Lady racer to take on Truck Series challenge.

Former ARCA racer Tina Gordon will become the first regular female competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after signing a full-season deal for 2003 with RDS Motorsports.

Alabama born Gordon, who showed highly impressive form in an injury hit 2002 ARCA season, will contest all 25 NCTS races in 2003 under the guidance of RDS Motorsports Managing Partner Tony Branson. The 33 year-old mother of one will become the first lady to attempt a full season of action in the nine-year history of the series.

"I'm really exciting and looking forward to this season," Gordon said. "I'm very appreciative of the opportunity Tony and Mary Branson are giving me to compete full-time in a series such as the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks."

Gordon has made an impact in every form of racing she has contested. Starting her career racing her husband's short-track car, Gordon graduated to the ARCA Series for older second-hand Winston Cup cars in late 2001 and stunned onlookers by qualifying fifth and finishing tenth on her series debut at the fearsome Talladega Superspeedway.

A promising 2002 ARCA campaign was severely curtailed by a crash at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in May in which Tina suffered serious leg and foot injuries. However she returned to the cockpit in September and will make her NCTS debut next month at the famed Daytona International Speedway.

Branson, long a successful engine builder in NHRA and NASCAR, assumes the management role of his own team for the first time in his long career in auto racing.

"We have every confidence that this is the beginning of the realization of a life-long dream to compete in the top levels of NASCAR," Branson said. "We believe our effort this year in the Craftsman Truck Series is just the first step in reaching that goal. What will make it even more meaningful for me is to accomplish this goal with a tremendous female talent such as Tina Gordon."

Along with Gordon, the team will also feature a new number on its Dodge Ram truck. The team will switch to the No. 66 from the No. 79 it ran in 2002.

The RDS Motorsports entry competed in all 22 races last season with several drivers and finished 21st in the Craftsman Truck Series point standings. Its best finish was fourth in the season opener at Daytona with veteran trucker Joe Ruttman.

While the team continues a search for primary sponsorship, associate sponsors already committed for the 2003 season include Sticks N Stuff, Mesco Metal Buildings, Schaeffer's Oil, MicroTel Inns & Suites, Total Race Babe and 3M Post-It-Note Division.

The team will continue to base its operations in Burlington, North Carolina.