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TrackSideLive!
| Easy Care 200
Atlanta Motor Speedway | October 29, 2005
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Good Morning from AMS
10-28-2005 9:14 am
Good morning everyone and welcome to TrackSideLive! presented by Team ASE coverage of the Easy Care Vehicle Services Contracts 200 from the Atlanta Motor Speedway. It is a gloriously bright and sunny day just south of Atlanta, with not a cloud in the sky and temperatures expected to reach into the low 60s as we get two practice sessions leading up to tomorrow's Live! Bud Pole Qualifying followed by Round #22 of the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. We'll have all the news and notes from the garage leading up to practice, and of course bring you all the action once the stars of the NCTS take to the track later this afternoon, so keep it locked right here to TruckSeries.com.
Atlanta Entry Oddities
10-28-2005 9:20 am
Here are the "oddities" to our normal weekly entry list:
John Mickel is entered in a fifth BHR truck, a No. 05 Dodge. Mickel hails from Cambridge, UK, making him the second driver not born on American soil to attempt an NCTS race in 2005.
Regan Smith makes his return to the series in the No. 06 MRD Motorsports Chevrolet. Smith wheeled this same truck to a strong top-10 run last fall in Homestead.
Eric Norris is back in the No. 07 Pavestone Chevrolet for Green Light Racing.
Chris Wimmer rejoins Green Light Racing to take the wheel of the No. 08 1-800-4-A-PHONE Chevy this weekend.
Justin Hobgood is back, and so is the No. 9 Germain Motor Company Toyota.
Joey Miller is back in the No. 12 Toyota Tundra Toyota.
Kyle Busch is in the No. 15 Chevrolet for Atlanta-based team owner Billy Ballew with backing from another Atlanta-area company Krud Kutter.
Mike Bliss returns to the cockpit of the No. 16 Chevy Trucks Chevy, the truck he drove to the championship in 2002 and the truck he nearly drove to victory in substitution of an injured Jack Sprague earlier this season at Fontana.
Clay Rogers is here this weekend taking time off from the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Championship Series with the No. 44 Baird Transport Ford.
Bobby Labonte is back in the No. 47 EconoLodge/Rodeway Inn Chevy looking to better his runner-up finish here in the spring.
Mark McFarland makes his first NCTS attempt of 2005 in Ken Schrader's No. 52 Chevrolet.
Steve Park has been added to the entry list in a fourth Bill Davis Racing Toyota carrying No. 67 this weekend.
Burney Lamar is in a second Kevin Harvick, Inc. truck this weekend, the No. 92 HPS/Groeniger Chevrolet.
Today's Track Schedule
10-28-2005 9:33 am
9 am ET - NCTS Garage Opens
2:35-3:35 pm ET - NCTS Practice 1
4 - 5 pm ET - NCTS Final Practice
7 pm ET - NCTS Garage Closes
Atlanta Track Facts
10-28-2005 9:43 am
Here are the stats on Atlanta Motor Speedway:
The track is 1.54 miles in length, with a double-dogleg front stretch that was added when Speedway Motorsports, Inc. reconfigured the track in 1997.
The turns are banked at 24 degrees, and with pavement that is now 8 years old the groove has widened out to the point where drivers can comfortably run three and even four wide.
The banking on the straightaways is just 5 degrees, enough to let the rain water run off during a wet spell.
The frontstretch is 2,332 feet long, while the backstretch is much shorter at just 1,800 feet.
Atlanta Track Facts
10-28-2005 9:43 am
Here are the stats on Atlanta Motor Speedway:
The track is 1.54 miles in length, with a double-dogleg front stretch that was added when Speedway Motorsports, Inc. reconfigured the track in 1997.
The turns are banked at 24 degrees, and with pavement that is now 8 years old the groove has widened out to the point where drivers can comfortably run three and even four wide.
The banking on the straightaways is just 5 degrees, enough to let the rain water run off during a wet spell.
The frontstretch is 2,332 feet long, while the backstretch is much shorter at just 1,800 feet.
Atlanta Track Facts
10-28-2005 9:43 am
Here are the stats on Atlanta Motor Speedway:
The track is 1.54 miles in length, with a double-dogleg front stretch that was added when Speedway Motorsports, Inc. reconfigured the track in 1997.
The turns are banked at 24 degrees, and with pavement that is now 8 years old the groove has widened out to the point where drivers can comfortably run three and even four wide.
The banking on the straightaways is just 5 degrees, enough to let the rain water run off during a wet spell.
The frontstretch is 2,332 feet long, while the backstretch is much shorter at just 1,800 feet.
