AAA Insurance 200 New and Notes

Driver to win the C Truck AAA Insurance 200

601 Mike Skinner +400
602 Mark Martin +550
603 Kyle Busch +650
604 Clint Bowyer +800
605 Ron Hornaday +800
606 Jack Sprague +800
607 Todd Bodine +1000
608 Johnny Benson +1100
609 Travis Kvapil +1100
610 Rick Crawford +1300
611 Erik Darnell +1600
612 Ted Musgrave +2000
613 Mike Bliss +2000
614 Dennis Setzer +2500
615 Brendan Gaughan +3000
616 Matt Crafton +3000
617 David Starr +5000
618 Terry Cook +5000

@TheGreek

Dover: NASCAR Truck Series Loop Stats

Call it vengeance night for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers.

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series regulars have placed 1-2 in the last two Craftsman Truck races at Dover International Speedway. The safe bet says the truck drivers want their swagger back.

Last year, Mark Martin (No. 21 Bush Beans Ford) led the most laps and captured the checkered. Carl Edwards finished second, and Kyle Busch led 85 laps – one lap less than Martin.

In 2005, Busch won at Dover, with Tony Stewart – who made one of his six career Craftsman Truck starts that race – finishing second.

This Friday, both Martin and Busch will again run the Craftsman Trucks.

Martin impressed last year at Dover, earning a Driver Rating of 143.0, an Average Running Position of 3.165, 40 Fastest Laps Run and 15 Quality Passes.

Over the last two years, Busch has accumulated similarly robust numbers. In his two Dover races, Busch has an Average Running Position of 4.380, a Driver Rating of 126.0 and the fastest Green Flag Speed.

Can any of the Craftsman Truck regulars reclaim the glory? Ron Hornaday Jr. looks to be the most likely candidate. Hornaday has a Driver Rating of 121.7 at Dover, an Average Running Position of 5.185 and 56 Fastest Laps Run, which is more than any other driver at Dover over the last two years.

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Who to Watch: Dover

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series reaches a major milestone this weekend with the 300th race since the series started back in February 1995. The Dover International Speedway - affectionately known as the Monster Mile - will present one of the most daunting challenges of the year. The track's 24-degree banking and long, sweeping corners will test man and machine for 200 of the most demanding laps the drivers and teams will face throughout the season.

Dover is a track that rewards aggressive patience and experience. Veterans, particularly those with Cup experience, tend to excel at Dover while rookies often struggle to find the line and a comfort zone. With a mix of experienced veterans and inexperienced rookies, on paper the mix ads up to an exciting show.

Here are the driver preview capsules for the AAA Insurance 200 at Dover:

A.J. Allmendinger, No. 00 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota: Allmendinger looked like the driver that showed up and ran a couple Truck Series races in 2006 last time out at Charlotte, running up front all night and finishing second. It's his first trip to Dover, and he needs as many laps as he can get. The Truck effort will help with his main job in the Cup car, but the laps in the Cup car will also benefit his Truck effort.

Aaron Fike, No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota: Fike was just a handful of laps away from collecting a runner-up finish at Mansfield before fuel issues slowed him within sight of the checkered flag. His open wheel background is filled with fast, high-banked short tracks so he should adapt quite well to Dover's banking. If he's put last week's disappointment behind him he should do quite well this weekend as well.

Clint Bowyer, No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet: Bowyer is always a threat when he runs in the Truck Series, and KHI has put competitive trucks on the track all season long. Bowyer has three consecutive top five finishes in the Busch Series, including a win there last September, so he should be up near the front all day long on Friday.

Mike Bliss, No. 4 Open Joist/Dodge Motorsports Dodge: Bliss comes to Dover in his new ride, which just collected its first top ten finish of the season at Mansfield with Kevin Hamlin at the wheel. Bliss has made just two previous Truck starts at Dover, but has never finished worse than fifth. Last week the Dodge was on equal footing with the other makes, but the superspeedways have been a challenge so another top five might be a stretch, but if anyone can do it, Bliss can.

