|
|
Kroger
250 | Martinsville
Race No. 3 | April 17, 2004
TrackSideLive! brings you exclusive online coverage of the tough trucks and
even tougher drivers of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Check out the TrackSideLive! Archives
• David Reuitmann #17 Toyota
» 04-17-2004 - 6:00 PM
"It was really a blessing and I have to thank the good Lord for that. It really looked like we were bad but Jason Overstreet [crew chief] and Bobby Kennedy [general manager] rolled the dice this morning because we knew that we weren't very good when we started. We kept coming in and they wouldn't quit. There's no quit in these guys. The just kept after it and after it and kept me pumped up and kept me on the wheel. Jason made a good pit call and we got another yellow and let everybody else pit and gave us track position. We were struggling there at the end, probably needed one adjustment but heck we probably made 17 to it as the day went on. All in all it was an excellent day. I just can't believe how good my guys are. They just don't lay down. Bobby and Jason are like bulldogs up there. They just keep chewing on it and that keeps you motivated and that's what you need at a place like this, especially when you are struggling."
|
• Mark McFarland #59 Dodge
» 04-17-2004 - 5:33 PM
McFarland finished 21st on the lead lap in his first career Craftsman Truck Series start at Martinsville. "We weren't bad for a while. After the first pit stop we were real good on that one set of tires and then we put these on [his last set] and spun the tires off. I don't know if we broke something when I rubbed a little bit with Waltrip and it was fun. We might have knocked something out because it didn't handle very good after that. It was good. We came home in one piece. We'll go to Mansfield and try again. We're going to go to at least 14 races so we'll probably do the whole season. I've really got to thank Jim Harris and HT Motorsports for hiring me to drive. I'm just looking forward to this year."
|
• Bobby Kennedy Gen Mgr #17 Toyota
» 04-17-2004 - 5:32 PM
"We were 21st, 22nd and we were about 20 laps from when we were going to come in. Our only chance to get around those guys was to come in because everybody was planning on the same thing so the only way to pass them will be in the pits. Luckily it worked out. I told him 'Pit and hopefully a caution will come out here in a little bit and they'll all come in and we're going to be up front' and low and behold, that's exactly what happened and it all worked out pretty good." YOU MADE A LOT OF ADJUSTMENTS TO THE TRUCK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE RACE. "It was more than tweaking. We were horrible to start the race so we changed everything this morning and we were still not good. We weren't good in happy hour yesterday and kept working on it and got it pretty good through the race and actually toward the end he was pretty dang competitive." WHAT DID YOU DO TO KEEP REUTIMANN'S CONFIDENCE UP THIS WEEKEND? "I think it's just him getting out there and running with other trucks and that's what figured it out. The truck wasn't right to start with and we got it closer and once he got into a groove he could run the same times as everybody else. It was just a matter of him getting used to the place. This is a tough racetrack. I think here and Charlotte is about as tough as it gets for somebody that's never been here before. I told him that before the season started and he realized it when we got here but after this race today, we get here in the fall, he'll be good."
|
• Brandon Whitt #38 Ford
» 04-17-2004 - 5:31 PM
"All in all for our first race at Martinsville we're pretty happy to have a top-15 finish. I think we gained a couple points so it was a pretty good day." WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY THAT WILL HELP YOU AT OTHER TRACKS THIS SEASON? "How to conserve the tires, conserve the brakes. I think at the beginning I was a little too hard on it, trying to move up too much too fast. We talked throughout the race and we got closer. It was a good day for the Cure Autism Now Ford and we're looking forward to Mansfield. We raced hard all day. It seemed like every lap I was side by side with someone. I couldn't catch a break. We had a pretty good handle on the truck. We worked on it all day and we got it better each time we came into the pits." THIS RUN TODAY MUST GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE. "We're really happy. We kind of had some bad luck in the first two races at Atlanta and Daytona. It's not the greatest finish but hopefully it will give us a little bit of momentum going into the next few races."
|
• David Starr #75 Chevrolet
» 04-17-2004 - 5:15 PM
"I guess we're pleased with it, but we wanted more than that. We had a good truck at the early in the race. Just like everyone, we got tight in the center and that gets you loose off the corners. We were adjusting on it and before the first pit stop, I think the 33 truck got into us and we got into the 18. It was one of those Martinsville deal. There was a lot of paint swapping, metal bending. We tried to get up front - we came in and fixed the damage - then lost all that track position. This was a great NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and this Spears Chevrolet Silverado team just kept digging; kept fighting and that's what this series is all about."