AMS NCTS Race History
10-28-2005 9:59 am
There have only been two NCTS races at AMS, and both have been nailbiters with the win not decided until the last turn of the last lap.
Bobby Hamilton made a bold outside pass on Mike Skinner and held him off as Skinner went sliding across the finish line sideways to win the first race here in 2004.
Earlier this spring, Ron Hornaday rubbed fenders with a hard charging Bobby Labonte off turn four to the stripe to pick up the win by inches, and he finished it off by doing a burnout all the way to Victory Lane.
It doesn't seem to be a disadvantage to start in the pack here as Hamilton came from 12th to win, while Hornaday started 18th.
David Reutimann gave Toyota its first ever NCTS pole here last spring, while Rick Crawford set the track record at 182.735 mph here earlier this season.
Rumor Time
10-28-2005 10:17 am
There are several rumors floating around about who's going where in 2005. Steve Park has joined the Toyota program in a fourth Bill Davis truck this weekend, and it is heavily rumored he will be part of the Toyota team in 2006 as well. Remember, he is close with the Wyler family (you've seen the Wyler.com decals on the Orleans Racing trucks ever since Park started driving for that team at the start of 2004), and the continuing rumor is that Toyota would like to see all of its teams field two trucks in 2005. Also hearing that Justin Hobgood will join the Germain Racing Team on a full-time basis in 2006. Hobgood will be in the No. 9 Toyota this weekend and will also race for the team in Texas and Homestead. Rumor also has Mike Bliss bringing NetZero back to the NCTS, rejoining the Xpress Motorsports team and the No. 16 Chevy. Also hearing that Bobby East will anchor the ST Motorsports expansion into the NCTS as Ford looks to add several teams to their Truck Series program. ST Motorsports has previously indicated they would partner with the Wood Brothers in a comprehensive NASCAR program, sharing technology throughout a two-car Cup and two-car Busch program, as well as adding two Truck Series entries to their operation.
Pics Posted
10-28-2005 11:17 am
We've wandered the garage with the TruckSeries.com cameras and snapped a few dozen images of the teams unloading their equipment and getting them through the tech line prior to practice. Keep an eye on the Sights and Sounds Box to the right side of the TrackSideLive! page throughout the day. We'll have exclusive TrackSideLive! audio with several of the newsmakers here today before too long as well.
Happy Birthday to You...
10-28-2005 11:29 am
There is a very festive look around the No. 8 Dodge transporter this morning as the team helps driver Deborah Renshaw celebate her birthday here today. You're never supposed to ask a lady how old she is, but the team has "Happy 30th" signs mixed in with the balloons strung up underneath the liftgate of the trailer. There seems to be a discrepancy, however, as NASCAR's information gives her a couple more years before she hits the big Three-Oh, so maybe her team is just giving her a little hard time. Happy Birthday to Deborah on behalf of all of us at TruckSeries.com!
Ragan Spotted in the Roush Garage
10-28-2005 11:53 am
Roush Racing "Gong Show" participant and finalist David Ragan was spotted in the No. 50 garage earlier this morning. You can follow the progress of all the Gong Show participants on "Racer X" every Monday on Discovery Channel at 8 pm ET. Rumors continue to swirl over who won the Gong Show, but we do know you can definitely find out of it's Ragan or Erik Darnell by watching every week on Discovery.
Record-Breaking Rookie Class Taking Shape for '06
10-28-2005 12:17 am
Here's a look at some of the names we've heard people mention as a possible part of the NCTS Raybestos Rookie of the Year class for 2006:
Erin Crocker
Erik Darnell
Bobby East
Justin Hobgood
Scott Lynch
Joey Miller
Eric Norris
David Ragan
While some drivers have committed to their plans for 2006, several have not. This list will more than likely change and change significantly by the time we reach Daytona for January testing.
Audio on the Way
10-28-2005 2:01 pm
We took the TruckSeries.com microphone to the garage area to get the scoop on some of the silly season moves for 2006. We heard from Tracy Hines what his plans for 2006 are looking like, and we also heard from potential 2006 Rookie of the Year candidate Justin Hobgood. We met up with Tim Fedewa and heard he's close to re-upping with Glynn Motorsports to come back in some capacity in 2006 as well. We also heard from NCTS veteran Terry Cook and heard he has his favorite truck back here this weekend and is looking to pick up where he left off in Kentucky with it, and Todd Bodine told us his secrets to getting around this place and being a contender to win. Stick around, that audio will be posted soon, and you can find it in the Sights and Sounds Box to the right side of the page.
