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MBNA America 200 | Dover Int'l Speedway
Race No. 6 | June 4, 2004
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Welcome to Dover
06-03-2004 9:05 am
Good morning from the Dover International Speedway! The weather was rough last night with storms moving through overnight with considerable rain, wind, thunder and lightning, but the sun is shining and temps are expected to move into the high 70s for the afternoon. The garage area is teeming with activity, trucks are moving through inspection, and TrackSideLive! will give you all the updates from the track throughout the day.
Schedule for the day...
06-03-2004 9:08 am
Here is the track schedule for Thursday, June 3 at Dover:
11:30 am - 12:45: Practice
1:15 pm - 1:45: Practice
3:15 pm: Bud Pole Qualifying
A final one hour Happy Hour practice will follow qualifying, time permitting.
The NCTS garage area will close at 6:30 pm ET.
Driver changes
06-03-2004 9:16 am
There are a couple of notable driver changes here at Dover this weekend. Dave Blaney has taken the reins of the No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota for this weekend, replacing Shelby Howard. Lance Hooper steps from his crew chief duties of the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet to the driver's seat, taking over for Tina Gordon. Both situations are one-race deals, for this weekend only.
Matt Crafton, driver, No. 6 Chevy
06-03-2004 9:40 am
"I actually like this place a lot even though it has not been good to me the past two years. It is a really neat racetrack. I blew a right front tire two years ago and had a mechanical problem and hit the wall a ton last year. I don't remember leaving the track either of the two years because I left in an ambulance. I look forward to racing here again as long as we don't blow any tires and can stay away from mechanical problems."
Dover records
06-03-2004 9:57 am
The MBNA America 200 will mark the fifth NCTS race at Dover International Speedway. All four previous runnings of the event have been won from a top-10 starting position. In 2000 and 2001, the pole winner also won the race, and no driver has ever won the pole or the race at Dover more than once.
The winner of last year's event was Jason Leffler, who drove Jim Smith's No. 2 Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge to victory with an average speed of 97.232 miles per hour. Qualifying was not held last year due to rain, and the field was set according to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rule book. The race record here was set by Ted Musgrave in 2002 at 104.545 miles per hour for 200 miles, while the track qualifying record was set by Kurt Busch in 2000 at 151.764.
While no driver has won more than once here at Dover, Jimmy Smith has won the past three years with Scott Riggs in 2001, Ted Musgrave in 2002, and Jason Leffler in 2003.
Previous winners at Dover:
2000: Kurt Busch
2001: Ted Musgrave
2002: Scott Riggs
2003: Jason Leffler
Oh Nutzz...
06-03-2004 10:44 am
For the second time in three races, Travis Kvapil's No. 24 Toyota sports a different look at Dover this weekend. Rather than the usual yellow and black Line-X livery, the Bang! Racing team arrived with a multi-colored paintjob with Nutzz.com as the primary sponsor.
Practice coming up next!
06-03-2004 10:51 am
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice is scheduled to begin at 11:30 am ET. The majority of the teams have pushed their trucks through the inspection line and have relocated to their work space on pit road. (The teams prep their trucks in the infield of the horsetrack inside the Monster Mile, and then work off of pit road the remainder of the day.) Trackside Live! will have up-to-the-minute reports during practice, so keep it locked on to TruckSeries.com for all the news from Dover...
Mike Skinner, driver, No. 42 Toytota
06-03-2004 11:03 am
"This is like a big Bristol. It's awesome and absolutely intense racing. I like the race track and generally run well here. In the 2000 Busch race here, I won the pole and was pulling away from the field when we broke a motor. I also got my first top-10 in the Cup Series here."
This will be Mike Skinner's first attempt at Dover in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He has 21 career starts at Dover in the Busch and Cup series. His best finish is fourth in the Busch Series, coming in June 2001.
Kay Keselowski, owner, No. 29 Ford
06-03-2004 11:12 am
"The major concern for us was getting Brad approved to come run here. He had a pretty good run with the ARCA car in Charlotte, and they gave him the go-ahead to come here. We want to come away from here with a good run so he is approved to run Texas next. Everything is going well with us, we just are hoping that a major sponsor comes on board before too long."
Travis Kvapil, driver, No. 24 Toyota
06-03-2004 11:22 am
"The first time I came here I was a little intimidated because it is so fast and high banked. It takes some time to get used to this place. I like it here because if you have a good truck, you can run really well here. I haven't always had the best finishes here, but last year and in 2002 we ran really well here."
Trucks on the track!
06-03-2004 11:31 am
Practice is on! The first trucks have taken to the Monster Mile...the first truck out is the No. 29 Ford driven by Brad Keselowski, and he was quickly followed by Ted Musgrave in the No. 1 Dodge and Lance Hooper in the No. 13 Chevrolet.
Kelly Sutton part of Mike Helton roast...
06-03-2004 11:34 am
Kelly "girl" Sutton took part in a charity roast last night in Greensboro, N.C., and got a chance to take a few jabs at NASCAR president Mike Helton. The event was the Triad MS Dinner of Champions, with all funds generated going to the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. Sutton shared her story and told how her daily injections of Copaxone help her manage the disease. Sutton is the only known driver to compete in a major national motorsports series to have been disgnosed with MS.
Oil on track...
06-03-2004 11:38 am
One of the seven trucks to take to the Monster Mile early in practice laid down a fine line of oil all the way around the Dover International Speedway. The track crew is out inspecting the surface and laying down some oil dry. We should be back under green flag shortly.