|
• Matt Crafton #6 Chevrolet
» 04-17-2004 - 5:14 PM
“We had a great truck all day; I hated to see that green/white checker at the end. I really thought I had something for them. We are a new team, we are starting to gel together and I guarantee our Chevy Silverado will be a truck to reckon with the rest of the year.”
|
• Bobby Hamilton #4 Dodge
» 04-17-2004 - 5:13 PM
“You can’t control stuff like that. The brake hose came apart, and there was no reason for it. It spread open and the wire cut the right front down. We’ll just have to go and research and buy better parts. It was just one of those things. We had a winning truck today. I drove it with one hand most of the day. We took a hit in the points, but we’ve got plenty of racing left. We’ve won two of the last four. I’ll take that winning percentage the rest of the season and be happy.”
|
• Jack Sprague #16 Chevrolet
» 04-17-2004 - 5:12 PM
"This was a great race for the #16 Chevy Trucks Silverado. I had an awesome truck. Chris, Dave and all the guys did a great job preparing this truck. This whole team has just dug in and worked hard since Atlanta.
"The middle set of tires I had was perfect, I thought we had it dialed. Everything was looking good but after the last set of tires we got a little tight off and loose in but we were solid enough to stay near the front. “Leading toward the end of the race is the place to be. When you lead the race you can dictate your pace and your race, and run the corners like I wanted. I could arch the truck the way I wanted but when you are racing with others in the lead pack, you have less options to choose you line and have to be more defensive. “This third place is a momentum builder for this team; we will take it and head for Ohio. I am just so proud of all my guys, they have really pulled together and we are headed in the right direction with this Chevy Trucks team.
|
• Steve Park #62 Dodge
» 04-17-2004 - 5:06 PM
:”We started off bad. Johnny (Allen) and the guys made improvements on it, but we just never really got it to where we needed to be. We kind of forced the issue, drove the wheels off of it, and got it up in the top-15. Then the No. 99 got into the left rear and cut the tire down. That hurt us with a handful of laps to go. We got a tire on it and got back out. Then we passed the lapped truck, and he came down and cut the right-front tire. Welcome to the truck series. I’m looking forward to Mansfield. We get a chance to go to Cincinnati and see the Wyler’s who sponsor us. They are a big part of the Orleans Dodge truck team. I get a chance to see all of the great race fans in Cincinnati at Wyler’s, and then we get to race Mansfield. I love Ohio, and I look forward to racing there.”
|
• Dennis Setzer #46 Silverado
» 04-17-2004 - 5:12 PM
THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE USED TO DOING WELL-- ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU DIDN’T WIN? “Yeah, but you don’t always get what you want. We had a good finish and the truck was good all day. We were equal to Crawford on the long runs and we just couldn’t make up any ground. I thought we had a shot at him on that green-white checkered finish.” HOW WAS IT OUT THERE? IT LOOKED LIKE A REAL PHYSICAL RACE? “It was tough, but we had our little Silverado dialed in pretty good. Maybe I should have used the bumper a little bit more today because our truck had all four fenders at the end. It was a good point’s day for us and the team is looking forward to Mansfield in May.”
|
• Ted Musgrave #1 Dodge
» 04-17-2004 - 5:04 PM
“We didn’t keep up with the racetrack. These tires make the racetrack real tight, and that’s what happened today. My truck just wouldn’t turn in the center of the corner like it was doing in the beginning. That was my strong point. I was rolling on the outside of the guys and coming off the corner good, but we lost that. We never got it back, and that’s something to look at. It’s our first short track race, and I hate to throw it away, but at least we know the way to go now. All those cautions put a lot of people on the lead lap, but that’s the way it is. Those are the rules, no problem. We’ll go test and try to figure this thing out.”
|
• Andy Houston #2 Dodge
» 04-17-2004 - 5:04 PM
“We worked hard for that. This division is as tough as I’ve ever seen it. Everybody runs the same speed. It’s kinda like the NEXTEL of trucks. The whole field is very competitive. To start dead last and come home 11th , we’re not jumping up and down about it, but it’s a good momentum builder. We took a hit in the points the first two races, and this was a good points day for us. When we get to Mansfield (Ohio) we’re going to have something for ‘em. I feel 100 percent confident. Dennis Conner is a great crew chief, and this is a great race team. They gained me as many spots in the pits as I gained on the track today. We’re getting this Team ASE/Carquest Dodge Ram back up front where it needs to be. We’re going to put all the stuff that happened in the first two races behind us and move along. We need to get the truck turning better in the center, and I think from talking to the guys on Ted’s crew had the same problem. We just never turned as good as we needed to. It’s typical Martinsville. You could ask Rick Crawford right now and he’d tell you his truck needed to be better. Everybody runs the same speed, and track position is everything. We fought hard for what we got today. Darrell Waltrip got a little excited there at the end I think. Chaffin didn’t started real good on the restart, and not wanting to crash him for just one position, I cut him a little break there getting into one and Darrell got in the side of me and got me crossways. He had a pretty good head of momentum getting into three and I think he just got in there too deep. I went up the racetrack. I knew he was underneath me. I knew all I had to do was drag race him off two more corners and we’d beat him. I felt him hit me a little bit and I guess he spun around, but that says a lot of a guy that races only two or three times a year. It was real hot today, and he was up on that wheel at the end of the race, that’s for sure.”