More Silly Season Stuff
10-28-2005 2:23 pm
With Tracy Hines vacating the ThorSport No. 13 Chevy for other opportunities in 2006, that now opens up another seat heading in to 2006. Garage talk has Hines joining the Glynn Motorsports team, but neither Hines nor the team has been able to confirm that to this point. We are also hearing from various sources, including the current NASCAR Scene, that Steven Wallace will be heading to a prominent Dodge team for a full-season assault on the NCTS in 2006.
Trucks on Track
10-28-2005 2:29 pm
The call just came over the NASCAR radio: "Okay folks, Trucks are on the racetrack" and we underway for the first hour of practice. We'll have it all for you as it happens right here so keep it locked on!
Wimmer Up in Smoke
10-28-2005 2:32 pm
Chris Wimmer is slowing on the speedway and rolling into the garage after smoke started to billow from undernearh the No. 08 1-800-4-A-PHONE Chevrolet. Wimmer has brought the truck to the garage, but NASCAR has thrown the red flag to clean up the speedway. Apparently there is considerable fluid on the speedway through turns one and two and down the backstretch.
Red Flag Rundown, Prac 1 No 1
10-28-2005 2:41 pm
1. Miller, 30.665
2. Reutimann, 30.756
3. Starr, 30.814
4. Cook, 31.013
5. Fedewa, 31.022
6. Bodine, 31.079
7. Sprague, 31.111
8. Hornaday, 31.112
9. Norris, 31.145
10. Craven, 31.180
11. Musgrave, 31.200
12. Smith, 31.300
13. Kluever, 31.359
14. Renshaw, 31.382
15. Hobgood, 31.466
16. Gaughan, 31.538
17. Lamar, 31.548
18. Sutton, 31.565
19. Peters, 31.606
20. Crafton, 31.685
21. Rogers, 31.732
22. Keselowski, 31.743
23. Montgomery, 32.083
24. McFarland, 32.521
25. Lynch, 32.681
26. Wimmer, 32.775
27. Crawford, 32.901
28. Pressley, 37.042
Setzer Makes First Run
10-28-2005 2:51 pm
With a special focus on the championship contenders, we kept our ears on Dennis Setzer and his gang throughout his first run today. Once he was done, Setzer relayed to the team that "we got the front clip on the ground pretty hard a few times in turns one and two and a couple of times in three and four." Sparks were evident from the closed circuit coverage shown here in the media center. He has brought the machine to the garage to the attention of his team.
We're still waiting to hear from Ted Musgrave's team on the scanner, we'll let you know what's up with him when we track him down.
Prac 1 Rundown 2
10-28-2005 2:59 pm
1. Skinner, 30.464
2. Busch, 30.627
3. Lester, 30.648
4. Miller, 30.665
5. Bliss, 30.752
6. Reutimann, 30.756
7. Labonte, 30.789
8. Starr, 30.814
9. Benson, 30.916
10. Crawford, 30.942
11. Kluever, 30.950
12. Park, 30.955
13. Setzer, 30.980
14. Norris, 31.011
15. Cook, 31.013
16. Spencer, 31.016
17. Fedewa, 31.022
18. Sprague, 31.029
19. Bodine, 31.079
20. Whitt, 31.105
21. Hornaday, 31.112
22. Hobgood, 31.117
23. Craven, 31.180
24. Musgrave, 31.200
25. Hines, 31.206
26. Mickel, 31.232
27. Gaughan, 31.259
28. Smith, 31.300
29. Renshaw, 31.382
30. Lamar, 31.548
31. Sutton, 31.565
32. Peters, 31.606
33. Crafton, 31.685
34. Rogers, 31.732
35. Keselowski, 31.743
36. Montgomery, 31.778
37. Pressley, 32.084
38. McFarland, 32.132
39. Lynch, 32.538
40. Wimmer, 32.775
41. Edwards, 37.835
42. Hamilton, No Time
Musgrave Back Out After Quick Shock Change
10-28-2005 3:06 pm
Ted Musgrave brought his truck to the attention of Gene Nead and the crew for a quick shock change and he is back on the track. He reports the truck is sliding the left front off the corner because it is so tight, so Nead and the gang will add some more rebound to the front shocks to help fix the condition.
They Said It Prac 1 No 1
10-28-2005 3:11 pm
David Reutimann, No. 17 Toyota: "It is loose getting in. It just doesn't have any rear grip."
Mark McFarland, No. 52 Chevrolet: "It doesn't feel as fast down the frontstretch as it does down the back. But the truck feels really really comfortable."
