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O'Reilly 200
| Bristol Motor Speedway
Race No. 16 | August 25, 2004
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TrackSideLive! from Bristol Motor Speedway!
08-18-2004 7:58 am
TrackSideLive! coverage of the O'Reilly 200 starts Wednesday, August 25th from Bristol Motor Speedway!
Good morning from Bristol!
08-25-2004 9:56 am
Welcome to TruckSeries.com's exclusive TrackSideLive! coverage of the O'Reilly 200 from Bristol Motor Speedway! The skies are sunny, the temperatures are expected to climb into the mid 80s with some fairly high humidity, so it could be a punishing day for drivers and crews alike. The noise level is always a factor at Bristol, and with the track being hot virtually all day, there will be very little down time for anyone to gather their bearings in silence. We'll have all the news, notes, and quotes from practice, qualifying, and the race throughout the day, so keep it locked on to TruckSeries.com throughout the day...
Revised schedule
08-25-2004 9:59 am
The schedule for the day was slightly revised in recent days...here is the schedule as it stands now:
9 am ET: Garage opens
10:20 am ET: Draw for NCTS Qualifying Order
11:20 am-1:20 pm ET: NCTS Practice
4:40 pm ET: NCTS Qualifying (2 laps, all positions)
Live! Bud Pole Qualifying exclusively on TruckSeries.com
6:45 pm ET: NCTS Driver's Meeting
7:30 pm ET: NCTS Final Adjustments to Trucks (Trucks impounded after qualifying)
8:30 pm ET: NCTS Driver Introductions
9:00 pm ET: Start of the NCTS O'Reilly 200
BMS History
08-25-2004 10:10 am
Bristol Motor Speedway was included on the inaugural NCTS schedule in 1995 and ran Truck Series races every year through 1999. From 2000 thru 2002, the track was off the NCTS schedule, but returned again in 2003.
Bristol is a 0.533-mile concrete oval with 36-degree banking in the corners. The straightaways are a short 630 feet, which does not give the drivers a lot of time to catch their breath each lap. The banking on the straightaways is 16 degrees, which is steeper than the banking at California Speedway's corners. The 200 lap distance translates to 106.6 miles, which means the teams will have to bank on at least one stop for fuel.
In the previous six races held at Bristol, two have been won from the pole, one from second starting position, two from third starting position, and one from the 12th starting position.
Here are the previous race winners at Bristol:
1995: Joe Ruttman (3)
1996: Rick Carelli (2)
1997: Ron Hornaday (1)
1998: Ron Hornaday (1)
1999: Jack Sprague (3)
2003: Travis Kvapil (12)
Here are the previous pole winners at Bristol:
1995: Mike Skinner
1996: Mike Skinner
1997: Ron Hornaday
1998: Ron Hornaday
1999: Greg Biffle
2003: Ted Musgrave
Chevrolet has dominated the races here at Bristol. After Ruttman won the inaugural NCTS race here in 1995 driving a Ford, Chevrolet has swept the following 5 races.
The track qualifying record is 15.529 seconds/123/562 miles per hour set last year by Ted Musgrave. The record for 200 laps was also set last year by Kvapil, who won in 1 hour, 12 minutes, 1 second/88.813 miles per hour.
Entry list updates
08-25-2004 10:39 am
There are a few changes to the entry list this week...
The No. 66 of Casey Kingsland was withdrawn, as was the entry Barry Bodine was scheduled to drive. In addition, A.J. Fike is in the No. 08 this weekend, taking the reins for the team's regular driver Ken Weaver.
Practice up next!
08-25-2004 10:46 am
The USAR Hooter's Pro Cup Series has wrapped up their practice, and the Trucks are now getting ready for their 2-hour session, scheduled to start at 11:20 am ET. One of the major issues the drivers will be forced to deal with early in the session is the build-up of the tire rubber the Pro Cup cars use. The NCTS runs Goodyear Radials, while the USAR cars run a different manufacturer with a different compound. In situations like that, there is often a compatability issue until the old rubber wears off and the new rubber is laid down.
Long-time NCTS PR rep now a published author
08-25-2004 10:52 am
John Close, who spent many years working in the NCTS as a PR rep for drivers such as Rich Bickle, Terry Cook, Jack Sprague, Scott Riggs, and Jason Leffler, is now a published author. Close, in conjuntion with the editors of Stock Car Racing Magazine, penned
Tony Stewart: From Indy Phenom to NASCAR Superstar
, which hit the shelves earlier this month. The book is also available on Amazon.com, and includes numerous classic images of Stewart from the early stages of his career to his NNCS championship season.
"Okay Dani, Trucks on the Track"
08-25-2004 10:58 am
That was the call from the master control tower just seconds ago as the first trucks rolled on to the speedway. The first trucks on the track were the 16, 92, 29, 75 and 6. We'll keep you covered top to bottom as the action unfolds from here at Bristol...
They Said It, No. 1
08-25-2004 11:13 am
Dennis Setzer, No. 46 Chevrolet: "I am just going to run the track slow a few laps before I go hard. I want to make sure the track is clean before we run hard."
Bill Lester, No. 22 Toyota: "It's good. It could turn a little better from the center off. It feels like it's bound up coming off, then it snaps loose."
Mike Skinner, No. 42 Toyota: It's tight in the center. We need it to turn a little better. And it doesn't feel like the brakes are very good right now."
Red out early
08-25-2004 11:18 am
The first red flag of the day came out when the No. 02 Chevrolet of Kelly Sutton displayed some smoke out of the rigfht front wheel well. NASCAR threw the flag todo a quick track inspection. Sutton reported something "locked up in the front end" just before the smoke appeared, and she has driven the truck to the attention of her crew on pit road.
They Said It, No. 2
08-25-2004 11:20 am
Johnny Benson, No. 23 Toyota: "It feels like it is running hard on the right front. I am dragging the track going into the turns and that might be what is making us tight."
Travis Kvapil, No. 24 Toyota: "It feels like the motor did blubber a little there the first couple of laps. I don't know that it did it there later, I couldn't tell."
Andy Houston, No. 2 Dodge: "I am bottoming out hard coming out of the turns."
Red out again
08-25-2004 11:22 am
Just as soon as NASCAR released the trucks to go back out and practice, debris was spotted on the track which brought everyone back down pit road again. NASCAR has made a complete track inspection and the trucks are back on the track.
They Said It, No. 3
08-25-2004 11:24 am
Terry Cook, No. 10 Ford: "I am letting off way early so I don't overdrive the corner. It is letting me get back on the gas way early. Way early. It seems like I am just clipping something on the track when I am driving off the bottom of turn two."
