Louisville, KY (August 17, 2005) – Chuck Barnes Jr.’s dream to win a NASCAR Craftsman Series ride with Roush Racings "Gong Show" came to an end on Tuesday after a full day of testing at Darlington Speedway in NASCAR Craftsman Trucks on Monday. Barnes was informed along with five others that they wouldn’t be involved any further with the contest. The other six drivers, Erik Darnell, Danny O’Quinn, Matt McCall, David Ragan, Pete Shepherd and Auggie Vidovich, tested again on Tuesday, Shepherd and Vidovich were released on Wednesday morning leaving the remaining four drivers to complete the test session at Darlington Speedway on Wednesday night. The final results of the "Gong Show" will not be known immediately until further taping is done with the final four drivers and their families.

"I had the feeling I was on the bubble after testing Monday," remarked Barnes. "I felt like I did pretty good, but it took me a little while to get comfortable and up to speed. I thought the track would be a lot like Salem Speedway, but it really wasn’t. My lack of experience on radial tires is what really hurt me the most. I was probably a little too tentative, but the last thing I wanted to do was tear up one of Jack Roush’s trucks. Overall I though my times were pretty good, I just didn’t show them what they needed to see to keep me."

"Darnell, O’Quinn, McCall and Vidovich were here last year, so they had some experience at Darlington plus Darnell and O’Quinn got to drive some ARCA RE/Max Shows this season in Roush equipment on some bigger tracks. Ragan got a lot of laps on bigger tracks with his ARCA RE/Max Series ride this season and has gotten some experience with the radial tires in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck this year. Experience means a lot, hopefully I can get some more soon, and if I haven’t found anything yet, hopefully I will get invited back to participate in this show next year."

The Discovery Channel has teamed up with Roush Racing to capture all of the excitement and drama of the competition on film with unprecedented access to Roush’s "Gong Show". The high-energy 13-part series DRIVER X: RACE FOR THE RIDE will debut on Discovery Channel October 31, 2005.

"The last three weeks were definitely something I will never forget’’ remarked Barnes. "I got to meet some great people, especially the other drivers, it was really neat to get to know all of them. It was a great experience both on the track and especially off the track. I came in being really uneasy with talking in front of people and being on camera, but I really feel comfortable with both now. Hopefully the television exposure with the show will help open some doors, and give me some opportunities to further my racing career. I really want to thank Roush Racing for the great opportunity they gave me, and thank my family and friends for their continued support!"

Barnes stayed over in Charlotte an extra day to start making contacts with other Nextel Cup Teams and inquire about their Driver Development Teams. Barnes also hopes to be back behind the wheel of his late model, racing again in the near future.

More information is available on Chuck Barnes Jr. at www.chuckbarnesjr.com.