News

August 2, 2008 - Bobby Scores Second Place in Belleville

After 40 hard-fought laps around the Belleville Highbanks, Bobby crossed the line in second-place in the Speedway Motors Belleville Midget Nationals. Using the high line throughout the night, Bobby kept the No. 4 Klatt Enterprises/Ford Racing/Beast Esslinger-powered Beast right on the rail but couldn't quite catch Friday night's fast qualifier Brad Sweet. Bobby did face a serious challenge mid-race from Kevin Swindell but tire problems befell Swindell and gave Bobby clear possession of the runner-up spot.

Bobby now has a 49-point lead in the USAC National Midget Series points over Tracy Hines heading into Wednesday's event at Gas City i-69 Speedway, the opening night of Indiana Midget Week.

August 1, 2008 - Bobby Wins Belleville Preliminary Feature!

Bobby started the No. 4 Klatt Enterprises/Ford Racing Esslinger-powered Beast second but led all 25 laps in Friday's preliminary feature for the 2008 Belleville Midget Nationals at the Belleville Highbanks. It is the fourth time he's won the preliminary night feature - with others coming in 2002, 2003, and 2004. He is the 2004 Belleville Midget Nationals champion.

Tonight's card at Belleville includes qualifying, heat races, and a $10,000 to win 40-lap feature.

July 29, 2008 - Bobby Finishes Fourth in Anderson Midget 400 Classic

He might not have crossed the line first but there was no doubt that Bobby had the fastest car in Saturday's Midget 400 Classic at the quarter-mile Anderson Speedway. Bobby worked his way to the lead early but a flat right front tire sent him down pit road on lap 109. After dropping down four laps to the leaders Bobby spent the next 291 laps working his way back onto the lead lap and eventually back into the top five. At the end, Bobby and the No. 4 Klatt Enterprises/Ford Racing Beast Ford crossed the line in fourth position.

Bobby will be looking for his second victory in the Belleville Midget Nationals this Friday and Saturday at the Belleville Highbanks in Belleville, Kansas.

July 27, 2008 - Bobby Wins Silver Crown Race and NCTS Pole at ORP!

Bobby kicked off a busy weekend with a dominant performance in the K&N Filters USAC Silver Crown Series event, leading all 100 laps of the J.D Byrider 100 for the second consecutive year. Starting second, he jumped pole starter Shane Hmiel at the drop of the green flag and lapped all the way up to third place at the finish in a race that was slowed only two times by cautions.

"It's great to come out and get our third Silver Crown win here," Bobby said after parking the No. 6 Klatt Enterprises/Ford Racing Beast Ford in victory lane. "It's a good way to start the weekend off. We had some problems with the primary car in practice and only had a couple of laps in the backup car. As good as we were, the primary car was even better. I just wish we would have had a chance to do that with the Midget too." East set fast time in the No. 4 Klatt Enterprises/The Car Lot/Ford Racing Beast Ford midget and won the first heat race before ignition problems sidelined him before the start of the 30-lap feature.

Bobby followed up a strong USAC performance on Thursday with his first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pole in the No. 09 Zaxby's Ford F-150 on Friday. He led laps early on and spent much of the race in the top five before an incident on lap 122 ended his shot at a win.

After a pit stop on lap 85 had shuffled him back to fifth, Bobby's hopes for a win were cut short when contact between Brendan Gaughan and Stacy Compton forced Compton to drive up the race track and shoved the Zaxby's truck into the wall. Bobby rode the wall on two wheels, but while it was a spectacular show for the fans it caused significant damage to the alignment of the truck.

Bobby dropped back as far as 28th and lost a lap to the field as the Roush Fenway Racing crew worked to make repairs. He fought hard and ran among the leaders trying to get his lap back and finally picked up the free pass to rejoin the lead lap when the caution waved with 25 laps to go.

