Good Morning from Las Vegas Motor Speedway
09-24-2005 11:31 am
Good morning everybody and welcome to TrackSideLive! coverage of the Las Vegas 350 presented by Team ASE. It is a picture perfect day in Las Vegas with a cloudless sky overhead, a gentle breeze blowing through the garages, and temperatures expected to reach into the low to mid 90s today. But hey, it's a dry heat, right? We have a couple of practice sessions ahead of us, Live! Bud Pole Qualifying coming your way at 6 pm ET, and of course pre- and post-race coverage of the Las Vegas 350, which is scheduled to go green shortly after 9 pm ET this evening. Stick around for all the action, right here at TruckSeries.com.
Las Vegas Track Facts
09-24-2005 11:40 am
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile D-shaped oval with 12 degrees of banking through the corners, 9 degrees of banking through the front tri-oval, and 3 degrees of banking down the backstretch. The length of the frontstretch is 2,275 feet, while the shorter backstretch is just 1,572 feet long. The 146-lap race distance is 219 miles or 350 kilometers.
When the series made it's debut here at LVMS in 1996, it was at the time the fastest track on the series schedule.
Trucks Rolling on Pit Road
09-24-2005 11:44 am
NASCAR has allowed the teams a few moments prior to the start of practice to come around the speedway and make their way down pit road to get an accurate pit road speed. Brad Keselowski, Todd Kluever, Deborah Renshaw, Brandon Whitt, Jack Sprague, and David Starr are out trying to get their pit speed set.
Entry List Oddities
09-24-2005 11:52 am
Here are the changes to our "usual" weekly entry list:
Eric Norris is back with the Green Light Racing team, piloting the No. 07 Pavestone Chevrolet. Jack Bailey moves over to the team's No. 08 Chevrolet with his Century 21 sponsorship.
Joey Miller, currently second in ARCA Re/MAX Series points, takes the reins of the No. 12 Toyota Tundra Toyota for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, his first ever NCTS attempt.
West Coast ace David Gilliland is strapped into the No. 15 ditech.com Chevrolet for Billy Ballew Motorsports.
Robert Richardson is the driver of the No. 24 Brahma Beer Chevrolet for the new Maverick Motorsports team.
Mittler Bros. Racing is entered here this week with Justin Allgaier entered in the No. 63 Dave Porter Truck Sales Ford.
Tim Fedewa is back with the Glynn Motorsports team this week, taking over the driving chores for Clay Rogers who is off trying to win the USAR Hooter's Pro Cup Series championship.
Kevin Harvick's latest protege, Burney Lamar, is entered in KHI's No. 92 entry with backing from Snap On tools.
Pace Truck is In, Green Flag Out
09-24-2005 12:00 am
We usually only make that call during the race, but with the pit road speed practice we had for the previous 15 minutes behind the pace truck out on the speedway, we get to say it now too. The pace truck has pulled into the pit area and the drivers of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series are on the hammer out on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We'll have all the action from this first hour-long session, so stick with us!
They Said It, Prac 1 No 1
09-24-2005 12:03 am
Jack Sprague, No. 16 Chevrolet: "Dave, it has that same feel it had at Kentucky. I don't know if it's coil binding or what it is, but it goes down and hits the track getting into three. It's not getting loose because it's not jumping out and going up the track. It just has that same good feel we had at Kentucky."
Joey Miller, No. 12 Toyota: "It's not loose and it's not tight."
Brandon Whitt, No. 38 Toyota: "I am on the free side, which I think is going to be pretty good because tonight it's going to tighten up."
They Said It, Prac 1 No 2
09-24-2005 12:07 am
Todd Kluever, No. 50 Ford: "I am not getting back on the throttle as hard as I can coming off because I can't keep the rear end under the truck."
Tracy Hines, No. 13 Chevrolet: "When I go into one and two, I have some smoke coming into the cockpit. It's coming out right where my radio is on the side here."
Terry Cook, No. 10 Ford: "It feels like the whole truck just transfers on the right side getting into the corner. You can feel the truck gouge into the track and it rocks back and forth left to right a little bit."
Setzer Makes Great Save, Red Out for Track Inspection
09-24-2005 12:15 am
Dennis Setzer made a huge save through tiurns one and two just momentsa ago, running across fluid through the turn and kicking the truck out nearly 45 degrees sideways. NASCAR has put out the red flag and safety crews are out on the speedway laying down some oil dry through one and two, down the backstretch, and low through turns three and four.