Mike Skinner, No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota: The past three years have shown that Skinner was an absolute master at qualifying, but his aggressive race setups usually led to frustration when the checkered flag fell. This year Skinner is still laying down quick laps in qualifying - he has five consecutive Bud Poles coming into the weekend - but he's been in the top five in six of the seven races as well. He has one top five finish at Dover, but his results have progressively worsened since his first Truck race there in 2004. If his qualifying streak continues this week, expect a strong run in the race too.

Travis Kvapil, No. 6 K&N Filters Ford: Kvapil racked up a top five finish at Dover in his championship season, but has only one other top ten finish there in four races. The No. 6 Ford won this race last year with Martin at the wheel, and while Kvapil and Martin do not share the same comfort zone inside the cockpit coming in driving the truck that won the race last year should give this team an added boost of momentum.

Johnny Chapman, No. 06 Engine Parts Plus Chevrolet: Chapman will be in a third Green Light Racing Chevrolet. This effort could be a field-filler with a short entry list this week.

Jason White, No. 7 Hooters Energy Drink Chevrolet: White has run two previous Truck races at Dover and is looking for his first finish higher than 29th. He's only completed 89 of a possible 400 laps, so even though he has two previous starts at Dover he still is looking to gain seat time and experience.

Blake Bjorklund, No. 8 Blue Ox Chevrolet: Bjorklund found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time last week at Mansfield and spent some time behind the wall as a result. He's been decent on the superspeedways so far this season, and with past success at Salem Speedway in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, Bjorklund should take to Dover quite well.

Chad McCumbee, No. 08 TheGPSStore.com/Garmin Chevrolet: With only one previous start at Dover, McCumbee is still looking for experience. But he's found a comfort level on concrete tracks with a solid performance last year at Nashville.

Ted Musgrave, No. 9 Team ASE/Germain Motors Toyota: Musgrave's best career Cup finish came at Dover in 1995, a third, and he's a previous winner at Dover in the Trucks, taking the checkered in 2002. Unfortunately, his slip and fall while climbing out in victory lane is a metaphor for his results there since as he's not finished better than 12th since his win. The team is looking more and more like it will make a run at the championship this year, and Musgrave will be strong this weekend.

David Starr, No. 10 International/MaxxForce Diesel Ford: Starr had a good run go sour at Mansfield in the final 50 laps. The sum of the parts has yet to perform at its potential, but there's no doubt Starr and crew chief Dennis Connor can get it done. Starr is a former pole winner at Dover, and has two top five and four top ten finishes in five pervious starts at the Monster Mile. His worst finish is eleventh, so if there's a place where he can finally break the ice and rack up a top ten, Dover is going to be it.

Willie Allen, No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet: The Mean Green Machine almost stole a top five at Mansfield, but a fuel pickup problem derailed a spectacular run for Allen within the final 25 laps. This team has quietly had a good season, and with interim crew chief Danny Gill back at the helm this weekend Allen should continue to perform solidly. He should rack up a finish better than his 21.9 season average to this point.

Rick Crawford, No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford: Crawford was the man to beat last week at Mansfield, dominating the second half of the race before a cut right front tire sent him to the pits with less than ten laps remaining. Crawford couldn't come to a better place to rebound from last week's disappointment as Dover has always been one of his favorites. He has three top five finishes, with a runner-up finish in 2004 as his best. He's only missed one lap out of 1,403 possible and averages a seventh-place finish. After nearly missing last week, Crawford could rebound with a win this weekend.

Bill Lester, No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet: Lester's first two Dover races resulted in top-12 finishes, but his last three races there have offered nothing but frustration as he's finished 25th, 30th, and 30th since 2004. Billy Ballew Motorsports has run well here with Kyle Busch, and those setups should help Lester get back near the front of the field.

Scott Lagasse, Jr., No. 16 Xpress Motorsports Ford: Lagasse makes his return to the Truck Series for the first time since Talladega last fall. Lagasse has been strong in ARCA this season, but is still searching for his first Truck top-10. Xpress has performed excellently at Dover in the past with top-fives with Mike Bliss and Travis Kvapil. Lagasse will have a truck that can run in the top ten; it's now on him to get it there.

