NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Race #19 | Las Vegas 350K
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Saturday September 25, 2004

Brandon Miller Set to Drive No. 2 Dodge at Las Vegas
NASCAR's youth movement takes another step forward next week when 23 year-old Brandon Miller takes the reigns of the No. 2 Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge for the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday September 25th. Miller drove the Ultra Motorsports entry in a recent test session at Homestead-Miami Speedway and was impressive enough to earn the opportunity to compete in the NCTS race at Las Vegas.

Lynch to Drive Second Orleans Racing Truck at Las Vegas 350
Scott Lynch will drive the No. 61 Orleans Dodge in the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sept. 25, Orleans Racing officials announced Sept. 15.  Orleans Racing, which is located in Las Vegas, also will field the No. 62 Orleans Dodge driven by Steve Park at the team’s hometown event.

Double Down in the Desert and Meet Your Favorite Drivers
Race fans will get an opportunity to meet their favorite NASCAR Craftsman Truck and Champ Car World Series drivers during separate autograph sessions leading up to the Sept. 25 Double Down in the Desert at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. All 18 drivers entered in the Bridgestone 400 Presented by Corona Champ Car World Series event will be signing autographs at the ESPN Zone at the New York New York Hotel and Casino from 7-8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23.

News And Notes From The Raybestos® Rookie Contenders
A Raybestos® Rookie has won at least one race in each of the past four seasons, dating back to Kurt Busch in 2000.  In fact, four Raybestos® Rookies have posted multiple win seasons: Kenny Irwin (two, 1997), Busch (four, 2000), Brendan Gaughan (two, 2002), and Carl Edwards (three, 2003).

Event Schedule: Las Vegas


Sieg Looks for Improvement at Las Vegas
Shane Sieg will be making his second-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. Sieg made four starts in the NCTS in 2003, including one in Las Vegas.

Bogart in the Seat of No. 13 at Las Vegas
Former NASCAR West Series competitor Ricky Bogart will take over driving duties for the ThorSport Racing No. 13 Chevrolet this weekend in the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bogart will bring his long-time personal sponsor, Washington Mutual Bank, along to support the effort.

Steve Park, Scott Lynch Race Review: Las Vegas
"The Las Vegas race has significance because it is the home of Orleans Racing. I know how much it means to the team and the guys being home. It is like their home track. It really isn’t a hometown race for me. I have to travel across the country to get to it. To me it is a West Coast race. "

Matt Crafton No. 6 Chevrolet: Something to Prove in Sin City
One way to determine if a NASCAR driver and racing team has what it takes to win a championship is how they rebound from past races that involve unfortunate circumstances resulting in sub-par performances. Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 6 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Silverado, ironically enough is coming of two back-to-back disappointing races.

Toyota Truck Series Preview: Las Vegas
The Las Vegas 350 will mark the eighth race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCTS). There will be eight Toyota Tundras in the field. Toyota earned its second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory when Travis Kvapil captured the checkered flag in the most recent race at New Hampshire International Speedway (Sept. 18) in his No. 24 Bang Racing Line-X Tundra.

Bodine Looking to Recapture Momentum at Las Vegas
The No. 30 Germain / Arnold Racing entry was forced to retire early from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Sylvania 200 at New Hampshire International Raceway on Saturday, but looking forward to the gamble in Las Vegas. After posting some very fast times in practice, driver Todd Bodine placed the No. 30 Toyota Tundra 15th on the starting grid. "The Toyota engine was very strong and we knew we had a truck capable of winning," stated Todd.

Jon Wood Hopes to Change His Luck at Las Vegas
"I've not had a lot of success at Vegas in the past.  I like the track, but we've just never run well there.  We were going to take a different truck originally, but last week we decided to bring something different that would be better suited for the aerodynamics at Las Vegas.  We'll save the truck we were going to bring for California the following week.

Carl Edwards Hopes "Third Times a Charm" at Las Vegas
"I'm going to be racing at Las Vegas and Dover this weekend, but I won't lose focus on winning the truck championship. I am as determined now as I was in Victory Lane at Daytona at the start of the season. The Superchips team gives me great trucks every week. I've not had any luck at Vegas in the past. I've only been there twice and I've blown engines both times.

Finally Familiarity for Whitt at Las Vegas
Offering a brief respite of familiarity in his rookie season, Brandon Whitt and the #38 Werner Ladder/Cure Autism Now Ford F-150 team head to the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway this week for Saturday night’s Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.