Prac 1 Rundown 1
09-24-2005 12:18 pm
A quick run through the top 25:
1. Hamilton, 33.152
2. Skinner, 33.189
3. Bodine, 33.206
4. Sprague, 33.252
5. Reutimann, 33.269
6. Spencer, 33.293
7. Whitt, 33.304
8. Craven, 33.441
9. Crafton, 33.509
10. Starr, 33.558
11. Setzer, 33.608
12. Fedewa, 33.629
13. Lester, 33.637
14. Park, 33.691
15. Chaffin, 33.696
16. Lamar, 33.714
17. Hornaday, 33.723
18. Cook, 33.725
19. Peters, 33.739
20. Hines, 33.759
21. Kluever, 33.765
22. Gilliland, 33.874
23. Benson, 33.905
24. Norris, 33.921
25. Miller, 34.031
Red Still Out
09-24-2005 12:25 pm
The red flag is still out here as the track crew is making sure all of the fluid is cleaned from the surface before we get trucks back on the track. NASCAR officials are currently making their way through the garage to try to find the culprit that dropped the fluid onto the speedway to put us under this read flag.
Benson Backs Down Pit Road to Garage
09-24-2005 12:28 pm
Sometimes you see the strangest thing under the red flag. With about 20 trucks parked on pit road waiting for the green flag to wave over the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one truck pulled out of line and backed down pit road to the entrance of the garage area. Johnny Benson and his team apparently decided to use the down time to give some attention to the No. 23 Toyota.
That tell-tale puddle will get you every time...
09-24-2005 12:31 am
NASCAR officials have made their way to the back of Chase Montgomery's No. 18 Dodge, and the tell-tale puddle of fluid at the back of his machine means that we've found the culprit and we can get back to green flag action. Tobert Pressley and Chad Chaffin have led the charge back on to the track and the green flag is out once again.
Action Hot and Heavy
09-24-2005 12:34 pm
After a nearly 20 minute break to clean the track, the drivers are itching to get some laps under their belts. Some of the action is almost as intense as the race itself, as David Reutimann, Robert Pressley, and Eric Norris are running in a tight draft out on the speedway.
Gilliland Up Out of the Groove
09-24-2005 12:39 pm
David Gilliland just pushed out of the groove in turn four and nearly made contact with the retaining wall. Gilliland was able to get the truck back under control and keep it pointed in the right direction.
Prac 1 Rundown 2
09-24-2005 12:42 pm
A quick look at the top-15:
1. Hamilton, 33.152
2. Skinner, 33.189
3. Bodine, 33.206
4. Sprague, 33.252
5. Reutimann, 22.269
6. Spencer, 33.293
7. Whitt, 33.304
8. Craven, 33.441
9. Crafton, 33.509
10. Lester, 33.535
11. Crawford, 33.536
12. Starr, 33.588
13. Park, 33.600
14. Setzer, 33.608
15. Fedewa, 33.629
Birthday wishes to Kelly
09-24-2005 12:50 pm
Kelly Sutton, driver of the No. 02 Team Copaxone Chevrolet, is celebrating her birthday here today. One is never to discuss a lady's age, so we won't get into specifics there...but she was seen in the lounge of The Orleans ready to go take home some of Mr. Gaughan's money as a pre-birthday present. Sutton also had a speaking engagement last night in which she addressed around 30 MS survivors. Sutton herself is living with MS, but thanks to her sponsor Copaxone she is able to lead a very "normal" life, that is if driving race trucks at nearly 190 miles per hour can be considered normal!
Prac 1 Rundown 3
09-24-2005 12:58 pm
1. Hamilton, 33.152
2. Skinner, 33.189
3. Bodine, 33.206
4. Sprague, 33.252
5. Reutimann, 33.269
6. Spencer, 33.293
7. Whitt, 33.304
8. Craven, 33.441
9. Park, 33.469
10. Crafton, 33.509
11. Lester, 33.535
12. Crawford, 33.536
13. Starr, 33.588
14. Musgrave 33.599
15. Gaughan, 33.605
16. Setzer, 33.608
17. Fedewa, 33.629
18. Chaffin, 33.696
19. Lamar, 33.714
20. Hornaday, 33.723
21. Cook, 33.725
22. Peters, 33.739
23. Hines, 33.759
24. Kluever, 33.765
25. Benson, 33.779
26. Gilliland, 33.874
27. Norris, 33.921
28. Miller, 34.031
29. Keselowski, 34.073
30. Sutton, 34.140
31. Allgaier, 34.489
32. Renshaw, 34.500
33. Montgomery, 34.531
34. Bailey, 34.564
35. Pressley, 35.184
36. Richardson, 35.503
Quick 30 minute break
09-24-2005 1:11 pm
The first practice is in the books with Bobby Hamilton up on top of the charts, so we now have a quick half hour break before we go back at it. Of course, we'll have comprehensive coverage of the final 60 minutes of practice leading into qualifying, with that session scheduled for a 1:30 pm ET start. Stick with us!
