|
|
TrackSideLive!
| Florida Dodge Dealers 250
Daytona International Speedway| February 16-18, 2005
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
Pages: [
1
][
2
][
3
][
4
][
5
][
6
][
7
][
8
][
9
][
10
]
TrackSideLive! From Daytona!
01-14-2005 7:46 pm
TrackSideLive! Presented by Team ASE coverage from Daytona International Speedway and the 2005 Daytona Preseason Thunder test sessions for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will begin Saturday, January 15th!
Watch!
SPEED Channel on Sunday, January 16th at 7 pm ET for a special show on NCTS Open Test sessions from Daytona International Speedway.
More...
-
Craftsman Trucks Series Testing Sunday, January 16th 7 pm
First Air!
-
Craftsman Trucks Series Testing Sunday, January 16th at Midinight
-
Craftsman Trucks Series Testing Monday, January 17th at 8 am
-
Craftsman Trucks Series Testing Monday, January 17th at Noon
All Times Eastern - Subject to Change
NASCAR Announces 2005 Preseason Thunder Dates
More...
Good Morning from Daytona
02-16-2005 9:32 am
Good morning from the infield at Daytona International Speedway! It is a brilliant day with the track bathed in warm sunlight and a gentle breeze blowing across Lake Lloyd. The teams are busy making their final preparations to get their trucks through tech inspection to make it on the track for today's first practice session. We'll have all of the news leading up to practice, and give you times and follow up on all the action during that 90-minute session starting at 3 pm ET this afternoon exclusively here at TrackSideLive!
Happy Birthday to you
02-16-2005 9:38 am
The NCTS community had a couple of birthdays here in Daytona the past couple of days. Brad Keselowski celebrated his 21st birthday in grand style at the World Center of Speed on Saturday. Brad will be making his first career start here at DIS on Friday. Also celebrating a birthday yesterday was crew chief Rick Gay. Rick recently signed on with ppc Racing and will be calling the shots for last year's pole sitter Terry Cook.
Trouble with templates
02-16-2005 9:55 am
Many teams struggled making it through NASCAR's "room of doom" yesterday, needing to make subtle changes to the body of their trucks to meet NASCAR's stringent template inspections. The teams still have about five hours before the first practice to get their inspection sticker and make the start of the first session.
TruckShots
02-16-2005 9:57 am
Don't forget to check out our exclusive TruckShots gallery from yesterday's tech day here at Daytona. You'll get a sneak peek at all the trucks entered here and the many new looks in the series for 2005. Click the link on the right side of the page to check it out!
Fiddleback to one truck in Daytona
02-16-2005 11:09 am
Fiddleback Racing expected to be running two trucks in 2005, however a late change from Ford to Toyota left the team with no alternative but to cut back to one truck for the first part of the season.
"All of this just came together really late," said Gary Showalter. "We only have four trucks ready to go back in the shop, and we only got this truck from Hopkins a few weeks ago. This chassis was still on the jig when they were down here testing in January."
The team will try to field a second entry later in the season.
"We'd like to get back to our original plan of running two trucks, and we'll try to do that once we get all caught up," Showalter said.
Today's NCTS schedule
02-16-2005 11:14 am
Here is today's schedule at Daytona:
2 pm ET: Mandatory Spotter and Rookie meetings
2 pm ET: Draw for Bud Pole Qualifying
3 pm-4:25 pm ET: NCTS Practice
5 pm ET: NCTS Garage closes
Several drivers at New Smyrna Speedway last night
02-16-2005 11:20 am
Many members of the NCTS community made the trek to New Smryna Speedway last night to watch a full night of stock car racing on the tight, high-banked half-mile. The ThorSport No. 88 team including driver Matt Crafton spent the evening in the infield with Ed Berrier and his late model team. Meanwhile, Ultra Motorsports drivers Ted Musgrave and Jimmy Spencer greeted the sizeable crowd at the front gate signing autographs then stepping inside to enjoy the races. Todd Bodine spent the evening chatting with fans and offering advice to young drivers in the turn three pit grandstands. NASCAR Whelen Modified Series standout Ted Christopher won both the super late model feature and the Tour-style modified feature.
Entry list changes...
02-16-2005 11:24 am
There are now 42 teams entered for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona. All of the usual cast of characters are entered, as well as some teams new to the series.
Casey Atwood is here in the No. 4 truck and Bobby Hamilton has taken the reins of the No. 04 entry to ensure both trucks make the field. Hamilton is entitled to a past champions provisional, and with the No. 4 truck also guaranteed to be in the field, Hamilton's move guarantees Atwood's position in the field.
Wayne Edwards is entered in the No. 24 after purchasing the number and points from Bang! Racing.
Mike Harmon is entered in the No. 21 after purchasing the number and points from Innovative Motorsports.
Tracy Hines moves to the No. 13 truck and Matt Crafton slides back into the No. 88 machine. Ron Hornaday is in the KHI No. 6 truck, and Jason Rudd is here in the Brevak Racing No. 31 Dodge, and David Ragan is here in the Rosenblum Racing No. 28.
Kerry Earnhardt makes his series debut in Billy Ballew's No. 15 Chevrolet, and Regan Smith hops into the second Xpress Motorsports truck, the No. 19. Brad Keselowski is back in the family-owned No. 29 Ford, and Rick Markle is entered in the No. 45 Chevrolet.
Robert Pressley makes his return to the series in Jim Harris' No. 59 Dodge, and former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope teams up with Ron Rhodes to wheel the No. 48 Dodge. The Roush Racing teammates make their debuts for the team here this weekend with Todd Kluever in the No. 50 and Ricky Craven in the No. 99. Brendan Gaughan makes his comeback to the series in the No. 77 Dodge.
Eric Jones was expected to wheel the No. 63 Ford for the Mittler Brothers team, but his commitments with his Busch Series team have not given him the time to give both efforts 100 percent attention. Instead, J.R. Patton will take over and make his first career start here at Daytona.
Eric McClure has withdrawn the No. 89 entry.
NCTS drivers find rough going in ARCA race at Daytona
02-16-2005 11:39 am
Three drivers attempting to make the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 found rough going in last Saturday's Advance/Discount Auto Parts 200 here at Daytona. The most spectacular of course was Todd Kluever, who took a wild tumble down the backstretch. While Kluever was on his roof, he was hit by Ken Weaver who had no where to go, ending what to that point was a strong run for him. Also involved in a wild accident was young David Ragan, who was hit in the right rear corner going through turn one and made heavy right-front contact with the retaining wall. All drivers were uninjured in their respective accidents and have been cleared to race here this week.
Another birthday...
02-16-2005 11:43 am
Also celebrating a birthday while in Daytona is Jimmy Spencer, driver of the No. 2 Dodge. Birthday wishes go out to all!
Pre-Practice Audio
02-16-2005 1:22 pm
AUDIO!
TrackSideLive! goes to the garage for pre practice comments from Rick Crawford, Sean Murphy, Robert Pressley and Brandon Whitt.
Check out the
Sights & Sounds
section to the right for the latest photos and audio from Daytona.
>
>
>
Click on name for audio. You must have the Windows Media Player installed.
Choose OS for free player:
Windows
|
Macintosh
For those lucky enough to be near a TV...
02-16-2005 1:24 pm
Don't forget that Speed will have live coverage of today's first practice session for the NCTS starting at 3 pm ET. As always, keep it locked right here to TrackSideLive for continuous timing updates and reports on all the action as it happens.
Extra set of tires for NCTS...
02-16-2005 1:28 pm
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series normally has a limit of four sets of tires per race event. However, with the continuing tire issues here at Daytona this week, NASCAR has allowed an additional set to be used during the race only. Once the teams have completed qualifying on Thursday and are impounded, NASCAR will release a fifth set to the teams. Many teams are planning on scuffing all of their tires for use in the race, although since the trucks will be impounded after qualifying, the added fifth set will be sticker tires when they are bolted on.
Less than an hour to go!
02-16-2005 2:07 pm
The Cup cars are now on the track for their second and final practice of the day. When they pull into the garage when the red and black flags wave, the next on track action will be what we have anxiously been awaiting: the first practice for the NCTS Florida Dodge Dealers 250.
Former Truckers Top Cup Speed Charts
02-16-2005 2:36 pm
A look at the times from the first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series practice finds former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers at and near the top of the sheet.
Scott Riggs was the fastest, with Jamie McMurray second quick. Boris Said was fifth, Mike Wallace sixth, and Greg Biffle 16th. Kerry Earnhardt was 18th, and Mike Bliss rounded out the top-20.
Trucks are in line!
02-16-2005 2:53 pm
The trucks are pushed to the line, the drivers are strapped in, and we are ready to go with the first practice session for the season-opening Florida Dodge Dealers 250 here at Daytona. We'll let you know who's the first to roll onto the track the instant it happens and keep you updated with all the news and times throughout the next 90 minutes. Kepp it locked right here on TrackSideLive!, found exclusively on TruckSeries.com.