Chad Chaffin, No. 18 Dodge: "It is snapping loose coming off the corner."
Chris Wimmer, No. 63 Ford: "It sounds like there may be a plug wire off."
They Said It, No. 4
08-25-2004 11:28 am
Brandon Whitt, No. 38 Ford: "It won't really turn through the center. It just pushes up."
Shane Sieg, No. 07 Chevrolet: "It won't turn, and when it does it snaps loose through the center."
Rundown No, 1
08-25-2004 11:34 am
Here is the rundown 30 minutes into the only practice session for the O'Reilly 200:
1. Park, 16.671 secs.
2. Harvick
3. Hmiel
4. Kvapil
5. Lester
6. Chaffin
7. Cook
8. Setzer
9. Schrader
10. Reutimann
11. Houston
12. Skinner
13. Edwards
14. Hines
15. Crafton
16. R. Gordon
17. Wood
18. Musgrave
19. Benson
20. J. Sauter
21. Sprague
22. Hamilton
23. Whitt
24. Crawford
25. Starr
26. Parker, Jr.
27. Sutton
28.
White, 16.167 secs
29. Montgomery
30. Renshaw
31. LaJoie
32. Huffman, 16.331 secs.
33. McClure
34. Wimmer
35. Shaw
36. Fike
37. Ragan
38. Sieg
39. Tucker
They Said It, No. 5
08-25-2004 11:46 am
Tracy Hines, No. 88 Chevrolet: "Right now we have premium rear grip. Whatever changes we make to it, I would be really hesitant to do anything that will change that."
Steve park, No. 62 Dodge: “Rock-n-roll. I’m happy. This truck is great right off the hauler. This is the best race vehicle, car or truck, I’ve ever had at Bristol.”
Red No. 3
08-25-2004 11:47 am
The red flag flew for the first incident of the day just a few moments ago. The No. 04 driven by Darren Shaw got loose coming out of turn 2 and slid down into the inside backstretch wall. Steve Park, who is currently the fastest in practice, was coasting down the backstretch after a practice run, and was nearly clipped by the truck as it slid out of control. The truck has been removed from the track and the green flag is back out.
Close call for Hamilton
08-25-2004 12:07 am
Bobby Hamilton had some contact with Nick Tucker on the track moments ago, getting Tucker very much out of shape and doing some minor damage to the right front fender of the No. 4 Dodge. The BHR team has patched it up with some tape, and Hamilton recently clicked off the fastest lap of the session.
Rundown 2
08-25-2004 12:09 pm
1. Hamilton, 15.537
2. Hmiel
3. Harvick
4. Schrader
5. Park
6. Kvapil
7. Reutimann
8. Chaffin
9. R. Gordon
10. Setzer
11. Edwards
12. Lester
13. Cook
14. Musgrave
15. Starr
16. Sprague
17. Houston
18. Wood
19. Huffman
20. White
21. Skinner
22. Parker, Jr.
23. Hines
24. Crafton
25. Benson
26. LaJoie
27. Crawford
28. J. Sauter, 16.002 secs.
29. Sutton
30. Whitt
31. Teague
32. Montgomery, 16.155 secs
33. Renshaw
34. McClure
35. Ragan
36. Wimmer
37. Sieg
38. Shaw
39. Fike
40. Tucker
41.Winter
42. Richardson
43. McGlynn
44. C.Wood
Top-5...and who's on the bubble
08-25-2004 12:21 pm
Here are the top-5 with times:
1. Hamilton, 15.537
2. Hmiel, 15.644
3. Harvick, 15.652
4. Schrader, 15.668
5. Park, 15.671
Here is who is on the bubble...
28. Benson, 15.940
29. LaJoie, 15.960
30. Crawford, 15.992
31. Sutton, 16.062
32. Montgomery, 16.155
33. Renshaw, 16.226
34. McClure, 16.332
Sutton crashes to bring out red
08-25-2004 12:27 pm
Kelly Sutton spun coming through turn four and down the frontstretch, making significant contact with the inside wall. She did get out of the truck and will make the ride to the infield care center. The truck was significantly damaged and the team will need to go to a backup truck.
Back to green...
08-25-2004 12:35 pm
The trucks are back on track following Kelly Sutton's accident of moments ago. Sutton was examined and released at the care center.
Engine change on the No. 63
08-25-2004 12:37 pm
The MB Motorsports team is busy changing the engine under the hood of their No. 63 Ford. Earlier, driver Chri, Wimmer reported he was down a cylinder, and apparently it was much worse than the loose plug wire the team speculated.
Rundown No. 3
08-25-2004 12:49 am
Here is the rundown roughly 90 minutes into the only practice for tonight's O'Reilly 200:
1. Hamilton, 15.537
2. Hmiel, 15. 664
3. Harvick, 15.652
4. Reutimann, 15.656
5. Schrader, 15.668
6. Park
7. Kvapil
8. R. Gordon
9. Skinner
10. Musgrave
11. Chaffin
12. Setzer
13. Edwards
14. J. Wood
15. Lester
16. Cook
17. Starr
18. Sprague
19. Houston
20. Huffman
21. Crafton
22. Whitt
23. White
24. Parker, Jr.
25. Teague
26. Hines
27. Sauter
28. Benson, 15.940
29. Crawford, 15.946
30. LaJoie, 15.960
31. Sutton, 16.062
32. Montgomery, 16.155
33. Renshaw, 16.192
34. Ragan, 16.248
35. McClure, 16.332
36. Sieg, 16.391
37. Wimmer
38. Tucker
39. Shaw
40. Fike
41. McGlynn
42. Winter
43. Richardson
44. C. Wood
TruckShots!
08-25-2004 1:01 pm
TruckSeries.com presents an exclusive look at action in the garage every week with our TruckShots gallery...
click here to see what is going on at Bristol
!
Sutton okay after accident
08-25-2004 1:05 pm
Kelly Sutton emerged from the infield care center and came to see her crew working to take the usable components off the truck she had just been involved in an accident with moments before. "I am okay, no problems there," she said. "I am a little disappointed. It just got out from under me coming off of four and we hit the wall with it. But I am okay. We'll get the backup out and start getting it ready to go."