Ken Schrader, No. 18 Fastenal Dodge: Schrader is coming off his first top-five run since finishing third at Dover in 2004. The BHR team is the only one going to battle with a Dodge in 2007, and that's tough. Schrader had a strong run going at Charlotte before being shuffled out on a late-race restart, so the Dodge can run up front on a speedway. Now that the first one is on the books, look for more top tens out of this combination.

Mark Martin, No. 21 Wood/jtg Racing Ford: Martin is the defending race winner, and is fresh off a fourth-place run at Charlotte. The Wood/jtg team is still looking for its first Truck Series win, but with Martin performing as well as he is, it's likely just a matter of time. That time could be this weekend.

Johnny Benson, No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota: Dover is one of Benson's best tracks, with two Cup top-fives and a Busch Series win at the Monster Mile. Benson was a victim of a typical Dover crash in 2005 and finished 34th, but rebounded to finish sixth last season. He's fresh off his third top-five finish of the season at Mansfield, and that momentum will carry on with Trip Bruce back atop the pit box this weekend.

Todd Bodine, No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota: He's never finished better than 12th in a Cup car at Dover, but Bodine has racked up an impressive record in the Busch Series at the Monster Mile with three wins and seven top-five finishes in 21 starts. He also finished third in this race last year, and is primed to make a tip to victory lane. Look for the defending series champ at or near the front all day on Friday.

Ron Hornaday, Jr., No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet: Hornaday went from the front to the back to the front to the back and then to the front at Mansfield last week and single-handedly gave the fans in attendance their money's worth on his way to a sixth-place finish. The Hornaday-Rick Ren combination looked good before the season started, and it's lived up to expectations, especially the past couple of weeks. Hornaday should add a third top-ten finish to his Dover record this weekend.

Ryan Mathews, No. 36 Bill Davis Racing Toyota: Mathews made an admirable debut at Mansfield last week, staying out of most of the trouble and finishing 18th. Dover will offer a huge test. This team has been strong in qualifying throughout the season, and a top ten start could help give confidence for the young driver.

Shane Huffman, No. 40 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet: Huffman has only one career start at Dover, finishing 36th last fall in the Busch Series race. This team should be riding high after spending many laps at the front of the field at Mansfield with Clay Rogers at the wheel.

Kraig Kinser, No. 47 Ginn Resorts Chevrolet: Kinser's miserable season continued last time out at Mansfield with a hard crash sending him to the infield for repairs. Dover wasn't friendly to him last season as he finished 31st. Kinser has had a rough initiation to Truck racing and is due for some luck. If he gets it at Dover, a top-15 would go a long way to getting this team's season on track.

T.J. Bell, No. 50 Heathcliff's Cat Litter Ford: Bell ran to a 12th-place finish here in 2003, and that previous experience should help Bell as he looks to continue building on the strong runs he's had with Roush Fenway Racing. Look for Bell to challenge for another top-ten finish this time out.

Kyle Busch, No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet: The Shrub won this race in 2005, and rebounded to finish tenth after a loose hood pin sent him to the pits and to the back of the field. Busch comes to win every time out, and he will be a challenger again this time out.

Terry Cook, No. 59 Harris Trucking Co. Toyota: Cook has always been a strong qualifier at Dover with a 9.9 average start. He runs well in the races but his finishes range from third in 2005 to a pair of 20th-place finishes in 2003 and 2004. The HT Motorsports Team is steadily getting its legs beneath it, and Cook should finish at or slightly above his 13.4 average finish this weekend.

Jack Sprague, No. 60 Con-way Freight Toyota: Sprague's last three Busch Series starts at Dover have resulted in three top five finishes, with the two races in 2002 being preceded by the fall race of 1993. He has one top five run there in the Truck Series, back in 2001, but his three top ten finishes are offset by finishes of 27th in 2000 and 29th in 2005. If the pattern holds, Sprague is due for a top ten this week.

Scott Lynch, No. 63 Cooper Bussman Ford: No one does more with less than Mike Mittler, and that tenacity was rewarded with a top 20 finish at Kansas for this combination. Lynch hasn't seen anything like Dover on the West Coast, but if he finds his comfort level quickly he has a chance to match his Kansas results.

