Quaker Steak and Lube 200 News and Notes

Craftsman Truck Series Notes
May 15, 2007
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

‘Rowdy’ Busch Looks For Third Straight At LMS

When Kyle Busch pulled into Victory Lane in the No. 51 Chevrolet at Lowe’s Motor Speedway last season, the name “Rowdy” Busch was painted above his window.

Busch, a long-time Days of Thunder fan, had the name put there in honor of “Rowdy Burns,” the character who drove the No. 51 in the movie.

This weekend, Busch is back in the No. 51 Chevrolet for Friday’s Quaker Steak and Lube 200 presented by Circle K – and so is “Rowdy”.

Busch will be aiming for his third consecutive win at Lowe’s, a task he knows is difficult.

“Its going to be really tough,” Busch said. “You have plenty of good guys out here. We’re just trying to work with what we have to make it three-in-a-row.”

Although three consecutive wins at one track is not a series record, it is rare. Jack Sprague (No. 60 Con-way Toyota) (Phoenix 1996-97) and Ted Musgrave (No. 9 Team ASE Toyota) (California 2001-03) are the only other drivers to accomplish it. Brendan Gaughan (No. 77 South Point Hotel Chevrolet) holds the series record with four straight wins at Texas Motor Speedway from 2002-03.

Busch competed in seven races last season, putting together impressive results. He finished in the top 10 in all seven and had three top-five finishes. “You come over here wanting to have some fun and race hard and do a good job,” Busch said. “That is what we’re going to do.”

Teams Eager For Seven-Race Stretch

Friday night’s race will be the first of seven in consecutive weekends – the longest stretch on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule. The first five races of the season have been spread over three months, which has given teams the opportunity to brainstorm and fine-tune.

“It has given us a lot of time to go back to the shop and make some different changes to our trucks each week,” said series veteran Dennis Setzer (No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet). “Hopefully we can get all of that together and put it to some use these next seven races in a row.”

Rick Crawford (No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford) and his Circle Bar Racing team have put the early off-weeks to good use as well.

“We have had a lot of work to do at Circle Bar Racing,” Crawford said. “The off-weeks have been a welcome, because we’ve been trying to build our truck inventory.

“When the season first starts, you always look at the schedule and try to have yourself ready to go when that long stretch starts. We’re coming to Charlotte ready to go put on a great show for the fans.”

That is not to say that the team is looking ahead at upcoming races.

“Charlotte is first; we’ll worry about the rest of them later,” Crawford said.

NCTS Notebook: 300th Race Nears; Darnell Wins Again

Countdown to 300: Hornaday Wins 100th at Evergreen

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will race for the 300th time on June 1 in the AAA Insurance 300 at Dover International Speedway. The race will feature six full-time drivers that competed in the series’ 100th race - the NAPACARD 200 at Evergreen (Wash.) Speedway on April 3,1999.

Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) and team owner Dale Earnhardt shared a $100,000 bonus posted by sponsor Craftsman for winning at Evergreen. Hornaday, who started on the pole after qualifying was canceled due to weather, battled 1997 champion Jack Sprague in the early going and Butch Miller in the latter stages of the 200-lap race around the .646-mile oval. He took the lead for good at Lap 162, edging Sprague by 2.509 seconds to win his second consecutive race.

Both drivers, as well as Miller and Rick Carelli were eligible to collect the Craftsman bonus, having run all 99 races leading up to the milestone event. Carelli finished sixth, Miller 16th. Hornaday was the defending series champion at the time, but Sprague went on to win his second series title.

Darnell Wins Again

Just two weeks after his win at Kansas Speedway, Erik Darnell (No. 99 Northern Tool-Equipment Ford) drove to Victory Lane again. Only this time, he did it in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.

Darnell’s Kansas win was the first of his career and was the quickest of a non-winning Raybestos Rookie of the Year, taking only 31 starts.

Darnell is currently 10th in the standings.

Huffman To Make Season Debut

NASCAR Busch Series driver Shane Huffman will make his season debut in the No. 40 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet for Key Motorsports at Lowe’s. Huffman ran four of the last five events of 2006 for Key Motorsports; his best finish was 20th at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mike Bliss and Clay Rogers have split driving duties for the first five races. Bliss has the best finish – 10th at California Speedway.