He pitted hoping the team could fix the alignment and his loose condition, but the caution did not last long enough. East returned to the track in 21st place on the lead lap with 21 laps to go. A caution on lap 188 brought him to the pits for the work he needed on the truck. He was still 21st with eight laps to go, but was able to work his way up to 19th by the time the race ended.

“I guess Brendan ran Stacy up the track, which put him into me,” East said. “I was already up the side of his door and he put me into the fence and ruined our night. We were running in the top five. We had a top-five run going and that little incident pretty much ruined our night. And I really hate the result for the Zaxby’s Ford F-150 team. They put a lot of hard work into tonight and for it to end the way it did, I feel real bad for them. I’m sure we could have had a top-five finish otherwise.”

July 22, 2008- Bobby East - NCTS ADVANCE

Team: No. 09 Zaxby's Ford F-150
Crew Chief: Chad Norris

Bobby East on racing at ORP:
"I consider ORP to be my home track and I've raced there a ton. I
definitely have more experience at this track than any other track on
the truck schedule. I've won five races there between running USAC
midgets and Silver Crown cars, and I had one of my best career truck
finishes there in 2006 until bettering it this year. Since Chad
(Norris) and the guys have already given me trucks capable of two top-10
finishes this season, I think we can do even better than that at ORP.
I've been looking forward to this race for a long time because I
really believe we're going to have our best finish yet."

Crew chief Chad Norris on racing at ORP:
"Bobby is the man at ORP. He's grown up racing there and he's
had a lot of success there. We're taking the same truck he finished
eighth with at Memphis a few weeks ago, and I expect him to put it in
the top five this weekend. He's got a lot of laps under his belt at
this place and if anyone knows this track, it's Bobby."

Fast Facts:
-East has two prior NASCAR starts at ORP, one in the Nationwide Series
(2007) and one in the Craftsman Truck Series (2006). His best finish is
11th in the 2006 truck race.

-East has five wins at ORP racing in various series including USAC
Silver Crown and Midgets.

-East will be racing Thursday night at ORP as well. He will compete in
both the USAC Midget & Silver Crown races.

June 28, 2008 - East Claims Another Top-10 Finish at Memphis

HMILLINGTON, Tenn. (June 28, 2008) – Bobby East tied his best career NASCAR finish Saturday night at Memphis Motorsports Park. After starting second, East remained in the top 10 all night to finish a tough race in eighth place.

East started the 200-lap race on the outside of the front row. The Zaxby’s Ford F-150 was tight early in the race, and East eventually settled into sixth place. By the third caution of the race crew chief Chad Norris called him to pit road on lap 54. The crew gave him four tires and raised the track bar to help free up the truck. The team had a great stop, but since some teams were on different pit strategies and stayed out, he restarted in 12th place on lap 58.

Within a few laps East was back in the top 10. The truck was still tight, but he was able to work his way up to fifth place by the halfway point at lap 100. A caution on lap 123 would set the Zaxby’s team up for its final pit stop of the night. East came into the pits in fifth place, but quick work by the team sent him out in fourth place with four new tires and fuel.
East remained fourth for several laps, and showed considerable improvement on his restarts from previous races. With 40 laps to go he was in sixth place, but only a few laps later he spun coming off the turn on lap 167. Luckily East did not hit anything and was able to continue in sixth place.

East told the team the truck would not turn in the center of the corners. He slipped to seventh with 20 laps to go and was able to maintain that until the final 10 laps of the race. Several cautions slowed the final laps, including a multi-truck accident with two laps to go. The race was red flagged while NASCAR cleaned the track. East restarted eighth for the green-white-checker finish and held on to finish the race there. Ron Hornaday won the race.

“The Zaxby’s Ford F-150 was great,” East said. “We made a couple of key adjustments after the final practice yesterday, which Chad Norris is just great at. He brings great trucks.