All right pit road...
02-16-2005 2:57 pm
The call was just made..."all right pit road, turn 'em loose, trucks on the racetrack." We are now underway for the first practice for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250. The first to roll was the No. 38 driven by Brandon Whitt...
They Said It, No. 1
02-16-2005 3:00 pm
MattCrafton, No. 88 Chevrolet: "I am going to let those guys in the big pack get away from me. We want to run with a group, but not that big."
Dennis Setzer, No. 46 Chevrolet: "I want to take a few laps to get up to speed before I jump in one of those big packs."
They Said It, No. 2
02-16-2005 3:09 pm
Terry Cook, No. 10 Ford: "Right now we are doing a little bit of scraping on the track. It might be valence, it might be tailpipes, I really can't tell right now."
Tracy Hines, No. 13 Chevrolet: "I want to go out in a group of about four of five and let them all get pass me and see if I can work my way back up to the front."
Practice 1, Rundown 1
02-16-2005 3:15 pm
1. Gaughan, 47.673
2. Hornaday, 47.705
3. Musgrave, 47.764
4. Bodine, 47.847
5. Crawford, 47. 977
6. Reutimann, 48.012
7. Huffman, 48.030
8. Skinner, 48.169
9. Cook, 48.178
10. Ragan, 48.518
11. Hines, 48.621
12. Kluever, 48.637
13. Pressley, 48.724
14. Hattori, 48.936
15. Renshaw, 49.029
16. Keselowski, 49.091
17. Chaffin, 49.106
18. Park, 49.128
19. Murphy, 49.132
20. Patton, 49.173
21. Setzer, 49.202
22. Crafton, 49.205
23. Sutton, 49.254
24. Whitt, 49.496
25. Smith, 49.553
26. Benson, 49.572
27. Atwood, 49. 582
28. Earnhardt, 49.780
29. Sprague, 49.797
30. Wallace, 49.809
31. Craven, 49.821
32. Spencer, 49. 855
33. Weaver, 49.904
34. Starr, 50.095
35. Harmon, 50.312
Reminder to all spotters...
02-16-2005 3:22 pm
NASCAR just offered the spotters on the roof a little reminder: "We want to remind you all to keep your drivers above the yellow line."
Several drivers had dipped their left side tires below the line in drafting practice to make passes, which come race day is cause for a stop-and-go penalty.
Crawford nearing 200 straight
02-16-2005 3:27 pm
Rick Crawford has been a fixture on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 1997. In fact, he has been around long enough that he leads the series in all-time starts and is closing in on 200 consecutive series starts. When he takes the green on Friday night, he will reach start number 199, and the 200th straight start will come next week in Fontana.
Practice 1 Rundown 2
02-16-2005 3:33 pm
1. Hines, 47.458
2. Bodine, 47.485
3. Spencer, 47.498
4. Crawford, 47.503
5. Musgrave, 47.563
6. Skinner, 47.581
7. Crafton, 47.629
8. Gaughan, 47.673
9. Hornaday, 47.705
10. Reutimann, 48.012
11. Huffman, 48.030
12. Cook, 48.178
13. Lester, 48.231
14. Whitt, 48.253
15. Chaffin, 48.291
16. Starr, 48.343
17. Sprague 48.366
18. Setzer, 48.413
19. Craven, 48.435
20. Benson, 48.501
21. Ragan, 48.518
22. Kluever, 48.582
23. Pressley, 48.724
24. Hattori, 48.936
25. Renshaw, 49.029
26. Keselowski, 49.032
27. Park, 49.128
28. Murphy, 49.132
29. Patton, 49.173
30. Sutton, 49.254
31. Smith, 49.553
32. Atwood, 49.582
33. Earnhardt, 49.780
34. Wallace, 49.809
35. Weaver, 49..904
36. Markle, 49.975
37. Harmon, 50.312
38. Montgomery, 50.893
39. Edwards, 51.057
Red Flag Out for Crash
02-16-2005 3:40 pm
The red flag is out here at Daytona for a crash through the tri-oval. Involved are 07, 15, and the 50. Drivers are all moving inside their trucks and will be taken to the infield care center for evaluation. The accident started when Kerry Earnhardt (#15) drifted in front of Steve Park (#62) and both trucks went to the outside wall. Earnhardt spun towards the bottom and collected Todd Kluever (#50). As the trucks following slowed, Sean Murphy (#07) was not able to avoid Deborah Renshaw (#8) and caved in the nose of his truck.
Back to Green
02-16-2005 4:23 pm
The track has been cleaned, the drivers have cooled off, and the trucks are back on the speedway. We'll have a timing report shortly.
Spencer to the top of the charts; Practice 1 Rundown 3
02-16-2005 4:24 pm
1. Spencer, 46.988
2. Craven, 47.002
3. Reutimann, 47.029
4. Crawford, 47.114
5. Starr, 47.267
6. Hines, 47.458
7. Bodine, 47. 485
8. Huffman, 47.501
9. Musgrave, 47.563
10. Skinner, 47.581
11. Hornaday, 47.596
12. Renshaw, 47.607*
13. Crafton, 47.629
14. Gaughan, 47.669
15. Park, 47.679*
16. Wallace, 47.686
17. Earnhardt, 47.694*
18. Kluever, 47.709*
19.Chaffin, 47.876
20.Murphy, 47.901
21. Cook, 47.938
22. Whitt, 47.965
23. Lester, 48.023
24. Atwood, 48.160
25. Sprague, 48.366
26. Setzer, 48.377
27. Hamilton, 48.437
28. Hattori, 48.485
29. Benson, 48.501
30. Pressley, 48.512
31. Ragan, 48.518
32. Keselowski, 48.551
33. Harmon, 49.039
34. Edwards, 49.156
35. Patton, 49.173
36. Sutton, 49.254
37. Montgomery, 49.480
38. Smith, 49.553
39. Rudd, 49.835
40. Weaver, 49.904
41. Markle, 49.975
Practice has ended...
02-16-2005 4:36 pm
The Truck Series drivers are back in the paddock, and the practice has been over. Teams only had a limited chance to get on the track this afternoon as the accident involving Kerry Earnhardt, Steve Park, Deborah Renshaw, Todd Kluever, and Sean Murphy kept the trucks parked in the garage for almost a half and hour.
Jimmy Spencer ended the session the fastest, followed by Ricky Craven, David Reutimann, Rick Crawford, and David Starr. Forty-one of the forty two trucks entered took time, with only Derrike Cope not making a lap during the session.
Back from the garage...
02-16-2005 6:06 pm
We've been pounding the pavement in the garage to get the scoop on today's practice session, the big crash, and the tire problems that may or may not crop up with the Truck Series over the course of the next couple of days.
End of day coverage from Daytona starts now...
Notable Quotables, Todd Kluever
02-16-2005 6:08 pm
Todd Kluever, No. 50 Ford:
WHAT HAPPENED?
“Somewhere between the 15 and the 62 somebody got together and got turned into the wall. Once the 15 truck got into the wall he came back across the track and there was no place to go, man. He came right in front of me. Saturday night in the ARCA race I had the same situation, almost, getting off of two. I saw a car spin and I tried to steer away from them and I got bit there really bad and this time I saw him spinning and I tried to lift and get around him but it bit me here, too.”
WHAT DID JACK ROUSH SAY TO YOU?
“He said the first time Kurt came here he drove down into turn 1 and looped the truck and crashed it, too, so he doesn’t seem too upset. I feel bad for him. I feel bad for all my guys. We’ve had a really good couple of weeks here and a couple of good tests. It just seems like something bites us. We had a really good ARCA car and thought that we were going to have a chance to win that race and got in that bad wreck on the back straightaway and then here we had a really good truck when we tested here in January. I was really excited to get it back. We’ve got our new motors. Then thing was phenomenal and right away we get stuck in this kind of a situation. We’ll have to battle through it. I’m still not worried about the horsepower. We’re going to get the motor out of that truck and put it in our backup truck which I don’t know will be as good or not. I’ve never driven it. We’ll find out soon enough, I guess.”
WERE AERODYNAMICS A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT?
“I really don’t know what happened between those two up there. All I know was that I was kind of riding in line and I saw the 15 truck spin and the next thing I know he was coming down the track in front of me. What do you do? Just the wrong place at the wrong time. The trucks do move around a little bit. I’m actually more comfortable in the truck than I was the ARCA car. The trucks make so much downforce they drive really good here.”
Notable Quotables, Ford
02-16-2005 6:10 pm
Robert Brooks, Ford Racing Craftsman Truck Series Program Manager:
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HAVING THE D3 CYLINDER HEAD IN THE TRUCK SERIES THIS YEAR?
"The biggest thing is that it puts us back on the same playing as the other manufacturers because we were at a horsepower deficit the last few years, and now we're comparable to where they are and it allows our guys to be able to race with something that they know they're going to be able to match the other manufacturers with."