Hamlin Wants Back in Top-10 in Vegas
Denny Hamlin will attempt to make his first career start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in this weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Las Vegas 350, and he has one goal in mind once the green flag drops: he wants to return to the top-10.

Kvapil Betting on Another Top-Five Run at Vegas
Toyota will again become primary sponsor of Kvapil’s No. 24 Tundra as they promote their sponsored event later this season, the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. The No. 24 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown Tundra will make its first of four appearances at Las Vegas and again appear at Texas, Martinsville and Darlington prior to the Nov. 11-13 race at Irwindale Speedway in California.

Edwards to Do Dover to Vegas to Dover this Weekend
Carl Edwards thought he still had a year or two before he began his career on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. That time frame was cut short in August when the 2003 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year found himself in the driver's seat of the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford. Now with the Las Vegas 350 this weekend, Edwards is finding out about the hardest part of running in two series at the same time.

Park Wants to Put Hometown Team in Victory Lane
It may not be a homecoming for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Steve Park, but it is for his team. That gives him just one more reason to be excited about racing for the win at the Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 25. Park drives The Orleans Hotel and Casino Dodge for Orleans Racing, a team whose shop is located just down the street from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. And the first half of the Double Down in the Desert doubleheader is the biggest race on the Orleans team’s calendar.  (High Sierra Photo)

Reutimann Set to Beat All Odds at Las Vegas
After a refreshing fifth-place finish in the No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota Tundra at New Hampshire International Speedway, David Reutimann has high hopes for similar results at the relatively flat 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway tri-oval. "Las Vegas is yet another track that I've never raced at before," said Reutimann, who is 14th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings. "I was able to test a Busch car for Joe Nemechek at the beginning of this year. "

Chad Chaffin Bringing Back Winning Fashion
“I know we can get back to victory lane. The thing about winning races is I can’t put a number on how many times I will win because I didn’t expect to win Dover or IRP. We go into every race thinking we can win and you have to position yourself for it.   The last few races we have not been in that position. If we can get the Dickies Dodge luck turned back around and things go our way, we could win two or three of these final races."

Hmiel No. 15 Chevrolet Pre Race Review: Las Vegas
The Billy Ballew Motorsports team rolls into the land of lady luck for the running of the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend hoping the chips will fall in place for a victory.

Hamilton Remains Confident With Team
“I have confidence in my team.  I’m not points racing until five races to go.  For some reason my team really shines on big race tracks right now and that happens to be where we are racing for the next several weeks.  I said back in Richmond, that if I could just get through that race and New Hampshire and hold onto the points lead, then we feel like we’re the guys to outrun. "

Terry Cook Advance Notes: Las Vegas
“Las Vegas is a very fast and smooth racetrack we compete on that offers a good amount of grip during the daytime but it loses grip during the night.  The track gets slick late in the race so we’ll have to setup the truck accordingly so that after we run 20 laps, we’re still as competitive as we were in the beginning.”

David Starr Plans on Hitting the Jackpot at Las Vegas
Looking to hit the Las Vegas Motor Speedway jackpot, David Starr and the Spears Motorsports crew head for the Silver State and the running of the Las Vegas 350, Round 19 of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Saturday, September 25. "Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a very special place to me", says Starr who earned his first Craftsman Truck win (2002) and his first NASCAR West Series win (2000) at the track know as the 'Diamond in the Desert'.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview: Las Vegas
Steve Park has two things on his mind this week when the No. 62 Orleans Racing Dodge becomes the home team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Park, 15th in his only NASCAR Camping World Truck Series appearance at the 1.5-mile superspeedway, continues to battle for a top-10 position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. Park, ranked 11th, trails two time Las Vegas winner Jack Sprague (No. 16 Chevy Trucks Chevrolet) by 64 points entering Saturday’s Las Vegas 350.

Cook Shows Strength on Mile and a Half Racetracks
Terry Cook has shown his strength this year on the mile-and-a-half racetracks.  Heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this week, Cook looked impressive at Kentucky Speedway, the last 1.5-mile track the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has competed on this year. 

Jack Sprague Las Vegas Fast Facts
JACK SPRAGUE LAS VEGAS QUOTES: ON RACING AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY: “I have always loved LVMS, it has been good to me and a great place to race. I have always thought the NCTS belonged here as a series. We could run here twice a year as far as I am concerned."

Patton To Make Truck Debut in No. 66 Ford at Vegas
J.R. Patton, the 2003 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series rookie of the year, will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in Sin City Saturday night for the Las Vegas 350.  Patton, who celebrated his 21st birthday last week, will drive the #66 Fiddle Back Racing Ford for the event and is looking forward to the race.