Final Practice Underway
09-24-2005 1:29 pm
The green light has just flickered on and we're counting down through the final 60 minutes of practice for the Las Vegas 350. Craven, Montgomery, Miller, Lamar, Setzer, and Sprague are all early birds looking to get the worm here in this session.
Dover Flip Topic of Interest in Vegas
09-24-2005 1:33 pm
The huge crash that has put the NASCAR Busch Series race under the red flag at Dover has been a topic of conversation here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the past couple of moments. The driver involved, Donnie Neuenberger, is a former Truck Series driver, so some are interested in his condition and what caused him to take a wild tumble. Once that got people talking, it was discovered that the truck that Kelly Sutton is driving here today is the same truck in which she got upside down with at Kansas earlier this season.
Prac 2 Rundown 1
09-24-2005 1:37 pm
1. Lester, 32.888
2. Spencer, 33.242
3. Bodine, 33.669
4. Musgrave, 33.715
5. Park, 33.554
6. Setzer, 33.853
7. Sprague, 33.914
8. Whitt, 33.952
9. Benson, 33.956
10. Craven, 33.996
11. Skinner, 34.050
12. Crafton, 34.116
13. Starr, 34.180
14. Crawford, 34.207
15. Cook, 34.226
16. Kluever, 34.227
17. Montgomery, 34.416
18. Hornaday, 34.453
19. Hines, 34.465
20. Renshaw, 34.535
21. Lamar, 34.567
22. Norris, 34.634
23. Keselowski, 34.756
24. Miller, 34.763
25. Richardson, 34.831
26. Pressley, 35.071
27. Bailey, 35.127
28. Sutton, 35.138
29. Allgaier, 35.144
30. Fedewa, 44.636
Clean and Green So Far
09-24-2005 1:49 pm
Final Practice has run uninterrupted through the first 30 minutes. Winds, which kicked up late in the first session, coupled with the higher track temperatures are keeping speeds for many down from the first session. Not every driver is having a hard time getting grip on the slick surface though, as Bill Lester's 32.888-second lap is the quickest of the day to this point.
Prac 2 Rundown 2
09-24-2005 2:00 pm
1. Lester, 32.888
2. Spencer, 33.242
3. Hamilton, 33.631
4. Bodine, 33.669
5. Gilliland, 33.671
6. Craven, 33.704
7. Musgrave, 33.715
8. Park, 33.754
9. Setzer, 33.853
10. Reutimann, 33.922
11. Sprague, 33.941
12. Whitt, 33.952
13. Benson, 33.956
14. Fedewa, 34.027
15. Peters, 34.040
16. Skinner, 34.050
17. Norris, 34.081
18. Kluever, 34.094
19. Crafton, 34.116
20. Crawford, 34.140
21. Starr, 34.180
22. Cook, 34.226
23. Montgomery, 34.416
24. Chaffin, 34.422
25. Renshaw, 34.425
26. Hornaday, 34.435
27. Hines, 34.465
28. Keselowski, 34.506
29. Lamar, 34.567
30. Allgaier, 34.638
31. Miller, 34.763
32. Richardson, 34.831
33. Sutton, 35.125
34. Bailey, 35.127
Like Sands Through the Hourglass...
09-24-2005 2:11 pm
Such are the days of our lives...nah, we're not talking soap operas, we're talking about the time slowly slipping away from us in the final practice session. We have about 15 minutes left, and the track is no where near as busy as it was in the early moments of the first practice. The heat has kicked up, and the breeze is still gusting very strongly, so many drivers are not going to spend a lot of time making long runs at this point. There are the usual mock qualifying runs being made to close the session, but by and large most of the guys have finished the hard work in final practice.
Possible NCTS Drivers Lead ARCA 'Dega Test
09-24-2005 2:23 pm
Several names linked to possible NCTS rides, including a couple of drivers here with us making their Truck Series debuts this weekend, positioned themselves at the top of the charts in the recent ARCA Re/MAX Series test at Talladega. Joey Miller, making his debut in the No. 12 Toyota this weekend, led the test, with KHI's new shoe Burney Lamar in third. Rounding out the top-5 driving a second car out of ARCA champion Frank Kimmel's stable was Bobby East. Miller is on several owners' short list for a ride in 2006, while Lamar could see added time in a KHI truck in 2006. East is evaluating his options with Ford next season, but a full-time truck ride is a distinct possibility.
No Need to Watch? Hold the Phone...
09-24-2005 2:28 pm
Published reports have indicated that Erik Darnell has earned a fully-sponsored full season ride in a Roush Racing NCTS program for 2006. Darnell is reported to have beat out fellow "Gong Show" participant David Ragan for the seat in one of Roush Racing's trucks. However, despite the published reports, there may still be a reason to watch the "Race for the Ride" on Discovery Channel. TruckSeries.com has been told by several sources that Ragan was the winner of the full-time ride, with Darnell coming in a close second. TruckSeries.com has also been told that both drivers, regardless of who was the winner and who was the runner-up, will have an opportunity to race a Roush Racing truck in 2006. One driver will indeed receive a full-time ride while the runner-up will have a chance to race several times as a fill-in driver for the team Mark Martin is expected to race seven times with in 2006.
