Thursday, June 15, 2000
Ky. Speedway welcomes fans to inaugural events
Local race fans' long wait is over
By Terry Flynn
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SPARTA — Greg Bass had already put 42,000 miles on the Team Menard semi-tractor trailer when he headed out of Florence Mall Wednesday for the half-hour drive to Kentucky Speedway.
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AT A GLANCE
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TICKETS: 1-888-652-RACE
TODAY
11 a.m.: Gates open to public
Noon-4:30 p.m.: Optional NASCAR Truck Series practice
5:30-8 p.m.: Second optional truck series practice
FRIDAY
10 a.m.: Gates open to public
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Slim Jim All-Pro Series practice
1:10-2:30 p.m.: Truck series practice
3 p.m.: Slim Jim one-lap qualifying for starting positions.
6-7 p.m.: Slim Jim driver autograph session (main concourse)
6:15 p.m.: Truck series Bud Pole qualifying (one lap)
7:30-8:30 p.m.: Truck series happy hour
9 p.m.: Slim Jim Kentucky 100 (first official race)
SATURDAY
2 p.m.: Gates open to public
4 p.m.: Joe Walsh concert
7 p.m.: Truck series driver introductions
7:30 p.m.: Truck series Kroger 225 (ESPN)
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“We're only halfway through the season,” the 49-year-old St. Louis native said as he and seven other drivers who haul the race pickup trucks around the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit formed a convoy of brightly painted trucks down Interstate 71 to Sparta.
The parade was the start of a weekend of racing at the new 1.5-mile speedway that culminates in the Kroger 225 Craftsman Truck Series event Saturday night.
Gates open at 11 a.m. today for spectators, with truck practice from noon-4:30 p.m. and Slim Jim practice from 8-9 p.m.
Mr. Bass, a professional truck driver who also has an engineering degree, is a jack-of-all-trades for Indianapolis-based Team Menard and Bryan Reffner, who drives the No.3 Johns-Manville Chevrolet.
“I set up all the tires for the race truck, and I'm the fuel man on race day,” he said. “And I'm the team cook. I prepare meals for the entire race crew at the race track.”
He said he tries to have food on hand that mirrors the area where the team is racing. In Seattle, he served salmon. In Texas last week he had steaks. For this race, it's fried chicken and brats.
“I haven't had any complaints about my cooking so far,” he laughed.
There was, however, a complaint about the parade of race-truck haulers.
“Why are those NASCAR trucks running like that?” a passing trucker on I-71 radioed.
“They have to show off the trucks for the race,” said another. “But they sure are messing up the traffic.”
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