Fike Happy With Start Of Rookie Season

Five races into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, Aaron Fike (No. 1 Red Horse Racing Toyota) is right where he wants to be. He leads the Raybestos Rookie of the Year race by 17 points and is 11th in the standings, seven points out of 10th-place.

“I think everything has gone really well so far,” Fike said. “My goals coming into the season were to run in the top 10 in points, win rookie of the year and I’d like to win a pole … a race win would be nice too.”

Fike has finished in the top 10 in consecutive races and led six laps at Kansas – the first lead he has had in 57 NASCAR races (including 52 NASCAR Busch Series starts). He also knows that he could be doing better in the standings.

“We should have more top 10s; we’ve run up front almost every race,” Fike said.

The Loop Data backs him up. Fike’s Average Running Position is 11.925, eighth-best in the series. He is quick to give the credit to his team.

“I’m just happy to be with a good team,” Fike said. “Red Horse Racing is giving me a good truck every weekend. Hopefully we can just keep the momentum going. When you’re running good you want to be out there racing every weekend.”

Despite his early success, Fike knows how tough the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is.

“This series is one of the most competitive in racing,” Fike said. “You have a lot of good veterans out there and there are almost 20 different trucks that can win any week.”

In The Loop: Busch Tops Loop Data Charts

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway the past two years has become Kyle Busch versus the field.

Busch, who will step into a Craftsman Truck for the 26th time in his career, has won the past two races at LMS and has made the annual race an Us vs. Him extravaganza, pitting the Craftsman Truck regulars against the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series star.

Busch has shown his brilliance the past two years, collecting some impressive stats. He holds the top rank in Average Running Position (3.082), Driver Rating (147.9 – the maximum is 150.0), Fastest Laps Run (81), Green Flag Speed and Laps in the Top 15 (264).

But it’s not as if Busch has stolen the show with ease.

Terry Cook is one driver who has consistently vied for the Lowe’s Motor Speedway title. He was the runner-up in each of the past two years and ranks near the top of many Loop Data categories. Cook has an Average Running Position of 6.432 (second-best), a Driver Rating of 119.0 (second-best) and the third-fastest Green Flag Speed.

Then there’s the hard-luck case of Mike Skinner. Over the past two races at LMS, Skinner has started twice from the pole and led a total of 78 laps, but has an average finish of 28.5 to show for it. Skinner got caught in an accident in 2005 and blew an engine last year. Otherwise, his Lowe’s runs have been solid. Skinner has an Average Running Position of 8.473 (fourth-best), a Driver Rating of 110.4 (third-best) and 26 Fastest Laps Run (second-most).

FAST FACTS

Next Race: Quaker Steak & Lube 200 presented by Circle K
The Place: Lowe’s Motor Speedway
The Date: May 18
The Time: 9 p.m. (ET)
TV: SPEED, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: 1.5-mile paved oval
Race Purse: $544,474
2006 Winner: Kyle Busch
2006 Pole: Mike Skinner

Schedule: Friday – Practice 10 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.; 11:20 a.m.. – 11:40 a.m. (rookies) and 11:50 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. Qualifying 4:35 p.m.

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Dude I thought u fucked up on Quaker State. I had no idea this was legit. Too funny

Busch gunning for third truck win in a row at Lowe's
SCENEDAILY

Kyle Busch will try to go three for three at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Friday night's Quaker Steak & Lube 200 Craftsman Truck Series race.

Busch has won the last two truck races at Lowe's - in his only two starts in the series at the track. He'll try to make it three in a row when he again drives Billy Ballew Motorsports' No. 51 Chevrolet.

"It's going to be really tough," Busch said. "You have plenty of good guys out here. We're just trying to work with what we have to make it three in a row."

Busch led 77 laps in winning in 2005 and dominated again last year, pacing the field for 96 of the 134 laps.

Brendan Gaughan holds the series record with consecutive wins at one track when he won four in a row at Texas Motor Speedway from 2002-03. Jack Sprague (Phoenix 1996-97) and Ted Musgrave (California 2001-03) have won three in a row.