Final top-10
08-25-2004 1:10 pm
1. Edwards, 15.351
2. Musgrave, 15.356
3. Starr, 15.400
4. Crafton, 15.409
5. Cook, 15.444
6. Skinner, 15.469
7. Benson, 15.491
8. Whitt, 15.493
9. Hamilton, 15.497
10. Reutimann, 15.514
TrackSideLive! Audio
08-25-2004 2:20 pm
With todays only practice over, the TrackSideLive! microphone heads to the garage for post practice comments from
Mike Skinner,
Carl Edwards
and
Bobby Hamilton
Practice action
08-25-2004 2:50 pm
Several drivers had close calls in practice today. Early in practice, Chris Winter got loose and spun down the backstretch, nearly collecting Steve Park in the process. Mike Skinner had a driveshaft failure that forced him off the track for over an hour whille his team made repairs. Shane Hmiel had a right front tire go flat in turn three and he went up high and grazed the turn four wall, scuffing the right side of his truck. Bobby Hamilton caught a slower truck and nipped him with the right front corner of his truck, doing slight cosmetic damage to the nose of his truck too. The big incident, however, was Kelly Sutton's crash on the front stretch. Neither Sutton nor Winter was injured in their respective incidents.
TrackSideLive! Audio
08-25-2004 3:06 pm
More post practice comments from the garage as the trucks get ready for qualifying later this afternoon.
Travis Kvapil
and
Shane Hmiel
on practice and the race.
On the bubble...
08-25-2004 3:35 pm
Several top teams are on the bubble here today:
28. Chase Montgomery, 15.785
29. Paul White, 15.792
30. Randy LaJoie, 15.818
31. Robert Huffman, 15.850
32. Jay Sauter, 15.935
33. Deborah Renshaw, 16.049
34. Kelly Sutton, 16.062
35. Shane Sieg, 16.116
36. Eric McClure, 16.332
37. Chris Wimmer, 16.414
38. Ryan McGlynn, 16.489
39. Nick Tucker, 16.509
40. Darren Shaw, 16.515
41. AJ Fike, 16.544
42. Chris Winter, 16.788
43. Loni Richarson, 17.464
44. Craig Wood, 18.431
Sutton will be reverting to a backup after a crash in practice, and has not had a lap on the track with the backup.
Wimmer had engine problems and the team swapped engines, and has not had a lap on the track with the new engine.
With the number of drivers on the bubble for making the field on time, the battle for the last spots in the field based on time, and the provisionals, will be intense. Stay tuned for all of the action with our exclusive coverage of Live! Bud Pole Qualifying, coming at you at 4:40 pm ET.
Notable quotables, Post-practice No. 1
08-25-2004 3:44 pm
Chris Wimmer, No. 63 Ford: "We are pretty disappointed to have the problems here we have. Everyone gets so excited about coming to Bristol, and we were pumped up about it. We'll get it fixed and see if we can go out and make the field on time. These guys did a geat job to get it changed as quickly as they did."
Tracy Hines, No. 88 Chevy: "We came off the trailer pretty good, but after a couple changes it was almost scary to drive the thing. We have it back to where it was, and when we went out for our mock qualifying run, we picked up three tenths. We drew first again for qualifying, so we'll see if that hurts us."
Sieg experiences success at Bristol
08-25-2004 3:50 pm
Shane Sieg is looking forward to first NCTS race here at Bristol. In previous years, he has come dangerously close to winning in the NASCAR All-Pro Series (now Southeast Series) here. He finished second here two years ago after being penalized a lap for a pit miscue, and nearly won the race a year before that before a failed wheel bearing put him off the pace.
"I love this place. We ran laps here in the All-Pro car about 15.8, and that was with a one inch restrictor plate," he said. "We aren't running that fast yet with the truck, but the guys have made some changes before qualifying, so hopefully we'll get a decent starting spot. It's a fun place to race. I can't wait for the green flag!"
TrackSideLive! Audio
08-25-2004 4:07 pm
Former NCTS Champion Mike Bliss is in the stands tonight looking to watch a great race... and remembers a past race all too well.
Listen
Live! Bud Pole Qualifying on now!
08-25-2004 4:39 pm
Now that you're up to speed with all that has gone on leading up to qualifying,
click here to log on to our exclusive Live! Bud Pole Qualifying coverage
!
Notable Quotables, Post-Qualifying No, 1
08-25-2004 5:42 pm
Steve Park, No. 62 Dodge: “The Orleans Dodge is still very good. I felt like I could have used a little more grip in qualifying, but I’m still happy with it. The truck was in race trim, so that is a pretty good time. I think we have a good shot at a top five and we should be in contention to win.”
Kelly Sutton, No. 02 Chevrolet: "The team did a great job getting the truck ready in time for qualifying. My first lap wasn't very strong, but I picked it up and posted our fastest time of the day on the second lap. Unfortunately, everyone else stepped it up by a few tenths too, and we fell just short. It's a real shame, because we were looking forward to racing here at Bristol, and I've always finished much better than I qualified. Good luck to the Chevy Silverado team tonight, and we'll see you for more short track racing in Richmond!"
Qualifying notes
08-25-2004 5:46 pm
Ken Schrader wins his first NCTS Bud Pole Award; he beats his previous best career start, 2nd, which came in the very first NCTS race at Phoenix in 1995...Schrader now has poles in all three nationally touring NASCAR series...Schrader is now the 8th NCTS pole winner in 2004...David Starr will make his best career start here at Bristol when he rolls off third; his previous best was sixth last year...NCTS points leader Bobby Hamilton rolls off 13th tonight...the top 19 drivers in qualifying bettered the previous track record, set last year by Ted Musgrave...the entire starting field will now be impounded through the start of the race; NASCAR will alow minor adjustments at a specified time just before the green, but any major or unapproved work will result in a tail-end start for the team.
Notable Quotables, Post-Qualifying No. 2: Chevrolet
08-25-2004 6:14 pm
David Starr, No. 75 Chevrolet: “Our Spears Silverado has been good right off the truck. I wanted to run at least as good as we did in practice if not faster to keep Dave (McCarty, crew chief) happy! We got some good information from our Chevrolet Silverado teammates after practice that helped us in qualifying as well. So I think we will be good in the race, the key is to have good pit stops and stay out of trouble.”
Dennis Setzer, No. 46 Chevrolet: “That is all we had in our Silverado, about the same we ran in practice. Not anywhere near as good as we would like to be but I do think we have something to work with during the race. We just are loose in and didn’t make enough changes to tighten it up so I could get a good qualifying lap but I think we are going to be ok tonight in the race.”