They Said It Prac 1 No 2
10-28-2005 3:16 pm
Ricky Craven, No. 99 Ford: "We need to check the toe-in. It is darting, and it wasn't doing it the last run. But it is steering better."
Mike Bliss, No. 16 Chevrolet: "I am a little hesitant to turn the wheel on the bottom. I need to get used to all of the side force the trucks have. I'd like to run with some trucks to see how it reacts in the air."
They Said It Prac 1 No 3
10-28-2005 3:19 pm
Terry Cook, No. 10 Ford: "It feels like we don't have any side bite. If you have any wheel to it, it feels like it is rolling over on the right front."
Joey Miller, No. 12 Toyota: "That was better but it still feels really loose. You're always driving it with the rear end."
Prac 1 Top-10
10-28-2005 3:40 pm
We're fighting a little internet connectivity issue here all of a sudden, but we've been assured it will be fixed momentarily. Until then, all we can bring you is a quick final top-10 from Practice 1:
1. Skinner, 181.955
2. Busch, 181.017
3. Lester, 180.893
4. Miller, 180.792
5. Bliss, 180.281
6. Reutimann, 180.258
7. Labonte, 180.064
8. Starr, 179.918
9. Sprague, 179.907
10. Hamilton, 179.580
Hamitlon looks like he is up to his old tricks. He only turned three laps in the first practice, and looks to be conserving tires for the race rather than burning up a set in practice.
Prac 1 Final Results
10-28-2005 3:46 pm
1 Mike Skinner 30.464 181.985
2 Kyle Busch 30.627 181.017
3 Bill Lester 30.648 180.893
4 Joey Miller 30.665 180.792
5 Mike Bliss 30.752 180.281
6 David Reutimann 30.756 180.258
7 * Bobby Labonte 30.789 180.064
8 David Starr 30.814 179.918
9 * Jack Sprague 30.816 179.907
10 Bobby Hamilton 30.872 179.58
11 Johnny Benson 30.894 179.452
12 * Justin Hobgood 30.902 179.406
13 Rick Crawford 30.942 179.174
14 Todd Kluever # 30.95 179.128
15 * Steve Park 30.955 179.099
16 Brandon Whitt 30.979 178.96
17 Dennis Setzer 30.98 178.954
18 Eric Norris 31.011 178.775
19 Terry Cook 31.013 178.764
20 Jimmy Spencer 31.016 178.746
21 * Tim Fedewa 31.022 178.712
22 Todd Bodine 31.079 178.384
23 Ron Hornaday Jr.31.112 178.195
24 * John Mickel 31.116 178.172
25 Ricky Craven 31.18 177.806
26 Ted Musgrave 31.192 177.738
27 Tracy Hines 31.206 177.658
28 Brendan Gaughan 31.259 177.357
29 * Kelly Sutton 31.296 177.147
30 * Regan Smith 31.3 177.125
31 * Burney Lamar 31.318 177.023
32 Matt Crafton 31.323 176.995
33 Deborah Renshaw 31.382 176.662
34 Chris Wimmer 31.39 176.617
35 * Clay Rogers 31.559 175.671
36 Timothy Peters #31.606 175.41
37 Brad Keselowski 31.743 174.653
38 Scott Lynch 31.761 174.554
39 Chase Montgomery31.778 174.46
40 Robert Pressley 31.911 173.733
41 * Mark McFarland 32.182 172.27
42 * Wayne Edwards 33.008 167.959
Final Practice Up Next
10-28-2005 3:52 pm
The final hour of practice is just minutes away. We'll have all the action, and let you know what our championship contenders are up to, right here on TrackSideLive!
Green Flag Out for Final Practice
10-28-2005 3:56 pm
The green light just flickered on, and we're hard at it for the final practice for the Easy Care 200. It will be interesting to see who goes out to run hard and who stays in the garage conserving tires. We'll have all of the news and notes as it happens, so stick around!
Green's out...but where are the trucks?
10-28-2005 4:00 pm
In the first practice, teams rushed to get on to the speedway and start making laps. The green has been out for almost 10 minutes in the second session and we've barely seen ten trucks on the track. Maybe the teams are starting to catch on to Bobby Hamilton's theory that has put him in victory lane here and in Darlington in the past?
Setzer and Musgrave coming at you tonight
10-28-2005 4:02 pm
Stick around this evening, because after we conclude practice we will have a chance to get together with both Ted Musgrave and Dennis Setzer to talk about the stretch run to the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. It should be interesting, so stay with us!