EAST FIGHTS LOOSE TRUCK FOR 18TH-PLACE FINISH

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 14, 2008) –  Coming off his best NASCAR finish last week at Texas, Bobby East was looking to improve on that this weekend in the Cool City Customs 200 at Michigan International Speedway.  East was the fastest Ford in qualifying, but a loose condition hampered him throughout the race.  After several adjustments and much perseverance, East finished in 18th place.

A caution on lap three slowed the race early, and East lined up 11th for the restart on lap six.  By lap 10 he had fallen back to 22nd place when a line of trucks got by him on the outside lane.  East said the truck was loose, but without another caution for several laps he was unable to pit for adjustments.

Teams began green-flag pit stops, and East brought his Zaxby’s Ford F-150 to pit road on lap 36 for new tires, wedge and air pressure adjustments.  When everyone had cycled through the pits by lap 42 East was in 23rd place.  He still complained the truck was loose, especially coming off turn two.

East was in 20th place when a much-needed caution came on lap 47.  In order to gain track position East pitted for fuel and a track bar adjustment only.  The quick stop put him in 11th place when the race resumed just past the halfway point on lap 51.

Another caution came on lap 60, so crew chief Chad Norris called East to the pits again for one last adjustment.  The crew performed a two-tire stop and lowered the track bar sending him out in ninth place.

East lost some track position in the next green-flag run and fell back to 16th with 20 laps to go.  The final caution of the race came on lap 95.  East was 11th when the green flag fell with three laps to go.  As the field jockeyed for position in the closing laps, East was shuffled back to 18th place when the checkered flag fell.

“Our truck was pretty loose through much of the race, but the Zaxby’s team did a great job in the pits making adjustments,” East said.  “Chad (Norris) and the guys just kept working on it, and taking fuel only halfway through the race gave us the track position we needed.  We just got hurt on some of the restarts and lost a few positions there.  I’ll be back in the truck at Memphis in a few weeks so I’m looking forward that and hope we can improve on our finish today.”

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action at The Milwaukee Mile on Friday, June 20.  John Wes Townley will pilot the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford F-150 next weekend.

EAST CAPTURES BEST CAREER FINISH AT TEXAS

FT. WORTH, Texas (June 6, 2008) –  Bobby East earned his best career NASCAR finish at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night in the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford F-150.  After qualifying 13th, East drove a smart, patient race and was able to bring his truck home in eighth place for his first top-10 finish.

Battling hot, humid and extremely windy conditions, East took the green flag in 13th place after a great qualifying effort the previous day.  He told crew chief Chad Norris the truck was tight, and he dropped back to 19th within the first 25 laps.  A caution on lap 34 was just what East needed.  He was able to pit for new tires and an air pressure adjustment, and quick work in the pits by the Zaxby’s crew helped him gain five positions on pit road. 

East was 13th for the restart on lap 38 and worked his way up to eighth in less than 10 laps.  Another caution on lap 62 brought him into the pits for right-side tires.  This strategy helped him gain another six positions on pit road, which put him in second place for the lap 66 restart.

East held his own up front and eventually settled into fourth place by lap 71.  A caution on lap 88 brought him to the pits for left-side tires, which helped him maintain his fourth-place position.

As the truck became a bit tight, East fell back to fifth place on lap 105.  A caution on lap 114 when his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Colin Braun, spun brought him into the pits for his final stop of the night.  A quick four-tire stop sent him back out in fourth place where he remained until he lost track position during a restart on lap 138.  East fell back to sixth place and told Norris the truck was free in and tight off the corners.  With so little time left in the race, East had to make the best of what he had since they could not give up track position to pit for any more adjustments. 

With 10 laps to go, East was in sixth place but again lost track position on that restart.  He fell back to eighth place which he was able to maintain until the end of the race, including a green, white, checkered-flag finish.  East’s top-10 finish was the best finish of his NASCAR career.  Ron Hornaday won after dominating most of the race.