Dennis Setzer, No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet: Last week's winner has been looking for something to turn his season around, and there's nothing like a trip to the Winner's Circle to do that. With a little positive mojo on their side, the Spears team should start to rack up some top tens and start to move up in the championship standings.

Brendan Gaughan, No. 77 South Point Hotel Chevrolet: Gaughan finished seventh in his first Dover appearance in 2002, but has been outside the top-15 since. He drew the short end of the stick in qualifying at Mansfield, but steadily worked his way through the field and collected a hard earned top ten finish. He'd be happy to leave Dover with another top ten run, but he'll need to stay on the lead lap to do that, something he's not done since that first race in 2002.

Dana White, No. 86 888Karport.com Chevrolet: White's effort will likely be that as another field-filler. His Phil Bonifield-owned team has finished as high as 12th here in the past with T.J. Bell wheeling in 2003.

Matt Crafton, No. 88 Menards Chevrolet: Crafton is no particular fan of the Monster Mile, having had two of the hardest crashes of his career at Dover in 2002 and 2003. His best finish is a pair of ninth place runs in 2001 and 2005. Look for Crafton to better that finish this time out.

Erik Darnell, No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford: Darnell was off his game at Dover last year, finishing 25th. He's run well all season, but only the victory at Kansas has been truly trouble free. He got bounced into the wall last week at Mansfield before spinning to avoid another pileup late in the race. He needs a strong finish to recapture that momentum, and while Dover isn't always friendly to those needing a good run, Darnell should get it done this weekend.

Since I was so close with them last week, here are this week's predictions:

* Pole: Mike Skinner. Until someone knocks him off, we'll stick with this one.
* Winner: Mark Martin. The No. 21 has been strong with him behind the wheel, and he's due for a win.
* Top five, behind the winner, in no particular order: Ron Hornaday, Kyle Busch, Todd Bodine, Ted Musgrave.
* Top ten, behind the top five, in no particular order: Matt Crafton, Jack Sprague, Clint Bowyer, Travis Kvapil, and Erik Darnell.

www.truckseries.com

NASCAR - Craftsman Truck - AAA Insurance 200 Preview
Date: Friday, June 1st

Start Time: 4:45 p.m. (et)

Site: Dover International Speedway, Dover, Delaware

Track: 1-mile banked concrete speedway (Monster Mile)

Laps: 200

Miles: 200

Race record: 120.200 m.p.h. (Mark Martin, 2006)

Qualifying record: 157.577 m.p.h. (David Starr, 2005)

2006 Finish
Defending champion: Mark Martin

Runner up: Carl Edwards

Pole winner: David Reutimann (153.905 m.p.h.)

Top 10:

1. Mark Martin (Start: 13)

2. Carl Edwards (17)

3. Todd Bodine (7)

4. Mike Bliss (2)

5. David Reutimann (1)

6. Johnny Benson (10)

7. Ron Hornaday Jr (9)

8. Rick Carwford (4)

9. Jack Sprague (23)

10. Kyle Busch (3)

Average speed: 120.200 m.p.h.

Past winners
2006 Mark Martin, Ford, 120.200 m.p.h.

2005 Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 96.735 m.p.h.

2004 Chad Chaffin, Dodge, 98.996 m.p.h.

2003 Jason Leffler, Dodge, 97.232 m.p.h.

2002 Ted Musgrave, Dodge, 104.545 m.p.h. (race record)

2001 Scott Riggs, Dodge, 99.256 m.p.h.

2000 Kurt Busch, Ford, 97.168 m.p.h.

Notes
Last season, Mark Martin defeated Carl Edwards by just over three seconds to record his fourth career Craftsman Truck Series title. Martin, who crossed the finish line 3.052 seconds ahead, started in the 13th position and reclaimed the lead on lap 165 of the 200-lap event. Martin led all drivers with 86 laps led, while Kyle Busch, the 2005 champion, led for 85 laps. Pole sitter David Reutimann led twice for 18 laps and placed fifth. Last year's race found 35 of 36 drivers running at the finish to match the series record that has been duplicated three times most recently at Memphis Motorsports Park last July.