Jack Sprague, No. 16 Chevrolet: “Our Chevy Trucks Silverado has not been where we need to be. We didn’t pick up much of anything from practice like a lot of the guys did. It isn’t where we wanted to start here but we will just keep adjusting on it during the race and see if we can’t go to the front”
Robby Gordon, No. 47 Chevrolet: “I am disappointed with our qualifying run, I was hoping to stay at least in the top-ten but some of the trucks really picked up in practice. We will just make a more exciting race for the fans in the Acxiom Silverado tonight.”
Ken Schrader, No. 52 Chevrolet: “We were fourth, fifth, sixth in practice and never really got a good clean qualifying run. The truck felt good at times and we didn’t make a whole lot of changes. We found the track bar was bent, so we changed that, but overall my Chevy Silverado was pretty fast.”
What is your strategy tonight? “To not hit nothing. No really we just want to stay up front all night and try and be there in the end.”
Shane Hmiel, No. 15 Chevrolet: “ Wow we had a great truck for qualifying! This is my best start in the NASCAR Truck Series and my best start at Bristol. The DEI powerhouse we have under the hood and the Chevrolet Silverado race truck they built is just excellent. Ritchie (Wauters, crew chief) and Billy Ballew have put the best equipment under me this season and it shows. We have such chemistry on the team. After I cut the tire down in practice, I was bummed that I clipped the wall with this brand new truck but these guys on the crew put it back together and made it better than ever. I'm looking forward to starting upfront in the race. I've never done that before and I still finished pretty good. There will be a lot of competition out there for the race but I'd like to bring home a great finish for the Earl Small's Harley-Davidson, Whitaker Farms Chevrolet Silverado.”
Matt Crafton, No. 6 Chevrolet: “I laid off my first lap a bit to feel out my truck for the changes we made after practice. A later draw would have been better especially since everybody that went out after we did picked up a few tenths with the cloud cover. But we are happy with tenth place starting position and hopefully we can keep the nose and fenders on our GM Goodwrench Silverado to bring home another good finish.”
What adjustments are allowed in impound?
08-25-2004 6:17 pm
NASCAR will allow the teams to make minor adjustments after qualifying. The teams may do the following:
Remove tape from the grille
Plug in the oil heater
Start the engine to circulate the oil
Add or subtract one round of wedge to the rear jacking bolts only
The track bar may be adjusted using the track bar/frame end adjuster only
Windshield tear offs may be removed
Tire pressures may be set
Radios can be installed
Driver water bottles installed
Fuel as nnecessary.
The following are NOT permitted:
Shock adjustments
Rear sway bars connected, disconnected, or added
Hoods cannot be opened unless approved
Trucks cannot be jacked up unless approved
Any unauthorized adjustments will result in the loss of starting position. These adjustments will be made from 7:30-8:00 pm ET.
TrackSideLive! Audio
08-25-2004 6:44 pm
The TrackSideLive! microphone went to the garage to get reactions to todays qualifying session and preperation for tonights race. Listen to pole sitter
Ken Schrader,
David Starr,
Jack Sprague
and
Mike Skinner
.
Hooter's Cup up next
08-25-2004 6:53 pm
The USAR Hooter's Pro Cup race is just about to go green. Remember, these cars run on different rubber than the Truck Series does, and with the wear and tear (and debris and fluid) of 150 laps on the track yet to come, track conditions could be greatly changed in the next 90 minutes.
What to expect at Bristol tonight
08-25-2004 7:16 pm
Everyone knows when you get to Bristol, you will see fast racing, some bumping and grinding, some bent sheet metal, and lots of hurt feelings. But as is now our custom here with TrackSideLive, we'll break down the stats and run them through our highly scientific numerical analysis compugraph, and tell you exactly what to expect when the green flag flies tonight.
In the previous six races here at Bristol, the average starting position of the winner is 6.83. Kevin Harvick, who had last year's race won until a tire went down coming to the white flag, lines up sixth while five-time NCTS winner Terry Cook lines up seventh tonight. The numbers point to either one of these drivers as your prohibitive favorite tonight.
In the previous races here at Bristol, there have been as many as 14 (1999) drivers to finish on the lead lap and as few as 8 (1996). The average number of lead lap finishers at Bristol is 10. There has been a high of 7 lead changes in a race (1999), while winner Ron Hornaday led all 200 laps here to win in 1997. The average number of lead changes is 3.33. In 1999, there were a track high 5 leaders, while just Hornaday led in 1997 to bring the average to 3.17 leaders per event.
The caution flag is a common occurence here at Bristol, with 6 being the fewest (1995 and 2003) and 11 caution flags slowing the action in 1997. The average number of caution flags is 8.33, with an average of 45.2 laps run under the caution flag (27 being the fewest in 2003; 69 being the highest in 1997).
With the record low number of caution laps last year, winner Travis Kvapil clicked off a record average speed of 88.813 miles per hour, while the Hornaday's winning speed in 1997, 70.583 miles per hour, being the slowest. The average of the race averages is 78.676 miles per hour.
So what to expect? Look for your winner to make an early pit stop for tires and fuel as soon as his fuel window opens. Look for 10-12 lead lap finishers with 4 lead changes among 4 drivers. The numbers say we'll see 8 cautions for roughly 40 laps.
Pit road map
08-25-2004 7:42 pm
Here are the pit assignments for tonight's O'Reilly 200 (starting in turn one through turn four; then turn three through turn two; blue are teams covered by Ray Dunlap, red are teams to be covered by Wendy Norris):
Schrader
Cook
Park
Chaffin
White
Hamilton
Hines
Montgomery
Lester
Edwards
Empty Stall/Start-Finish Line
Starr
Wood
Huffman
Wimmer
Setzer
Crawford
J. Sauter
Crafton
Turns three and four, no pits
Skinner
Harvick
Ragan
Kvapil
Fike
Musgrave
Renshaw
Sprague
Sieg
Reutimann
Parker, Jr.
Whitt
LaJoie
R. Gordon
Teague
Houston
Benson
Hmiel
Best finishes
08-25-2004 7:53 pm
How has the starting field fared here at Bristol? Let's take a look!
1st - Travis Kvapil; Jack Sprague
3rd - Rick Crawford; Jay Sauter
4th - Andy Houston; Mike Skinner
5th - Dennis Setzer
6th - Matt Crafton; Kevin Harvick
7th - Chad Chaffin
8th - Jon Wood
11th - Carl Edwards
13th - Ken Schrader
14th - Terry Cook
15th - Ted Musgrave
18th - David Starr
19th - Bill Lester
33rd - Robert Huffman
The following drivers are making their first NCTS start at Bristol: Chase Montgomery, Paul White, Shane Hmiel, David Reutimann, Hank Parker, Jr., Johnny Benson, Deborah Renshaw, Brandon Whitt, Robby Gordon, Randy LaJoie, Steve Park, Chris Wimmer, David Ragan, Tracy Hines, Brad Teague, Shane Sieg, and A.J. Fike.