“Yeah, we're happy,” East said.  “The Zaxby's Ford F-150 was great.  We unloaded good and Chad Norris and the crew did a great job.  Our performance was because of him, Mike Beam (crew chief No. 6) and Matt Puccia (crew chief No. 99.)  I want to thank everybody.  I want to thank Jack Roush and Zaxby’s for this opportunity.  It was a great night and I’m really looking forward to improving on it at Michigan next weekend.”

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, June 14.  East will pilot the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford F-150 again next weekend.

UP AND DOWN DAY FOR EAST AT KANSAS
Bobby East, No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford F-150

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 26, 2008) – Bobby East experienced a day of highs and lows at Kansas Speedway on Saturday afternoon.  The driver of the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford F-150 made his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start since November of 2006, and appeared early to have a shot at a strong finish.  However, a combination of events would eliminate East from contending for the win, and ultimately from the race.

East started Saturday’s race in the fourth position but quickly began to give up spots, reporting at lap nine that he was fighting a loose in, tight off condition.  When the first caution of the event was displayed at lap 25 for a spin involving the No. 15 truck, East got the break he needed to come to pit road for tires, fuel, wedge and track bar adjustments.  Quick work allowed the No. 09 truck to gain three spots for the restart, but one of the Zaxby’s crew members made the wrong adjustment to the track bar on the stop.  East restarted in the eighth position, but began backsliding as the error compounded his handling issues.

East dropped back to the 16th position before catching another break at lap 50 when the caution was displayed for a spin involving the No. 10 truck.  Crew chief Chad Norris elected to bring East to pit road under the caution period to top off with fuel and correct the track bar adjustment and make an additional adjustment to help East fight his loose condition.  The Zaxby’s crew got East off pit road in the ninth position for the lap 55 restart, but problems continued as the No. 09 continued to slide backwards on the green-flag run.  When the No. 20 truck wrecked and brought out the caution once again at lap 84, Norris and East agreed to come back to pit road for service.  East came to pit road to take on four tires, fuel and an additional track bar adjustment to tighten up the Zaxby’s Ford.  NASCAR officials informed Norris following the stop that the No. 09 team would be penalized one lap for pitting outside the box.  Norris argued his case that the team had not violated any rules on their stop, but came to pit road to serve their penalty.  East found himself in the 26th position for the restart, one lap down to the leaders.

Norris continued to plead his case to the officials once the race resumed, and his persistence was rewarded when NASCAR gave East his lap back at the next caution period.  Although the driver of the Zaxby’s Ford would have to start at the end of the lead lap trucks, it took little time for East to show that he was ready to work his way back to the front.  East advanced from 26th to 22nd shortly after green-flag racing resumed, and continued to work his way towards the front as the laps clicked off.  East’s rapid progress was stopped seemingly as quickly as it started when he and the No. 18 truck got together, causing damage to the No. 09 F-150.  East came to pit road three times under the ensuing caution period for repairs, and knew he would be forced to ride along for the rest of the day, out of contention for the race win.

East rode at the back of the pack, doing all he could to nurse the Zaxby’s Ford home to the finish of the race.  As the leaders began to run him down, East moved to the high side of the track to give them the inside groove.  Several of the leaders worked their way around him with no problem, but as the No. 30 truck of Todd Bodine attempted to overtake East at lap 156, Bodine got loose and spun into the Zaxby’s Ford, eliminating both trucks from the race some 11 laps before the checkered flag dropped.  East was forced to settle for a 24th-place finish.

“That was a pretty disappointing finish for a race with such a promising start,” East said.  “Chad and the Zaxby’s team gave me a great truck, but we just couldn’t seem to catch a break.  I hate that we didn’t get the finish we deserved, but hopefully I’ll have some better luck in my next race at Texas in June.”

The Craftsman Truck Series races next at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Friday, May 16, 2008.  Travis Kvapil will resume driving duties of the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford for the North Carolina Education Lottery 250.