Both Roush trucks are open, as of now, for 2006. Rookie of the Year leader Todd Kluever has been named to a Busch Series ride for the team, and Ricky Craven has been released from his contract for 2006. It is expected Roush Racing will field a third team in 2006 for Martin as well, with other Roush drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and Todd Kluever expected to share the ride with the Gong Show runner up as well as Martin.
2006 NCTS Schedule
09-24-2005 3:39 pm
Here is a sneak peek at the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule:
2-17 - Daytona
2-24 - Fontana
3-17 - Atlanta
4-1 - Martinsville
4-29 - Gateway
5-19 - Charlotte
5-27 - Mansfield
6-2 - Dover
6-9 - Texas
6-17 - Michigan
6-23 - Milwaukee
7-1 - Kansas City
7-8 - Kentucky
7-15 - Memphis
8-4 - Indianapolis
8-12 - Nashville
8-23 - Bristol
9-16 - Loudon
9-23 - Las Vegas
10-7 - Talladega
10-21 - Martinsville
10-28 - Atlanta
11-3 - Texas
11-10 - Phoenix
11-17 - Homestead
Got Audio?
09-24-2005 3:49 pm
We do! Look to the Sights and Sounds Box to the right side of the page and click on a driver's name to listen to their comments from Las Vegas. We hooked up with some drivers at an autograph session at the Stratosphere last night and asked them about thrill rides a thousand feet in the sky, and we also talked to them about the distractions they face in Las Vegas.
Wonder why you don't see Brendan Gaughan's name at all in the second practice results? We went and tracked him down and heard all about it. We talked to Rick Crawford about riding a wave of momentum into Vegas after last week's win, and talked to Todd Kluever about the new opportunity he will have in 2006 and how hard it is to race with questions looming over his future. Finally, for this round anyhow, we tracked down Kluever's teammate Ricky Craven and asked him how track conditions will help or hurt here with practice in the heat of the day and racing in the cool desert night.
LVMS Track Records
09-24-2005 4:00 pm
Here are the track records at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
Qualifying: Mike Skinner, 32.664 seconds/165.320 miles per hour; September 25, 2004
Race: David Starr, 1 hr., 37 min., 3 sec/135.394 mph; October 13, 2002
LVMS NCTS Race History
09-24-2005 4:04 pm
Here are the pole and race winners in the previous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
1996 - Pole, Bryan Reffner, 157.909 mph; Race, Jack Sprague
1997 - Pole, Jack Sprague, 161.310 mph; Race, Joe Ruttman
1998 - Pole, Jack Sprague, 161.749 mph; Race, Jack Sprague
1999 - Pole, Stacy Compton, 161.796 mph; Race, Greg Biffle
2001 - Pole, Jack Sprague, 161.803 mph; Race, Ted Musgrave
2002 - Pole, David Starr, 163.112 mph; Race, David Starr
2003 - Pole, Brendan Gaughan, 162.152 mph; Race, Brendan Gaughan
2004 - Pole, Mike Skinner, 165.320 mph; Race, Shane Hmiel
LVMS Top-5 Finishers
09-24-2005 4:10 pm
There have been 23 drivers take up the 40 possible top-5 finishing positions here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
Jack Sprague 6
Bill Elliott
Joe Ruttman 2
Michael Waltrip
Dave Rezendes
Ron Hornaday 3
Jay Sauter 3
Mike Bliss 2
Jimmy Hensley
Greg Biffle 2
Dennis Setzer 3
Ted Musgrave
Travis Kvapil 3
Scott Riggs
Rick Crawford
David Starr 2
Jason Leffler
Brendan Gaughan
Shane Hmiel
Todd Bodine
Steve Park
Johnny Benson
Bobby Hamilton
More Audio on the Way
09-24-2005 4:26 pm
We went back to the garage and got a few more clips for your listening enjoyment! We tracked down the fastest Chevrolet driver in final practice, and it's not someone you might expect. Let's just say he's not coordinating any stunt driving activities here today, but he is looking forward to getting back on track at a place that has been very good to him in the past. We also tracked down Dennis Setzer and got the scoop on that tremendous slide for life and awesome save he made when he hit some oil in turn one during the first practice earlier today. And finally, we hooked up with Joey Miller, the young phenom in the ARCA Series that is making his first NCTS attempt here today. He has a guy in the pits with him here today that has a successful background in the Trucks, and he looks to use that knowledge to benefit him here today. Click on the driver's name to hear his comments, and that can be find in the Sights and Sounds box to the right side of the TrackSideLive! page.