In 2005, Kyle Busch crossed the finish line just 0.745 of a second ahead of Tony Stewart for his second career Craftsman title.

A big milestone for the Craftsman Series, as this week's race will be the 300th and eighth at Dover International Speedway. Interestingly enough, the winners of each of the previous milestone races are entered this week. Mike Skinner won the first series race in 1995, Ron Hornaday Jr captured the 100th in 1999 and Ted Musgrave won the 200th in 2003.

Spears Motorsports, owned by Wayne and Connie Spears of Agua Dulce, Calif., have participated in 298 of the 300 races and is the only remaining active team to have raced in the Phoenix inaugural event. Spears' driver, Dennis Setzer, is the series most recent winner on May 26 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.

Seven former champions - Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday Jr., Jack Sprague, Mike Bliss, Travis Kvapil, Ted Musgrave and Todd Bodine, will compete in the AAA Insurance 200. All but Bliss, a part-time competitor in 2007, rank among the top 10 in championship standings.

The next race in the Craftsman Truck Series championship is at the Texas Motor Speedway on June 8th for the Sam's Town 400, as Todd Bodine defends his title.

Ted Musgrave is The Only Nascar Craftsman Truck Past Champion With A Dover Victory
May 30, 2007

This is the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ 13th season. The AAA Insurance is its 300th race and eighth at Dover International Speedway.

Amherst, Ohio’s Chris Showalter, truck chief for the Morgan-Dollar Motorsports team backing driver Kraig Kinser, will be making his 300th appearance as a team member. He is the only competitor and/or official to have participated in every series race.

Winners of three “milestone” races will participate in the AAA Insurance 200. Mike Skinner won the first series race on Feb. 5, 1995 at Phoenix International Raceway. Ron Hornaday Jr. won the 100th on April 3, 1999 at Evergreen (Wash. ) Speedway. Ted Musgrave won the 200th on June 21, 2003 at Memphis Motorsports Park. The trio – first, second and fourth in series points – own a combined 74 series victories and four championships.

Spears Motorsports, owned by Wayne and Connie Spears of Agua Dulce, Calif., have participated in 298 of the 300 races and is the only remaining active team to have raced in the Phoenix inaugural event. Spears’ driver, Dennis Setzer, is the series most recent winner on May 26 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.

Six drivers who took part in the series’ first event will race this week at Dover. They are (and their Phoenix finish) Mike Skinner (first), Ken Schrader (third), Jack Sprague (sixth), Ron Hornaday Jr. (ninth), Johnny Benson (10th) and Mike Bliss (14th). Hornaday won the Bud Pole for the Phoenix race.

Interesting fact: None of the veterans of the series’ inaugural race have managed to win at Dover International Speedway.

Mike Skinner is the current championship leader by 121 points over Ron Hornaday Jr. There have been five different winners in the season’s first seven races.

Seven former champions – Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday Jr., Jack Sprague, Mike Bliss, Travis Kvapil, Ted Musgrave and Todd Bodine – will compete in the AAA Insurance 200. All but Bliss, a part-time competitor in 2007, rank among the top 10 in championship standings.

Point leader Mike Skinner finished 22nd at Dover in 2006 but counts a fourth (2004) and a 10th (2005) in his other two trips to the Monster Mile. Ron Hornaday Jr. has the best average finish among the title contenders – 5.5 on performances of fourth and seventh. Todd Bodine posted last year’s best finish – third – among title hopefuls.

Ted Musgrave is the only past champion with a Dover victory. The 2005 champion won in 2002. Seven races have produced seven winners. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup regulars have won the past two editions of the AAA Insurance 200 – Mark Martin in 2006 and Kyle Busch in 2005. Both have entered this year’s race. Two former Dover winners are currently competing in NASCAR’s premier series: Kurt Busch (2000) and Scott Riggs (2001).

Additional NASCAR NEXTEL Cup competitors entering the AAA Insurance 200 are AJ Allmendinger and Clint Bowyer. Allmendinger finished second in his most recent appearance at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 18.