Sprague Looks to Continue Success in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been good to Jack Sprague.  The three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion has competed in six of the seven NCTS races held in Las Vegas, and no other driver has been able to duplicate his success on the 1.5-mile oval. Sprague has placed in the top five every year the NCTS has raced at LVMS, including wins in 1996 and 1998.  He was runner-up in 1997, 1999 and 2001, and grabbed the pole in 1997, 1998 and 2001. “There are always tracks that really suit a driver and a team,” Sprague said. “LVMS is one of those for me.  It is wide, fast and very racy."

GM Racing/Team Silverado Pre-Event Notes and Quotes: Las Vegas
Setzer heads to NHIS second in points only 30 points out of first. In 2003, Setzer qualified 11th and finished third at LVMS giving him four consecutive top-ten finishes – third in 2002, tenth 2001 and fourth in 1999. Sprague has never finished out of top-five (six starts); has never started out of top-ten (six starts); has two wins at LVMS and has three poles at LVMS. Starr won his first NCTS race at LVMS in 2002 and backed that up with a second place run in 2003.

Chase Montgomery Las Vegas Preview
Chase is coming off a solid 17th place finish last week in his first visit to the New Hampshire International Speedway.  The 20-year old looks forward to another strong showing this week in Las Vegas. “I think everyone looks forward to racing in Las Vegas.  The track is a first class facility and it really mirrors the excitement of the town."

Mike Skinner Fastest at Las Vegas
It's Toyota's and Chevy's in the front five as Mike Skinner's Toyota Tundra sits on the pole for tonight's Las Vegas 350K. Skinner's time around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway was just 32.664 seconds for 165.320 MPH, besting the previous qualifying record set by David Starr back in 2002.  Dennis Setzer in the #46 Silverado is the top qualifying Chevrolet and will start second later tonight.  Rookie David Reutimann starts his Toyota third, Jack Sprague's Chevy will start fourth and Hank Parker Jr. brings his Toyota up fifth.  (High Sierra Photo)

Todd Tops Toyotas at Las Vegas; Leads 3 Toyotas In Top-6
In just his third race behind the wheel of the No. 30 Toyota Tundra, Todd Bodine crossed the finish line second in tonight's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, recording his best career NCTS finish.
(High Sierra Photo)

Miller Leaves Las Vegas With 20th Place Finish
Brandon Miller proved that he was fast enough on a consistent basis to belong in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Saturday. He just didn't get the finish he deserved. Miller and his Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge were fast in practice, qualified seventh and ran in the top-ten for the majority of the Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the end, handling woes prevented Miller from a great finish and he brought his Dodge home in the 20th finishing position.


Sieg Comes Home 25th In Las Vegas 350
Shane Sieg drove the Green Light Racing No. 07 Auto Air Colors/Lucas Oil Products Chevrolet to a 25th-place finish in the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sieg started 32nd and stayed out of trouble throughout the 146-lap event to pick off positions as the evening progressed.

Hamlin Runs 22nd In 'Double Down In The Desert'
Denny Hamlin drove the Team EJP Racing No. 03 E.J. Prescott Chevrolet to a 22nd-place finish in the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Hamlin qualified 10th, and ran strong in the early stages of the event, thrilling the crowd and television audience with several three- and four-abreast moves in the pack.

Hines Leaves Las Vegas with an 18th-place Finish; Overheating Forces Bogart to 30th
Tracy Hines drove the ThorSport Racing No. 88 Menards Chevrolet to an 18th-place finish in the Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Hines’ ThorSport teammate Ricky Bogart, who was making his first-ever start in the NCTS, ran to a 30th-place finish in the No. 13 Washington Mutual Bank/Microtel Inn and Suites Chevrolet.

Terry Cook Earns Top-10 Finish in Las Vegas
Terry Cook once again showed his strength on the mile-and-a-half racetracks, this time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His ninth-place finish Saturday night in the No. 10 International Trucks and Engines Ford is his 70th-career top-10 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Cook ran fast lap times late in the event after taking four fresh tires with 42 laps to go and restarting in 22nd. The nine-year veteran driver hauled the mail to the checkered flag and afterward talked about his stellar run through the field.