Circle Bar crew chief
06-03-2004 11:41 am
With the departure of Gene Nead, Circle Bar Racing is here at Dover without a permanent crew chief. Ray Stonkus is here at Dover overseeing the preparations of the No. 14 truck, and shop foreman Craig Huartson is here acting as interrim crew chief. Huartson has been around the series since its inception, running in the exhibition Winter Heat races at Tucson in the winter of 1994-1995. He was the crew chief of the Team Rensi truck series program with driver Randy Tolsma in 2001.
After 15 minutes...
06-03-2004 11:45 am
Chad Chaffin leads the field with a 24.01- second fast lap.
The top-5:
Chaffin - 24.014
Park - 24.097
Montgomery - 24.136
Edwards - 24.256
Setzer - 24.278
Short field...
06-03-2004 11:49 am
With 35 trucks on the property, there is no worry that a team will be bumped from the starting grid. Teams that do not make the top-32 in qualifications will round out the field per the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rule book (provisionals based on 2004 NCTS owner's points, attempts, etc.), but will not be charged with a provisional start.
Hamilton hot laps the 8?
06-03-2004 11:57 am
Hearing over NASCAR's scoring channel that Bobby Hamilton was in the No. 8 Dodge assigned to Chase Montgomery for the fast laps that truck turned earlier in the session. Thjroughout the past several years, Hamilton has often hopped in his team trucks to give them a baseline setup for practice. The No. 8 Dodge is affiliated with Hamilton under the BHR2 umbrella.
After 30 minutes...
06-03-2004 12:07 pm
The top-10 after 30 minutes of practice: Hamilton - 23.835 Park - 23.905 Crawford - 23.910 Chaffin - 24.009 Edwards - 24.021 Sprague - 24.024 Reutimann - 24.083 Musgrave - 24.086 Hmiel -24.087 Setzer- 24.177
Full-field rundown
06-03-2004 12:09 pm
Here is your full field rundown with 30 minutes left in the session: 1. Hamilton, 23.758 2. Crawford, 23.899 3. Park, 23.905 4. Sprague, 23.969 5. Musgrave, 23.978 6. Edwards, 23.980 7. Setzer, 23.986 8. Reutimann, 24.002 9. Chaffin, 24.009 10. Schrader, 24.009 11. Hmiel, 24.087 12. Montgomery/Hamilton, 24.136 13. Kvapil, 24.166 14. Wood, 24.198 15. Starr, 24.233 16. Skinner, 24.251 17. Cook, 24.282 18. Whitt, 24.303 19. Crafton, 24.381 20. Huffman, 24.433 21. Houston, 24.441 22. Hines, 24.459 23. Lester, 24.468 24. Hooper, 24.460 25. Parker, Jr., 24.673 26. Blaney, 24.749 27. Keselowski, 24.849 28. McFarland, 25.044 29. Sieg, 25.242 30. Love, 25.386 31. Hill, 25.910 32. Weaver, 25.967 33. Kelly, 26.262 34. Sutton, 26.443
New track record???
06-03-2004 12:27 pm
A quick glance at practice times sees that Bobby Hamilton is nearing Kurt Busch's five-year old track record. Hamilton ran a 23.758-second lap a short while ago, while Busch's track record sits at 23.721. Can Hamilton, or anyone else, beat that? Keep it locked on to TruckSeries.com for Live! Qualifying presented by Team ASE at 3:45 to find out!
Practice update...fifteen minutes left
06-03-2004 12:36 pm
Much of the practice results have remained static in the past 15 minutes...notable moves up the board include Chad Chaffin, who moved up to second on the pylon with a 23.823-second lap. The rest of the top-10 remains unchanged. Matt Crafton has moved up to 16th with a 24.241-second lap, and Brad Keselowski moved up to 24th with a 24.619-second effort. A full time report will be posted as soon as practice ends, which is scheduled for 12:45 pm ET, or just 10 minutes from now.
Second session underway
06-03-2004 1:19 pm
The green flag just waved over the second and final pre-qualifying practice session for the MBNA America 200 here at Dover. We will update you times shortly.
Steve Park, driver, No. 62 Dodge
06-03-2004 1:20 pm
"This is the same truck we ran at Charlotte. It wasn't beat up as bad as some of the guys there tried to make it, so we brought it back here. It is pretty solid so far. This is definitely the best we have been off the trailer so far this season. We really want to wok hard on qualifying up front. We think we have a shot at the pole, but we'd be happy if we can get up into the top-5. Qualifying has definitely been our weakness so far this season. We're happy with the speed that we have out of it so far, now we will work on race trim and see how we do in qualifying."
Mark McFarland, driver, No. 59 Dodge
06-03-2004 1:23 pm
"This is the first time I have ever been here, so I am working on getting used to the racetrack. We are getting better every time we go out too. We spent that first session just working on race setups, so now we'll go out and work on something for qualifying. We've used up our tires so I am not sure how good we'll be in qualifying trim, but we'll find something that works and bolt on some new tires for qualifying and hopefully be fast."
Andy Houston, driver, No. 2 Dodge
06-03-2004 1:25 pm
"We're working on getting it to where we need to be. It just feels like the front end of the truck is dragging. We started off the trailer with the exact same setup that won here last year and it was not working at all. We were terrible. We've made some serious changes. I am sure that Dennis (Conner, crew chief) and the Ultra Bad Boys will get this thing where we need to be."
