PRESS RELEASE

Scotty Dee Racing #44 USST.

April 28, 2003

Gilbert Sam Jr.

DEATHERAGE SECOND IN THE USST POINTS .

      Altus, Oklahoma April 26, 2003 – In the second points race of the season for the United States Super Trucks  (USST)and in his 6^th truck race of his career,  Scott Deatherage and his #44 Dee’s Tire Stores and Gemini Automotive Care Chevy Silverado finish fourth for the second time, moving them to the second spot in the points race.  The 44 Chevy was able to capture the pole position by winning the qualifying race.  Problems with handling and a “tight off” (tight off the corner) condition plagued the Scotty Dee Racing team all night.  “The tight off was an improvement compared to the problems we had earlier” Deatherage said. The 44  tried a new setup that they had never used before and didn’t know what the results would be.

       When the team rolled off the trailer and on to the track for an early practice session they knew they were in for a long night.  “It was terrible”, said Deatherage.  “We were tight going in the corner, tight in the middle, and tight coming off”.  By the end of practice the team had taken care of the entry and middle problems but the tight off never went away.  Surprisingly to the Scotty Dee Racing Team, they were able to best the other trucks in the qualifying race but knew the 40 lap feature would be another story, and it was.  “It was more of a driver issue than truck when we got to the feature”, Deatherage stated.  “I started on the pole and had Fletchall on the outside so I had to make a choice.”  “Do I let Jere by and conserve the tires, or do I try to get a good lead on him like we did in qualifying”  Deatherage said.   Instead Deatherage chose the former and would try to let Fletchall use his truck up before the 44 did.  “I did not manage my tires very well, we were pushing like a freight train on ice and I tried to keep the truck on the bottom of the race track because that’s where the best opportunity to get by Jere for the lead was”.  That didn’t work either for the 44 Super Truck team as the tires got hotter and hotter driving the low line instead of being a groove up.  By lap 26, Jere was nowhere in sight and Deatherage got passed two more times as the truck got slower.  “That wall can be kind of spooky” Deatherage said.  “I knew I had to keep driving it as hard as it would let me but we just lost so much speed in the corners”. 

      You could say that two fourths aren’t bad, but the team is expecting more.  Each race, lap times improve and the team keeps getting better.  The 44 Super truck team is only two points behind the leader Jere Fletchall.  They will be at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, Kansas on May 10 for the third points race of the season.