Who's Hit it Big?
09-24-2005 5:32 pm
Whenever we come to Las Vegas, the stories run rampant about who is winning big on the slot machines. In the past, we've had big winners from the driver ranks in Tim Steele (who, rumor has it, raked in over $15,000 in a big jackpot in 1999), and the mother-in-law ranks (Terry Cook's mother-in-law Janice East picked up a cool grand on a slot machine back in 2002). This year the big winner comes from the photog ranks, and you often see her work right here on TruckSeries.com. Rockin' Rhonda Greer was really rockin' the other night after she turned the scales on a one-armed bandit a couple of times this week. One jackpot, paid in pennies, was just a tick over $1,000. Imagine 100,000 pennies...
Live! Bud Pole Qualifying up next!
09-24-2005 5:55 pm
The trucks are being gridded on pit road and we're ready to roll off for Live! Bud Pole Qualifying. We'll set the starting line up for tonight's Las Vegas 350, coming up NEXT!
Qualifying Audio on the way
09-24-2005 8:30 pm
We tracked down Mike Skinner to discuss his pole winning lap and whether or not he's ready to move past last week's blip on the radar screen and pick up where he left off. We also got with Todd Bodine who was involved in last year's exciting finish and David Reutimann, who says he plans on running a lot better than he did last year. We also got with Tracy Hines, whose open wheel teammates are running for USAC championships in Ohio this weekend. Keep an eye on the Sights and Sounds box, they should be up soon...
LVMS Best Finishes
09-24-2005 8:36 pm
Brendan Gaughan, 1st
Ted Musgrave, 1st
Jack Sprague, 1st
David Starr, 1st
Todd Bodine, 2nd
Ron Hornaday, 2nd
Steve Park, 3rd
Dennis Setzer, 3rd
Johnny Benson, 4th
Rick Crawford, 5th
Bobby Hamilton, 5th
Mike Skinner, 6th
Terry Cook, 7th
Robert Pressley, 7th
Matt Crafton, 9th
Brandon Whitt, 13th
Chad Chaffin, 16th
Bill Lester, 17th
David Reutimann, 17th
Tracy Hines, 18th
Chase Montgomery, 27th
Deborah Renshaw, 32nd
Kelly Sutton, 35th
Drivers making their first NCTS start at LVMS: Tim Peters, Jimmy Spencer, Eric Norris, Robert Richardson, Ricky Craven, David Gilliland, Joey Miller, Tim Fedewa, Jack Bailey, Todd Kluever, Justin Allgaier, Burney Lamar, Brad Keselowski
LVMS NCTS Race Summary
09-24-2005 8:41 pm
There have been 8 previous races at LVMS. The average start of the winner is 6.25, with the pole winner also winning the race three times. The deepest anyone has started to win is 21st when Shane Hmiel pulled it off last season.
There are an average of 11 lead lap finishers, with a high of 18 in 1996 and a low of 7 in 1998 and 2002.
There are an average of 10.1 lead changes, with a high of 15 in 1999 and a low of 6 in 1996 and 2004 .
There are an average of 5.88 lead drivers, with a high of 8 in 1998 and 1999 and a low of 4 in 1996 and 1997.
The caution flag waves an average of 5.25 times per race, with a high of 9 in 1996 and a low of 2 in 2002.
The pace truck paces the field for an average of 21.4 laps, with the record being 33 laps in 1996 and the low being 10 in 2002.
The cumulative average speed is 126.979 miles per hour, with the record being 135.394 miles per hour and the slowest speed being 120.782 mph
2004 vs 2005 Statistical Summary
09-24-2005 9:00 pm
Average start of winner: 2004, 6.63; 2005, 9.68
Cumulative lead changes: 2004, 179; 2005, 177
Average lead changes per race: 2004, 9.42; 2005, 9.32
Average lead drivers per race: 2004, 5.63; 2005, 6.37
Total laps under caution: 2004, 828; 2005, 700
Average caution flags per race: 2004, 7.84; 2005, 8
Current Year Manufacturer Performance
09-24-2005 9:03 pm
Chevrolet: 9 wins, 6 poles, 35 top-5, 66 top-10, 1401 laps led
Dodge: 4 wins, 2 poles, 22 top-5, 47 top-10, 359 laps led
Ford: 1 win, 1 pole, 12 top-5, 30 top-10, 246 laps led
Toyota: 5 wins, 8 poles, 26 top-5, 47 top-10, 1270 laps led
YTD Points
09-24-2005 9:05 pm
Here is the YTD point summary:
Points, 1-2: 2004, 39; 2005, 59
Points, 1-5: 2004, 207; 2005, 284
Points 1-10: 2004, 407; 2005, 414
YTD Manufacturer
09-24-2005 9:08 pm
2004:
Chevy, 5 wins
Dodge, 8 wins
Ford, 4 wins
Toyota, 2 wins
2005
Chevy, 9 wins
Dodge, 4 wins
Ford, 1 win
Toyota, 5 wins
Ready to go green!
