RENO, NV – Roger Norman was in the front pack for the entire 2011 SNORE Mint 400 finishing 3rd in the Trophy Truck class, 5th overall. After a qualifying run that had everyone talking, the #8 Crystal Bay Casino trophy truck took the second starting position.  Norman maintained the second place position for the first lap, gained the lead in the second lap but then fell back to finishing third after an hour long on course repair.  “It was rocky and dusty and tires played a huge role in the race, our BFGoodrich tires really withstood the beating,” said Roger Norman.

Qualifying on Thursday was fast and a wild ride. Norman glided the #8 Crystal Bay Casino Trophy Truck at the notorious jump with a little bit of a rough landing.  “We landed in a hole and G’d out.  It took out the front bumper so we slowed down a little bit to not cause any additional problems.”  He qualified second fastest at 4:06.5, between fastest qualifier BJ Baldwin and father Bobby Baldwin.

The Mint 400 was a four lap race, which meant that not only was a good start important, but that lap traffic would play a role in the final outcome regardless of position.  Roger Norman and co-driver Eric Branstrom started the race with the same strategy as last year when they started and finished First: to have no mistakes or issues and keeping a close eye on where everyone is in the race. The first lap and a half were solid and uneventful.  During the second lap, Roger caught up to BJ in the rock garden, slowed to give a bump to pass, but BJ took off.  “Not long after, BJ blew a corner and pelted me with rocks, we had to try and get the rocks out of the foot well that kept going under the brake and throttle pedal for over 90 miles, but more devastating was all the rocks that went into the engine compartment.  After another lap of jostling around, they started to destroy the belts,” said Norman.  “Belts are not easily replaced on these trucks, so it took about an hour for us to replace them.”  Once back on course he kept pace and tried to make up the downed time.  By the final lap, he was about an hour behind the winner, but still placed 3rd in the Trophy Truck class and 5th overall.

Roger Norman will compete in his first ever Rock Crawling competition this weekend with the Torchmate Racing Team at the W.E. Rock Western National in Tucson, AZ.

Photos Credit:  Mike Canter

Roger Norman Website: www.RogerNormanRacing.com

Roger Norman Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/NormanMotorsports

Norman Motorsports Partners: Crystal Bay Casino, BFGoodrich, KMC, Vision X, K&N Filters, Mastercraft, Fire ETC, NEO, CMI, Big Ass Fans, Safety Kleen, Eibach Springs, Cruz Roja, Baja Fools, Rod End Supply, High Angle Drivelines, Trail Glow, Galley at the Marina