Prac 2 Rundown 1
10-28-2005 4:08 pm
1. Skinner, 30.513
2. Reutimann, 30.900
3. Whitt, 30.915
4. Busch, 31.004
5. Lester, 31.054
6. Musgrave, 31.091
7. Smith, 31.099
8. Benson, 31.118
9. Hamilton, 31.125
10. Kluever, 31.161
11. Hornaday, 31.167
12. Miller, 31.261
13. Crawford, 31.331
14. Hobgood, 31.362
15. Bliss, 31.432
16. Sutton, 31.465
17. Starr, 31.481
18. Norris, 31.493
19. Sprague, 31.548
20. Wimmer, 31.595
21. Spencer, 31.624
22. Hines, 31.669
23. Fedewa, 31.735
24. Pressley, 31.861
25. McFarland, 32.010
26. Renshaw, 32.028
27. Peters, 32.128
28. Mickel, 32.129
29. Lynch, 32.397
30. Keselowski, 32.630
31. Edwards, 32.671
Clean and green so far
10-28-2005 4:17 pm
We've been clean and green so far through 25 minutes of the second session. No slowdowns for debris or incidents at this point.
Prac 2 Rundown 2
10-28-2005 4:25 pm
1. Skinner, 30.513
2. Smith, 30.803
3. Sutton, 30.835
4. Reutimann, 30.900
5. Whitt, 30.915
6. Sprague, 30.988
7. Busch, 31.004
8. Musgrave, 31.024
9. Lester, 31.054
10. Benson, 31.118
11. Hamilton, 31.125
12. Kluever, 31.161
13. Hornaday, 31.167
14. Craven, 31.181
15. Cook, 31.231
16. Labonte, 31.257
17. Miller, 31.261
18. Setzer, 31.308
19. Crawford, 31.331
20. Starr, 31.360
21. Hobgood, 31.362
22. Spencer, 31.368
23. Park, 31.374
24. Bliss, 31.399
25. Wimmer, 31.416
26. Fedewa, 31.440
27. Bodine, 31.469
28. Norris, 31.493
29. Lynch, 31.564
30. Hines, 31.603
31. Crafton, 31.630
32. Peters, 31.764
33. Rogers, 31.843
34. Gaughan, 31.851
35. Lamar, 31.859
36. Pressley, 31.861
37. Montgomery, 31.942
38. McFarland, 31.960
39. Renshaw, 31.964
40. Keselowski, 32.040
41. Mickel, 32.129
42. Edwards, 32.671
Musgrave Working to Stay Free
10-28-2005 4:32 pm
In an effort to make sure the No.1 Dodge doesn't get too tight in race conditions, crew chief Gene Nead has had Ted Musgrave go through an extended run late in this session. "If you can do something to the back to make it turn a little better without hurting the front, do it," Musgrave said. "I think I can do that," Nead replied confidently.
Setzer Struggling to Find Grip
10-28-2005 4:37 pm
Dennis Setzer reports to his crew that he's struggling to find grip in the front end of his machine. "We need to get a tire sheet and take a look at it because something's not right there," Setzer said.
Prac 2 Top-10
10-28-2005 4:56 pm
We'll get the full results posted shortly, but here's a quick look at the top-10 for the second practice whinch just concluded:
1. Skinner, 183.294
2. Lamar, 182.561
3. Musgrave, 182.320
4. Benson, 182.135
5. Labonte, 181.812
6. Busch, 181.747
7. Park, 181.729
8. Miller, 181.206
9. Setzer, 181.100
10. Crawford, 181.046
Final Practice Results
10-28-2005 5:01 pm
1 Mike Skinner 30.247 183.291
2 * Burney Lamar 30.368 182.561
3 Ted Musgrave 30.408 182.32
4 Johnny Benson 30.439 182.135
5 * Bobby Labonte 30.493 181.812
6 Kyle Busch 30.504 181.747
7 * Steve Park 30.507 181.729
8 Joey Miller 30.595 181.206
9 Dennis Setzer 30.613 181.1
10 Rick Crawford 30.622 181.046
11 * Jack Sprague 30.638 180.952
12 Todd Kluever # 30.644 180.916
13 Mike Bliss 30.645 180.91
14 Bill Lester 30.661 180.816
15 David Starr 30.683 180.686
16 Tracy Hines 30.69 180.645
17 Brandon Whitt 30.693 180.628
18 David Reutimann 30.702 180.575
19 * Regan Smith 30.733 180.392
20 * Tim Fedewa 30.741 180.345
21 * Kelly Sutton 30.788 180.07
22 Terry Cook 30.845 179.737
23 Todd Bodine 30.893 179.458
24 Ricky Craven 30.931 179.238
25 Ron Hornaday Jr.30.985 178.925
26 Brendan Gaughan 31.025 178.695
27 Eric Norris 31.027 178.683
28 Deborah Renshaw 31.049 178.556
29 Jimmy Spencer 31.068 178.447
30 Bobby Hamilton 31.125 178.12
31 Timothy Peters #31.146 178
32 * Justin Hobgood 31.17 177.863
33 Chris Wimmer 31.207 177.652
34 Matt Crafton 31.301 177.119
35 Chase Montgomery31.354 176.82
36 Robert Pressley 31.377 176.69
37 Brad Keselowski 31.536 175.799
38 Scott Lynch 31.558 175.677
39 * Clay Rogers 31.603 175.426
40 * Mark McFarland 31.866 173.979
41 * John Mickel 32.129 172.554
42 * Wayne Edwards 32.671 169.692
Audio on its way!
