 
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200
August 31, 2012
Max Gresham Atlanta RACE REPORT
MAX GRESHAM’S STEADY IMPROVEMENT LEADS TO 22ND-PLACE DEBUT WITH ESR
No. 8 Made in the USA/BugBand Chevrolet Silverado
> CONCORD, N.C. (September 2, 2012) — Max Gresham’s No. 8 Made In USA Brand (MIUSA) / BugBand Chevrolet was a handful when it made its first laps with Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) Friday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
It was a little better in Happy Hour, even better in qualifying, and by the end of Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 200, the drive proved to be a successful debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).
Gresham, who grew up in nearby Griffin, Ga., made the first of five selected starts with ESR. Gresham was one of three Georgia racers entered in the event under the lights at Atlanta.
He started 30th and finished 22nd, coming away with enough information and confidence to make even more improvements at their next race at the Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 21.
“We had a night that got increasingly better,” Gresham said. “We started off not where we needed to be. We were pretty loose, but we worked on it to where I could drive it.
“For my first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and for my first race with Eddie Sharp Racing, it was a heck of a day. We overcame a lot from where we started to be where we finished.”
Although Gresham won a track championship and accumulated 12 victories driving in U.S. Legends Cars International (USLCI) series on Atlanta’s quarter-mile short track, Friday’s practices and race were the first time he was on the 1.54-mile quad-oval.
Gresham struggled in his first practice session, so the team decided to sacrifice track time to make bigger swings with the setup. The team swapped out a rear shock, believing it was a better solution for the long term.
His best lap was 169.624 mph in the first session, 30th overall.
He moved up to 20th on the speed charts at 173.554 mph during Happy Hour, the final practice before the nationally-televised main event.
“We made a lot of gains on our No. 8 Made In USA Brand (MIUSA) / BugBand Chevrolet and we were still gaining on it all the way to the end of practice,” Gresham said. “We weren’t exactly where we wanted to be when we got here, but it was my first race with a new crew chief, my first race in an ESR Chevrolet and my first time on a new track. It took some time to figure out.”
Gresham finished one lap behind eventual race winner Ty Dillon.
“The important thing is we got better every time we went out on the track,” the 19-year-old driver said. “It’s a big challenge to start something new, but we kept working on it and we accomplished a lot in our first start.
“We’ll take this same truck to Kentucky. We’ll keep tweaking it and continue to go forward with it.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200
August 31, 2012
Max Gresham Atlanta QUALIFYING UPDATE
Gresham 20th in "Happy Hour" Practice
No. 8 Made in the USA/BugBand Chevrolet Silverado
> Max Gresham and the No. 8 Made in USA/BugBand Chevrolet will start from 30th position for tonight's Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200..
> TV COVERAGE:
Live coverage of the Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200 will be aired on SPEED, MRN ans SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, August 31.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200
August 31, 2012
Max Gresham Atlanta FINAL PRACTICE REPORT
Gresham 20th in "Happy Hour" Practice
No. 8 Made in the USA/BugBand Chevrolet Silverado
> NOTES:
There were no incidents involving the No. 6, No. 8 or No. 33 entry during the final practice session at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Max Gresham, a Georgia native, reported being loose in the center at the start of this afternoon's final practice. He didn't like the handling of his car, but was able to jump to the third position of the 39 entries. The ESR team kept working hard throughout the practice, but Gresham's Chevrolet remained free--turn entry being free and getting freer in the center--dropping him to 12th. He narrowly avoided wrecking. Gresham seemed to be fighting the same battle as many of the trucks in the field. After making another change to the No. 8 Made In USA Brand (MIUSA) / BugBand Chevrolet and with only 15 minutes remaining in practice Gresham attempted a qualifying run. Final "Happy Hour" practice session for tonight's Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200 NCWTS resulted in 20th on the speed chart for Gresham.
> QUOTES:
Max Gresham, No. 8 Made In USA / BugBand Chevrolet: "Our No. 8 Made In USA Brand (MIUSA) / BugBand Chevrolet team is still gaining on it. It is not exactly where we want it to be, but it is a new team for me with a new crew chief. This is
> TV COVERAGE:
Tune in to SPEED today at 1:00 p.m. for a tape-delayed broadcast of final practice, and later at 4:30 p.m. for the qualifying broadcast from Atlanta Motor Speedway. Live coverage of the Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200 will be aired on SPEED, MRN ans SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, August 31.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200
August 31, 2012
Max Gresham Atlanta FIRST PRACTICE REPORT
Gresham sorting out new car, new team at familiar track
No. 8 Made in the USA/BugBand Chevrolet Silverado
> NOTES:
There were no incidents involving the No. 6, No. 8 or No. 33 entry during the opening practice session.
Max Gresham and the No. 8 Made in USA/BugBand Chevrolet battled a loose handling Chevrolet during the opening eight laps of the session. Then the Eddie Sharp Racing machine became tight loosing rear grip after changes had been made. In the final moments of practice the team changed a rear shock which resulted in Gresham not being able to return to the track. The morning practice was the first time for Gresham on the 1.5-mile speedway in the NCWTS, and posted his best lap time 169.624 mph with 19 laps on the charts. Gresham is one of three Georgia racers entered in the Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200.
> QUOTES:
Max Gresham, No. 8 Made In USA / BugBand Chevrolet: "We made gains throughout the session, but we did not start off as strong as we hoped. We are getting there."
> TV COVERAGE:
Tune in to SPEED today at 1:00 p.m. for a tape-delayed broadcast of final practice, and later at 4:30 p.m. for the qualifying broadcast from Atlanta Motor Speedway. Live coverage of the Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200 will be aired on SPEED, MRN ans SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, August 31.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 200
August 31, 2012
Max Gresham Atlanta Motor Speedway Event Preview
Gresham Wants to Make More Memories with Eddie Sharp Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway
No. 8 Made in the USA/BugBand Chevrolet Silverado
> Max Gresham still considers his victory in the U.S. Legends International Young Lions race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway as one of his favorite moments in his young racing career.
That all may change this Friday when he returns to his home track as the newest driver in Eddie Sharp Racing’s (ESR) stable of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) racers.
Gresham will make his debut with ESR in the Jeff Foxworthy’s Grits Chips 200 aboard the No. 8 Made in the USA/BugBand Chevrolet. It’s the first of five selected races this season for the Griffin, Ga., native.
“I’m ready to go back home to Atlanta Motor Speedway with a new team, Eddie Sharp Racing,” Gresham said. “It’s a place where I have my biggest fan base because they’ve been there in the stands from the very beginning. Now they get to see my newest step into the future.”
Gresham’s racing career began on the quarter-mile short track on the speedway’s front straightaway. He drove Legends Series cars there, winning the Semi-Pro National championship in 2006. He eventually moved into the bigger and faster Late Model cars, and won the 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship.
The move to Eddie Sharp Racing is his most-ambitious step yet.
“I remember when I won the International US Legend Cars race there during a NASCAR weekend it would help take me to the next level,” Gresham said. “The K&N Pro Series was that next level. We won there, so it was time to take the next step.
“Atlanta is so special to me. I have a lot of great memories there. Hopefully I’ll be making even better memories there with Eddie Sharp Racing.”
He will join a race team that already fields trucks for Cale Gale and Justin Lofton.
“We want to run our third truck, and that has been my goal from the beginning,” Sharp said. “It was a matter of the Greshams contacting me and this was the direction they wanted to go.”
Gresham’s limited schedule also will include starts at the Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 21, Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 27, Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 2 and the season-finale race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16. |