They Said It, Pre-Race Ceremonies
08-25-2004 9:00 pm
Matt Crafton, No. 6 Chevy: "We have a good truck. I think we're better than we qualified. We had a lower control arm break on us in practice, it was brand new. That is the reason you go with new part here at Bristol, but for some reason it broke on us."
Chase Montgomery, No. 8 Dodge: "It is all about keeping it out of trouble. If we can stay out of the mess and get a break on catching our pit window, we'll be up front at the end."
Brandon Whitt, No. 38 Ford: "Man, I love this place! This is one heck of a raceterack. I sit here and look at it and think, how do we do it? Then I sit and think how those World of Outlaw guys did it. They went around here in about 13 seconds, and on dirt!"
Chad Chaffin, No. 18 Dodge: "I don't know how they got me in that No. 38 Busch car next year. I was on that conference call with Kasey Kahne yesterday, and someone must have gone to the bathroom when I was on and came back when he was on and heard him talking about that car and thought it was me."
Tracy Hines, No. 88 Chevy: "We need to miss the wrecks that are going to happen early. If we can stay out of trouble, I think we can have a good finish."
Are you ready for a high-banks brawl???
08-25-2004 9:07 pm
Sit back, buckle up, and get ready! We are ready to do the Bristol stomp! The drivers are getting buckled in, the teams are putting the finishing touches on their pit boxes, and the fans are pumped up and ready to go. Grab your favorite snack, an ice-cold soda, flip the clicker to Speed Channel and get ready to watch 200 of the toughest laps you'll see all season. As soon as the dust settles, log on to TrackSideLive! for complete post-race coverage, right here on the toughest site on the Web, TruckSeries.com!
Unofficial Rundown
08-25-2004 10:45 pm
1. Edwards
2. Hmiel
3. Crafton
4. R. Gordon
5. Harvick
6. Parker, Jr.
7. Starr
8. Kvapil
9. Park
10. Schrader
11. Reutimann
12. Hamilton
13. Skinner
14. Benson
15. Lester
16. Sauter
17. Setzer
18. Crawford
19. Wood
20. Houston
21. Montgomery
22. Hines
23. White
24. Cook
25. Wimmer
26. Sieg
27. Musgrave
28. Sprague
29. Chaffin
30. Ragan
31. Whitt
32. Huffman
33. Fike
34. Teague
35. LaJoie
36. Renshaw
Notable quotables, Post-race No. 1
08-25-2004 11:22 pm
Deborah Renshaw, No. 29 Ford: “I have to say that Bristol is a really fun little race track to get around. I feel like we made a lot of progress in practice this afternoon, but we weren’t able to pick up as much as we would have liked to for qualifying. That put us 35th to start the race and we knew that our biggest obstacle would be accidents in front of us. And that is exactly what happened to our night. I was trying to get comfortable around all the other trucks when another truck spun in front of me, I tried to avoid him and ended up spinning myself. This is just one of those race tracks where it is really hard to avoid the incidents. We probably would have been alright to continue on, but Randy (Lajoie) was trying to avoid us and just had nowhere to go and got me in the driver’s door. It was a pretty hard hit, but I’m fine. Just pretty sore, but most of all I hate that our team has to take a wrecked race truck back to Michigan. We will regroup and get ready for another short track battle at Richmond in two weeks."
Steve Park, No. 62 Dodge: "Steve Park: “We had a really fast truck in practice. We thought we could put the Orleans Dodge in the front of the pack. I don’t know why, but we just got tighter and tighter as the race went on. I’m not really sure why. We had some problems with suspension parts when we tested. It is something we have to look at it. We don’t know if it was a spring collapsing or suspension part give away or what. Bristol is tough on parts. I’m just happy to see Carl Edwards win. We were the fastest Dodge, so we will take that.”
Chase Montgomery, No. 8 Dodge: "We had an awesome truck tonight, definitely better than our 21st place finish. We got stuck out there on some old tires and lost a lap that we just could never get back. The guys did an awesome job in giving me a pretty stout ride tonight. I want to thank Herbalife for joining us here this weekend, and we look forward to working with them some more in the future."
Notable quotables, Post-race No. 1
08-25-2004 11:22 pm
Deborah Renshaw, No. 29 Ford: “I have to say that Bristol is a really fun little race track to get around. I feel like we made a lot of progress in practice this afternoon, but we weren’t able to pick up as much as we would have liked to for qualifying. That put us 35th to start the race and we knew that our biggest obstacle would be accidents in front of us. And that is exactly what happened to our night. I was trying to get comfortable around all the other trucks when another truck spun in front of me, I tried to avoid him and ended up spinning myself. This is just one of those race tracks where it is really hard to avoid the incidents. We probably would have been alright to continue on, but Randy (Lajoie) was trying to avoid us and just had nowhere to go and got me in the driver’s door. It was a pretty hard hit, but I’m fine. Just pretty sore, but most of all I hate that our team has to take a wrecked race truck back to Michigan. We will regroup and get ready for another short track battle at Richmond in two weeks."
Steve Park, No. 62 Dodge: "Steve Park: “We had a really fast truck in practice. We thought we could put the Orleans Dodge in the front of the pack. I don’t know why, but we just got tighter and tighter as the race went on. I’m not really sure why. We had some problems with suspension parts when we tested. It is something we have to look at it. We don’t know if it was a spring collapsing or suspension part give away or what. Bristol is tough on parts. I’m just happy to see Carl Edwards win. We were the fastest Dodge, so we will take that.”
Chase Montgomery, No. 8 Dodge: "We had an awesome truck tonight, definitely better than our 21st place finish. We got stuck out there on some old tires and lost a lap that we just could never get back. The guys did an awesome job in giving me a pretty stout ride tonight. I want to thank Herbalife for joining us here this weekend, and we look forward to working with them some more in the future."
Notable Quotables, Post-race No. 2; Chevrolet
08-25-2004 11:31 pm
Dennis Setzer, No. 46 Chevrolet: "Man we just can't get any luck at the end of these things lately. We had a great truck tonight and the guys made great calls in the pits. I just feel so bad for everyone that we couldn't bring it home with a respectable finish. I really don't know what happened there with the crash with the forty-two truck. I got under him going into one, but we got together in the corner and spun. Its unfortunate because we were racing for third and neither one of us came home with a top five. But that's Bristol. Its never over till its over and anything can happen."