Red flag at Dover
06-03-2004 1:28 pm
Ken Weaver has crashed the No. 08 4-A-Phone Chevrolet coming off of turn four. The truck spun to the inside and made significant contact with the inside pit wall. The truck appears to be too damaged to continue. Weaver is talking to rescue workers on the scene and is preparing to get out of the truck. Weaver will be evaluated in the track medical center. A full update on this incident, and his condition, will follow shortly.
Chad Chaffin, driver, No. 18 Dodge
06-03-2004 1:34 pm
"The Dickies team has a bunch of brand new or new to us trucks in our fleet. We have really concentrated on taking the new trucks to tracks where we have tested them. This is actually one of the trucks we had left over from last year, Angel. We know it is a good truck because we finished 7th with it here last season.
"Bobby really doesn't place a lot of importance on qualifying. Sure, if we can get a pole, we'd be happy to take it, but we are here concentrating on the race."
Mike Skinner, driver, No. 42 Toyota
06-03-2004 1:37 pm
"We have been loose all day. It was so bad we almost crashed coming off turn two right before the 08 crashed. We made some adjustments to it trying to make it better for qualifying."
Travis Kvapil, driver, No. 24 Toyota
06-03-2004 1:39 pm
"We started off loose, but the adjustments we made made the truck very tight. We played with some things in the break there to try to loosen it back up. We aren't terrible, but right now I would just say we are so-so."
Terry Cook, driver, No. 10 Ford
06-03-2004 2:20 pm
"Everything is going great with the Power Stroke Diesel team. We are 16th on the sheet, but I think we have something left over for these guys in qualifying. We have been working hard to establish our communication with Jamie Jones, our new crew chief. That is going along just great, so I think we should be pretty good here in Dover."
Ken Weaver, driver, No. 08 Chevrolet
06-03-2004 2:25 pm
"I am okay, but I feel really bad for these guys. We'll pull the backup truck out and work on it, but that just makes it so rough on the crew. I spun out right there last year too, and was able to keep the truck off the wall. We didn't hit it very hard this time, but it really did a lot of damage to the truck. I'm not hurt at all, except for my pride."
Shane Sieg, driver, No. 07 Chevrolet
06-03-2004 2:32 pm
"We are just so tight today. We really loosened it up in the break, but we didn't go far enough. Every time we have come in, we loosened it up more, but we just haven't gotten there yet. It feels like I am about to knock that fence down every time I come out of the turns it is so tight."
Photos posted
06-03-2004 2:41 pm
Check out some images of the day's activities, including the aftermath of the Ken Weaver accident, click here:
http://www.truckseries.com/2004/04r06-Dover/04r06_truckshots.htm
Under the track record...
06-03-2004 2:54 pm
Bobby Hamilton flirted with the track record in the first practice session, but Steve Park was well below the record in the second session of the day. Park's 23.528-second lap translated to 153.009 miles per hour. Kurt Busch's track record is currently 23.721 seconds at 151.764 miles per hour. A total of 10 drivers bettered Busch's mark in the second session, and everyone is anticipating a new record to be set this afternoon.
It's a NNNNEEEW TRRRACK RRRECORD!
06-03-2004 4:16 pm
That would be the call if we were at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after Carl Edwards' record pole run...Edwards lapped the Monster Mile in 23.546 seconds/152.892 miles per hour. Ironically, the driver that previously held the record also set it in the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford - Kurt Busch set the previous mark of 23.721 in September 2000.
It's a NNNNEEEW TRRRACK RRRECORD!
06-03-2004 4:16 pm
That would be the call if we were at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after Carl Edwards' record pole run...Edwards lapped the Monster Mile in 23.546 seconds/152.892 miles per hour. Ironically, the driver that previously held the record also set it in the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford - Kurt Busch set the previous mark of 23.721 in September 2000.
Jack Sprague, driver, No. 16 Chevrolet
06-03-2004 4:22 pm
"The whole day has been pretty good for the Chevy Trucks Chevy Silverado. We knew that the first lap was going to be the one that counted. We went out of order a litte bit there and the crew guys didn't know it, and one of them came on the radio when I was going into turn three on the first lap. It kinda startled me a little bit and I missed the corner there a little bit. But it is no harm no foul."
Steve Park, driver, No. 99 Ford
06-03-2004 4:25 pm
"This is the best run we have had in qualifying all season. We have really struggled, but the guys at Orleans Racing have worked hard to give us a good truck. They call this place the Monster for a reason. You have to get used to this place, and get settled in the seat. Once you get settled in, they you can start tuning on the truck. The people that have raced here before definitely have the advantage. You have to race the race track. Once you get comfortable and start racing the competitors, you get bit. I learned from the best, Dale Earnhardt, and he told me 'I don't ever want to see you racing another car, race the racetrack!'"
Carl Edwards, driver, No. 99 Ford
06-03-2004 4:29 pm
"I ran the first lap, and Cowboy (Crew Chief Kevin Starland) came on the radio and said 'you ran a 60', and I thought, sheesh, I am really going to have to pick it up! This is great for the Superchips team. At this race last year, I ran about 20 laps in practice and destroyed a truck and then ran 6 laps in the race and destroyed another truck. There are a lot of fast trucks. The bar has been raised, that is for sure. The level of competition is incredible out there."
Happy Hour up next...
06-03-2004 4:40 pm
NASCAR has announced the final practice will run from 4:45 pm ET through 5:30.
Rick Crawford, driver, No. 14 Ford
06-03-2004 4:40 pm
"That was all I had. I talked to these guys and said if someone can beat that, then they can have it. We're going to start fourth, which is a pretty good starting position. We have Ray Stonkus here kinda supervising everything, and Craig Huartson and the whole Circle Bar Racing Team have really come together. It's going to take a perfect day to win tomorrow. You'll need to be able to adjust for the weather, and you need to make the right adjustments late in the race. Last year we got bit because the track changed when the clouds rolled in, and we really tightened up. We hope that doesn't happen to us this year."