10-28-2005 6:40 pm
A brand new batch of audio is on its way folks, and you do not want to miss it! We sat down with both of our championship contenders and have nearly ten minutes of audio from Ted Musgrave and Dennis Setzer as both of them prepare for the dash for cash as we close out the race for the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. We also met up with Kelly Sutton, who was remarkably fast in the final practice and we heard from Bill Lester who is celebrating a milestone here at his home track. Finally, we bumped into former Atlanta winner Bobby Hamilton and asked him if he was up to his old tricks by saving tires to snooker these guys and girls tomorrow. Stick around, it's going to be well worth it!
Gates are sliding shut; time to call it a night
10-28-2005 6:50 pm
They are closing the gates on the garage area here at AMS, so we're going to call it a day. We'll get a good night's rest and get back here bright and early tomorrow. There's a lot going on, and we want to get all of the news and notes we can leading into Live! Bud Pole Qualifying at 11:30 am ET and heading in to the Easy Care 200 at 3 pm ET. That's it for now...listen to the audio in the Sights and Sounds Box, check out the pics, and until tomorrow, good night everybody!
Good Morning from Atlanta
10-29-2005 8:29 am
Good morning everybody and welcome to our TrackSideLive! raceday coverage of the Easy Care 200 from Atlanta Motor Speedway presented by our good friends at Team ASE. After a cool night, the sun is rising and slowly burning off the light fog and mist that had settled in the rolling hills around the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and before too long we are going to be getting ready for Live! Bud Pole Qualifying, coming your way at 11:30 am ET. Enjoy your morning, and keep checking back right here for continuing updates throughout the morning and into the afternoon leading up to the start of the 135-lap Easy Care 200 shortly after 3 pm ET.
Today's Schedule at AMS
10-29-2005 8:33 am
It is going to be very nice for those of us here to watch NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racing today, because the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series garage is closed today. There is a very relaxed feel as we close in on the start of our day. Here is the schedule for the morning and afternoon:
9 am ET: Spectator Gates Open
10:30 am ET: NCTS Driver and Crew Chief Meeting
11:30 am ET : Live! Bud Pole Qualifying
1:45 pm ET: Round 4 2005 IROC
3 pm ET: NCTS Driver Introductions
3:25 pm ET: Start, NCTS Easy Care Vehcile Services Contracts 200
Engine Change for Mickel
10-29-2005 8:40 am
As we were walking out of the garage area last evening, we saw the engine being hoisted out of the No. 05 dsi nexdox/Dudman Group Dodge driven by John Mickel. No word on what went wrong with the primary powerplant, but Mickel was 41st of the 42 trucks here in yesterday's final practice. In the first practice, Mickel was sixth-fastest of the 12 drivers that need to qualify into the field based upon time trial speed. Remember, there are six spots available for those 12 drivers, so had we set the field based upon those times, Mickel would have been in.