|
• Chad Chaffin #18 Dickies Dodge
» 04-17-2004 - 5:03 PM
“It was a hard top 10. We had a real good truck. It was actually turning too good. We work so hard to make these trucks turn. Bobby (team owner Hamilton) and his engineers designed some stuff that’s awesome. We just overdid it. I could kill Jack Sprague at the start of the race. I just didn’t want to race him too hard. After about 20 laps it started getting loose and started giving up. I don’t know how we got a lap down. We got spun, and my brakes started fading. That was my fault. We pitted on the lead lap. They had the stop sign out, and I ran the stop sign on purpose to stay on the lead lap. Somehow it was a lap penalty and the penalty should be a stop and go or 15 seconds. They were telling us if we would sit in the pits and let everything get straightened out that everything would be cool. Then they changed their minds. I actually ran the stop board twice. My guys did a great job. We were able to keep racing until the end. We gave up some rubber to all those guys that passed us at the end. I think we had a better truck. We had to get rubber to stay on the lead lap and we just couldn’t hang on there at the end. I’m proud of the top 10. We’re here to win, and we’re going to win.”
|
• Matt Crafton #75 Chevrolet
» 04-16-2004 - 6:17 PM
Not real good, we made a guess and a change and it didn’t work. We were pretty good in practice. We talked to some other Chevrolet teams, decided to make a few changes and well we guessed wrong. The 46 slowed down by 2 tenths and we slowed down about the same. We have a really great race truck in this GM Goodwrench Chevrolet and our race setup is good so I’m confident we will be able to make it up on the track.
|
• Dennis Setzer #46 Silverado
» 04-16-2004 - 6:11 PM
I think we hit on something here in happy hour we really got the truck turning in the center of the corner. The guys worked real hard and threw a bunch of things at it in this last practice. I think we’ll have a real good truck for the race
|
• Shane Hmiel Not Happy
» 04-16-2004 - 6:10 PM
I’m not happy about the beginning of how Happy Hour ran. I was way light in the center and it just won’t turn in the middle. It just won’t do it. I was worse getting in and the truck wouldn’t turn making me have to slow down too much. Richie and the guys made several adjustments. I mean we were good off but tight through the center. I killed the right front (tire) in practice. After the adjustments and a set of stickers it feels real good and our practice times increased. I’m confident that we’ll be all right in the race this Earl Small Harley-Davidson #15 Chevy Silverado is fast.
|
• Jack Sprague, #16 Chevrolet
» 04-16-2004 - 6:05 PM
We spent Happy Hour evaluating our tire wear on the #16 Chevy Trucks Silverado. Although Martinsville isn't a track where there are usually several long runs but you never know so it is important for us to be prepared with how the truck is going to handle as the tires and track change as the race unfolds. The weather appears to be virtually what is forecast for tomorrow. We have a terrific truck. I hate to sound like a broken record but it is critical to maintain good track position to be there at the end.
|
• Happy Hour Top-5 Rundown
» 04-16-2004 - 5:29 pm ET
With moments left in final practice Happy Hour, here's a look at the Top-5:
1) Bobby Hamilton, 91.231
2) Chad Chaffin, 90.352
3) Dennis Setzer, 90.253
4) Rick Crawford, 90.253
5) Shane Hmiel, 90.236
|
• Dennis Setzer, No. 46 Silverado
» 04-16-2004 - 4:57 pm ET
“Well we still have quite a few trucks left to pass to get where we need to be, but this race is 250 laps, and we have come from farther back than this and won. I know that this #46 Chevrolet Silverado crew is going to dial this thing in for us. We were a little tight in both corners, and are going to try a few things in happy hour to get ready for tomorrow’s race.”