Lady Luck Smiles On Hmiel In Las Vegas
Shane Hmiel chased down Todd Bodine with two laps remaining to score his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory in Saturday night's Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hmiel, driving Billy Ballew's Whitaker Farms Chevrolet, was more than three seconds behind Bodine's Toyota when he took second place from Steve Park with 12 laps remaining in the 146-lap, 219-mile race on the 1.5 mile speedway.  With fresher tires, however, Hmiel rapidly closed the gap and bumped his way past veteran Bodine in the track's fourth turn to take the victory.  Hmiel, 24, became the 10th and youngest winner on the series in 2004. He won $50,525 at an average speed of 123.865 mph. There were six lead changes among six drivers with Park leading a race-high 60 laps.  Park finished third in a Dodge with Johnny Benson fourth in a Toyota. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader Bobby Hamilton was fifth in another Dodge. Hamilton's unofficial points lead over Dennis Setzer is 39 with six races remaining. Setzer finished seventh.  (High Sierra Photo)

Crawford Scores Best Finish in Six Races
Rick Crawford came to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway looking to hit the jackpot and return his #14 Circle Bar Motel & RV Park Ford to competitive form and the front of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series field. Although he didn’t leave with the payout he was hoping for, Crawford finished in 11th spot – his best finish in six races. “We’re making small steps and those small steps are going to turn into big strides,” said Crawford. “We came to Las Vegas with a brand new F-150 and a lot of motivation to get back to the front of the field.”

Musgrave Moves to Fourth in Standings
Ted Musgrave moved up to fourth in the NCTS point standings after finishing eighth in Saturday night's NCTS event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Lady Luck Frowns on Kvapil in Vegas
Travis Kvapil took to the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway with high hopes of back-to-back victories after the team’s second win of the season last week in New Hampshire. But any hopes of a double dip in the winner’s circle were marred by struggles with tire wear, and Kvapil and his team were left dejected in 28th-place as Shane Hmiel took home his first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series trophy.

No Lady Luck For Montgomery
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Chase Montgomery was looking for some Las Vegas luck on Saturday, but like most visitors to the “city that never sleeps” he did not find that luck. Montgomery and his #8 DODGE struggled to a 27th place finish in the running of the Las Vegas 350 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Bodine Gets Snake Eyes But Not Snake Bit
Germain /Arnold Racing rolled snake eyes in Las Vegas and came up 2nd at the Las Vegas 350. In just its 3rd race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series the No. 30 Toyota Tundra driven by Todd Bodine scored a second place finish in Las Vegas.

Huffman No. 12 Toyota Post Race Report: Las Vegas
Robert Huffman rolled off the starting grid 23rd, and he wasted no time in picking up positions.  In fact, by lap 44 he had worked his Toyota Tundra up to tenth spot. Huffman was continuing to gain ground until the motor started to lose power and the water temperature began to rise.

Parker, Jr. Slides to 21st Place at Las Vegas
Hank Parker, Jr. started the Las Vegas 350 in the fifth position on the starting grid and would stay around the top ten for most of the race. Fighting the ill handling racetruck to the end of the race, Hank brought home a hard fought 21st place finish. 

Patton Impresses with Top 15 in Truck Series Debut
It was a one-shot race with Fiddle Back Racing at the Las Vegas 350 Saturday night.  It his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCTS).  J.R. Patton went into the race just hoping to have a respectable finish.  What the 21-year-old New Mexico native did went beyond respectable; by finishing 15th on the lead lap, Patton has shown the racing world he is ready to run with the best drivers in motorsports.

Montgomery Struggles in Vegas
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Chase Montgomery was looking for some Las Vegas luck on Saturday, but like most visitors to the “city that never sleeps” he did not find that luck. Montgomery and his #8 DODGE struggled to a 27th place finish in the running of the Las Vegas 350 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Diary of a Champion: Leaving Las Vegas
I never thought going into Vegas that my team would struggle as much as we did the entire weekend. I’ve always been pretty lucky in Vegas never having finished outside of the top-10, but I guess my luck just finally ran out.  The team arrived at the speedway early Thursday morning for practice and immediately began working on my truck since it was so loose on entry. Throughout the day, we adjusted air pressure and so many things– springs, wedge, track bar - you name it, and we tried it.  We didn’t really know what we were missing. But nothing seemed to work, and we couldn’t break inside the top-10 during the two hour run. With about five minutes to go, the team thought we had finally hit on something in the right direction and everyone was pretty certain I’d come out of qualifying with a decent run. But as it turns out, that didn’t happen. (TravisKvapil.com Photo)

Official Results: Las Vegas 350K


Entry List: Las Vegas 350K


Starting Lineup: Las Vegas 350K


Final Practice Times: Las Vegas 350K


Qualifying Order: Las Vegas 350K


Qualifying Times: Las Vegas 350K