitzBradshaw Racing.

I am grateful to Armando Fitz for this opportunity to race the No. 12 Beach Bash Dodge at Martinsville Speedway. I've raced there before in the Truck Series and I'm looking forward to going back."

"Even better is the fact I have an excellent teammate this weekend in Ricky Craven.

He's one of the best I've ever had. He's a past winner in the NEXTEL Cup and Truck Series there, so I know he can teach me a lot this weekend. Not just about the track itself, but about racing in general too."

Olympia Steel Buildings is a proud co-sponsor of the No.14 Dodge owned by FitzBradshaw Racing

Mooresville, N.C. (July 18, 2006) - FitzBradshaw Racing announced today that NASCAR veteran Ricky Craven will pilot the No. 14 Family Dollar Dodge in the Goody's 250 at Martinsville Speedway July 22nd.

No stranger to victory lane at Martinsville Speedway, Craven boasts two wins in 27 starts at the half-mile oval in both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Craftsman Truck Series.

"Martinsville is obviously a special venue for me," said Craven, "and I am eager to race again in the NASCAR Busch Series. I'm looking for positive results this week for FitzBradshaw Racing and Family Dollar."

Craven, the 1992 NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year also posted his first Busch Series and NEXTEL Cup Series pole positions at the historic half-mile oval.

"We're really excited to have someone like Ricky Craven behind the wheel of the Family Dollar Dodge this weekend in Martinsville," commented owner Armando Fitz. "Ricky brings a wealth of knowledge and success to our team, as well as being a driver with proven results. We're anticipating one of the most successful weekends that our team has had this season."

Olympia Steel Buildings is a proud co-sponsor of the No.14 Dodge owned by FitzBradshaw Racing

Loudon, N.H. (July 15, 2006) - Tracy Hines battled adversity and a torn up racecar to finish 34th in the New England 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway Saturday afternoon.

For the second consecutive week, misfortune struck Hines and the Supercuts team. Just two laps into the event, the No.12 Supercuts Dodge brought out the day's first caution flag as Hines was sent spinning losing his respectable 21st starting position.

Questioning whether the spin occurred due to contact with another competitor or a cut Goodyear tire, crew chief, Eddie Buffington called Hines to pit road. The crew quickly went to work bolting on four new tires and assessing the damage to the right side of the Supercuts Dodge.

Hines rejoined the action with what appeared to be only minor right side sheet metal damage to his machine. Just a few short laps later, Hines quickly determined the damage to the No. 12 Supercuts Dodge was more than cosmetic.

"The steering wheel is moved to the right," Hines said. "It's all messed up, I think the tow's knocked out."

"Hang in there buddy," replied Buffington. "We'll get you fixed up."

The day's second caution flag would wave on lap 55 allowing Hines a chance to bring the No.12 Dodge Charger to pit road.

"It's tight!" Hines radioed. "The right front is hopping around. The tow is definitely knocked out."

Forced to make numerous trips to pit road as the crew struggled to adjust the tow of the Supercuts Dodge, Hines would lose three laps before returning to the race.

Hines troubles would continue on lap 79 as he battled his ill handling machine. Contact between he and two other cars would send the No. 12 Supercuts Dodge to the garage with severe left side damage.

Buffington and his young crew, intent on fixing their wounded racecar assessed the damage. With sledgehammers, sawzalls, and bearbond in hand, they quickly went to work repairing the Supercuts Dodge.

Determined not to end the day with a DNF, Hines would return to the race in his wounded racecar on lap 110 after spending 32 laps behind the wall.

Battling his torn up racecar, Hines would gain three positions to bring the Supercuts Dodge home in 34th place.

The NASCAR Busch Series heads to the historical half-mile Martinsville Speedway this weekend for some short track racing. NBC and MRN Radio will carry all the racing action live Saturday July 22nd starting at 3:30 p.m. ET.

To review photos of this race, please view our Olympia Racing Photo Gallery.

