Full of excitement and learning, the 2007 Fitz Motorsports NASCAR Busch Series season was a true success. Led by crew chief Paul Wolfe, the hard working team earned their honor and respect in the nation’s third most popular sport on television.
The 2006 season ended with a bang thanks to the skills of Ruben Pardo taking the Family Dollar Dodge to victory lane in the NASCAR Busch East Series. Fitz Motorsports will go down in the history books with Ruben Pardo as the first Hispanic driver to win a title in NASCAR.
With long time supporter Supercuts and Family Dollar on board as sponsors, and driver David Stremme lined up to take the wheel, anticipation commenced to boil as testing began and the cars were being loaded into the transporter.
As one of the only single-car, stand alone Busch series teams in the series, everyone knew it would be a challenge to keep up with the big dogs. The first race of the year proved that, when the team was unable to qualify for the race.
They say that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, and no better team to prove that than Fitz Motorsports. The No.22 Supercuts/Family Dollar Dodge Charger qualified in the top-ten for the next six races of the season.
Included in those six, was the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 in which Mexican native and fan favorite Carlos Contreras got behind the wheel of the Family Dollar Dodge. He qualified just outside the pole and was favored to win until car troubles ended the day midway through the race.
At the Las Vegas Motor Speedway the following week, Fitz Motorsports earned their first top-five of the season when driver David Stremme started outside the pole and finished in fifth place. The team’s credibility was beginning to grow.
Mike Bliss, the 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, stepped up to the plate for one of the toughest races on the circuit at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was his first time driving under crew chief Paul Wolfe, and they flawlessly brought home the first of Bliss’s seven top-ten finishes for the season.
As the season progressed, the crew learned more and more about what it takes to be competitive, making consistent and quality laps around the track. Their hard work landed them in the honorable Owner Points top-ten for 29 of 36 races.
Oh Canada! For the first time ever, the NASCAR Busch Series headed north to Canada where Fitz Motorsports and Canadian driver Patrick Carpentier became the star of the show. Carpentier was the fastest qualifier for the race and claimed the first pole victory for the No. 22 Dodge. It was the driver’s first time ever racing a stock car, and the crowd was in an uproar when he crossed the finish line just behind the winner.
Just incase we weren’t having enough fun yet, California native Robby Gordon filled the seat at his hometown track in Fontana, California. Gordon, who is regarded as one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR, made a successful top-ten finish; this added even more validity to the strength of the Fitz Motorsports program.
The fiery red Family Dollar Dodge was back on the track in Richmond, where Mike Bliss earned his first top-five finish for the team in 2007. He continued his top-five racing in Dover the following weekend with a fourth place finish, and topped it off with an outstanding second place finish at the caution-filled Memphis Sam’s Town 250.
The 2007 season was triumphant for Fitz Motorsports. The entire crew honestly proved that they have what it takes to be a front-runner. They earned the respect of NASCAR, the other teams in the garage, and the true race fans. With everyone on the team still on board, 2008 looks to be another exciting and even more victorious season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