09-24-2005 9:12 pm
It's that time! Drivers are buckling in, the Anthem has been performed, the fly-over has the crowd in a frenzy, and we're about to get after it for 146 hard fought laps at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Can Jack Sprague continue his mastery of LVMS and pick up another top-5? Can Mike Skinner pick up where he left off at Richmond after a disappointing week last race in New Hampshire? Will Rick Crawford start his own win streak? Todd Bodine is been as hot as Mike Skinner, and he was tough here last year - can he get it done? What about the points contenders? Musgrave is a previous winner, while Setzer has several top-5s to his cedit. How about those guys in the fourth to twelfth points battle? It's going to be fun, and it's coming at you NEXT...
Las Vegas 350 Race Updates 1-10
09-24-2005 9:19 pm
10. Lap 22 - Bodine sweeps into the lead. Kluever and Hornaday are locked in a side by side battle with Lamar and Setzer side by side behind them.
9. Lap 20 - Musgrave leads for the first time since Michigan in June. Bodine has closed and is second, with Lester third and Reutimann fourth. Thet have a large gap on Skinner in second. Hines has been seen and released from the infield care center and is out of the race. Gaughan has retired with his second engine failure of the day, preliminarily reported as a distributor failure.
8. Lap 16 - Lester leads Musgrave, Reutimann, Bodine, Skinner, Spencer, Starr, Benson, Cook, Whitt, Hamilton, Sprague, Fedewa and Crawford. The front two have broken away and led Bodine by half a second.
7. Lap 10 - Musgrave is looking to lead for the first time since Michigan in June. Bodine has closed on Skinner for fourth. Cook, Whitt, and Hamilton are three wide going into three with Sprague in the mix for good measure.
6. Lap 6 - Restart. Lester gets the jump and takes the lead before he gets to the line. Musgrave has moved into second and is pressuring Lester for the lead. Reutimann is third, with Skinner fourth and Bodine fifth. Gaughan is back on pit road for more repairs.
5. Lap 4 - Park reports a soft tire and has come to pit road. Keselowski, Pressley, Peters, Sutton, and Bailey also pit. Coming to the green.
4. Skinner leads lap one, but Hines has a left rear tire go flat as he crossed the start-finish line and he loses control in front of a pack of trucks. Miller and Gaughan get tangled up in the mess to avoid. Hines made heavy impact with the right front and his team says they are done for the night. Gaughan has severe damage to the left side of his truck. Miller's team is working on the left side of his machine too.
3. The lights on the pace trucks have stayed on for an extra lap. Pressley has left the pits. He and Gaughan will come from the back of the pack. The field is now behind the single pace truck, and is coming to one to go.
2. Pressley comes to pit road with two laps to go before we go green. The team goes to the left side of the No. 59 Dodge. The field is behind the two pace trucks settng their pit road speed,45 mph.
1. Engines have been fired. Gaughan will drop to the back due to an engine change in practice. The field is rolling.
Las Vegas 350 Race Updates 11-20
09-24-2005 9:54 pm
20. Lap 66 - Chaffin slips loose in turn two and spins to bring out the second caution of the night. He was the first truck off the lead lap, and according to NASCAR rules cannot be given the free pass so we will not have a driver added back to the lead lap. Bodine leads Musgrave, Starr, Sprague, Benson, Skinner, Park, Reutimann, Cook, Lester, Whitt, Crafton, Hamilton, Fedewa, and Crawford.
19. Lap 62 - Bodine leads Musgraveby five seconds, with Sprague third, Starr fourth, Benson fifth, Miller sixth, Skinner seventh, Park eighth, Reutimann ninth, and Cook tenth.
18. Lap 55 - Bodine pits and hands the lead to Benson. Benson pits on lap 56 giving the lead to Lester. Lester runs out of fuel and comes to the pits very slow. Bodine retakes the lead at lap 60.
17. Lap 54 - We're cycling through green flag stops. Cook, Kluever, Hornaday, Starr, Hamilton, Skinner, and Reutimann are all in for service.
16. Lap 51 - Keselowski goes behind the wall. Craven is in the pits for routine service.
15. Lap 48 - Point implications come into focus as Setzer falls a lap down to leader Bodine. Lester is second, 10 seconds off the leaders pace. Musgrave is coming to the pits for four tires and fuel.
14. Lap 43 - Sprague comes to pit road for four tires and fuel. The start of green flag stops? Spencer says his truck is good, but can only run three quarter throttle before the engine starts to miss. Sprague's team removed a windshield tear off from the grille as he was overheating.