FORD DRIVERS HAVE WON THE PAST TWO TRUCK RACES AT DAYTONA IN SPITE OF A HORSEPOWER DEFICIT.
"Obviously, it's about having the total package and we were working in other areas to make up for the deficit that we had in terms of horsepower. Daytona is a quite an interesting race. You have to be very smart the way you drive Daytona, and you can be at a horsepower deficit and be competitive just because these trucks are so big and punch such a big hole in the air that you get sucked in the draft and you're able to keep up. The truck race here is a totally different type of race compared to the cars, but you also have to be quite smart about how you race. Strategy is paramount in the truck races here and we've seen that the last two years with Rick Crawford's win in 2003 and Carl Edwards' win last year. It requires a lot of discipline and a lot of patience. You can't go out of
line and pass somebody on your own. Many of these drivers tried that last year, and they went out to try to pass him (Edwards), but they didn't have the horsepower to finish the deal. It takes a considerable amount of horsepower to make up for the drag that these trucks have, and that's why you have to get out front early or wait until the last lap to make your move."
WILL THE GAIN IN HORSEPOWER FORM THE NEW CYLINDER HEAD BE MORE EVIDENT IN QUALIFYING THAN THE RACE?
"We got the pole here last year, so it's hard to do better than that. You should see it here in qualifying with more Fords qualifying in the top 10, where we only had two last year. You'll see the gains more at the intermediate tracks, where we had our struggles last year because there's less emphasis on the draft. If you have a lot of horsepower you don't have to put all of your resources on the aero or chassis side of it, and you can allocate your resources more equally and that makes you more competitive at all of the tracks. When you're underpowered you're doing a lot of things aero-wise and chassis-wise to compensate for horsepower and that's only relevant at a few tracks. We feel the this will make us a more competitive truck at all of the venues this year from Daytona to Texas to Mansfield."
WILL THE FACT THAT THE D3 CYLINDER HEAD WAS USED IN NEXTEL CUP COMPETITION LAST YEAR SHORTEN THE DEVELOPMENT TIME IN TRUCKS?
"I think it helps tremendously knowing what they needed to do to make the power and not sacrifice reliability. We don't expect to have any reliability issues at the start of the season even with the new head. This motor is basically the same motor they have on the Cup side; we just had to change the cams and change the carburetor."
Rick Crawford, No. 14 Ford:
YOU WERE ABLE TO POST THE FOURTH QUICKEST TIME OF THE SESSION.
"We've got our new D3 Ford engine from Yates-Roush and we did our clean kill first and when we went out for
our final drafting session of practice, it's in the top five on the board. I'm pretty pleased with "Cowboy" Kevin Starland, our new crew chief this year, and it's a total team effort, and I'm having fun driving it."
HOW MUCH EMPHASIS IS THERE ON QUALIFYING HERE THIS YEAR?
"Qualifying doesn't mean much here. We're going to put it in the field. The one we won here, we started 26th and last year we finished fourth after starting at the tail end of the field because we had to go to a backup truck after a Happy Hour practice crash. I think this is the best truck that I've ever had here and it's sure proving to be."
TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE IMPOUND RULE THIS YEAR?
"When the impound rule came into being, it puts you in race mode right off the bat. You qualify to get what you can and with the minor adjustments you can do to vehicle, but as soon as they impound them after qualifying, you can't do your tricks for qualifying because you have to race them. It just gets you in the mode to race right off the bat. You have to see how it is in race trim, so that's the reason everybody is drafting right off the bat."
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THE NEW CYLINDER ON THE TRUCK HERE AT DAYTONA?
"This D3 engine package from Yates-Roush is what I call a deep-toned engine. It's just pulling all the way down the straightaway and it gives you something to work on your chassis a little bit now and keep it wide open. The engine
under the hood is doing a great job and we're working on the gearing right this minute and the jetting - the mixture in the carburetor."
WHAT DOES THE ADDED HORSEPOWER ALLOW YOU DO NOW THAT YOU COULDN'T DO IN PREVIOUS YEARS?
"We've out ourselves in position to win two years ago because of the drafting situation you always have here, but back then we had a Roush powerplant and it did it's job. It's not as critical at Daytona for the power as it is for Texas, Charlotte or California, but we're trying to sell Monday what we're racing here Friday night and Ford Motor Co. sees howimportant it is to keep trucks number one."
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WIN A RACE AT DAYTONA?
"It's awful special. It'd probably be like a quarterback winning the Super Bowl for the first time. It's a total effort. A lot of these guys on the team this year won that race two years ago, and, then, Cowboy came in after winning last year with Carl Edwards, so maybe him and me can win this thing together this year."
Notable Quotables 2, Dodge
02-16-2005 6:15 pm
Jimmy Spencer, No. 2 Dodge:
“What happens now is our trucks are impounded after qualifying. But, when you qualify you’re going to be two seconds slower than you race. That’s what’s so much fun about the Truck Series. You’ve got what you got, and when you qualify it doesn’t mean a whole lot. It’s just lining up and picking positions. But the key is, you didn’t see many guys make single-lap runs, simply from the standpoint that they need to get their truck handling good. Our Dodge Ram is handling really good. We got really good push from the No. 99, and it just shot us to the top of the board, and that’s the key. But when you’re by yourself you’re probably three-quarters of a second or a half-second slower than that. But the draft is so neat, it’s like when I first started speedway racing. And you’ve got to really be careful because you can get yourself in situations sometimes when you’ve got to lift and you’ve got to wait a lap or two. It’s going to be an interesting race. Team ASE right now is pretty good. We’ll see what happens tomorrow in qualifying.”
What goes through your head when you see guys getting into each other 45 min. into the season?
“I don’t agree with what NASCAR did with the one driver there. He’s never raced a speedway and they put him in a truck. I don’t care what manufacturer it is. That’s not right. I don’t think that kid is qualified to be in the Truck Series off at Daytona. I’m not saying there’s not a driver that’s qualified, but I’m saying for him to be at his first race, I don’t think that’s right. I don’t know what caused the accident, but he was involved in it, so he’s still part of it. In his defense somebody else did spin out. But, I think a lot of the guys’ trucks are really free, and that’s what’s causing some of this. And it’s a little windy. But, I also think that you’ve got to respect one another. You’ve got to give a little more room. And that’s the key to being at Daytona. When you’re running that fast, you’ve got to have total respect for your fellow competitors. Give them a little more room. We’re not racing at Richmond or New Hampshire, where a rub doesn’t hurt. A rub here, you will spin out and you will probably go with him.”
Brendan Gaughan, No. 77 Dodge:
“We brought Lone Star, which is probably the most famous truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. It happens to be our Texas winner. It’s really fast. I can’t believe how happy I am in it. We had to take some of the good raciness out of to make it qualify better, because you’ve got to qualify in race trim. But it’s still racing like a champ. We put it to the top of the board for a while early – some guys got a good suck up lap. But, our Dodge Ram right now is probably one of the top three or four trucks out there. I’m pretty happy.
“What’s going to happen is, there’s 13 guys battling for six positions, so you’re going to have a couple of those 13 guys go in a full qualifying mode and not care about how they race. NASCAR has created this monster and they’re going to have to live with it because what’s going to happen is some of these guys that aren’t quite as good are going to just go in a full-qualifier, which makes guys like us say, ‘Okay, we have to be a little better to qualify.’ It also means that when they get to the race, they’re going to be a little bit more dangerous in the race.”
Ted Musgrave, No. 1 Dodge:
“Well, it’s the truck that we brought down testing and got wrecked a little bit and re-bodied it. It just doesn’t have the speed, but it has the handling good right now. So, we’re just kind of concerned because we can’t really lead a pack at all for no more than one straightaway. But from there on if you’re in the middle of the pack, you’re running second, third, fourth in line, it’s pretty decent. So, I don’t know what we’re going to play with right now. We’re going to do a little drag issue tomorrow in practice, to see if we can take a little drag off of it without losing too much downforce. I don’t know. We’ll just kind of play it out. Every time I’ve been here it seems like downforce kind of wins. Right now you just kind of get a little jumpy because you’re getting passed. Later on we’ll see.”
“We saw some wrecks down here in testing. That’s why we redid this truck differently. It’s just that they’re pretty out of control. We saw that during testing, and right now with the racetrack being as greasy and slick as it is, we kind of put a little emphasis on it. If it gets a little worse, I’ll actually feel a little better because that’ll play back into my hands a little bit more. Maybe as time wears on the light will shine towards us a little bit better.”
“It’s good to get going again. You sit around for a few months and you start questioning things, or you might over engineer things. It’s good to get back into the routine of racing, and have everybody get back into that form again – even myself. It’s good to get out and start running, and get back to running these trucks again. Thank goodness I didn’t have to change colors or uniforms again.”