Jack Sprague, No. 16 Chevrolet: “I don’t know what we have to do to get a break. We started out tight center and off. The Chevy Truck Silverado guys kept working on it and adjusting it and we got pretty decent there with maybe 75 to go. We were going to get us a top five because I hadn’t been abusing the tires. Then the motor blew without any warning. It is frustrating and disappointing for everyone on our team.”
David Starr, No. 75 Chevrolet: “Man, I thought we had another top-three in our Spears Silverado tonight but we chose to keep our track position and didn’t pit when we should have to get tires. I just couldn’t hold it where it had been on the track and fell back. We still got a top ten but our Silverado was better than that, but still, we brought it in with the fenders on it and at Bristol, that is a good thing. We are running good so we keep this momentum heading to Richmond.”
Matt Crafton, No. 6 Chevrolet: “We came with the exact same setup that Kevin had in his truck he ran so well with last year and I didn’t like it. So we made some changes just before the end of practice and jumped up to fourth on the sheet. We qualified 10th and had a good race for our GM Goodwrench Silverado. I am so hungry to win one of these things. Kevin (Harvick, team owner) knows how hungry I am for a win in one of these races. It is our first year working together as a team and we have all really gelled well together. We have run well and we keep trying to be consistent and get good finishes. The win will be there for us but it is hard to be patient!”
Notable Quotables, Post-race No. 3; Dodge
08-25-2004 11:34 pm
Bobby Hamilton, No. 4 Dodge: “We ended up all right. You go out there and run up top, and I ran real good up top, but the lapped trucks were up there and at the end we passed. When Bill (Lester) went up under me and turned himself, I hit him and it towed it out a mile. It wasn’t that good, but lap times we were a tenth or two tenths better than anybody. Track position killed us. It’s Bristol, but I’m happy as hell coming out of here with a 12th place finish. I felt like when he (Setzer) got up there he’d start pushing the envelope and get greedy and try to win the race. I just said, ‘we’ll finish ahead of him.’ Halfway through the race I knew we’d finish ahead of him, no big deal. What do you do? We were trying stuff, but once we got messed up we just tried some stuff and used it for a test session for next year. I feel good about the points, but I still don’t like to talk about ‘em right now. We’ll wait until about five races to go and then we’ll start talking.”
Chad Chaffin, No. 18 Dodge: “Every now and then you’re going to have a bad race. It was so competitive tonight. I don’t think we ever got higher than seventh. We were back there 13th or 14th and people were running into each other, pushing you up the track just for 15th spot. It was crazy. I got pushed into Ted and knocked him up into the wall. I respect Ted Musgrave a ton. I wouldn’t do that on purpose. My other Dodge teammate tried to crash the 67, and instead of crashing him he just got him loose enough where he came up into me and knocked me into the wall. Dodge guys weren’t helping each other out tonight. Here at Bristol it’s kind of every man for himself. You can’t predict what’s going to happen, and you can’t get away from people. I’m proud of my guys. We got back out, and we didn’t get a DNF. They did a good job.”
Steve Park, No. 62 Dodge: “We just got tight, and I’m not sure why. We thought we could put the Orleans Dodge up at the front of the pack, and we just got tighter and tighter as the race went on. I’m not really sure why. We had problems with suspension parts when we tested, and it’s something we’ve got to look at. We don’t know if it was a spring collapsing or what. Bristol is tough on parts. I’m glad to see it for Carl. He’s had a rough last couple of weeks. We were fast on that green-white-checkered and picked up a few positions. I got up on the wheel, and when the guys got knotted up in traffic, I forced my way through. We thought we’d be better, but we just got too tight.”
Ted Musgrave, No. 1 Dodge: “It was kind of a long night-short night. The truck was pretty good. I was just hanging in the top 10. We went into turn three and four and Chaffin tried to make it three wide coming off turn four and put me up in the marbles. It was two by two and all of a sudden he stuck it in there and made it three wide right in the middle. It bent the front clip on my truck and all the front suspension. I thought the Dodges were going to work together, but two Dodges took each other out. What’s going on there? It’s just Bristol I guess. I think I could have salvaged a top five. I wasn’t going to win it. We’ll talk and get it straight.”
N otable Quotables, Post-race No. 4; Chevy 2
08-25-2004 11:40 pm
Tracy Hines, No. 88 Chevrolet: "We had a lug nut come off on our stop and that just killed us. We came in off sequence to make a chassis adjustment and put a rubber in, so we shouldn't have been in a hurry, but we were. It's a mistake that hurt us but it's not the end of the world. We ran good, and that is the silver lining. We ran with the leaders for a good long time, and never feel more than a straightaway behind them. It's a shame, because we had a great truck. We just needed track position and we would have been okay."
Robby Gordon, No. 47 Chevrolet: "It was pretty impressive that Carl Edwards and Matt Crafton were able to hang on with much older tires. We came with about a hundred to go, and that was the right call. I just didn't want to be too aggressive that early in the run and wanted to save my tires for the end. When Shane started making the move there, he did an awesome job. We were happy to bring the Acxiom Silverado home in fourth place and everyone here did a good job tonight. I had a blast driving this thing and hope to compete again in the Silverado All Stars races. Randy Goss and everyone here at Morgan-Dollar did an awesome job and the truck drove beautifuly. We gave up a little too much there with about halfway to go and could have been up there battling for the lead if we had pushed it harder right after the stop. I wanted to bring it back clean because its an All Star truck that we all share and I wanted to make sure that when Tony gets in it at Richmond that he has a good piece."
I love Truck Racing. I am an offroad racer and I came from racing those trucks. This is the first time in a long time though that I have driven a NASCAR Truck and it was awesome. Bristol is just a fantastic place to race. "
Kevin Harvick, No. 92 Chevrolet: "It was fun tonight, but I just screwed up. I didn't see the flag out on the final stop and must have been in my own little zone. Unfortunately we gave up all those positions there and were not able to make a lot of them up. All in all it was a good night for both Goodwrench trucks. These Chevrolet Silverados were strong all night long and we did what we had to do to bring it home in one piece."
Shane Hmiel, No. 15 Chevrolet: "It was a good run for us tonight, I really thought I had a truck that would win tonight right from the start. We started fourth and I let Kevin and a couple other guys go cause I knew they were going to run a little harder than I was, I wanted to save my stuff. We stayed out when others pitted and led for fifty laps and got our bonus points. When we pitted, others didn’t and I was 25th when I went back out on the track and drove it back up to second. We didn’t have anything for the 99 (Carl Edwards, race winner) cause I had used up my tires passing all those trucks to get up there. It was hard because you just didn’t know for sure where the lapped trucks were going to go. We have a good program and are working well together. We have had four strong finishes in a row and have some momentum going. Our Earl Small’s Silverado was good tonight. Our goal is to get in the top-ten in points and get a win one of these races.