Matt Crafton, driver, No. 6 Chevrolet
06-03-2004 4:44 pm
"We haven't had a handle on this Dover set up all day. We've worked hard and made changes in both practice sessions and we got faster in each session but it was still too tight in qualifying. I couldn't get to the bottom the way we wanted. It kept shoving the nose. We've got happy hour coming up so we can work on the race set up some more and we'll this GM Goodwrench Silverado better for tomorrow."
Happy Hour is on!
06-03-2004 4:46 pm
The first trucks have hit the track for final practice...Hamilton is quick out of the box with teammate Chad Chaffin hot on his tail. We will have all the updates as they happen here from Dover.
Brandon Whitt, driver, No. 38 Ford
06-03-2004 4:49 pm
"We've had a pretty good truck since we rolled off the trailer this morning, so we're happy with that. The track has slickened up a little bit and we were really loose that run, so I don't know if we got everything out of the truck. We'll take what we can get and see what happens. I talked to a lot of people when I got out here this morning
and followed some of the guys that I know have experience here and just watched where they ran, and it helped a lot when I went out behind them. You just pick up on the little stuff and it works out to be big stuff. I tried to follow Bobby Hamilton, Ted Musgrave and Rick Crawford as much as I could. I talked to Carl Edwards. He hosted the rookie meeting and I talked to him and got a ride around the track in the pace car with him beforehand, and that helped the most probably."
Jon Wood, driver, No. 50 Ford
06-03-2004 4:52 pm
"We're just struggling right now. Everybody loves to make changes, and I think we made too many for qualifying. I don't know what it is, but we're definitely lacking somewhere. We'll definitely use some of the stuff we ran here last year, and I'm not sure what. We finished fourth here last year, so we should have some good notes. We've got a teammate starting up front, so we'll look at what he's running and try to use that to get us better."
Terry Cook, driver, No. 10 Ford
06-03-2004 4:54 pm
"We found a little something in practice. I don't think we found a whole bunch; it looks like maybe the track slowed up about a tenth and we ran about the same as what we ran earlier. Maybe I left a little bit out there, but I tried to
hold it wide open and it was shoving the nose a little bit, so I had to breathe off the throttle and I think we lost a little bit of time. Hopefully that will get us in the top 10 and get us a good starting spot. And if we do, this is a brand new truck and it's driving extremely well. We're more concerned about racing than qualifying, and, of course, you say that when you don't qualify really good, but I think we'll be OK. This is not Jamie Jones' first rodeo as a crew chief. He's got some experience doing it, and he's extremely good at it. He's made all of the calls so far this weekend, and they've all been good calls. This is a new truck and it's never been tested and we brought it here right out of the box and it's running well. Our goal this weekend is to come out of here with a top-10 finish, and if we can do that, we've met our goal for the first race and we can move from there and build momentum. Right now, the more you work together the better you get."
Timing and scoring update...
06-03-2004 4:57 pm
After fifteen minutes of practice, your top-10 in Happy Hour:
1. Bobby Hamilton
2. Ted Musgrave
3. Chad Chaffin
4. Mike Skinner
5. Shane Hmiel
6. Jack Sprague
7. David Starr
8. Rick Crawford
9. Dennis Setzer
10. Jon Wood
No times are available from NASCAR scoring at this point.
News and notes...
06-03-2004 4:59 pm
This is Carl Edwards' second career NCTS Bud Pole Award. His previous pole came last October at Martinsville Speedway...the Craftsman Win from the Pole Bonus, so far uncollected in 2004, now sits at $12,000...the top 8 qualifiers for the MBNA America 200 broke the previous track record...this marks the third time in 2004 thay Jack Sprague will start from the front row (won pole at Martinsville, started first because of inclement weather at Mansfield)...Steve Park starts third, his best NCTS start since 1997 when he qualified a DEI Chevy fourth at Phoenix...Park was in contention to win the pole, which he has done once before - he won the pole at Watkins Glen in 1996 qualifying a truck for Joe Nemechek.
Dennis Setzer, driver, No. 46 Chevrolet
06-03-2004 5:04 pm
"I guess we lost something from practice because the truck was really tight on the qualifying run. We didn't changer a lot, just a little more tire pressure but it sure made a difference on the truck. We couldn't get off the corner like we needed to and now we'll have to make our way up through some traffic tomorrow."
David Starr, driver, No. 75 Chevrolet
06-03-2004 5:06 pm
"We talked to a few drivers as they were coming off the track and they said the track was a little bit loose. My Spears Chevrolet was really loose. I thought we would have run a little better than that and even get a top-10 start but it didn't play out that way."
Shane Hmiel, driver, No. 15 Chevrolet
06-03-2004 5:08 pm
"We had a crappy draw and had to go out first and it hurt us, but that is the luck of the draw. We thought for sure we had a top-5 truck, but going out first and being a little bit loose didn't help. It feels great to be the second-fastest Chevy out there. I have to thank Billy Ballew and everyone at Billy Ballew Motorsports. We don't have a sponsor on the truck this weekend and I really need to thank Billy for keeping this team going."
Mike Skinner, driver, No. 42 Toyota
06-03-2004 5:10 pm
"Our truck was extremely loose. The motor ran good, and we ran really good at the end of practice. The first few trucks usually have a disadvantage during qualifying because of the heat. We ran good in qualifying - it got a little free- and I think it was good enough to run a couple of tenths better. I had the pedal to the metal at the end. I hope we can get our Tundra hooked up so we can go racing."