Steve Park, No. 62 Dodge:
“It’s just ignorance. I don’t know. I’ve been racing here a long time, and we’re out there just getting drafting practice. There’s a couple guys I didn’t want to draft with, and I obviously chose the wrong person to draft with again. It’s just ignorance. The Orleans Dodge Ram is torn up. I’m pretty disappointed. We’ve got a good Dodge Ram, and we just can’t even get to the race. It just frustrates me, and it makes more work for these guys. It’s an impound race, which is supposed to make guys work a little bit less, but if I walk down pit road you’re going to see people working twice as hard as they did before. I think it’s a good rule. It’s just that people need to use their heads out there on the race track. What can I say? I’m just very disappointed
Notable Quotables 3, Crafton and Starr
02-16-2005 6:31 pm
Matt Crafton, No. 88 Chevy: "We feel like the Menards Chevrolet is pretty good. It's reasonably stable in the draft. We'll come back in the morning and make a run or two and get it ready for qualifying and the race."
David Starr, No. 75 Chevy: “I have the right truck but my Chevy Silverado is loose off the corner. The ones that can run fast can stay on the throttle. I’ve had to let off the throttle a little bit and it is hurting me. My truck isn’t sucking up to the pack that well in the draft. Not really pleased with my Silverado right now I think the guys are going to make some changes and we look forward to the practice in the morning to make it better. I’m not real happy with it but we just need to make it better to be competitive in the race.”
Check our Sights and Sounds Section
02-16-2005 6:36 pm
After today's practice, TrackSideLive! heads to the garage for comments from the drivers involved in the late practice crash, Jimmy Spencer who was fastest in practice and Ricky Craven, driver of the Roush Racing No. 99 truck driven last year by Carl Edwards. Click on "Wrap Up" for the whole story.
Check out
SIGHTS
&
SOUNDS
at Right
>
>
>
Click on name for audio. You must have the Windows Media Player installed.
Choose OS for free player:
Windows
|
Macintosh
Good Night Everybody...see you bright and early tomorrow!
02-16-2005 8:08 pm
We're going to call it a night from Daytona Beach...the teams have gone, the media center is quiet, and they're telling us to get out or pull out a sleeping bag. We'll fire up more real-time TrackSideLive! coverage first thing tomorrow morning in preparation for the early 9 am ET practice session. Until then, good night everybody!
Good Thursday Morning!
02-17-2005 7:49 am
Wake up sleepy heads! It's Thursday, which means it's qualifying day here at DIS. With the new qualifying proceedures reserving positions for the top-30 in last year's NCTS owner points, today's qualifying will be nerve wracking for the 12 drivers not locked in the field. Luckily for them, it's a beautiful day here in coastal Florida with sunny skies and temperatures expected in the uppers 70s. We have practice first thing this morning, and we'll have all the action for you right here on TrackSideLive. So to heck with work...keep the monitor shaded from the bosses and give your complete attention to what takes priority here!
Thursday schedule
02-17-2005 7:53 am
Here is today's schedule:
7 am ET: NCTS Garage Opens
9-9:50 pm ET: NCTS Practice
6:30 pm ET: NCTS Bud Pole Qualifying
9 pm ET: NCTS Garage Closes
Wrapping up Wednesday: Notable Quotables 4, Chevrolet
02-17-2005 7:55 am
Dennis Setzer, No. 46 Chevrolet: “The fenders are still on our Chevrolet Silverado and it is headed straight which is really important with the limited track time we are getting this week. We did a little bit of drafting so Eric (Phillips, crew chief) can learn how much tape we can run on the front during the race. That is really important to get as much tape as possible. Here you really have to be ready to run what you unload with because there really isn’t much you can change. We didn’t want to take any chances doing too much drafting because you can’t take a chance and draft with the wrong people and get in trouble. We tested enough and have a good baseline and know exactly where out truck is so once we get comfortable with where we need the tape to be we will be ready to qualify and start the race.”
Kerry Earnhardt, No. 15 Chevrolet: “It was unfortunate that we had the incident out there. Ritchie (Wauters, crew chief) and the guys have worked so hard on our Chevrolet Silverado and it was a really good truck. The truck was really fast, and we were happy with how we had tested down here. We had a little problem with the carburetor but got that fixed all that and had just gone back out and were getting back up to speed. I am not really sure exactly what happened, I might have come up a little bit but he had an entire clear lane up above him. He (No. 62) just got in the right rear a little bit and turned me and away we went. We pulled out the backup truck which we did test down here. I won’t know until tomorrow how good it is.”
Jack Sprague, No. 16 Chevrolet: “Right now our Chevy Trucks Silverado is probably going to qualify pretty good but we were way too loose in the draft. It would be good to have a solid qualifying run but we need to get the truck to settle down in a pack of trucks. The guys are pretty sure they know what the problem is and will work on it. We will know more in the morning. Having the early morning practice will probably be closer to how track and weather conditions will be when we race. I know by race time, we will be fine.”
Ron Hornaday, No. 6 Chevrolet: “I didn't have a choice but to check up. Deborah got into me a little but it wasn't her fault. We just had a little bit of damage and the guys have already taken care of that.”
Wally Rogers-Crew chief: “I think we are fine. Nothing to serious. We aren't quite ready to show everything we have just yet but as far damage to the truck, it is nothing we can't take care of.”
David Starr, No. 75 Chevrolet: “I have the right truck but my Chevy Silverado is loose off the corner. The ones that can run fast can stay on the throttle. I’ve had to let off the throttle a little bit and it is hurting me. My truck isn’t sucking up to the pack that well in the draft. Not really pleased with my Silverado right now I think the guys are going to make some changes and we look forward to the practice in the morning to make it better. I’m not real happy with it but we just need to make it better to be competitive in the race.”
Tracy Hines, No. 13 Chevrolet: “We have a really good truck. We were at the top of the score sheet for quite awhile, but then late in practice five of those guys went out there and hooked and went to the top of the chart. Our truck sucks up really well. It is very stable by itself as well as in a pack of trucks. I was behind about a nine or ten truck draft, quite a few truck lengths behind them and we caught them without a problem. I think we will qualify in the top ten and race up front all night. I am really excited about this race.”
Kelly Sutton, No. 02 Chevrolet: “It is great to be back at Daytona. The truck felt great for the first few laps, but starting jumping out of fourth, so we are going to change the trannie. Our times were pretty good for non-drafting times, and we're looking forward to the morning practice.”
Wrapping Wednesday: Notable Quotables 5, Terry Cook
02-17-2005 7:59 am
Terry Cook, No. 10 Ford: “I’m very excited to get back on the track with the No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford. The truck was good on the track during practice and the crew made some slight adjustments there toward the end to make the truck run really good. Early on we made some big changes to the truck; gears, shocks and tire pressures. The crew worked hard to put us back on the track and I feel like we have a top-10 truck for qualifying. We focused on a race trim package during practice because we got the qualifying trophy last year. I’m here to win the race.”
Impound Procedures
02-17-2005 8:02 am
After qualifying, all trucks must return directly to the height inspection station in the paddock. The crew may then remove tape from the grille, and once it has passed the height inspection, cowls and fuel inlets may be taped over. Two crew members may then cover the truck; once it is covered no one is allowed near the truck overnight.
Generators will be permitted as soon as the garage opens on Friday night. NASCAR will allow the teams to uncover the trucks at 4:30 pm on Friday.
The following adjustments will be permitted, under NASCAR supervision, from 5-6 pm on Friday:
*Add/remove tape from grille
*Prime the oil system
*Oil heater transfer valves may be adjusted
*Trucks may be started
*Track bar may be adjusted using the track bar/frame end adjuster only
*Windshield tear-offs may be removed, if needed
*Tire pressure
*Radios may be installed
*Diver water bottle added
*Five gallons of fuel added
*Shocks may be adjusted (clicked only)
*Rear wedge bolts may be adjusted at height station only
NASCAR will not permit the trucks to be jacked up. Rear sway bars cannot be added or hooked up after qualifying. Hoods cannot be opened unless approved by NASCAR. Rear spoilers cannot be adjusted. Tires cannot be changed. Any unauthorized adjustments will result in loss of starting position.
Practice results review
02-17-2005 8:14 am
1. Spencer, 46.988
2. Craven, 47.002
3. Reutimann, 47.029
4. Crawford, 47.114
5. Starr, 47.267
6. Hines, 47.458
7. Bodine, 47. 485
8. Huffman, 47.501
9. Musgrave, 47.563
10. Skinner, 47.581
11. Hornaday, 47.596
12. Renshaw, 47.607
13. Crafton, 47.629
14. Gaughan, 47.669
15. Park, 47.679
16. Wallace, 47.686
17. Earnhardt, 47.694
18. Kluever, 47.709
19.Chaffin, 47.876
20.Murphy, 47.901
21. Cook, 47.938
22. Whitt, 47.965
23. Lester, 48.023
24. Atwood, 48.160
25. Sprague, 48.366
26. Setzer, 48.377
27. Hamilton, 48.437
28. Hattori, 48.485
29. Benson, 48.501
30. Pressley, 48.512
31. Ragan, 48.518
32. Keselowski, 48.551
33. Harmon, 49.039
34. Edwards, 49.156
35. Patton, 49.173
36. Sutton, 49.254
37. Montgomery, 49.480
38. Smith, 49.553
39. Rudd, 49.835
40. Weaver, 49.904
41. Markle, 49.975
42. Cope, No Time
Drivers listed in red have moved to backup trucks following an accident in yesterday's practice but are locked into the field; qualifying will set their starting position but they are guaranteed to make the field.