Qualifying will be intense
10-29-2005 8:47 am
When we do roll off for Live! Bud Pole Qualifying at 11:30 am ET, expect to have one of the most intense qualifying sessions we've had all season long. There are some major names that need to make this race based upon qualifying speed, and there are more of those major names than there are spots in the field. Here is how they broke down in each of yesterday's two practice sessions:
Practice 1 -
7. Labonte, 30.789
9. Sprague, 30.816
12. Hobgood, 30.902
15. Park, 30.955
21. Fedewa, 31.022
24. Mickel, 31.116
29. Sutton, 21.296
30. Smith, 31.300
31. Lamar, 31.318
35. Rogers, 31.559
41. McFarland, 32.182
42. Edwards, 33.008
Final Practice -
2. Lamar, 30.368
5. Labonte, 30.493
7. Park, 30.507
11. Sprague, 30.638
19. Smith, 30.733
20. Fedewa, 30.741
21. Sutton, 30.788
32. Hobgood, 31.170
39. Rogers, 31.603
40. McFarland, 31.866
41. Mickel, 32.129
42. Edwards, 32.671
Drivers Meeting Notes
10-29-2005 10:36 am
With qualifying set for 11:30 A.M., NASCAR scheduled the drivers meeting prior to qualifying. Here are the notes from the meeting, which just ended:
If the IROC race runs long, NASCAR would still like to have the scheduled driver introductions with the drivers driven around the speedway in the back of a pickup truck...NASCAR has mandated a minimum 47 psi right front tire air pressure for this event, and each time the right front is changed a NASCAR official must check the pressure with a NASCAR supplied pressure gauge and a cap is then installed on the valve stem; if the valve stem is removed, the tire must be rechecked...the minimum speed to remain in competition is 34.78 seconds...the speed on pit road is 45 miles per hour, and it runs from 230 feet before the first pit stall all the way through pit road and ends 90 feet past the last pit stall...the restart point is the double red lines on the outside wall exiting turn four.
Tires an issue?
10-29-2005 10:47 am
Several teams reported blistered tires in practice yesterday, raising concerns there may be a tire problem during the race today. However, it is often very common for teams to experience blistered tires in practice when the track is green and they are still perfecting the setups on their chassis. In order to help ensure the right front tires are not a problem, NASCAR has mandated a minimum pressure of 47 psi for the race today.
Easy Care 200 Qualifying Fast Facts
10-29-2005 2:16 pm
Mike Skinner won his 6th Bud Pole of 2005, which clinches the season-long award; it is Skinner's 23rd career pole...Skinner started third here in March, but had a run-in with the wall before engine failure sidelined him just 59 laps in...Bill Davis Racing has earned eight Bud Pole Awards to this point in 2005; Skinner has picked up six, while Bill Lester has earned two...Ted Musgrave will start second after qualifying 21st for both previous NCTS races at Atlanta; he has recorded finishes of sixth and eighth in those two events...each of the series' four manufacturers is represented among the top five starters...John Mickel will have to try another time to become the first UK native to make the starting field for an NCTS race.
Easy care 200 Pit Assignments
10-29-2005 2:22 pm
Starting in turn one at pit exit and ending in turn four and pit entrance:
Kluever
Keselowski
Bliss
Lamar
Peters
Pressley
Crafton
Gaughan
Lynch
Hornaday
Lester
Break in pit wall
Setzer
Miller
Montgomery
Renshaw
Hines
Starr
Craven
Skinner
Break in pit wall
Park
Crawford
Start/Finish Line
Busch
Whitt
Open Stall
Open Stall
Musgrave
Sprague
Wimmer
Bodine
Benson
Spencer
Fedewa
Break in pit wall
Labonte
Smith
Cook
Hamilton
Norris
Reutimann
Atlanta Races Summary
10-29-2005 2:29 pm
There have been two previous races at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NCTS, but this is the first time the series has raced here in the fall.
The average start of the winner is 15th, with Bobby Hamilton coming from 12th to win in 2004 and Ron Hornaday came from 18th to win here in the spring.
There are an average of 18 lead lap finishers, with 13 on the lead lap last year and 23 on the lead serial in the spring.
There were 11 lead changes in the first race here in 2004 and the lead swapped hands 13 times earlier this season.
There are an average of 6.5 leaders, with 4 drivers leading last year and 9 taking a turn in front in the spring race.
The yellow flag waved four times in both races.
There have been an average of 22.5 caution laps, with 26 laps under yellow in 2004 and 19 here in March.
The cumulative average speed is 133.049 miles per hour.
Hamilton Involved in Hard Crash at End of IROC Finale
10-29-2005 2:35 pm
Bobby Hamilton was involved in a hard crash with Scott Pruett on the final lap of the IROC XXIX Finale just moments ago. Hamilton was riding the rim around the outside of turns one and two and down the backstretch when he was tapped in the left rear sending him into a spin into the inside backstretch wall. Hamilton made heavy contact with the rear of his machine, but did drive off and bring his car back to pit road. Pruett made extremely hard contact just past the end of the SAFER barrier with the nose of his machine. He got out under his own power but was limping, apparently injuring one of his feet and/or legs.