Bill Lester, driver, No. 22 Toyota
06-03-2004 5:13 pm
"We weren't quite able to back up what we practiced. We are all a little disappointed about that. Still, it wasn't a bad lap. The truck was good right off the trailer, and we made some small changes throughout the day to continue to improve on it. I think we kinda went the wrong way with the rear end gear and it wasn't quite as peppy off the corner as we needed it to be."
Fifteen minutes left...
06-03-2004 5:18 pm
With fifteen minutes left in Happy Hour, here is the rundown:
1. Hamilton
2. Musgrave
3. Chaffin
4. Hmiel
5. Skinner
6. Sprague
7. Starr
8. Crawford
9. Edwards
10. Setzer
11. Wood
12. Reutimann
13. Lester
14. Schrader
15. Whitt
16. Crafton
17. Park
18. Cook
19. Blaney
20. Kvapil
21. Keselowski
22. Huffman
23. Houston
24. Hines
25. Hooper
26. Parker, Jr.
27. McFarland
28. Sieg
29. Montgomery
30. Love
31. Weaver
32. Kelly
33. Hill
34. Sutton
Dave Blaney, driver, No. 23 Toyota
06-03-2004 5:26 pm
"It was different than what I expected. The first practice we struggled a little bit, but wer kept getting better and better. The qualifying lap was pretty good, that is about all this Tundra had in it. So we are pleased with the progress we made. Hopefully we can use Happy Hour to get the truck where we need it. I am impressed with this whole team and the truck. You can really drive these things deep into the corner. It took me some time to realize just how far I could go with the truck, and I am definitely having a lot of fun."
Hank Parker, Jr., driver, No. 21 Toyota
06-03-2004 5:28 pm
"We worked on some things in Charlotte that I think helped the truck. We still aren't where we need to be. I think we are moving in the right direction though. That's about all we had today. We are all new to this, so once we get some more experience, I am sure will will get it figured out."
Practice is over!
06-03-2004 5:31 pm
That's a wrap for on-track activity this afternoon...
Click here for the full rundown...
Hamilton, Musgrave, Hmiel, Chaffin, and Sprague set the pace.
Travis Kvapil, driver, No. 24 Toyota
06-03-2004 5:33 pm
"We had a decent lap. It's the fastest we have been since we have been here, so I am happy about that. We are just a little too tight. It's kind of what we've been fighting all day. We have some direction as to where we need to go for the race. The track will be a lot tighter after the Cup and Busch cars run tomorrow. It's a fun track, and I look forward to the race tomorrow."
Lance Hooper, driver, No. 13 Chevrolet
06-03-2004 5:43 pm
"The truck drives good and it is very comfortable. I'd like to get this thing back to Ohio and get it on the chjassis dyno to see where we stack up against some of the other guys. Our goal is to get out there, stay out of trouble, run 200 laps and finish up in the top-20."
Tracy Hines, driver, No. 88 Chevrolet
06-03-2004 6:16 pm
"This place is deceiving. It is so fast, you watch these guys go into the corner and see where they pick the throttle up and when you try to do it it just doesn't seem like you can. But after a few laps out there, you get used to the track and you get comfortable in the truck. This is actually a very fun place."
Rick Crawford, driver, No. 14 Ford
06-03-2004 6:21 pm
“I hope it holds up on the front row, but if it doesn’t, we’ve got a really nice truck here. I think it will get faster on the long run. Craig (Huartson, crew chief) and Ray Stonkus have worked real good as a team, and the team put a real good truck under me this weekend. I’m just happy to be running the Sears truck, the one-stop shop for Father’s Day. I think we’ve got something to perform with in the race, too.”
Jack Sprague, driver, No. 16 Silverado
06-03-2004 6:23 pm
“The whole day has been good for this Chevy Trucks Silverado team. The truck has been strong since we unloaded. We were good in practice and knew our first lap had to count. It was a little confusing in the qualifying line, and we ended up going out of order. I didn’t lift off one and two but one of the guys didn’t realize that we had gone out and talked on radio. It startled me because I just wasn’t expecting to hear someone talk. No harm, no foul. We qualified on the front row. So now we will go out in Happy Hour and make sure we have things just right for tomorrow. I have run here enough to know what we have to do to win this thing and that’s the plan.”
Carl Edwards, driver, No. 99 Ford
06-03-2004 6:25 pm
“I don’t want to jinx ourselves, but so far this has gone a lot better than last Dover. The lap wasn’t as fast as we ran in practice, but I think the track is a little hotter and it lost some grip. If that’s not the pole, I’ll still be satisfied because that is the most perfect qualifying lap that I’ve made yet. I felt the best about it.”
Matt Crafton, driver, No. 6 Silverado
06-03-2004 6:27 pm
“We haven't had a handle on this Dover set up all day. We've worked hard and made changes in both practice sessions and we got faster in each session but it was still too tight in qualifying. I couldn't get to the bottom the way we wanted. It kept shoving the nose. We've got the "happy hour" coming up so we can work on the race set up some more and we'll this GM Goodwrench Silverado better for tomorrow.”
Time to call it a day...
06-03-2004 6:30 pm
That's a wrap folks! The garage area is closed, the teams are on their way out, and TrackSideLive! is calling it a night. We will pick up coverage tomorrow at 11 am ET. Good night!
Raceday!