Drivers listed in blue must qualify into the field on time.
Drivers listed in black are locked into the field; qualfying will set their starting position but they are guaranteed to make the field.
Practice on it's way next!
02-17-2005 8:44 am
NASCAR officials are doing their pre-practice radio checks, and safety vehicles and personnel are being directed to the appropriate places around the speedway. We should be underway with final practice for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at the top of the hour.
Green flag at Daytona
02-17-2005 8:55 am
The green flag is out Daytona and the final practice is underway. We'll have all the updates for you as they happen so keep it locked to TrackSideLive...
More race practice...
02-17-2005 8:57 am
Looks like the focus of this morning's session is going to be working in the draft. While many teams said they would work qualifying setups, all the drivers on the track now are working on race setups and drafting practice.
Wreck in one brings out the red
02-17-2005 9:00 am
Brandon Whitt has crashed his No. 38 Toyota in turn one to bring out the red flag. He was under another truck entering turn one when it appeared he lost the air on the spoiler and darted to the apron. As he corrected, he shot back up track and made hard contact with the right side. He is driving his truck back to the garage and appears to be uninjured. His team is unloading the backup truck now.
Practice 2 Rundown 1
02-17-2005 9:06 am
1. Lester, 47.258
2. Whitt, 47.281
3. Skinner, 47.296
4. Benson, 47.391
5. Gaughan, 47.544
6. Hines, 47.844
7. Chaffin, 47.907
8. Starr, 47.919
9. Craven, 47.932
10. Musgrave, 47.971
11. Sprague, 48.007
12. Hornaday, 48.020
13. Keselowski, 48.115
14. Bodine, 48.190
15. Wallace, 48.319
16. Montgomery, 48.520
17. Earnhardt, 48.745
18. Cook, 48.948
19. Reutimann, 49.197
20. Hattori, 49.549
21. Crawford, 49.678
22. Setzer, 49.720
23. Weaver, 49.822
24. Crafton, 50.053
25. Patton, 52.721
26. Harmon, 53.157
Red Flag for Debris
02-17-2005 9:13 am
NASCAR spotters have indicated there is some debris on the front stretch near the flag stand, so we will stop the trucks quickly while the cleanup crew makes a track inspection.
Practice 2 Rundown 2
02-17-2005 9:24 am
1. Lester, 47.258
2. Whitt, 47.281
3. Skinner, 47.296
4. Benson, 47.391
5. Gaughan, 47.544
6. Hines, 47.844
7. Chaffin, 47. 907
8. Atwood, 47.918
9. Starr, 47.919
10. Craven, 47.932
11. Weaver, 47.936
12. Musgrave, 47.971
13. Sprague, 48.007
14. Hornaday, 48.020
15. Earnhardt, 48.021
16. Keselowski, 48.115
17. Bodine, 48.190
18. Pressley, 48.245
19. Wallace, 48.257
20. Rudd, 48.507
21. Montgomery, 48.520
22. Cook, 48.616
23. Setzer, 48.776
24. Crafton, 48.935
25. Harmon, 48.951
26.Reutimann, 49.197
27. Ragan, 49.301
28. Kluever, 49.395
29. Hattori, 49.549
30. Crawford, 49.678
31. Smith, 49.796
32. Sutton, 49.811
33. Cope, 49.912
34. Patton, 49.941
35. Markle, 50.048
36. Spencer, 50.148
37. Edwards, 51.416
Red Flag for Stalled Truck in Three
02-17-2005 9:30 am
Regan Smith's truck stalled on the bottom of turn three bringing out the third red flag of the morning session. Shortly after the red came out, he was able to get it cranked and drive it back to the paddock. The green flag is already back out.
Practice 2 Rundown 3
02-17-2005 9:48 am
Practice has ended...here is the final rundown:
1. Lester, 47.258
2. Whitt, 47.281
3. Skinner, 47.296
4. Benson, 47.391
5. Gaughan, 47.544
6. Hines, 47.844
7. Chaffin, 47.907
8. Atwood, 47.918
9. Starr, 47.919
10. Craven, 47.932
11. Weaver, 47.936
12. Musgrave, 47.971
13. Bodine, 47.994
14. Sprague, 48.007
15. Hornaday, 48.020
16. Earnhardt, 48.021
17. Setzer, 48.069
18. Keselowski, 48.115
19. Pressley, 48.245
20. Wallace, 48.257
21. Rudd, 48.507
22. Montgomery, 48.520
23. Harmon, 48.601
24. Cook, 48.616
25. Crafton, 48.935
26. Reutimann, 49.197
27. Ragan, 49.301
28. Huffman, 49.312
29. Kluever, 49.356
30. Smith, 49.487
31. Park, 49.490
32. Hattori, 49.549
33. Spencer, 49.559
34. Edwards, 49.592
35. Crawford, 49.678
36. Sutton, 49.811
37. Markle, 49.860
38. Cope, 49.912
39. Patton, 49.941
40. Renshaw, 50.827
Drivers listed in blue must qualify into the field on time; drivers listed in black are guaranteed starting positions and their qualifying times will determine their starting position only.
Backup up trucks not to the back...unless...
02-17-2005 10:12 am
The drivers that were involved in practice crashes that have reverted to backup trucks will not be forced to start at the back of the field for tomorrow's Florida Dodge Dealers 250 since they have not removed a qualifed truck from the starting field. However, NASCAR's one engine rule is still in effect, so in order to maintain the starting position earned in this evening's qualifying session, they must run the engine they presented for inspection yesterday. So far, only one team has not made the change to their original engine, that being the Roush Racing No. 50 with driver Todd Kluever.
Engine changes
02-17-2005 2:41 pm
Two teams have been busy making engine changes this afternoon. After getting tied up in the accident yesterday, the engine in Sean Murphy's truck tied up and froze on his first lap of practice this morning, forcing Murphy to miss the remainder of the morning session.
After practice, Dennis Setzer's team found some damage to the valve train in the engine forcing them to pull it out and replace it with a fresh one. Both teams will forfeit the starting positions they earn in qualifying and start the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 from the rear.
Cook to be featured on Animal Planet this evening
02-17-2005 2:44 pm
Terry Cook, driver of the No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford and Paws With A Cause will be featured on Animal Planet tonight at 8 p.m. EST. The show, “NASCAR: Animal Crew” will feature several of NASCAR’s top drivers and their pets. Cook, owner of twin beagles, Abby and Toby, was selected for his involvement with Paws With A Cause, a not-for-profit organization that trains Assistance Dogs for people with mobility and hearing disabilities.
“Animal Planet contacted us early last year because of our partnership Power Stroke Diesel by International and I have with PAWS,” said Cook. “We found more than 75 percent of the Power Stroke Diesel owners have an emotional tie or an ownership with a dog and we wanted to give back to the community at a national level with through the motorsports program. PAWS gives these people with disabilities a chance to live an independent life and it is amazing what the Assistance Dogs can do. I am grateful Animal Planet and the NASCAR fans have recognized Paws With A Cause and look forward to continuing the ‘Racing for Independence’ program again in 2005."
TruckShots!
02-17-2005 3:53 pm
Don't forget to log on to our exclusive TruckShots! photo gallery. We have canvassed the garage area for the past three days and have over 200 images posted for your enjoyment.
Click here to log in and check it out!
Check out the audio!
02-17-2005 5:26 pm
Well, it's been a slow news day here at the track, but that hasn't stopped us from scouring the garage area looking for drivers to talk to. We've tracked down Brendan Gaughan, Jason Rudd, Dennis Setzer, Brandon Whitt, Ted Musgrave and more. Look at the box to the left and click on the driver's name to hear the interview. You must have a media player installed to listen.
Cook says he doesn't need the butter knife this year
02-17-2005 5:31 pm
Last season leading up to Bud Pole Qualifying at Daytona, Terry Cook wanted us to believe his chances were slim to none to sit on the pole for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250. In fact, he said he felt like he was taking a butter knife to a gun fight. This year, while he may not have a chance a the pole, he says he won't need the butter knife this year.
"We tore up the truck we wanted to race here in January and had to total it out," he said. "That was the truck we sat on the pole with here last year. It was a good piece, but I tell you, I think this truck we have down here now is even better. I am really confident we'll have a great truck to race with here. We got our bad luck out of the way back in January. If you have to wreck one, it's better to do it when nothing is on the line. We got it out of the way, and now we can focus on winning the race down here."