Ted Musgrave’s last victory, his 16th, came on April 30, 2005 at Gateway International Raceway at age 48. He is winless in 52 races. Todd Bodine’s last win came at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2006 – 23 races ago.

Here are some significant winless streaks (since last victory) among drivers expected to compete in the Ohio 250: Ken Schrader (72), Brendan Gaughan (58) and Ted Musgrave (52). Dennis Setzer snapped a 41-race victory drought at Mansfield.

Matt Crafton matched Lance Norick’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series record for most career starts – 154 – without a victory when he finished 35th at Mansfield. Obviously, he’d like to end the streak at Dover where he twice has finished ninth.

Youth vs. Experience: Among fulltime drivers, Kansas winner Erik Darnell, 24, became the series’ youngest winner since Brandon Whitt (21) at Memphis Motorsports Park on July 23, 2005. The past 32 races have seen just five winners under the age of 40: Darnell, Kyle Busch (21), Clint Bowyer (27), Terry Cook (38) and David Starr (38).

In The Loop: Ron Hornaday Jr. owns the best Driver Rating at Dover International Speedway – 121.7. Todd Bodine isn’t far behind at 121.7. Mike Skinner (90.9) and Ted Musgrave (75.5) will have to step it up this week. Numbers haven’t told the complete story for Skinner, who entered the last two races with decidedly sub-par ratings but actually added to his championship lead.

Mike Skinner has yet to win a Bud Pole at Dover International Speedway and will have to hustle to add to his streak of five consecutive poles. He’s within three of the series record that Skinner himself set in 1995. The No. 1 starter has won twice at Dover in 2000 and 2001. Since 2002, when Ted Musgrave won from the outside of the front row, winners have started 10th, ninth, fifth and 13th.

Eleven drivers have registered to compete for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. Aaron Fike is the current point leader by 34 points over Willie Allen. Fike is the first rookie candidate to score back-to-back top-10 finishes in 2007: seventh at Martinsville and eighth at Kansas Speedway. Kurt Busch is the preeminent Raybestos Rookie candidate at Dover winning the series’ inaugural event in 2000 in an epic battle with Mike Wallace.

Three South Point Racing crew members are Drive for Diversity alumni and African Americans. One, catch can and jack specialist Chris Justice, is a former Wake Forest University football team member at the defensive back position. The team’s Chevrolet is driven by former Georgetown University basketball and football team member Brendan Gaughan. Gaughan’s Chevrolet will be adorned this week with Georgetown University logos.

OF NOTE: Dover is the first of three concrete-surfaced tracks on which the series competes in 2007. The tour visits Nashville Superspeedway on Aug. 11 and Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 22. No driver has been able to win a series race on more than one of those tracks. …the Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt, are the only brothers to win NASCAR Craftsman Truck races at the same track – Dover International Speedway. … Last year’s race found 35 of 36 drivers running at the finish to match the series record that has been duplicated three times most recently at Memphis Motorsports Park last July. …Three drivers – Terry Cook, Rick Crawford and Dennis Setzer – have competed in all seven series races at Dover International Speedway. Their best finishes are third, second and ninth, respectively.... One hundred twenty-nine different competitors have claimed more than $3.5 million in Dover competition. The leading money winner is Crawford with $145,040.

www.autoracingdaily.com

Skinner leads first truck practice
SCENEDAILY

DOVER, Del. - Mike Skinner's Bill Davis Racing Toyota led the first practice for the AAA Insurance 200 Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway on Thursday afternoon.

Skinner posted a fast lap of 151.458 mph, ahead of the 151.114 recorded by Wyler Racing's Jack Sprague.

Kevin Harvick Inc.'s Clint Bowyer was third, followed by Kyle Busch (Billy Ballew Motorsports) and Mike Bliss (Bobby Hamilton Racing).

The Pennington Motorsports truck driven by rookie Jason White crashed after four laps, forcing the team to pull out its backup.

A final practice is scheduled from 4:30-5:30 p.m. EDT.