13. Lap 39 - Bill Davis Racing has all three trucks among the top-5 as Benson has swept past Reutimann to take over fifth. Lester is second with Skinner in fourth. Bodine is the full distance of turns one and two ahead of second place Lester, and has lapped all the way up to 21st place.
12. Lap 32 - Bodine leads by 3.5 seconds over Lester, who is nearly a full second ahead of Reutimann and Musgrave. Peters, Keselowski, Gilliland, Montgomery, and Hornaday are in Bodine's sights to be lapped in the near future.
11. Lap 30 - Norris, Chaffin, Craven, Hornaday, Setzer, and Gilliland are racing hard for position just in front of the 20th position. Spencer reports a broken valve spring and he's dropping back through the field rapidly.
Las Vegas 350 Race Updates 21-30
09-24-2005 10:21 pm
30. Lap 103 - Bodine goes to the flat at the start finish line to pass a three wide battle for positon. he dipped underneath Montgomery, Bailey, and Allgaier. He leads Musgrave by half the length of the frontstretch.
29. Lap 100 - Bodine leads Musgrave, Sprague, Skinner, Starr, Benson, Lester, Fedewa, Park, Whitt, Crafton, Kluever, Cook, Hamilton, and Crawford.
28. Lap 95 - Lamar is back flagged for a loose window net.
27. Lap 91 - Gilliland locks up the brakes and comes to pit road in a hurry for a quick tire change.
26. Lap 89 - The race within the race is between Setzer and Hornaday for the free pass should the caution come out. Hornaday has it now, but Setzer is closing.
25. Lap 84 - Spencer is back after a couple of laps on pit road, but be reports to the team that he doesn't think he can run the minimum speed. He may soon be done for the night.
24. Lap 79 - Musgrave moves into second. Bodine is stretching his legs and pulling away. Spencer is well off the pace and may be called to the pits by NASCAR for not meeting the minimum speed.
23. Lap 76 - Starr is on the move as he has taken over second and is trying to chase down the leader. Sprague has rtecovered from his unscheduled pit stop and has moved into the top-5.
22. Lap 72 - Park leads on the restart. Bodine dusts off Reutimann for second, with Starr looking to take third. Reutimann is back to fifth after Musgrave moves past to take fourth.
21. lap 69 - Park leads with Reutimann and Lester behind. It's also the first time since Michigan that Park has led. Bodine led off pit road with Starr, Musgrave, Sprague, Skinner, Whitt, Cook, Benson, Crafton, Kluever, Fedewa, Hamilton, and Crawford the rest of the lead lap trucks.
Las Vegas 350 Race Updates 31-40 +
09-24-2005 10:45 pm
42. Lap 150 - Musgrave leads on the restart. Fedewa falls from fifth to tenth as Sprague bites the fence off turn four.
41. Lap 146 - Park is out of his truck, which appears to have blown an engine before slapping the inside wall with the back of the truck. Safety crews are attending to the truck as the field paces behind the pace truck.
40. Lap 145 - Park spins on the backstretch moments after Musgrave powers past Bodine to take the lead. We will have a green-white-checkered finish. Musgrave will be the leader, and if he finishes there and Setzer finishes where he does, Musgrave will take over the points lead.
39. Lap 142 - Bodine has three lengths on Musgrave, but they have 20 lengths on third place Sprague. Musgrave has closed and is back on the tailgate with three laps to go.
38. Lap 136 - Musgrave is knocking on the door, but Bodine is hard on the gas fighting for all he's worth. Sprague is third, with Starr fourth, and Fedewa is looking to give Glynn Motorsports back-to-back top-5 finishes.
37. Lap 130 - Bodine, Musgrave, Sprague, Skinner, Starr, Fedewa, Kluever, Whitt, Hamilton, Crafton, Crawford, Reutimann, and Hornaday are the lead lap trucks. Setzer has cracked the top-15 for the first time all day.
36. Lap 127 - Lester slides up and makes contact with the wall in turn one and two. Fourth caution is out. Hornaday will receive the free pass.
35. Lap 122 - Musgrave tried the outside line in tirns one and two and lost a truck length to the leader. He has since gathered it back up and is still knocking on Bodine's back door.
34. Lap 119 - Lester has falled to the wayside, but Musgrave is right on Bodine's bumper. Skinner has taken fourth from Starr.
33. Lap 116 - Lester takes off from the tail end of the lead lap and has held off Bodine for a couple of laps. Musgrave has retaken second from Sprague, with Starr and Skinner the rest of the top five.
32. Lap 111 - Sutton slides off turn two to bring out the third caution. Reutimann picks up the free pass. Park is going to be on the tail end of the lead lap with Cook and Lester.
