The next boat was the former three-wing Circus Circus, later operated by Ron Jones, Jr. and driven by Scott Pierce, and finally raced as the Truck Gear. The boat became the U-25, sponsored by Silver Dollar Casino and KISW radio, among others. This boat had several configurations over the years, including different cowlings and hull modifications, and a widened tunnel.
At Tri-Cities in 2003 the boat suffered a violent flip in the last lap of the final heat, literally breaking into two pieces. In 2005, in the very first lap of the very first race, the steering failed. The boat took a hard right coming out of the turn and went straight to Kentucky, running up the beach, knocking down a tree and ripping off much of the left sponson. Yet, the U-25 raced the very next weekend in Madison, Indiana.
Ken Muscatel sold the team to Kevin Aylesworth and Jeff Johnson of San Diego at the end of the 2005 season, with thoughts of retirement. Roger Newton was crew chief.
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2001 - 2005