Skinner fastest in final practice:

Once again #5-Mike Skinner was atop the chart in the final practice session with a speed of 154.321 followed by #51-Kyle Busch, #2-Clint Bowyer, #00-A.J. Allmendinger, #23-Johnny Benson. First Ford [9th] T.J. Bell; first Rookie [10th] #13-Willie Allen; first Dodge [14th] #18-Ken Schrader. #9-Ted Musgrave spun on the backstretch during the final laps; not sure if he's going to backup car.

I ended up taking Kyle Busch +650 to make the race a little more exciting to watch tonight. 8)

Skinner Scorches Dover for Sixth Straight Pole
06-01-2007

With a modest tone in his voice, Mike Skinner downplayed his chances at scoring his sixth straight NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Bud Pole Award following the conclusion of practice for the AAA Insurance 200 on Thursday afternoon at Dover International Speedway.

"We aren't too worried about qualifying as we are the race," Skinner said then. "I don't know if we are a threat for the pole. If you look at (the practice times) we are. But all we want to do is keep doing what we're doing. We've been able to salvage decent races all - year top tens and top fives. It's hard for me to race like that though."

Even though he's downplaying his recent streak in qualifying, everyone knows the driver of the No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota is the man to beat when it's time to set the field. It was no different Saturday morning as Skinner swept to his sixth consecutive pole, a streak that started in the third race of the season at Atlanta and has run uninterrupted since.

Skinner turned a quick lap around the Monster Mile timed at 23.163 seconds, or 155.420 miles per hour, about a third of a second slower than the track record set by David Starr in June 2005. NASCAR Nextel Cup Series visitor Clint Bowyer will start alongside Skinner after he turned a lap of 23.300 seconds/154.506 miles per hour in Kevin Harvick's No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet.

Skinner's Bill Davis Racing teammate Johnny Benson qualified third in the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota with a 23.308 seconds/154.453 mph lap, and 2005 Dover winner Kyle Busch was fourth in the No. 51 Flanders Beef Patties Chevrolet at 23.329 seconds/154.314 miles per hour. Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top five qualifiers, timing in at 23.344 seconds/154.215 miles per hour in the No. 77 Georgetown Hoyas Chevrolet.

Leading Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Aaron Fike was sixth, with Jack Sprague in seventh, T.J. Bell in eighth, defending series champion Todd Bodine in ninth, and Terry Cook tenth.

Defending race winner Mark Martin was 12th in qualifying, while Charlotte winner Ron Hornaday was 15th, Ken Schrader was 23rd, and last week's winner Dennis Setzer ended up 26th.

All 36 drivers that entered the AAA Insurance 200 earned starting positions for the race, which is slated for a 4:45 P.M. green flag. SPEED will carry the race on a delayed basis at 8 P.M. Eastern, while MRN will have live radio coverage on selected affiliates nationwide. TruckSeries.com will provide real-time TrackSideLive! updates starting at 4:30 P.M. Eastern

www.truckseries.com

Skinner Scorches Dover for Sixth Straight Pole

Skinner is on some roll lately 😮

Starting Lineup: AAA Insurance 200 at Dover International Speedway

1 5 Mike Skinner
2 2 Clint Bowyer
3 23 Johnny Benson
4 51 Kyle Busch
5 77 Brendan Gaughan
6 1 Aaron Fike #
7 60 Jack Sprague
8 50 T.J. Bell
9 30 Todd Bodine
10 59 Terry Cook
11 00 AJ Allmendinger
12 21 Mark Martin
13 14 Rick Crawford
14 08 Chad McCumbee
15 33 Ron Hornaday Jr.
16 4 Mike Bliss
17 6 Travis Kvapil
18 15 Bill Lester
19 09 Stacy Compton
20 10 David Starr
21 99 Erik Darnell
22 47 Kraig Kinser
23 18 Ken Schrader
24 88 Matt Crafton
25 13 Willie Allen #
26 75 Dennis Setzer
27 8 Blake Bjorklund #
28 40 Shane Huffman
29 07 Tim Sauter #
30 9 Ted Musgrave
31 36 Ryan Mathews
32 16 Scott Lagasse Jr.
33 06 Morgan Shepherd
34 63 Scott Lynch
35 7 Jason White #
36 86 Dana White

# - Raybestos Rookie of the Year Contender

Hornaday Jr. makes it two of three
June 1st, 2007

Dover, DE (Sports Network) - Ron Hornaday Jr. took command just past the midway point and dominated the rest of the way to win Friday afternoon's AAA Insurance 200 at the Dover International Speedway. The No.33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet crossed the finish line well ahead of Stacy Compton.