06-04-2004 11:10 am
Good morning from Dover International Speedway! The sky has turned overcast and there is a chance that some rain could move into the Dover area this evening, but all of the weather forecasters are saying that we should be dry through 6 pm ET. Temps are expected to rise into the low to mid 70s today, so work conditions for the crews and driving conditions for the drivers should be perfect. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that we stay dry!
Pit road layout
06-04-2004 11:14 am
Here are the pit road assignments for the MBNA America 200, starting at the turn one end of pit road and going towards turn four:
(Pit exit)
Edwards
Blaney
Reutimann
Hamilton
Setzer
Schrader
Park
Break in pit wall
Sprague
Hmiel
Wood
Parker, Jr.
Lester
Cook
Hines
Chaffin
Crawford
Break in pit wall
Start/Finish Line
Skinner
Huffman
Houston
Starr
Sieg
Keselowski
Montgomery
Hooper
Love
McFarland
Bonifield
Whitt
Weaver
Hill
Crafton
Sutton
Kvapil
Kelly
Musgrave
(Pit entrance)
Two champs chatting...
06-04-2004 11:37 am
Seen on a quick pass through the garage area...three-time NCTS champion Jack Sprague and 2002 NCTS champion Mike Bliss sharing their thoughts at the back of the Xpress Motorsports transporter. Sprague is the current driver of the No. 16 truck, and Bliss drove the truck in 2002 when he claimed the champion's trophy. Xpress Motorsports has won the past two NCTS championships, with Bliss in '02 and last season with Travis Kvapil.
Inspection line busy
06-04-2004 11:40 am
With the cramped quarters in the NCTS garage area, there are trucks scattered all across the paddock trying to get in line for inspection. Several trucks have already been through the line and are staged to be gridded for racetime.
Sprague hosts 8-year old guest
06-04-2004 12:27 am
Jack Sprague and the Xpress Motorsports team are hosting the 8-year old winner of the Superfresh Dover Racing Pals contest this afternoon. Dylan Merrill wrote a 100-word essay using Superfresh, Dover International Speedway and racing as subjects. Out of the hundreds of entries, Dylan and 24 other youngsters were selected as winners. Young Dylan was chosen to come to the track today because of his knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport.
"I like Dale Earnhardt Junior," young Dylan said. "I also like Jack Sprague. I like his truck and the paint job on it. I hope Jack wins the race today."
To the back???
06-04-2004 12:37 am
No reports of any teams moving to the back as a result of an engine change. The only incident of the weekend, Ken Weaver's crash, forced the team to a back-up truck, but they are scheduled to roll off at the back of the grid as a result of not taking an official qualifying lap.
SAFER at Dover
06-04-2004 12:39 am
Dover International Speedway will install the Steel and Foam Energy Reducing (SAFER) barriers prior to the NASCAR weekend at the track in September. That means the barriers will be around the outside wall in time for the next NCTS racing action at Dover in 2005.
Dover AFB
06-04-2004 12:41 am
Many members of the NCTS community went to the Dover Air Force Base last night. Eighteen drivers attended an autograph session for the troops, and then took a tour of the base and several of the plans that call the base home.
Weaher update
06-04-2004 12:43 am
There definitely is an air of concern around the racetrack this afternoon regarding the weather. Rain is bearing down on Washington D.C. and continuing to move towards Dover. There is still considerable time before the weather gets here, the question is if there is enough time to get the race started and at the very least to lap 100. NASCAR requires all races must reach the halfway point to be considered an official event. Should the race not reach that point, any uncompleted laps would be then finished at the next clear day, which at Dover could be either Saturday monring before the Busch Series race, or if weather postpones Saturday's action, Monday after the completion of the NEXTEL Cup Series race.
Since May 2001...
06-04-2004 12:49 am
With rain apparently imminent, we are all reminded that the last NCTS race to be postponed due to rain was right here in Dover in May 2001.
Driver's meeting notes...
06-04-2004 1:13 pm
NCTS Series Director Wayne Auton cautioned the drivers about several things in the driver's meeting just moments ago. One was pit road speed, which is 35 miles per hour. He also cautioned them about entering pit road, which is very tricky and has caused several drivers to lose control. The entrance to the pits is very narrow, and comes at a point on the track where the drivers are carrying a lot of speed. Drivers need to maintain pit road speed from the commitment line, which is 175 feet before the first pit box, all the way through the pit lane until 75 feet past the last pit box. One final issue that the drivers and crew chiefs were warned about is the lines that mark the pit boxes. Three years ago, two drivers pitting outside their pit box because they believed the concrete pit boxes and asphalt pit lane was the line. Auton warned the drivers that the black lines, about 18 inches inside the concrete from the asphalt is the actual mark the drivers need to use.
Rolling wrecks...
06-04-2004 1:18 pm
Any truck that has been damaged and needs to return to the pits to be repaired on the back of a tow truck will be taken to the top of the hill, inside the horse track, to the NCTS paddock area to be repaired. Teams will now have to decide whether to leave their crash carts down on pit road or move them back up top to the paddock.
Chassis dyno?
06-04-2004 1:21 pm
NASCAR has brought their
chassis dyno
to Dover, and it is sitting just outside the NCTS garage area. In years past, NASCAR has selected the top finishing truck from each manufacturer to go on the dyno, which measures the amount of horsepower that reaches the rear tires. While many engines develop well over 700 horsepower, the amount of horsepower that actually reaches the rear tires is usually much less than that. Will the top trucks in the finishing order be sent to the chassis dyno today? Time will tell...stay tuned to TrackSideLive! for all the scoop!
Engine change update...
