PREVIEW: James Buescher (No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford F-150)
VENUE: Martinsville Speedway (0.526-Mile Oval)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Race 21 of 25)
DATE: October 24, 2009 (200 Laps, 105.2 Miles)

BUESCHER AT MARTINSVILLE: Buescher has made one career start at Martinsville Speedway, as he competed in the spring NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race earlier this season in March. After starting in the 25th position, Buescher drove his No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford to a solid 11th-place finish, while completing every lap of competition (251 of 251). The Texas native also claimed Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the first time of his career during his first race at the “paperclip.”

CHASSIS INFORMATION: This week, crew chief Jamie Jones and the No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford team will unload Circle Bar Racing chassis CB-24. This will be the seventh race for this particular Ford F-150, as Buescher drove it to an 11th-place finish in the spring race at Martinsville Speedway, a fifth-place finish at The Milwaukee Mile, a 20th-place finish at Memphis Motorsports Park, a sixth-place finish at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and most recently a 23rd-place finish at Gateway International Raceway. At Gateway, Buescher was involved in a multi-truck accident, following a restart which ended his day early as the truck was unable to compete the rest of the distance. Since then, the Circle Bar Racing team has made numerous body updates to improve the Ford’s condition.

ROOKIE UPDATE: As the NCWTS season has five races remaining, Buescher currently sits third in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year point standings. The 19-year-old is only 21 points behind second-place Tayler Malsam, as leader Johnny Sauter has pulled ahead of the two youngsters.

SEASON TO DATE: Through the first 20 races of the 2009 NCWTS season, Buescher and his No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford team have recorded one top-five finish and three top-10 finishes, along with 11 top-15 efforts. The Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate has completed 91.7 percent of all laps competed (3005 of 3277). Buescher currently sits in the 14th position in the NCWTS Championship point standings, 124 markers behind 13th-place Terry Cook.

DID YOU KNOW?: Buescher has claimed Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors three times this season – all at short-tracks (Martinsville, Milwaukee, and ORP).

THE CLOCK IS TICKING…: NASCAR has created an online ballot for the fans to vote for their favorite driver for the Most Popular Driver Award. Fans are allowed to vote once a day, until the polls close on Saturday, October 31, 2009. The results of the balloting will be announced at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series banquet at the end of the season. Go to www.jamesbuescher.com and click on the Most Popular Driver icon to vote, as time is running out!

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Four weeks ago in Sin City, Buescher completed his first race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as the teenager dodged a fellow competitor’s spin early in the race and damage on the left-front fender of his No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford F-150 to deal a 13th-place finish as the checkered flag flew. This was the team’s 11th top-15 finish of the 2009 NCWTS season.

STAY UP TO SPEED: The Kroger 200 from Martinsville Speedway will take the green flag this Saturday, October 24th at 1:00 P.M. Eastern. Race coverage will be televised live on SPEED, beginning at 12:30 P.M. Eastern, and heard live on select affiliates of MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio Channel 128, beginning at 12:30 P.M. Eastern. Also, the NCWTS Final Practice can be seen live on SPEED, beginning at 1:00 P.M. Eastern on Friday afternoon.


QUOTES FROM BEHIND THE WHEEL:

BUESCHER (On racing at Martinsville Speedway): “I’m definitely looking forward to getting back to racing this weekend. The four week break that the Truck Series just had was nice to relax, but I love to race so it is nice to be heading back to the racetrack. Earlier this season, it was my first time at Martinsville and we came home with a solid finish, along with capturing the Rookie of the Race honors, so I’m confident that we can improve this weekend. Anytime you can go back to the same track for a second time in the same year, it is definitely a good feeling – especially for rookies who don’t have as much time on the track as the veterans do. Martinsville is a very fun and exciting track, not only for the drivers but for the fans and I know that Jamie (Jones, crew chief) and all of the MaxxForce guys have worked to get this particular Ford F-150 back in good shape after Gateway.”