Petty's nephew plans to get trucking

By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
December 17, 2001
5:51 PM EST (2251 GMT)

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Trent Owens, who has ties to some of NASCAR's most famous families, has a full program to run for 2002 Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Trent Owens

Owens, the nephew of Richard Petty, plans to run the full schedule, which has not yet been released, in the No. 15 Dickies Ford F-150, fielded by a team owned by Preston Countryman and Billy Ballew.

Owens, 26, whose previous experience was in such series as the Gatorade All Pro Series, NASCAR Touring and the USAR Hooters Pro Cup, ran six Craftsman Truck races in 2001, three for Countryman and three for Ballew, whose facility the team will use.

2001 Truck Standings

The Fort Worth, Texas, Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Co. sponsored Owens in a number of his 2001 starts, which included best finishes of 18th at Texas and 19th at Pikes Peak and California.

“This is the best scenario possible, to have a terrific sponsor like Dickies commit for the entire 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck series season and to work with two great owners like Preston Countryman and Billy Ballew," Owens said. "Dickies was my sponsor last year and they're great. With the new team, our goal is simple -- go out and win the rookie of the year title for Dickies in 2002."

Owens’ stepfather, Barry Dodson, worked at Petty Enterprises early in his career and was Rusty Wallace’s crew chief in his 1989 Winston Cup championship season.

Trent’s father, Randy Owens, was killed only a few months after his son’s birth while working for Petty in the pits at Talladega Superspeedway.

"The entire team is excited about Trent Owens and the opportunity that Dickies has given us," said Countryman, who secured the deal with Dickies. "The sponsorship agreement provides the financial support necessary to compete week in and week out.

“We all have a lot of confidence in Trent Owens and his talent. Given the right team, Trent can really excel -- and now, thanks to Dickies, we're all on the right track to success this year."

The outfit’s season opens at Daytona International Speedway with the season opener on Feb. 15.