06-04-2004 2:03 pm
A quick update on engine changes...the No. 06 Adesa Impact Chevrolet driven by Derrick Kelly has undergone an engine change this afternoon. Kelly was scheduled to roll off 32nd, but will now drop back to the tail end of the field for the start. No other team has changed an engine this weekend.
Double duty
06-04-2004 2:06 pm
There are several drivers that are scheduled to do double duty here this weekend. Dave Blaney, who starts fifth in the MBNA America 200, is also scheduled to run in the NNCS 400-miler this weekend. Shane Hmiel, who rolls of 12th today, is running the No. 24 GIC Motorsports Chevy in the Busch Series race this weekend. Finally, Ken Schrader, starting 16th today, is running the NNCS race.
Cup runneth over...
06-04-2004 3:08 pm
Two NCTS regulars hoping to compete in this weekend's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event found some tough going. Stan Boyd, driving for Rick Ware Enterprises, had four laps in pre-qualifying practice before engine failure sidelined him for the day. Without a backup engine, they are loading up and heading home. McGlynn Motorsports, who fielded the No. 00 truck for Ryan McGlynn, was also hoping to make the Cup field here this afternoon, but found the "Room of Doom" to be just that. The car would not pass template inspection, and forced the team to load the car and go home.
Hurry-up schedule
06-04-2004 3:14 pm
The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series qualifying has been delayed twice by accidents, and has forced NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series officials into a hurry-up schedule for the start of the MBNA America 200. The timing of the end of qualifying is critical with weather on the way, as we need to get to halfway to have an official race.
ANOTHER engine change!
06-04-2004 3:33 pm
Now hearing that the Ultra Motorsports No. 1 Mopar Dodge team changed engines this morning as well. Ted Musgrave will now have to give up his scheduled 10th-place starting position and fall to the tail of the field for the start.
Ready to go green!
06-04-2004 4:24 pm
The trucks are rolling off the grid, and the weather looks like it will hold off long enough for us to get this thing in. Dover is a track that favors experience, so look for drivers like Skinner, Hamilton, Park, Musgrave, Setzer, and Sprague to run near the front. However, some of the young drivers haven't subscribed to that theory, so look for Edwards, Reutimann, and Hmiel make a statement as well. Is today the day a Toyota will go to victory lane? Many questions to be answered, and we should know after 200 miles on the Monster Mile here at Dover!
Matt Crafton, driver, No. 6 Chevrolet
06-04-2004 7:11 pm
"We were a little off from the start. I would get a wiggle as I tried to pick up the throttle coming off the corners. We made some serious changes on the pit stop and the thing was pretty good afterward. We were one adjustment away from being real good , maybe 60% of what we needed to be. I think we may have hurt the motor somehow because these RCR Engines have been really stout all uear long."
Jack Sprague, driver, No. 16 Chevrolet
06-04-2004 7:14 pm
“We were tight all day long. I was good on the restarts for about 10 laps but then the #16 Chevy Trucks Silverado would start to tighten up and just keep getting worse as the laps wore on. Chris Showalter and the crew did a great job adjusting on the truck all day but it just didn’t seem to help us long term. The we pitted under green and the yellow came out two laps later and we ended up on the tail end of the lead lap in tenth. The best scenario would have been another yellow quickly but we just didn’t get it when we needed it. When the yellow finally flew, we just weren’t as good as we needed to be to make up any ground. There were some fast trucks up there. We got a top ten finish so now we head on to Texas and work for a good run there.”
Dennis Setzer, driver, No. 46 Chevrolet
06-04-2004 7:15 pm
"Not the day we expected to have here. Our Chevy Silverado wasn’t that bad to start with, just needed a few adjustments. We came in on that second stop and had a problem with the right rear tire and that put us back a little bit. We had been ninth pretty much all day and were dialing it in, but then the caution came out that jumbled the field and our team got stuck so far back in the field that we just couldn’t make it up. We’ll just have to put this race behind us and move on. I think we will have a pretty good package at Texas next week since we ran so well at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The only good side coming out of this race is the fact that we are still leading the points and we still have our truck in one piece.”
David Starr, driver, No. 75 Chevrolet
06-04-2004 7:16 pm
“Wow, what a race. Dave McCarty and the guys did a good job on pit road. It was unfortunate we pitted under green and had a caution fly two laps later. We had a really good truck today; this Chevy Silverado was awesome. Our finish doesn’t reflect how good we were all day. It is a shame it worked out the way it did but that’s racing. We will just go on to Texas to see what we can do there.”
Ken schrader, driver, No. 52 Chevrolet
06-04-2004 7:17 pm
“Donnie (Richeson-crew chief) called us in on lap 72 which gave us an extra twenty lap fuel window. We just got the luck on our side because we weren’t really a good enough truck for a top-five, but that is what they are going to pay us for so we will take it. It was fun, just good hard truck racing”
Bill Lester, driver, No. 22 Toyota
06-04-2004 7:18 pm
"It just seems whatever we do these last three or four races, trouble seems to come out of no where and get us. Davis Starr was on kill mode and he came up and got into me to start that crash there at the start of the race. He came over and apologized after the race, and that is a great thing - but it doesn't help these guys fix a crashed truck. But the number one thing I am going to take out of the day is the fact this team never gave up. They kept working on it and tried to get it as good as they can."
Steve Park, driver, No. 62 Dodge
06-04-2004 7:21 pm
"We just dialed ourselves out. We had a good truck in the beginning. I thought we had something for these guys. We got messed up in the pits, and we made some adjustments that weren't what we needed. We pitted and got trapped a couple of laps down and I don't know in the hell that happened. It started looking like a bright spot buit if we run like that in the race down there we're going to be in bad shape."