Less than an hour to go...
02-17-2005 5:36 pm
...before the first truck rolls in our first Bud Pole Qualifying session of the year. Remember, you can watch all the action live on Speed Channel, but we expect you all to keep it locked right here and follow all the action with our exclusive on-line coverage.
Click here to log on to our Bud Pole Qualifying coverage.
Coverage will begin at 6:30 pm ET, with Bill Lester expected to be the first truck to roll off the grid.
Ruttman's Track Record Likely Not in Jeopardy
02-17-2005 5:41 pm
Joe Ruttman set the track qualifying record at Daytona International Speedway when the trucks raced here for the very first time in 2000. His lap of 47.984 seconds translates into 187.563 miles per hour. NASCAR has since instituted several rule changes to limit the speed of the Trucks here at Daytona, including limiting the airflow into the cold air box, mandating the shocks and springs in the rear of the trucks, and mandating a steep minimum spoiler angle.
While several teams were well below Ruttman's record in practice, all of the quick times were set in drafting packs. The lack of solo runs due to NASCAR's new qualifying procedures that lock in the top-30 eligible owners and the elimination of practice after qualifying means no one made any significant solo runs. Furthermore, those teams that did make solo runs did so after setting their quick lap in the draft making it virtually impossible to judge what time they turned alone.
Speaking of Ruttman...
02-17-2005 5:48 pm
Speaking of Joe Ruttman, he is here at the track today walking the garage area and visiting old friends. Ruttman has a tremendous record here at Daytona, nearly winning the Daytona 500 twice and picking up the checkered in the second running of the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 back in 2001.
The Racetrack is Ready
02-17-2005 6:18 pm
That was the call just moments ago from the safety crew to the tower...we are just moments away from the first Bud Pole Qualifying session of the season. Lock it on to our Live! Bud Pole Qualifying coverage, and don't forget to keep it here on TrackSideLive! for all the news, notes, and quotes to follow.
Qualifying their way in...
02-17-2005 7:13 pm
After 41 qualifiers, here are drivers that have to race their way in to the field have made their qualifying attempts thus far:
Shige Hattori, currently sixth, 49.650
Regan Smith, currently sevent, 49.729
Chad Chaffin, currently eightth, 49.758
Brendan Gaughan, currently ninth, 49.760
Johnny Benson, currently 16th,
Robert Pressley, currently 19th, 50.087
Mike Wallace, currently 22nd, 50.196
Bobby Hamilton, currently 28th, 50.360
J.R. Patton, currently 29th, 50.558
David Ragan, currently 35th, 50.720
Jason Rudd, currently 38th, 51.411
Derrike Cope, currently 40th, 51.968
Only six positions are availalbe to be filled through qualifying. We will update you as to who is in, and who is on the bubble, throughout qualifying.
Drivers listed in green are in, the driver in blue is on the bubble, and drivers listed in red are going home.
Notable Quotables, Post-Qualifying 1: Toyota
02-18-2005 1:27 am
Bill Lester, No. 22 Toyota: “I’m pretty pleased about qualifying tonight. I’m excited -- and optimistic -- about tomorrow night’s race. We were the fastest truck in drafting practice this morning and the truck was very stable. We had the balance we wanted, and there was nothing we could do to make the truck better, so we decided to leave it alone and put the cover on until tonight. I think tomorrow is going to be a big night. The guys over at Bill Davis Racing have obviously done their homework during the off-season. My Tundra is strong, the engines are strong, and we’re good aero-wise. The important thing is not how you start, it’s how you finish. What we’re going to try to do, in light of all the things we’ve seen here during Speedweeks -- in terms of the ARCA race and today’s races -- is be there at the end. A lot of teams here in the Craftsman Truck Series have already brought out backup trucks. We’ve made it through practice and qualifying and I think we’ll roll off in the top-10. Then, I’m looking for us Tundra drivers to take care of each other in the race and we can battle it out at the end.”
David Reutimann, No. 17 Toyota: “I don’t really know what happened out there. I’m pretty disappointed. I felt like we had a pretty good handle on things, but we lost a little speed and don’t really know why it happened. Even though we didn’t qualify as well as I would have liked, I think we have a truck that’s going to race good.”
Chad Chaffin, No. 30 Toyota: “I really didn’t have any problems out there. My Tundra was really good and we had a terrific run. I’m looking to win the race tomorrow. I think we have plenty of truck to win. If a little luck will play in our favor – we have a shot. But, of course there are no guarantees. If we can’t do it, I really hope to at least see a Tundra win the race.”
Shige Hattori, No. 9 Toyota: “I’m very happy with the run. I want to thank Germain/Arnold Racing for giving me an opportunity to be in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and for all their hard work. I also want to thank TRD for a powerful engine. I’m really surprised and very happy. All I can say is – Wow!”
What is your goal for the race? “My main goal is to finish the race tomorrow. This is my first NASCAR race and my first race at Daytona, and I really want to finish.”
How is a Craftsman Truck different than an open-wheel car?
“This is completely different than the open-wheel racing I’m used to. I really enjoyed driving this track and especially driving at night. It was great.”
Johnny Benson, No. 23 Toyota: “You always hope you can run a little better, but that’s about what we’ve run in practice. The Tundra ran the same tonight as it did this morning. I’m glad we qualified and now we can go racing.”
Mike Skinner, No. 5 Toyota: “We’re racing for points. I’m proud of our Tundra. We ran a good lap. I just can’t wait until tomorrow."
Brandon Whitt, No. 38 Toyota: Were you concerned taking out your backup Toyota Tundra without any practiced after crashing your primary truck in practice? “It was no big deal. I knew the guys would give me a good truck. The speeds weren’t what we had hoped for, but at least we’ve got a truck to go racing with and I think we can be competitive.”
Robert Huffman, No. 12 Toyota: “I felt really good about this run. All you can do is hold it wide open and try not to turn the steering wheel a whole lot because it scrubs off speed. The race is all about survival. We’ll be starting in the back (after changing a motor) and you can either charge to the front or sit back a bit and take your time making it to the front of the pack. Starting in the back it’s going to be a race of survival. This is a good team and they raced good here last year. We were able to talk to Jason Overstreet (David Reutimann’s crew chief) and learn some things before our run that helped us out.”
Todd Bodine, No. 66 Toyota: “The Tundra ran fast in practice this morning but it was a little hard to drive. So we gave a little back when we put it in race trim for qualifying. It should race fast tomorrow.”
Notable Quotables, Post-Qualifying 2: Ford
02-18-2005 1:29 am
Terry Cook, No. 10 Ford: "We knew what we had and we backed up exactly what we ran in practice. You come
down here to Speed Weeks with a new format, and half of the people are drafting, two people are doing single-truck runs, and it's kind of all over the board. We knew exactly what we had and we backed it up exactly. We're
happy with that; maybe we would have liked to pick up a little bit, but we're pleased with that lap time. We worked on race trim. We actually worked the entire time on race trim. We made one single-truck run just to see what kind of tape configuration we needed, and everything did its job. I hit a little bit of a headwind on backstretch on the first lap, and I think it maybe hurt a little bit, but overall I'm still pleased with the effort."
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THE IMPOUND RULE HERE AT DAYTONA?
"I am comfortable with it, but the only thing that concerns me is exactly what happened in testing down here and exactly what's happened twice since we've been here, and that's the wrecks. Unfortunately you get out there and some people don't want to draft, some do, some are making single-truck runs, and you've got 36-plus trucks scattered all over the track in different modes, and unfortunately we've had some wrecks. Maybe that wasn't attributed to that, but when you spend most of your time down here in drafting trim, you can't draft at half-speed or quarter-speed. If you're going to draft you have to draft like you're in race simulation, and when you do that you put yourself in some positions you shouldn't be in. There are a lot of drivers that are smart enough not to do that, but there are a lot that aren't, and that's what's causing the wrecks."
Rick Crawford, No. 14 Ford: "We had a little bit of headwind down the back straightway, and the way that we've got the Circle Bar Ford geared, we actually lost a little bit of RPMs going down the back straightaway and that hurts your speed. I'd like to be four or five spots ahead of where we are, but we'll be fine."
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THE NEW POST-QUALIFYING PROCEDURES HERE?
"We've had enough practice here. People started right off the bat drafting because they wanted to see what they were in race trim and we did the same thing. This morning we ran by ourselves and saw what we had for qualifying, so we were basically ready for the race. You need to come down here and test when testing is available by NASCAR, and we did that and worked on race trim. We're ready for tomorrow."
Brad Keselowski, No. 29 Ford: YOU WENT WITH A DIFFERENT STRATEGY FOR QUALIFYING AND RODE THE HIGH LINE ON YOUR FIRST TIMED LAP TO GO FOR A QUICKER SECOND LAP.