31. Lap 109 - Park, Cook, and Lester have been to pit road for green flag stops. Benson has erupted into smoke and has gone behind the wall to the garage.
Las Vegas 350 Unofficial Results
09-24-2005 11:11 pm
1. Bodine wins with a last lap pass!
2. Musgrave
3. Starr beats Sprague to the line by a bumper
4. Sprague
5. Hamilton
6. Skinner
7. Crawford
8. Kluever
9. Whitt
10. Fedewa
11. Crafton
12. Reutimann
13. Hornaday
14. Setzer
15. Miller
16. Chaffin spins across the finish line
17. Bailey
18. Cook
19. Montgomery
20. Norris
21. Lamar
22. Gilliland
23. Craven
24. Pressley
25. Renshaw
26. Peters
27. Allgaier
28. Sutton
29. Richardson
30. Park
31. Spencer
32. Lester
33. Benson
34. Keselowski
35. Gaughan
36. Hines
LVMS Post-Race Notes
09-25-2005 12:24 am
Todd Bodine picks up his second win of the season with a last lap pass of championship contender Ted Musgrave; Bodine led 114 of 152 laps...Bodine now has four career NCTS wins...it was Bodine's second career NCTS start at LVMS; his other start resulted in a second place finish here last fall...Bodine also has a Busch Series win here at LVMS in 2001...Bodine has finished in the top three in four of the last five races; in that span he has one win, two second place finishes, and one third place finish...second-place finisher Ted Musgrave has unofficially cut Dennis Setzer's points lead from 59 points to five; Musgrave has finished sixth or better in five consecutive races...Raybestos Rookie of the Year points leader Todd Kluever finished eighth to become the highest finishing rookie of the year contender.
Post-race audio on its way
09-25-2005 12:34 am
What a finish! The range of emotions in the grandstands was electric the final laps, but it didn't match what was going on inside the helmets of Todd Bodine and Ted Musgrave. We got with the winner and asked him about just that, what he was thinking when Musgrave dusted him off with a couple laps to go, and how he felt when he saw the caution flag just seconds later. We got with second place finisher Ted Musgrave, who has chopped a couple hundred points off Dennis Setzer's points lead and now appears to be an even-odds favorite to pick up the series championship. But that's not to say Dennis Setzer is going to roll over and play dead. We found out what hampered his run here tonight, and asked if he's looking forward to the next series race at Martinsville.
It's been a while since we saw Jack Sprague smiling after a race, but we caught him with a slight grin on his face after finishing fourth here tonight. Sprague fought hard with David Starr for the third spot, and Starr was able to pick it off on the final turn of the final lap, which left the likable Texas with a Texas-sized smile on his face after the race. We also got with leading rookie contender Todd Kluever and series first timer Robert Richardson. Stick around, we have a lot coming at you in the next few moments...keep an eye on the Sights and Sounds box!
Rough Night for Hines
09-25-2005 12:45 am
Tracy Hines only completed two laps here this evening, and left with a wadded up truck and a 36th-place finish. Hines was crossing the line to complete the second lap when he had a left rear tire delaminate and the carcass came off the rim. He spun down the track and then back into the outside retaining wall, doing significant damage to his truck. Hines' transporter rig pulled out of the infield and was on its way back to Ohio before the halfway mark.
Unofficial Points Report
09-25-2005 12:51 am
Setzer's lead has been chopped to just five points heading into Martinsville. Hornaday is now 200 points off the lead in third, and Skinner has leapfrogged back into fourth, 250 points off the lead. Winner Bodine is now fifth, with Spencer dropping back to sixth after being plagued by engine problems. Hamilton finished fifth, but drops a spot in the points to seventh, while Starr leaps to spots in the points to eighth. Reutimann and Crafton both drop one spot each to sit ninth and tenth.
Bad Night for Benson Truly Costly
09-25-2005 1:06 am
Johnny Benson had a great run going but was sidelined late in the going with an engine problem. His 33rd-place run was bad enough as it is, but he also dropped two spots in the points and now sits 16th.
That's It...See you all soon!
09-25-2005 1:11 am
We're going to call it a night from Las vegas. What a race! Todd Bodine vindicated himself at LVMS after losing on the second to the last lap last year, he decided to wait until the final circuit to make the winning pass and went on to his second win of the season. Ted Musgrave pulls to within five points in the championship battle, meaning he and Dennis Setzer are in a virtual dead heat with five races to go.
We can't wait to bring all of the action of the final five races to you, but we're going to take a few weeks off as the NCTS warriors aren't in action until October 21 and 22 at Martinsville Speedway. We'll be there both days for all of the practice, qualifying, and race action, and of course, TruckSeries.com will have all of the news you can use from the NCTS between now and then.
We're going to call it a night folks. Good night everybody, see you in Martinsville!