Ted Musgrave, driver, No. 1 Dodge
06-04-2004 7:24 pm
"We lost power steering on lap 85 or somewhere around there. I felt something going on during the first caution and after that it just kept getting a little worse and then it flat gave. This is a bad place to have that happen. It's just another chapter in our season. The truck was good. We got up to fourth and we were hanging on waiting to make a few more adjustments. Then, sure enough, that black cloud got us again.We have a good team, we just need to get the monkey off our back."
Rick Crawford, driver, No. 14 Ford
06-04-2004 7:30 pm
"Congratulations to Chad Chaffin on winning his first Craftsman truck series race. I know what that means. He kept his Dickies drawers on pretty good. I wasn't going to just knock them off and take it. If his belt had come loose, I'd a been by him before they got down around his ankles, though."
Jon Wood, driver, No. 50 Ford
06-04-2004 7:33 pm
"The reason we had a top-10 finish was because of pit strategy. We didn't have a top-10 truck. We may have had a top-10 truck at the end, but certainly not until that point."
Terry Cook, driver, No. 10 Ford
06-04-2004 7:33 pm
"We were so loose that we were out of control the entire race. It started off where they dropped the green and we thought we had a really good truck and we picked up a couple of spots. It was driving extremely well. I thought we were on to something, but as the race went on we just kept getting looser and looser, and the back of the truck was up on the track and it never felt that the back of the truck was under us the whole race."
Brad Keselowski, driver, No. 29 Ford
06-04-2004 7:35 pm
"I couldn't see anything to be honest. I went through the corner and it blew up right away, I heard it go and all I could really do is get it as close to the wall because I knew I was going to hit not matter what I did. When the oil finally got on the tires it just sucked it right into fence. There's not much I could do. I'm really sorry for all of the guys; it was one of our best trucks. We'll just have to move on and go to Texas with another one."
Lance Hooper, driver, No. 13 Chevrolet
06-04-2004 7:36 pm
"Well, at least we beat Phil Bonifield! The truck wasn't great, but it wasn't that bad. We developed a really bad vibration, and we thought it was tires. We came in and changed tires but it turned out to be mechanical. We exploded a clutch, and it took out the transmission and the driveshaft. It sure was exciting!"
Hank Parker, Jr., driver, No. 21 Toyota
06-04-2004 7:41 pm
We've been working hard all this year and we've just had some bad breaks. We're just trying to figure these things out because we are all new to the truck series. We started off the day pretty slowly and we fell back. We made some adjustments and the thing just took off afterward. We were really good on the long green flag runs. We came in when a lot of team stayed out. That was the key, we made the right moves on pit road."
Mike Skinner, driver, No. 42 Toyota
06-04-2004 8:06 pm
"We had a good little hot rod today. Man this thing was awesome. We've had a dominant truck and keep coming up short. I've gotten use to that, but I don't really like it. When that luck changes, and you get that yellow flag on your side, it's all good."
Dave Blaney, driver, No. 23 Toyota
06-04-2004 8:08 pm
"Overall, I'm really impressed with how these little trucks handled. A bunch of us pitted under green, the the caution came out and caught us a lap down. If we could have jut kept our track position we wouldn't have got caught with the caution coming out. I think we would have had a shot at the race."
Carl Edwards, driver, No. 99 Ford
06-04-2004 7:45 pm
"That's plain bad luck, but we still ended up 14th. You don't plan running out of fuel on a pit stop and it doesn't get any worse than that, but if we still end up 14th, that's OK. We're in a championship hunt and I think it was a good points day compared to the guys we were racing against up front. All of the Superchips guys did a good job. Cowboy (Kevin Starland, crew chief) played the pit thing perfectly, we just didn't plan on running out of fuel there.
If we would have 20 seconds more fuel we would have been great. We were coming that lap and it just barely burped. They didn't even really run me out of fuel because I only lost a little bit of time there. The problem was the caution, it really wasn't the fuel. "The front half of the truck is my responsibility, so the damage up there is my fault. Everybody raced great. It was fun, I love this place. I wish it was 400 laps."
Andy Houston, driver, No. 2 Dodge
06-04-2004 7:27 pm
"I told these boys this was our mulligan. It's the good lord telling us we need to get our act together. When we show up in Texas on Friday, we'll be there ready to win the race. We needed this. Any time you can knock off a top-10, especially with the competition as tough as it is now, it's a good day. With a little more luck, and that is asking a whole lot, but we would have ended up in the top-5."
Chad Chaffin, driver, No. 18 Dodge
06-04-2004 8:09 pm
"It has been so long that I started to wonder if it would ever happen. I can't thank Bobby Hamilton enough. What is really good about this thing is that Bobby did all of the development on this chassis himself. This is a chassis he designed himself. I am so happy for these guys. It's been a while since the Dickie's boys went to victory lane, and they truly deserve this."
That's all folks!
06-04-2004 8:12 pm
Well...that's all folks! The MBNA America 200 is in the books and Chad Chaffin and team are still celebrating into the darkness. The race saw six cautions for 42 laps which held the average speed down to 98.996 miles per hour. Four drivers shared the lead, and the lead was swapped four times. Mike Skinner led the most laps, 85, while winner Chaffin held the point for 52 laps. Chaffin's margin of victory 0.382 seconds.
TrackSideLive! will pick up coverage from Texas Motor Speedway on Thursday afternoon...see you then! Good night everybody!
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