Paul White, No. 13 Chevrolet: “This race track is definitely one of my favorites now. I really had a great time here at Bristol and I think our program is really starting to turn around. Tonight the set up in the truck was good and I was able to run at a consistent pace throughout the race. We were able to test for this race last week and I think that also made a difference. I spent a lot of the race watching some of the other drivers and how they run this track. I think when we come back to Bristol next season, I will have a much better chance at running higher in the field. This was a good night for us all the way around, we turned a solid qualifying run and finished the race with all the fenders still attached to the truck. And here at Bristol I think that is a sign of a pretty successful evening. I feel like this is really the beginning of some good things with the Sta-Max Chevy and you might see more of that in two weeks at Richmond. I have run at Richmond before in my Silver Crown car and I have always run in the top five so I feel like I have something of a leg up on that track.”
Notable Quotables, Post-race No, 5; Toyota
08-25-2004 11:46 pm
Mike Skinner, No. 42 Toyota: “What can I say, tempers flare at Bristol. I thought Dennis (Setzer) would have tried to pass me clean – instead he knocked me out of the way. I was probably holding Dennis up, but he should have tried to pass me clean. But, this is Bristol. Dennis is a good guy and a good driver, and we’ve had lots of good races. He has wrecked me and I have wrecked him. But, this is Bristol – so what can you say. My Tundra ran really good. We messed it up as a group. We probably should have pitted earlier – and put tires on. And, we should have stopped because we also didn’t have enough gas at the end. The truck was tight all night long, and when we pitted we didn’t adjust it near enough. We’ll get better. John (Monsam, crew chief) and the guys did a good job on pit road. The Toyota motor ran good. I really felt like we had the truck to beat tonight. But, we just asked a little too much from the tires. Toyota is coming -- their short track motor was just as good as anybody tonight.”
Hank Parker, Jr., No. 21 Toyota: “From racing here in the past, I know you can’t get impatient at Bristol. If you get stuck on the outside, you just have to stay with it until you get a hole. That happened to us several times tonight, but we were fortunate. My guys did a good job and they made a lot of great adjustments. Our Tundra was running great towards the end of the race. We were the top finishing Toyota and we were able to get a nice run in our first race with AirVest as a sponsor.” Parker Jr. was battling a virus all night long: “During the cautions, I wasn’t feeling too well. But, I just focused on what I needed to do. Once we got running, I forgot about being sick and concentrated on racing. It was really fun out there and fun racing Kevin (Harvick) at the end.”
Bill Davis, No. 22 Toyota: “We were hoping for a top-10, which we didn’t get, but we brought the truck back in one piece – which is important. On every pit stop we made the truck better. I’m really happy with the job the guys did. We have something to build on. I don’t have a whole lot of experience on short tracks, so bringing it home in the top-15 definitely gives us something to build upon.”
Notable Quotables, Post-race No 6; Ford
08-26-2004 12:15 am
Brandon Whitt, No. 38 Ford: WHAT HAPPENED? "I don't know. We're running our race one minute and I'm in the wall the next. I guess somebody got loose below me. We have a lot of work to do on the rear end. I asked over the radio how bad it looked and they came back with, 'Well, Let's put it this way. We've gone from a stretch ladder to a step ladder.'"
Terry Cook, No. 10 Ford: "We were having brake problems all night long and we slid back there. With brake problems we decided to pit early, got blocked in the pits and lost track position and just tried to work our way back through the field. We got jammed up on a restart and got to the outside of the 52 and a hole opened up behind him. My spotter yelled, 'Clear,' and I went for the hole and by the time I got there, the hole closed. The 50 truck turned me around, but it's just a racing deal at Bristol. It's tight racing and holes fill real quick and unfortunately that's what happened. We were doomed the rest of the night. We went back out and had a flat tire after a couple of laps and just kind of struggled through the night."
Carl Edwards, No. 99 Ford:- HOW DIFFICULT OF A TASK WAS IT TO DRIVE FROM THE REAR OF THE FIELD AT THE START OF THE RACE TO VICTORY LANE AT THE END? "It was tough, but it was as much fun as it was
tough. I can't believe Shane Hmiel and I finished one-two. We've been playing racquetball together and I beat him pretty bad and I was worried he was going to get me back there. Mike Skinner is a class act. This series
is just a blast. I'm having a blast."
TALK ABOUT THE WEEK YOU'VE HAD THAT INCLUDES YOUR FIRST CUP START.
"I'm overwhelmed. I'm an average kid from central Missouri and I'm getting to do some great things because of some
great people and I can't thank everybody enough. This is a dream come true. I've got to thank Superchips. They came on board at this race last year at the minute and they've been a great sponsor and I've really enjoyed it. I
don't even know what to say. This has been the greatest week of my life."
TALK ABOUT THE FINAL RESTART.
"That was the most nerve-wrecking time that I've ever had. My stomach was knotted up."
DID YOU LEARN SOMETHING TONIGHT THAT YOU CAN USE IN THE WEEKEND'S OTHER TWO EVENTS?
"I learned a lot. This track is very, very tricky. Guys like Kurt Busch, he's been trying to help me a little bit, but you just have to get laps and I feel like we got some laps tonight. I only hit my marks 30 laps and I think if I can do it more than that in the Cup race and the Busch race we'll be all right."
Jon Wood, No. 50 Ford: "We had an awesome truck tonight, we just didn't do the right stuff in the pits. We didn't
make good calls, we didn't have good pit stops, and it was just an altogether bad night. It was typical Bristol racing. You can see some abnormal people run good, and it's a lot of luck and we just have to get
over it and move on."
Rick Crawford, No. 14 Ford: WHAT HAPPENED ON THE FINAL CAUTION PERIOD? "When the 46 and the 42 spun
simultaneously off of two over there, we torn up the right front. I made it around the 46, smoke was in the air and I saw the 42 in front of me and I tried to cut to the bottom and split them, but he let it roll down the hill and I ran over him. We had a good truck. The new 2004 F-150 was built tough today for Bristol and I thought everything was shining for us. We adjusted early and adjusted on the pit stops and it was actually fun to drive, and typical Bristol we made it to the front. I like this place. We finally got the truck to where it liked it, but sometimes you have to lose a race like that."
