Cale Gale
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado
Martinsville (Va.) Speedway – Kroger 250
March 31, 2012
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet News and Notes
· Back in Action with the NCWTS… Cale Gale kicked off the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season with a fast truck at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, and is ready to return to his roots with short-track racing at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this weekend. The driver of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet scored his career-best NCWTS finish at Martinsville Speedway last fall while competing in a part-time schedule for Kevin Harvick Inc. With Rheem as the primary sponsor on his truck, Gale rolled off the starting grid in the 13th position for the 200-mile event. Despite struggling early with the handling of his Chevrolet, the team improved their truck to have Gale running inside the top-three midway through the race. The Rheem Chevrolet fell a few positions during the closing laps and when the checkered flag finally fell at the historic speedway, Gale was scored seventh.
Gale Wins at Home… While the majority of the NCWTS garage enjoyed a few weeks off after the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, Cale Gale and the No. 33 Rheem team traveled to Mobile, Ala. for the inaugural Mobile ARCA 200. The 27-year-old rolled off ninth in the 200-lap race, but quickly set pace passing cars and working through the field. With great pit calls by crew chief Jerry Baxter, and flawless pit stops by the Rheem team, Gale overtook the lead for the final time on lap 176, and held on to the top spot for the following five restarts. In front of a screaming hometown crowd, Gale kept the lead through a green-white-checkered finish to cross the line with a 0.634-second victory over second-place Chad Hackenbracht. New Partners, New Places… Cale Gale and Atlanta-based Rheem Manufacturing Company first paired up during the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Later that year, Gale turned heads as he captured the pole at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and went on to finish fourth at the grueling track in his No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet. The feat quickly caught the attention and support of Rheem executives, and the duo have worked side-by-side ever since. Gale has competed under the Rheem colors in NCWTS, ARCA, and Super Late Model series events, and will continue that relationship in 2012 at Eddie Sharp Racing. Tune In… While in Mobile, Ala. for the inaugural Mobile ARCA 200, Cale Gale showed the crew from SPEED’s NCWTS Setup show around his hometown as they filmed a rookie profile set to air prior to the Martinsville NCWTS race. With stops ranging from Gale’s alma mater, to a local race-parts store, to his former car owner and sponsor, a few funny tales about Gale’s past are sure to arise along with some great memories of growing up racing along the Gulf Coast. Be sure to set your DVR for this special piece about the driver of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet! NCWTS Setup airs at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 31. Meet Cale… Fans are invited to attend the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series autograph session at Martinsville Speedway on Friday, March 30th, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. The driver of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs for the crowd. Follow Cale… Fans are invited to follow Cale Gale, driver of the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado, on twitter @CaleGale and on Facebook ( facebook.com/CaleGale). Fans can also check out the new www.CaleGale.com for news and updates throughout the weekend. 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 Kroger 250 from Martinsville Speedway will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 31. Final practice from the historic 0.526-mile track will be aired on Friday, March 30, at 2:00 p.m. ET on SPEED, with qualifying being shown just hours before the race at 10:00 a.m. ET on Saturday morning.
From the Driver’s Seat
Cale Gale Quotes… On racing at Martinsville: “I’m really excited to get back in our No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado, especially at a great track like Martinsville Speedway. I had the best run of my truck series career there last year while I was just running a part-time schedule. Every run that we’ve made this year, the Rheem team has put together an incredible race car or truck, and we’re actually running the same chassis that I raced in last fall. The main thing in Martinsville is just to stay out of trouble and be there at the end. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series always puts on a great show there; I’m sure it will be a lot of fun.”
On keeping busy during the off weeks… “I’ve actually had quite a bit going on over the last few weeks trying to occupy my time since Daytona. We took the Rheem team down to Mobile, Ala., for the inaugural ARCA race at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway. We started off the week with a little ‘homecoming’ tour—I stopped by my old high school to talk to the students, did a lot of appearances around town and met a lot of fans. The guys built an awesome car and we were able to pull off the race win. It was really special to win at my home track, but it was also great for our team to have the time to improve our communication and how we work together. It seems like an eternity since we’ve been in Daytona; I’m ready to put that race behind us and move on. I’m excited to get back in the Rheem Silverado and get the truck season going.”
From the Pit Box
Jerry Baxter Quotes… On what to expect in Martinsville: “Martinsville Speedway is a tough track, but we’re really excited to get there with Cale Gale and the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet. Cale grew up racing on short-tracks and proved last fall with his seventh-place finish that he knows how to get around the speedway. The guys have worked really hard to prepare our Rheem Chevrolet, and I think we’ll have a very competitive truck.”
Cale Gale By the Numbers
Cale Gale’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Career Stats
Races
Wins
Top-Fives
Top-10s
Poles
Money Won
11
0
0
2
0
$123,074
Cale Gale at Martinsville Speedway
Series
Date
Race
Start
Finish
Laps
Status
NCWTS
10/29/2011
Kroger 200
13
7
200/200
Running
Total / Average
1 Race
13.0
7.0
100 / 100 (100.0%)
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado Truck Information
The No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet team will compete at Martinsville Speedway with chassis No. 45 as their primary truck. The chassis was built by Kevin Harvick Inc. and last raced at Martinsville Speedway in October 2011 when Cale Gale drove the truck to a seventh-place finish after starting the 200-mile event in the 13th position.
No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet / Eddie Sharp Racing Team
Driver: Cale Gale Crew Chief: Jerry Baxter Owner: Eddie Sharp
Front Tire Changer: Joey Forgette Truck Chief: Ray Holm Mechanic: Justin Peiffer
Front Tire Carrier: Greg Powell Shock Specialist: Jeff Keller Mechanic: Beau Wilkes
Rear Tire Changer: Ray Holm Jackman: Kevin Teague Motor Tuner: Howie Frazier
Rear Tire Carrier: Manning Gregory Gasman: Ben Smith Spotter: Rick Carelli
Pit Crew Coach: Nick Sutton Hauler Driver: Ben Smith PR Rep: Ashleigh Aungst