|
• Happy Hour Top-10 Rundown
» 04-16-2004 - 4:48 pm ET
Happy Hour is on at Martinsville Speedway. Here's a look at the Top-10:
1) Chad Chaffin, 90.352
2) Dennis Setzer, 90.253
3) Rick Crawford, 90.253
4) Jack Sprague, 90.227
5) Jon Wood, 90.193
6) David Starr, 90.171
7) Robert Huffman, 89.872
8) Ken Schrader, 89.859
9) Ted Musgrave, 89.829
10) Matt Crafton, 89.731
|
• Tracy Hines, No. 88 Silverado
» 04-16-2004 - 4:25 pm ET
"If they would have went to the fourth digit I think I was a little faster. Maybe we should have checked that." HAVE ANY DRIVERS GIVEN YOU ANY TIPS TODAY? "We have an experienced crew chief and experienced team with the Menards Chevrolet. We're learning as we go. Rick Crawford and some of the elder gentlemen in the garage [smiles] have been helping me quite a bit. There's a lot of good racecar drivers in this series. I'm a little older rookie myself. We're having fun. We raced with Brandon some last year so it's pretty neat that we both got to get up here at the same time."
|
• David Starr, No. 75 Silverado
» 04-16-2004 - 4:20 pm ET
“We had a pretty good qualifying run today little bit more. All the Chevrolet guys had a meeting and after the meeting we made some changes and I think it helped us pick it up a little bit we were hoping to pick it up a little more. I’m real happy for Sprague having a Silverado on the pole and it looks like will have 3 Chevy’s in the top 10."
|
• Brandon Whitt, No. 38 Ford
» 04-16-2004 - 4:06 pm ET
"We picked up a little bit from practice. We were hoping to see a little more but it got warmer and the track has fallen off just a hair but at least we were close. We went a little faster and that's good as long as you keep gaining throughout the day. We were out there in race trim most of the time in practice and the last five, 10 minutes we went out and ran like qualifying runs so I think we have a pretty good truck, too. This was my first time here qualifying. It's such an easy track to overdrive that it is hard to qualify because when you are qualifying you are all pumped up ready to lay down a lap but you've got to remember here to take it easy." HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT BRAKES ARE A FACTOR HERE? "We haven't made a long enough run to really deal with brakes. I know they will be a factor in the race but as far as practice and qualifying. They haven't started to fade or anything yet."
|
• DW's Best Shines in Martinsville
» 04-16-2004 - 4:04 pm ET
Darrell Waltrip's best career finish at Martinsville in the NCTS series -- as well as his best result in 14 career NCTS starts -- was in 1996 when he finished 5th at the Virginia short track. DW SAYS: "Martinsville is Martinsville, and there's a certain way of driving the track," says Waltrip. "It's not about the gas, it's about the brakes. Every time we go there you always have to concern yourself with brakes, and that's spelled two ways -- b-r-a-k-e-s and b-r-e-a-k-s. You need both to have a good run. This race is all about finesse and control, and that's why I love short tracks."
|
• Robert Huffman, No. 12 Toyota
» 04-16-2004 - 3:59 pm ET
"I'm happy with it. We had lost a little bit there toward the end of practice and made some changes to it and it was better. It was a little bit tight but I was happy with it." HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO QUALIFY HERE? "It's hard for me to qualify anywhere right now because I don't know these trucks. I don't know what to tell those goys what I need to go faster but I'll learn it. It will take us a couple of races. This is a tough old place."
|
• Top-15 Rundown
» 04-16-2004 - 10:52 am ET
With over an hour in the history books on this morning's practice session in preparation for Live! Bud Pole Qualifying, here's a look at the Top-15:
1) Andy Petree 20.546
2) Bobby Hamilton 20.639
3) Jack Sprague 20.649
4) Rick Crawford 20.669
5) Dennis Setzer 20.707
6) Jon Wood 20.738
7) Bill Lester 20.744
8) Matt Crafton 20.761
9) Mark McFarland 20.785
10) Andy Houston 20.788
11) Ted Musgrave 20.729
12) Chad Chaffin 20.815
13) Ken Schrader 20.820
14) Mike Skinner 20.827
15) Robert Huffman 20.833
|
• Caution-Free in Martinsville
» 04-16-2004 - 10:41 am ET
After an 1 1/2 hours of scheduled practice, the trucks have run caution-free.
|
• Top-5 Rundown
» 04-16-2004 - 9:25 am ET
Today's practice session is scheduled from 9 am to 11:15 am ET. After fifteen minutes into practice, here's a quick look at the Top-5:
1) Andy Petree 20.546 sec./lap
2) Rick Crawford 20.669
3) Dennis Setzer 20.707
4) Jon Wood 20.778
5) Mark McFarland 20.785
|
• Good Morning from Martinsville Speedway!
» 04-16-2004 - 9:21 am ET
Good morning from Martinsville Speedway. The skies are clear, bright sunshine should get the temperatures up into the low 70's.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