"I had a theory on that today. I was going to check my water temp down the backstretch while running the high
line coming off four, and if I had good water temp, which I did, so that's why the first lap wasn't so fast. I kind of killed that as a driver, but if you run the high side on the end of your first lap you can get a good run down the frontstretch and it's worth about a mile an hour. There's a little bit of compromise there, but in the end it looks like it's going to stack up pretty well."
ARE YOU READY TO MAKE YOUR FIRST TRUCK SERIES START AT DAYTONA TOMORROW?
"Oh yeah. We've been here testing for days and days, and Talladega, so it's about time to go and race."
Todd Kluever, No. 50 Ford: THAT WAS A GOOD QUALIFYING RUN FOR YOUR BACKUP TRUCK.
"I guess I'm happy with that. It's a backup truck and we didn't have much time on it. We were a little bit faster than that I think. I was really excited and thought we had a shot at the pole, but we had to change gears to make the truck good in race trim instead of qualifying trim."
IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF TEAMS HAD TO SACRIFICE A CHANCE AT THE POLE TO GET THE TRUCK READY FOR THE RACE. DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE SOME OF THE TRUCKS STARTING UP FRONT FALL BACK AT THE START OF
THE RACE?
"I really don't know, but I'd like to hope so. We had a gear in the truck earlier today that I think we would have had a really good shot a winning the pole. When you get in the draft these things are going so fast and you pick up so much RPM being unrestricted. We had to worry about tomorrow and not today."
HAVE YOU DISCUSSED ANY TEAM STRATEGY BETWEEN YOU AND CRAVEN?
"A little bit. We've talked about a little bit of stuff, but I'm sure we'll talk more about it tonight and tomorrow morning. Me and Ricky have done a lot of work together already, so hopefully we can do it again."
Ricky Craven, No. 99 Ford: "I'm a little disappointed with that, but you really never know what you're going to get
because we spend so much time in race trim. We'll see what we get."
THIS IS THE SAME TRUCK THAT EDWARDS DROVE TO VICTORY HERE LAST YEAR. IS IT BETTER IN RACE TRIM?
"The truck has run good in race trim, but it's a mystery to me right now because I expected it to run faster than that."
DID YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE ON YOUR GEARING IN QUALIFYING FOR THE RACE?
"It's a compromise. The new rules have certainly made it a compromise, but what you lose in qualifying you probably get back in the race. I think we paid the price a lot, but I think we'll get it back in the race."
DRIVERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT SEEING THE AIR AT THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS. HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THAT IN YOUR CAREER?
"Not at all. I've been doing this long enough, so I have a pretty good idea of the positions I want to be in and
don't want to be in, but as far as seeing the air, I'd like to experience that."
Notable Quotables, Post-Qualifying 3: Dodge
02-18-2005 1:31 am
Brendan Gaughan, No. 77 Dodge: “We felt like the Jasper Dodge Ram would qualify really well, and we think we did. This new qualifying procedure that NASCAR has is a little weird to us. We had to walk a pretty fine line. We had to, one, make sure that it would make the show, but two, make sure it was a good race truck. The main thing was to make sure that the guys who don’t have points didn’t qualify in front of us. But, I think we should be all right. Bill Lester is always fast in qualifying. But, Jasper Engines is going to pick up a win here pretty soon, because this truck is pretty awesome in race trim.
“I’m not taking a team owner’s role this year, just a teammate, a real teammate. It’s going to be a lot of fun this year. Steve and I have two identical trucks right now. They’re both really good, and we’re having a lot of fun. Our Dodges are quick. We’re really good in race trim.”
Casey Atwood, No. 4 Dodge: “We knew our truck didn’t run really good by itself, but it drafts good and it drives really good. Most everybody out there is pretty loose, so I think if we can just keep it driving good we’ll be somewhere up front.
“You don’t have to do a whole lot here in qualifying anyway. Whatever the truck’s got, is all it’s got. The main thing is I think there’s going to be a few crashes, so we’ve just got to keep all the fenders on our truck and I think we’ll be somewhere up there in front.”
“Bobby Hamilton and I have been really good friends since I was probably 12 or 13 years old. He’s helped me on my late-model cars back home for a long time. He’s got this deal where Timothy Peters brought the Bailey’s sponsor over, but he’s not eligible to run the first three races because they’re speedways. Bobby just called me and asked me to do these races, so it’s pretty cool for me.”
“I ran in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series one time in 1997 or 1996 at the old Nashville track. I think I only ran like four laps and wrecked, so this will be my first official races, I guess. I don’t want bump and bang out here in Daytona – we can do that out on the short tracks. But the trucks are a lot of fun. The schedule’s not as hectic, and of course, I’m only doing three, so it doesn’t really matter. But I think Bobby’s having a good time over here running. It’s a lot of stress of him, and it looks like a pretty fun series.”
Chase Montgomery, No. 18 Dodge: “You’d love to go out there and qualify good, but this is Daytona. Last year I started out here on the front row, and I think by the first lap I was 12th or 15th, somewhere back there. It doesn’t really matter. If it was up to me, I’d drop back and let those guys wreck, and I’ll be there at the end. We really worked hard on getting this thing good in the draft, good running with other trucks. It’s pretty solid. Kip McCord and these guys worked hard. They gave me an awesome truck. What can I say? This is the best opportunity I’ve ever had. It’s awesome equipment and the people are great, so I’m happy.
“It’s refreshing. I’ve driven family-owned stuff for awhile. I had a deal with Brewco Motorsports and BHR2 and those are both great organizations with good people, and they’re learning. They’re really getting to be a good team. But, just to have this opportunity with and established team – I’ve got guys who are ready to win. Kip McCord’s gotten how many guys their first win? That’s cool, and I get to drive their truck every week. It’s the best stuff I feel I’ve ever been in. I’m ready to go win some races.”
Bobby Hamilton, No. 04 Dodge: “We’ve done so much testing and so much race run stuff, then we saw all this tire issues that were going on… We knew Goodyear has always had a good tire here. But, I think what’s happened is the racetrack has gotten really grippy, and everybody’s running so much faster and tearing the darned tires off of it.
“That’s better than I thought I’d end up. So, I’m pretty happy with that. I love the impounding rule. I wish they’d just unload us by points, not let us make a practice lap and start the race, period. I wish they’d do that, but you can’t do it because of some of the young guys coming out. I think it’s great. I like it as an owner.
“I’ve just got a lot of confidence in my drivers. You know, if you surround all those kids with good people, they ought to produce at some time or another. Chase has already gotten his feet wet one year with it. He’s won on these big tracks already in a car, so we know that he can do it. We just need to make sure that we still work as a unit in whole, and it will be good for everybody.”
Steve Park, No. 62 Dodge: “Usually you don’t have a lot of friends here on these superspeedways, but Brendan’s a guy that you’d hope you can rely on. We’ll try to push each other the front at some point. If we finish one-two, it doesn’t really matter what order it is, as long as we’re in front.
“The only good thing is this is the truck that we tested in down here, and really did all of our practice for the two or three days that we tested. So, it’s not like we went to an unproven race truck. But, we just know that after the test that we needed to go back and come back with a better truck, which we did, but unfortunately, it got torn up in practice. We know that the truck we have here is not the best. The best that we had is the one that we got in trouble with yesterday. Now we’ll rely on the backup truck, and the backup truck for the Orleans Dodge team is actually not too bad. It’s driving good, but we’ll see how it is tomorrow night. It drafted good in testing. So, we’re pretty optimistic it’ll be a truck that drives good tomorrow night.”
Notable Quotables, Post-Qualifying No. 4: Chevrolet
02-18-2005 1:35 am
Kerry Earnhardt, No. 15 Chevrolet: “This is a pretty awesome deal for our Billy Ballew Motorsports team. Ritchie (Wauters, crew chief) and the guys just gave me an awesome truck. This is my very first pole ever; this is just a great start for our season. I was a little down about not making the Daytona 500; we struggled in the Dual 150 qualified today. We had a little problem there at the start but we took care of it on our first pit stop and took four tires. Went back out there and worked our way back to the front, we had a good run going there on the highside and a car washed up in front of me a little bit and I had to get on the binders and that let the 00 car get by and take us out of the Daytona 500.
“But it was so awesome to come over here in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and put the No. 15 Billy Ballew Kraft/Albertson Chevrolet Silverado on the pole. The truck is really fast. We had that little problem yesterday when I got a little loose and washed up in front of Steve Park in practice and we both got wrecked. Unfortunately for him, it was my fault and I can’t apologize enough for putting him in that position but Ritchie and the guys put such great equipment together that the backup was just as good as the primary truck. It is a little faster than the primary.
“I couldn’t have picked a better track than Daytona to win my first pole. It was a bummer not to make the 500 but my philosophy is that if it is not meant to be, then it is not meant to be and when the time is right, it will happen. I always live by that, there are reasons I am not in the Daytona 500 but it will happen when it is supposed to.