The victory was Hornaday Jr.'s second win in the last three races and Craftsman Truck Series record 31st of his career.

"Awesome day," said Hornaday Jr. "It took me 20 laps to figure out how to drive this thing, but it was awesome after that."

Mike Skinner, off his sixth consecutive pole win, led the field to the green flag for 200 laps of racing.

The green flag lasted only until the first turn because Skinner and Clint Bowyer got together coming out of turn two. Skinner pinched Bowyer and the two hit. Bowyer slammed the wall and collected a half-a-dozen trucks including David Starr, Jack Sprague, Erik Darnell and Brendan Gaughan.

"I guess the old man didn't want the young kid to get around him," said an annoyed Bowyer.

Skinner appeared to have dodged any damage and remained the leader when the race went back to green on lap 10. Another crash and the race was slowed again.

The race finally restarted on lap 24 and Kyle Busch, now second, quickly got around Skinner for the first lead change of the race. Slowly, ever so slowly, Busch began to build his lead on Skinner to about 10 lengths. In fact, Skinner was being caught by Johnny Benson, the third-place truck. They continued one- two-three as the field passed the 50-lap mark.

As they approached lap 65, Busch's margin over Skinner was almost two seconds. Busch continued to expand his lead on the longest green-flag run of the day as he waited to make what was expected to be his only pit stop of the afternoon.

Skinner was the first of the three leaders to pit (lap 97). A flawless stop and Skinner was away. Busch and Benson pitted three laps later leaving 2006 Craftsman champion Todd Bodine in the lead. Bodine had pitted earlier in the race (lap 39) and was "off-sequence" with Busch, Benson and Skinner.

Bodine finally pitted on lap 107 and Hornaday Jr. inherited the lead. Busch, Benson and Skinner were just outside the top-10.

Then Rick Crawford (right-rear tire) spun on lap 124 to bring out a caution flag and allowed the final stops for leader Hornaday Jr. and second-place A.J. Allmendinger to take place under a yellow flag.

Hornaday Jr. and Busch were one-two after their pit stops and they exchanged the lead on the restart. Travis Kvapil, Compton and Mike Bliss made up the top-five with defending champion Mark Martin in sixth place.

Hornaday Jr. took command from Busch as his newer tires let him run deeper into the corners. He opened up a one-second lead as they passed the 150-lap mark. Skinner was up to eighth, but he scraped the turn-four wall and thought he was having a tire go down and Benson was ninth.

They were still all in the same positions with 25 laps to go. The leaders were now picking there way through lapped traffic making it tough to gain on Hornaday Jr. who opened up the lead to 2.8 seconds with 23 laps to go.

On the next lap Busch got very high and dramatically slowed in turn three with a blown right-front tire. He kept it off the wall, but he was no longer in competition for the win.

Compton got around Kvapil for third place just before the Busch blowout and he inherited second place. Hornaday Jr. had a very healthy lead and barring a mechanical problem or a mental error, he was in cruise mode.

Kvapil and Compton were in a good battle for second place as Hornaday Jr.'s lead was more than six seconds.

Hornaday Jr. eased his way around the track for the final time and grabbed his second win of 2007. Kvapil, Benson and Bliss completed the top-five.

The next race in the series is scheduled for Friday, June 8th at the Texas Motor Speedway. Skinner will take just a 77-point over Hornaday Jr. into the race.

I ended up taking Kyle Busch +650 to make the race a little more exciting to watch tonight. 8)

On the next lap Busch got very high and dramatically slowed in turn three with a blown right-front tire. He kept it off the wall, but he was no longer in competition for the win.

Another strong run by Busch followed by more bad luck. 😛