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  • Pittsburg State football coach Tim Beck (right) presents the pole award for the NASCAR Truck Series SFP 250 to Tim George Jr. on Saturday at Kansas Speedway.

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April 22, 2012

Football coaches, NASCAR drivers looking for speed

By Jim Henry Globe Sports Editor

There is at least one similarity between NASCAR and Pittsburg State football.

“We’re looking for speed, and they are looking for speed,” Gorillas head coach Tim Beck said. “One of the first things we talked about when I got this job was we were looking for guys who could run, people who could do things fast and move fast.”

Beck witnessed on Saturday another type of speed. He and PSU assistants Dave Wiemers and Carl Roth were involved in pre-race ceremonies at Kansas Speedway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck SFP 250.

The trucks held qualifying runs on Saturday morning, and Beck presented pole winner Tim George Jr. with his award.

“I handed him his trophy, a little, tiny car,” Beck said. “The neatest part of the day was when Coach Wiemers and Coach Roth and I got to stand on the stage and meet all the truck drivers. That was pretty cool, pretty neat. We got to shake their hands and wish them luck right before the race.”

Beck’s father, Paul, and son, Derek, and Wiemers’ son, Brett, also made the trip to the speedway.

NASCAR is a weekly topic around the PSU football office.

“Most of the assistant coaches know more about it than I do,” Beck said. “We talked about it once a week, have a little discussion about it. Dan Wilkes (PSU sports information director) and Coach Roth and Coach Wiemers know a lot more than I do.

“It was definitely an exciting day, a lot of fun to watch.”

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