Olympia Steel Buildings is a proud co-sponsor of the No.12 Dodge owned by FitzBradshaw Racing

Joliet, IL. (July 8, 2006) - After a solid qualifying effort Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway, Tracy Hines was hopeful he could better his 21st starting spot in the USG Durock 300. Contact with another competitor would send the Supercuts Dodge hard into the wall, and to the garage, forcing Hines to settle for a disappointing 41st place finish.

Luck was on Hines side early in the race as he expertly guided the No. 12 Supercuts Dodge through the grass to avoid the spinning cars in front of him as the field attempted to complete lap one of the 200-lap race.

The second caution flag of the day came just as quickly on lap 15 allowing Hines to bring the No. 12 Dodge to pit road to the attention of his crew.

"I'm pretty tight out of two," Hines radioed his crew. "My entry's good, but you got to free me up on exit."

The Supercuts crew quickly went to work changing just right side tires, adding Sunoco fuel, and making both wedge and track bar adjustments hoping to alleviate the tight condition plaguing Hines.

Hines would continue to battle his tight handling machine until his scheduled green flag stop on lap 77. Upon entering pit road Buffington quickly diagnosed the problem plaguing Hines. The grill of the No. 12 was almost completely covered with trash. Calling for fuel and four tires, Buffington alerted the crew to clear the debris from the grill before sending Hines back out on to the track.

Exceeding the maximum pit road speed, Hines unfortunately would be forced to serve a pass-through penalty losing two laps to the leaders before rejoining the race.

Disaster would strike on lap 93 as Hines worked his way through traffic. Contact from the #36 car of Tim Sauter would send the No. 12 Supercuts Dodge hard into the wall ending the day for Hines, relegating the team to a 41st place finish.

"I don't know what the 36 was thinking," said a disappointed Hines. "I was trying to pass the 4 car on the inside, I saw the 36 coming, he just turned left, ran right into me. I don't know if his spotter didn't tell him I was there or what. Man that was a hard hit, the car's killed. We just didn't need that. It's been a tough year, but the team's been working hard, trying to get this thing turned around. Now we've got a destroyed racecar."

The NASCAR Busch Series returns to action Saturday July 15th at New Hampshire International Speedway. The New England 200 will be broadcast live on both TNT and MRN beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Olympia Steel Buildings is a proud co-sponsor of the No.12 Dodge owned by FitzBradshaw Racing

Daytona Beach, FL. (June 30, 2006) - Steering clear of the carnage out on the racetrack, rookie Tracy Hines piloted the No.12 Beach Bash Dodge to a 29th place finish in the Winn-Dixie 250 Friday night at the Daytona International Speedway.

After battling an extremely tight racecar in Thursday's two practice sessions, Hines would be forced to start the 250-mile event from the 40th position. Not long into the green flag run Hines updated his crew on the handling of his machine.

"It's turning better." Hines radioed his crew. "It's real tight when I'm behind anybody, and I'm a little loose off a two."

A scheduled green flag stop on lap 47 would see Hines bring his No. 12 Beach Bash Dodge to pit road for four tires and fuel. Unfortunately a caution for debris on lap 53 trapped Hines a lap down to the leaders.

With the help of spotter Scott Clodfelter, Hines would manage to avoid the spinning cars in not one, but two multi-car wrecks. Fearing he had run through some debris strewn across the track during the second wreck on lap 68, Hines elected to bring the No.12 down pit road to the attention of his crew. The Beach Bash crew quickly went to work changing four tires, adding Sunoco fuel, as well as making both wedge and track bar adjustments.

Hines quickly radioed crew chief, Eddie Buffington with an update on the handling of his Dodge Charger. "I can't stay in the throttle, it's tight initially, then snaps loose, I'm doing all I can."

Hines would battle the tight-loose condition for the remainder of the 100-lap event and bring home the Beach Bash Dodge in 29th place.

The NASCAR Busch Series heads to the Chicagoland Speedway July 8th for the USG Durock 300. TNT and MRN will cover all the racing action beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Olympia Steel Buildings is a proud co-sponsor of the No.12 Dodge owned by FitzBradshaw Racing