“It is the hard work that Ritchie and all the guys do on these trucks that got us here. They work really hard on these trucks; this is a brand new truck that we pulled out as a backup truck. The one we had was awesome, this one is ever better because these guys work so hard. The primary was one we had last year. We are sitting there with 10 trucks. 10 brand new trucks, how hard of work is that? I had to redeem myself with those guys, this is what the crew did. I was just the lucky guy that got to mash the gas and turn left. It is easy when you have the equipment to do it with. I never ask for lap times, I never want to know but just before I went out, I asked my crew guy Steve to call me out a time after the first lap. He tells me the time for the first lap and I said “Wow, that’s what I am talking about.”.
“It just feels good to be on the pole anywhere. Robert (Huffman) has been there a lot and so has Dennis (Setzer). He and I go way back to Hickory Motor Speedway in late models. These two are guys I have raced against before so it is pretty cool to be up there in the middle of them.”
Dennis Setzer, No. 46 Chevrolet:
"This was a great effort by this Morgan-Dollar Motorsports team today. The driver doesn't have much to put into this deal its a lot like interstate driving out there for us when its time to qualify. This is the same truck that we raced here last year and it drove really good for us.
It’s pretty exciting for us to be on the front row in our Chevrolet Silverado here at Daytona. I really wanted to get that pole for all the guys on the team and with GM Racing because they have put so much effort into this race. Its good to see their efforts are starting to pay off."
How about coming from the back of the field?
"This track is one of those places where you can come from the back and go to the front and go to the back in a matter of laps. We are just going to have to be patient and pick our spots tomorrow night. The truck is really handling well in traffic and unfortunately if we are going to get to the front our Silverado is going to have to battle quite a bit of traffic."
Tracy Hines, No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet: “Our ThorSport Silverado has been good since we unloaded. I am excited cause this is my best ever starting spot in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. We have drafted good in all of our practices so I am really looking forward to the race. We are looking for a sponsor for our truck so the faster we run, the better we look for our sponsors and the greater the chances we have to pickup a good partner for our team.”
Jack Sprague, No. 16 Chevrolet: "We spent all of our time working on our race setup so this is a very solid qualifying effort for our Chevy Truck Silverado team. The truck felt stable and I am excited about the race tomorrow night. We will draft good with our Chevrolet Silverado teammates. I feel good about how we will all race together tomorrow night.”
David Starr, No. 75 Chevrolet: “We were hoping to qualify a little better than this but we worked exclusively on our race setup for our Chevrolet Silverado. But we have the right truck so I am looking forward to tomorrow night’s race. Our Silverado is really stable in the draft so I feel good that we can take our Spears Silverado to the front.”
Kelly Sutton, No.02 Chevrolet: “Last year we missed the field by a fraction of a second, and this year we landed solidly in the top-25. I am so proud of this team. They put all they had into giving me a great truck, and it showed tonight. We're applying what we learned last year, and just know 2005 is going to be our year.”
Ron Hornaday, No. 6 Chevrolet:“The GM Goodwrench truck felt a little weird and we were a little tight. It felt like we weren't going anywhere. It is hard to tell exactly what we have only running two laps but after talking with Wally he isn't too concerned with speed. Our setup is nice and we plan on taking the Chevrolet Silverado to victory lane.”
Regan Smith, No. 19 Chevrolet:“I am so proud of everyone on this Xpress Motorsports Silverado team. We need to make it in on time and Doug (George) my crew chief and my crew gave me an almost perfect truck. Now I am really ready for the race. We need to finish all the laps and get to the checkered flag and gather points. Hopefully this will help bring us to the attention of a sponsor. I can’t say enough about this Silverado. This is a great feeling for everyone on our team.”
Notable Quotables, Post-Qualifying No. 5: Raybestos Rookies
02-18-2005 1:37 am
Sean Murphy, No. 07 Chevrolet: “It was all right. We got involved in the wreck in practice in that drafting accident and kind of hurt our aero a little bit. We set it up more for the race and we were just so loose drafting. We can qualify here and sit on the pole but you can go back just as quick as you sat on the pole. We were loose when we got up in the upper grooves drafting so we figured we’d put a little more downforce in it and tighten it up so it’d be good in the race. We’ve got to start at the back anyway because we did blow a motor.”
WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD FINISH FOR YOU HERE IN THE RACE?
“It’d be awesome to win the thing but if we come out of here in one piece, a top-10 finish, I think it’d be pretty decent. In practice we had a fast truck. We didn’t get to try anything in practice this morning but at least the truck drove straight and didn’t feel that aerodynamically bad and it didn’t feel unstable in qualifying, either. Hopefully we’ll be pretty good in the race.”
IS THE PLAN TO GO TO EVERY RACE THIS SEASON?
“We’re hoping to. There were a couple of sponsor opportunities that are hopefully coming on board for California and we hope it will be for the season.”
Regan Smith, No. 19 Chevrolet: “We’re going to be happy with it because I think it’s going to get us in the show but we would have definitely liked to have had a little more speed than that. After practice I felt like we could turn a little bit better here in the cool weather of the night. We’re going to take it and we’re going to get in the show and go race it. That was the main goal coming down here was that we didn’t need to tear anything up and we had to get in the show and go from there. I’m real excited to be driving for X-Press Motorsports and Chevy Silverado. All the people at Chevy have been great and I’m looking forward to this year.”
YOU ARE NOW WITH A TEAM THAT CAN WIN RACES.
“As a driver the only thing that you can hope for is to be in a situation where you know that it’s up to you. I think I’ve been fortunate enough to get in that situation and now if we can just make the best of it we’re going to hopefully have a good season.”
WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD RACE FOR YOU?
“The way practice looked, to finish . It looked pretty rowdy out there and I wasn’t drafting, I was just watching them. A good race would be to come home clean. I really think if you finish you’re going to be in the top-15 pretty easily. That’s just my personal opinion. The trucks are pretty loose in the draft but they are manageable so everyone is going to use their head. We just want to come out of here clean and gain some respect from these guys for the next time that we come back here.”
IS THERE A LOT OF PRESSURE TO GET POINTS AND A COMPETITIVE FOUNDATION FOR THE SEASON?
“I think the most pressure comes from inside. There’s no doubt that we’ve got the equipment and the stuff to do it with. I want to go out there and perform and prove to everybody that the past two years if they would have given me a shot, look what you could have done. I think more than anything the pressure comes from inside.”
Kerry Earnhardt, No. 15 Chevrolet: Notes: Earnhardt is the first Raybestos Rookie to win the pole for a Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona since the series debuted at the 2.5-mile speedway in 2000 (six races).
“We had to turn things around. We were kind of frustrated after that deal [qualifying race]. We should have been in that race. We had a lot of help from Greg Biffle pushing us up front. It’s exciting to come over here and run this Kraft/Albertsons Chevrolet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. It’s good to be on top, finally.”
WILL THIS BE A FAST TRUCK IN THE RACE?
“It’s going to be a fast truck. It’s just like we drafted. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. Todd Bodine ran pretty good in practice.”
“It’s pretty awesome to be on the pole. This is my very first pole ever. It’s a great start, you know? We struggled a little bit in the Duel 150s. We struggled a little bit in the beginning. We had a few little problems and we took care of that on our first pit stop and we took four tires. We got that back under us and come back up to the front. Right at the end I had a good run going on the high side and the 24 car washed up in front of me and I had to get on the binders a little bit and that let the 00 get by. It kind of wiped us out of the Daytona 500 but it was awesome to come over here on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and run this truck. This is pretty awesome. The truck is fast. We had a real fast truck when we unloaded with the primary and I kind of got a little loose and washed up, or slipped up, into Steve Park and wiped both of us out. Unfortunately for him it was my fault. I can’t apologize enough to him. Billy Ballew Motorsports and Ritchie Wauters, them guys put such great equipment together, the backup truck was just as fast. A little bit faster, actually.”
YOU SAID THIS WAS YOUR FIRST POLE. COULD YOU PICK A BETTER TRACK TO DO IT AT THAN DAYTONA?
“No I couldn’t. This is the beginning of the season and you might as well start now. It was a bummer not to make the 500 but my philosophy is that if it’s not meant to me, it’s not meant to be and when the time is right it will happen. I always live by that. There’s reasons that I’m not in the Daytona 500. Maybe I drive too wild or something like that. I’m just using that as an excuse.”
WHEN YOU WERE FORCED TO A BACKUP TRUCK, DID THAT GIVE YOU EXTRA MOTOVATION?
“I could always show my face around here. The determination was all the hard work that Billy Ballew and Ritchie Wauters and Greg and Steve and Duze, all those guys; they work real hard on these trucks. This is a brand new truck that we pulled out as a backup truck. The one we had was the one they ran last year. The team is sitting there with 10 trucks. How much hard work is that? They’re all brand new trucks. I had to redeem myself with those guys. This is all for them. This is w | | | |
