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LOUDON, N.H. – He is one of the youngest crew chiefs in the Nextel Cup series.
But 27-year-old Cornish native Steve Letarte is one of just 10 crew chiefs in the Chase for the Championship.
Letarte became the crew chief for Jeff Gordon’s DuPont No. 24 Chevy at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway a year ago.
Gordon, who failed to qualify for the Chase last year, did make it this season in the ninth spot and his third-place finish at the Sylvania 300 at NHIS Sunday has moved him up to fourth.
Chase drivers have their points revamped after the first 26 races with each driver separated by five-point increments to begin the final 10 races.
“We set a goal to make the Chase and we made it,” said Letarte. “Now our goal is to win the championship and, hopefully, we can accomplish that.”
He said Sunday’s third-place finish was a good start.
“It was a good day. We got a good, top-five finish. That’s all you need in these final 10 races: 10 top-fives,” said Letarte. “That was one of the better cars we’ve had at Loudon in a while. It was fast in practice and in qualifying (second). It got off a little bit halfway through the race. It lost some grip. But we made some adjustments and got it back [running well] though.”
Letarte has been with the DuPont team since 1996, working his way up from mechanic to tire specialist and car chief.
His adjustment to crew chief has been a smooth one.
“Every race I get more and more comfortable. That makes it easy. The guys we brought on plus the guys that have been here a while do a spectacular job. Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports, the engineering and the aero [dynamics], has really supported me and that’s what’s made all the difference.”
He said Gordon is “great” to work with.
“We’ve worked together so long. We’re really good friends and that’s just how we work: like friends,” said Letarte.
Like any race team, there have been highs and lows.
“Going to Sonoma [Calif.] was spectacular but I feel we could have won Indy. I think we had a car that could have won there,” said Letarte, referring to their triumph at Sonoma and 16th-place finish at Indianapolis.
“I was really disappointed with our performance at Richmond [31st-place finish after starting third] but we always seem to rebound back and this is a good week for that,” said Letarte. “This [third-place finish] is what we needed.”
Crocker trying to make her mark
Erin Crocker of Wilbraham, Mass., is the only female driver who is a regular in one of NASCAR’s four major touring series (Nextel Cup, Busch, Craftsman Trucks, Busch East).
She’s trying to make her mark as a rookie in the Truck series.
Crocker, 25, has also run four races in the Busch series.
She is 24th in points in the Truck series after a fuel-pump problem ended her day early in the New Hampshire 200 Truck race Saturday. She finished 32nd after completing just 83 of the 200 laps.
Crocker has two top-20 finishes in 18 truck races: a 16th at Kansas Speedway and an 18th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (N.C.).
She said being the only woman in a major touring series doesn’t add any additional pressure.
“Just how competitive NASCAR is and how important sponsorship is, that’s where the pressure comes from. It’s a performance-based sport. I put more pressure on myself than anything else does,” said Crocker.
She said Danica Patrick’s success on the Indy Racing League series has had a “positive impact” on her and other women involved in motorsports.
“By running well in the Indy 500 last season [fourth], she showed that it won’t be too long before a woman is successful in the top levels of motorsports.”
Crocker, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate (2003) with a degree in industrial and management engineering, became the first female to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals sprint car race and the first to win a World of Outlaws feature in October, 2004.
She would “love” to race in the Nextel Cup series but said she has a ways to go before that becomes a reality.
“You can’t worry about something three years down the road until you have success in the present. We’re just worrying about running well and improving,” said Crocker. “We’re taking things one step at a time.”
Wells hopes to land new sponsor
PPI Motorsports Team owner Cal Wells, who teamed with Maine native Ricky Craven to post the only two wins by a single-car NASCAR team in the past five years, expects to be back next year although his contract with Tide expires at the end of the season and Tide isn’t expected to return as a full-time sponsor.
“I think Tide will be back in a small way. They’re weighing their options as it relates to [sponsorship] opportunities outside of NASCAR.
“But we have a couple of other deals we feel really good about,” said Wells. “I think we’ll be here next year.”
It has been a difficult year for Wells and his driver, Travis Kvapil. They are currently on the outside looking in for a top- 35 finish in owner points to guarantee them at least a provisional spot in the first five races next year.
Wells is 37th in owner points, 117 points behind 35th-place Bobby Ginn. Kvapil is 35th in driver points.
“We started out in a deep, deep hole. I made a couple of mistakes and it set us back,” said Wells. “Gary [crew chief Gary Putnam] and Travis have been fighting their way out of it ever since. I really like the job Gary has done and Travis is doing a fine job. I’m proud of our team. We’ve had some disappointing performances. That’s for sure. But we feel we’re making hay. Travis does a very good job staying out of trouble. We just haven’t been able to string together three top-20 finishes in a row. And our road course program hasn’t produced like we thought it would.”
He has wanted to add a second team for five years but hasn’t been able to land a sponsor.
He may also field a part-time team to go with his full-time team.
Spec engines produce for drivers
Four Busch East cars were using the cost-saving Spec engines in Saturday’s race and they fared pretty well in the 46-car field.
Bryon Chew finished third, Ruben Pardo was eighth, John Freeman wound up 17th and Matt Kobyluck was running in the top 10 when he was parked by NASCAR for running into the back of Sean Caisse.
That was good news for the series.
Series director Lee Roy said several potential new drivers and owners have been coming to races to check out the series.
“I was excited and optimistic about the series when we were here [at New Hampshire International Speedway] in July and I’m even more excited and optimistic now,” said Roy.
The 46 cars in the New Hampshire 125 was the most for a Busch East race since 1992.
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