No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado
Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway – American Ethanol 225
July 21, 2012
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet News and Notes
Back to “The Windy City”… Cale Gale will make his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) start at Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway this weekend in the American Ethanol 225. In fact, Gale’s only race experience on the intermediate track came in 2006 during a NASCAR Nationwide Series event. While driving for Phoenix Racing, the event was just the second race in Gale’s Nationwide Series career. More recently, Gale completed a test session at the mile-and-a-half track in 2008.
Crew Members Racing Near Home… Joey Forgette, a member of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet team, will have the support of his friends and family at the track this weekend as the NCWTS makes a stop back in the Midwest. Forgette, who was born in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and raised in Rochester, Ill., will be able to split the difference between his two hometowns to race in the middle at Chicagoland Speedway. Forgette joined Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) for the 2012 season to work full-time as a mechanic on the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet. The 2001 graduate of Rochester High School, which is located just outside Springfield, Ill., is also the front tire changer for Gale and the Rheem team.
Kicking the Race Season in High Gear… As the summer heats up, so does the NCWTS schedule. The race at Chicagoland Speedway will mark race two of a 10 race stretch over 13 weeks for the series.
Gale Helps Find the “Cure for the Common Summer” at the NASCAR Hall of Fame… Gale will join four other NCWTS drivers at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 29th, to help promote the hall through the “Cure for the Common Summer” campaign. From 1:00-2:30 p.m. Gale will be available to meet fans, sign autographs, take photos, and a few lucky fans will even get to race against the drivers in iRacing simulators. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is located in the heart of downtown Charlotte at 400 East Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Charlotte, N.C., and is open daily 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Normal admission fees apply for this event.
Battling for Points… Gale continues to hold his ground in both the NCWTS championship points battle and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. With two top-10 finishes this season, Gale is solidly within the top 15 in drivers points, ranking 14th, and ranks 16th in the owner point standings. Gale, currently ranked second, trails Ty Dillon in the Rookie of the Year point standings.
Follow Cale… Follow Cale Gale, driver of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado, on twitter @CaleGale and Facebook (facebook.com/CaleGale), and check out the new CaleGale.com for the latest news and updates.
Get the Inside Scoop… Follow Eddie Sharp Racing on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to get real-time updates and behind-the-scenes information: @TeamESR or facebook.com/teamesr.
Watch and Listen… The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series takes on Chi-town this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday, July 21. SPEED will air qualifying from the 1.5-mile track on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the American Ethanol 225 will follow later that evening on SPEED, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
From the Driver’s Seat
Cale Gale Quotes… On racing at Chicagoland Speedway: “I’m looking forward to getting on track with the Rheem Chevrolet this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. The track is similar to Kansas Speedway, but has a little more banking. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Chicagoland. As I remember, there’s a little bump in three and four that you have to look out for. The back straightaway is actually rounded, so you never actually get straight on it. Overall, Chicagoland Speedway is a really fun track. The Rheem team has been working really hard on updating our Chevy Silverado for the race this weekend, and we’re all excited to bring it out on the track. We’ve had strong runs the last couple of weeks; we just haven’t been able to get the finish. Hopefully we will change that this weekend with our No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet.”
From the Pit Box
Jerry Baxter Quotes… The keys to success at Chicagoland Speedway: “Chicagoland Speedway is another mile-and-a-half track where downforce is very important. While preparing for the race, we did everything we could to get the best downforce possible on our Rheem Chevrolet. Like every week, track position is going to be very important there. We’ll need to factor track position in to all the decisions we make during the race when it comes to pit strategy, and our Rheem team will need to have flawless stops so we don’t give up any positions on pit road.”
On getting ready to race at Chicago: We’re taking truck No. 51 to Chicago this weekend. It’s the same truck that we ran at Texas Motor Speedway last month. Cale was really comfortable in the truck, we were fast all weekend and finished eighth with this Rheem Chevrolet chassis the last time we raced it in Texas. Since that race, we stripped the whole truck, completely overhauled it, and rebuilt it tip to tip trying to make it better. We’re really looking forward to getting on track this weekend with the Rheem Chevrolet to see how our hard work pays off.”
Cale Gale By the Numbers
Cale Gale at Chicagoland Speedway
Series
Date
Race
Start
Finish
Laps
Status
NNS
7/8/2006
USG Durock 300
39
37
183 / 200
transmission
Total / Average
1 Race
39.0
37.0
183 / 200 (91.5%)
Cale Gale’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Career Stats
Races
Wins
Top-Fives
Top-10s
Poles
Money Won
19
0
1
4
0
$216,819
Cale Gale’s 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Stats
Races
Wins
Top-Fives
Top-10s
Poles
Money Won
9
0
1
2
0
$103,520
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado Truck Information
The No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet team will compete with chassis No. 051 as their primary truck at Chicagoland Speedway. It is the same chassis that Gale and the Rheem team raced at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season. In that race, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender rolled off in the 16th position after qualifying was rained out, raced inside the top 10 most of the night and crossed the finish line in the eighth position.
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet / Eddie Sharp Racing Team
Driver: Cale Gale Crew Chief: Jerry Baxter Owner: Eddie Sharp
Truck Chief / Rear Tire Changer: Ray Holm Gasman / Hauler Driver: Ben Smith Engineer: Eddie Troconis
Rear Tire Carrier: Devon Bourdeau Pit Crew Coach: Nick Sutton Shock Specialist: Jeff Keller
Front Tire Changer: Joey Forgette Mechanic: Beau Wilkes Motor Tuner: Howie Frazier
Front Tire Carrier: Greg Powell Mechanic: Justin Peiffer PR Rep: Ashleigh Aungst
Jackman: Kevin Teague Spotter: Rick Carelli