Busch will be making his first truck start of the season after posting seven top-10 finishes in seven starts last year.

"You come over here wanting to have some fun and race hard and do a good job," Busch said. "That is what we're going to do."

Dude I thought u fucked up on Quaker State. I had no idea this was legit. Too funny

I am sure lots of people will think the same thing ;D

Harvick to make third start of '07 in KHI truck
SCENEDAILY

Kevin Harvick will make his third Craftsman Truck Series start of 2007 in Friday's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Harvick will drive his own Kevin Harvick Inc. No. 2 Chevrolet in the 134-lap race.

Harvick finished eighth at California and fourth at Martinsville in his two previous truck starts this year. In two starts at the 1.5-mile Lowe's track, Harvick has finished fourth and fifth.

"I really enjoy racing the trucks because they are so much fun," said Harvick, who is also entered in the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe's this weekend. "I like racing at Charlotte, under the lights on the all-star weekend. I think it gets everybody excited."

Harvick said the driving style needed for a truck at Charlotte is a lot different than for a Nextel Cup car.

"The trucks are almost wide open all the way around because they have so much more downforce," Harvick said. "With the cars, you have to lift of the throttle in the corners.

"With the trucks, you arc it in a lot more and roll out of the gas a lot slower in the corners. They draft a lot more like a car would at Daytona or Talladega because they are so much boxier and punch such a bigger hole in the air."

Driver to win the Quaker Steak and Lube 200

601 Mike Skinner +400
602 Mark Martin +450
603 Kevin Harvick +500
604 Kyle Busch +500
605 Jack Sprague +850
606 Travis Kvapil +850
607 Todd Bodine +850
608 Johnny Benson+1100
609 Rick Crawford +1500
610 Erik Darnell +2000
611 Ted Musgrave +2000
612 Ron Hornaday +3000
613 Matt Crafton +4500
614 Brendan Gaughan +4500
615 David Starr +5000
616 Dennis Setzer +5000

@TheGreek

I made a bet on M Martin +450 to make the race a little more exciting. 😉

Hornaday Wins No. 30

CONCORD, N.C. - Ron Hornaday scored his 30th career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win with a dominating performance in Friday night's Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The win was the first of 2007 for Hornaday and first since Camping World announced they would sponsor the No. 33 Chevrolet for the rest of the season.

Hornaday visited victory lane for the first time since last July at Kentucky Speedway.

Erik Darnell's crash in the Turn 3 wall set-up a green-white-checkered finish and a two-lap sprint for the win.

On the final restart, Hornaday got a good jump over second-place A.J. Allmendinger, which was all he needed to speed to his first career win at LMS.

"I thought he had us, but I ran him down low and blocked him," said Hornaday, who led three times for 98 laps. "Made sure I took some air off his nose. Man, I am so excited."

Allmendinger hung on to score a career-best finish in his eighth truck series start.

"Ron was just a touch better," Allmendinger said. "If he made a mistake, I was going to be all over him."

The runner-up finish was satisfying for Allmendinger, who has struggled in his NEXTEL Cup effort since coming over from the Champ Car World Series. Allmendinger has only qualified for four of the season's first 11 Cup races and hopes to capitalize on his truck racing learning experience.

"It's obviously an adjustment," Allmendinger said. "At the end of the Champ Car season, last October, that really was the last time I was in contention. But I knew coming into this that it was going to be a challenge. You've got to reset your goals.

"Making Cup races right now, that's a victory to me. I was going to be pleased with a top 10, so second, it feels great."

Todd Bodine, Mark Martin and Ted Musgrave rounded out the top five.

Mike Bliss, Matt Crafton, Mike Skinner, T.J. Bell and Rick Crawford completed the first ten finishers.

The race was slowed seven times by caution for 27 laps. There were 10 lead changes among seven drivers. Hornaday led the most laps (98).

The Craftsman Truck Series now heads to Mansfield Motorsports Park next Saturday afternoon.

www.racingone.com

I made a bet on M Martin +450 to make the race a little more exciting. 😉

Finished 3rd :-[