CARL EDWARDS PRESS CONFERENCE
"I don't think I would have quailed for any sort of medal with that landing. I'm telling you, that place makes you a little bit dizzy, that's about all I could get out of it. I can't imagine on Saturday night and we'd still about
200 laps to go right now. Hopefully I'll be ready for that."
"I felt like our truck was really, really good. Cowboy (Kevin Starland, crew chief) and the guys did a great job with the setup. We used a lot of luck up there in the (qualifying) spin. It just snapped loose on that second lap and I can't believe we didn't hit anything. I'm just really fortunate for that. I wasn't so sure. Starting in 36th position at this place is pretty wild. I've never been in a race quite like that. I feel very, very lucky not to have got caught up in anything and to end up winning that race."
"For me personally, sometimes it actually makes it a little easier because you don't have anything to lose at that point theoretically. And, it's easier to pass for 36th to 35th position sometimes than it is for fourth or fifth position. I think it allows a driver when you start at the very back, barring any accidents, it allows you work on your craft just a little just bit and find the nuances in the track that you might not find racing single file in second or third position. It's kind of bittersweet. In one way you like it, but it's always simpler to start up front."
"My friends make fun of me because I'm so thirty. Thrifty is my word, they call me cheap. Things are a little bit different, yes. The money part of racing, it's pretty neat to be able to make money racing. Part of me wants
to just keep doing the things the way I've always done them because things have been going so well that I hate to change anything. I haven't purchased anything yet, other than Lori, my PR person, sold me all of her old living
furniture for $200. That was kind of my big purchase. I share my apartment with my buddy Darren Beech and we go racing. Some day I'll get an airplane or something; that would be neat, but for right now we're just racing."
"His name is Andy. I met him at IRP and this guy is a huge Roush Racing fan. Yes, there is a man out there that has my signature tattooed on his arm. If he'd met me a few years ago, he definitely wouldn't have had my signature tattooed on his arm. Things have changed. It's amazing how awesome the fans are. Guys like Andy, people who really love this sport and come to all of the races and enjoy it, it is different. It hasn't gotten to the point, nobody recognizes me in the grocery store or anything. It's pretty cool to walk around the race track and people actually want to get your autograph and stuff. That's neat."
"It's definitely a change. It hasn't all sunk in yet. It's almost like it's too good to be true. I can't describe to you guys how much work myself and all of my friends and family have put in, and it was work not money. We
put in a lot of work just like a lot of racers that are out there right now racing. They're working on their cars right now getting ready to race on Saturday night at a short track. I just never in a million years imagined that I would be standing here at Bristol after wining any type of race. I don't remember what the question was, but I'm pretty happy about this."
"It was adding up to be a pretty interesting race from where I was sitting. I had better tires than Mike Skinner. I knew Shane (Hmiel) had as good of tires as me and he was just as fast as me. I was worried that I wouldn't be
able to get around Skinner before Shane could do something with me. But, Mike Skinner is a class act and Shane Hmiel has been through a lot in this sport, and he's actually become a good friend of mine in the last couple of
months, and I can't tell you how much it means to race with someone that I admire that much. He is an amazing race car driver and it means a lot that he didn't take a shot at me there. I drove it in too deep into one of the corners on the last two laps and I thought it was over with. He could have really made my life difficult. Shane is an awesome guy. He's going to win a lot of these races."
"I worked on him (Skinner) and worked on him, but there were a couple of factors. Number one, the end of the race was getting pretty close and you never know if there's going to be a big wreck or something. There might be
a ton of yellow laps or we might only get two laps of green. I was worried about that. And then as soon as I saw Shane pass the 75 and got behind me, I knew he would be pressuring so I figured I needed to go right then. This
is a tough place to pass someone when they're almost as fast as you. I rubbed on Skinner a little bit and I feel kind of bad about that. I would have liked to have passed him cleanly, but you almost can't complete a pass here without a little bit of a nudge. I just did whatever I could to get by him."
"Realistically, I think it's going to be a very difficult task (to win the championship), but I know we can do it. Bobby Hamilton is awesome and they've had great runs and Chad Chaffin is going great. Dennis Setzer is
always fast and these guys are so good. They've got a lot of laps on me, so I'm hoping that this Cup schedule and running these Busch races will help me to be a little bit better. I feel that it has helped me. I feel like tonight, some of what you saw there were things I learned last week racing with those Cup guys. Hopefully my curve catches up and some breaks go my way, but it's still possible. It's going to be a difficult task."
O'Reilly 200 recap
08-26-2004 12:05 am
Carl Edwards drove to his third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win of 2004, and did so in convincing style after starting at the rear of the field at the start. Edwards spun on his second qualifying lap and elected to change tires on his Ford, a move that resulted in the loss of his starting position. His charge through the field reached its peak on lap 180 when he passed Mike Skinner, and he fought Shane Hmiel over the last 20 laps for the win.
Skinner's night went from good to bad in a heartbeat when he and championship contender Dennis Setzer made contact with five laps to go battling for third. Skinner fell back to 13th at the finish, but NASCAR is currently discussing a potential two-lap penalty that could see Skinner fall back to as deep as 23rd in the final results.
Several drivers achieved their career best finishes at Bristol tonight. Shane Hmiel scored a runner-up finish, Matt Crafton was third, and Robby Gordon was fourth, each driver claiming their career best NCTS finish in the process.
Series points leader Bobby Hamilton had a frustrating night, never challenging for the lead and finishing 13th. However, combined with Setzer's rotten late-race luck, he extends his points lead over second to 99 points, although the gap between leader Hamilton and third-place Edwards closed considerably tonight.
With that, we are going to call it a night from the World's Fastest Half-Mile. We thank you for hanging with us for a long day of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing action, and we look forward to rejoining you when the series visits Richmond International Raceway in September 9. Just like today's action, that race will be a one day show, with practice, qualifying, and the race all taking place the same day. We'll have you covered from top to bottom on everything related to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series between now and then, and once we get to race day we will have exclusive Live Bud Pole Qualifying coverage as well as all the happenings in the garage and on the track with TrackSideLive. Thanks again, and good night everybody!
TrackSideLive! Audio
08-26-2004 12:53 am
Check out the post race comments from race winner
Carl Edwards,
Matt Crafton
and
Shane Hmiel.
TrackSideLive! from Richmond International Raceway
09-01-2004 9:29 pm
TrackSideLive! coverage of the Kroger 200 from Richmond International Raceway begins Thursday morning, September 9, 2004.
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