Cool City Customs 200 News and Notes

Roush Tough to Beat at Michigan
TruckSeries.com

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the Cool City Customs 200, race No. 10 of 25 for the series in 2008.

Michigan is a wide 2-mile oval beloved by drivers for its multiple grooves and relatively few cautions. It's also a fast track — Kyle Busch set the qualifying record here last year at 181.612 miles per hour.

Most of all, though MIS is the home track for Roush Fenway Racing and a place where the Ford squad is every bit as dominant as, say, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets are at Lowe's Motor Speedway. With Roush Industries based in nearby Livonia, Mich., this is a weekend that team co-owner Jack Roush circles on his calendar every year.

Roush Fenway Racing Fords have won three of the eight Michigan NCTS races contested to date, including last year, when Travis Kvapil beat Busch to the flag by 0.292 seconds. In fact, at this weekend last year, Roush drivers swept the Sprint Cup, NCTS and ARCA/RE-MAX Series races here. They'll likely be tough again this year.

Kvapil has since moved back to the Sprint Cup series, and Roush's F-150s are now manned by Erik Darnell and rookie Colin Braun, two young drivers who are short on experience but who both have flashed tremendous potential. Darnell, who drives the No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford, has one career victory already, while rookie Braun has a best finish of third in his Con-way Freight F-150.

"There is some pressure going into this race," Braun admitted. "I think we're going to be pretty darn good there. We're bringing back a really good truck, actually one of the trucks we've raced on most of the mile-and-a-half stuff so far this year. I'm excited to get back in that truck. I know my crew chief Mike Beam has a lot of good ideas and things up his sleeve here for this weekend. So, we're certainly pretty excited. It's going to be great to race in front of all the people from Roush Fenway and Ford. It's going to be a lot of fun."

It might not be so much fun, though, if Braun has Busch and the No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota Tundra breathing down his rear spoiler. Busch, who was second last Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, is itching for another victory this weekend, as he'll again take part in a Cup/Nationwide/NCTS tripleheader.

"They've (Toyota) won there (MIS) in the truck series and I guess that was a big win for them," said Busch, who has finished twice both times in his only two MIS Truck races. "It always means a lot to win any race whether you are in your manufacturer's backyard or your sponsor's backyard. MIS is always a big win. Hopefully we'll have a good run there."

Busch, of course, was referring to 2004, when Toyota earned its first NCTS victory, when Kvapil drove for the long-since-defunct Bang! Racing — remember them? — in what was a historic afternoon for the automaker. Speaking of which, Grand Rapids, Mich., native Johnny Benson earned his inaugural Truck victory right here in 2006 and will be primed to repeat in his Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra.

"Michigan is one of those races I look forward to each year," said Benson. "Anytime you can race in front of friends and family, there's always something extra-special about it. … Hopefully, when we get there in the Toyota Tundra we'll be able to pull out that win. It was the site of my first victory in the Truck Series in 2006 and one that I will always remember."

Now, here's where it gets interesting: The only past Michigan winners entered in Saturday's Truck race are Benson, Brendan Gaughan and his International MaxxForce Diesel Ford F-150, and Dennis Setzer's Melling-Journey Dodge Ram.

Mike Skinner, pilot of the No. 5 Toyota Tundra, and No. 30 Lumber Liquidators driver Todd Bodine have both run well here, without breaking through to victory lane. Skinner has three top-five finishes, while "The Onion" has never finished out the top 10 in three NCTS starts.

Then it gets murkier. Series points leader and defending NCTS champ Ron Hornaday Jr., driver of the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado, has never finished better than seventh in an MIS Truck race. His Kevin Harvick Inc. teammate, Jack Sprague, has just one top five here, and that came in 1999. He'll be looking for a better result in the American Commercial Lines Chevy on Saturday.

Likewise, No. 88 Menard's Chevy driver Matt Crafton has but one top-five here, as does Red Horse Racing Toyota driver David Starr. Three other drivers in the top 10 in points this year — Rick Crawford (Power Stroke Diesel By International Ford), Chad McCumbee (Malcolmson Construction Chevy) and Terry Cook (Wyler.com Toyota) are looking for their first top fives here.

The bottom line? Look for a wide-open race, with Kyle Busch and a couple of Roushkateers among the favorites to take the checkered flag on Saturday. But this should be one of the most wide open races of the year, and don't be surprised to see another first-time winner stepping up.