YTD Statistical Summary
10-29-2005 2:41 pm
Average Start of Winner: 2004, 7.48; 2005, 9.33
Cumulative Lead Changes: 2004, 200; 2005, 192
Average Lead Changes Per Race: 2004, 9.52; 2005, 9.14
Average Leaders Per Race: 2004, 5.67; 2005, 6.29
Total Laps Under Caution: 2004, 884; 2005, 772
Average Caution Flags Per Race: 2004, 7.71; 2005, 7.90
Current Year MFR Performance
10-29-2005 2:45 pm
Chevrolet: 9 wins, 6 poles, 38 top-5, 71 top-10, 1430 laps led
Dodge: 4 wins, 2 poles, 25 top-5, 52 top-10, 433 laps led
Ford: 2 wins, 2 poles, 14 top-5, 35 top-10, 358 laps led
Toyota: 6 wins, 9 poles, 28 top-5, 52 top-10, 1407 laps led
The battle for the most laps led for a manufacturer is immensely close, with Chevrolet leading just 23 more laps than Toyota.
Point Spread YTD
10-29-2005 2:50 pm
After 21 races in 2004, there was a 79 point gap between first and second. This season, there is a 54 point gap heading into race 22.
The point spread between positions 1 thru 5 last year was 336 points, while this season it is 339. The difference between first and tenth was 461 last year, while this year it is 471.
2005 Superspeedway Points
10-29-2005 3:05 pm
Dennis Setzer has racked up more points on tracks over one mile in length in 2005. He has scored 2136 points in 14 races, while Ted Musgrave has scored 2083 points over the same span. Bobby Hamilton is third with 1849 points, Mike Skinner fourth with 1848 points, and Ron Hornaday fifth in superspeedway points with 1842.
2005 Short Track Points
10-29-2005 3:11 pm
The short track portion of the 2005 NCTS schedule is complete, and here is how the top-five broke down:
Todd Bodine scored more points in the 7 short track races than any other driver. He earned 976 points with three top-5 finishes and four top tens. Ron Hornaday led 198 short track laps and somehow managed NOT to win one of the seven races. He did, however, pick up 973 points on short tracks along the way and was second only to Bodine. Ted Musgrave is third in short track standings with 954 points, Todd Kluever scored 940 points, and Matt Crafton rounded out the top five with 905 points.
Dennis Setzer is 12th in short track standings with 847 points, and those 107 points he lost to Musgrave on short tracks could very well be the difference in the end of the season standings and could be the deciding factor in the championship.
Easy Care 200 Race Updates 1-10
10-29-2005 3:18 pm
10. Lap 6 - Musgrave pressuring Busch for the lead. He wants the five points for leading a lap. Labonte is making his way to the front. Skinner and Lester join the front two and make it a four truck draft for the lead.
9. Lap 4 - Yellow is out and some drivers have made their way to pit road. Hamilton, Peters, Montgomery, Lynch, Lamar, Hines and Keselowski all stopped. Crafton stopped as well and the crew is again giving attention to the nose of the truck.
8. Engines have refired. Several drivers will come to pit road to check tires after running through the debris from the accident. Red flag time was 30 minutes and 7 seconds.
7. The track crew has been spraying down the crash area with water to disperse the fuel from the No. 16 after the fuel pump was sheared off. Gasoline will eat away at asphalt, so the water is a necessity. They are currently blowing the area with the jet blowers to dry it.
6. Mike Bliss has been seen and released from the care center. Steve Park has also been seen and released. Bliss says he has no injuries, "but it hurts mentally because we had a good truck." Park says "it's disbelief at first when you get turned around and we just slid up the caught up some other guys."
5. Lap 3 - Red flag. Busch leads Musgrave, Skinner, Lester, Kluever, Setzer, Whitt, Labonte, Sprague, and Fedewa. Lynch reports he ran over debris and may have a flat tire.
4. Pace truck is in and the green flag is out. 130 laps to go. Busch looks lke to make it three wide going into turn one and is leading going into three after starting fifth. Park gets touched by Fedewa going into the second dogleg and slides out of control into turn one. Park collects Bliss and Norris and they all crash hard into the all. Bliss's truck is on fire as the field comes to the pit road. Red flag is out.
3. Crafton comes to pit road on the first of the three pace laps and the team is under the hood. They have made whatever adjustment they needed to make and Crafton is rejoining the field. He was scheduled to start from the back row anyhow, so they had nothing to lose.
2. Trucks are rolling off. No one reported to be going to the back for the start.
1.The National Anthem has been performed, and the engines have been fired and we are ready to roll. There will be three laps on the initial roll-off before the green. Championship contenders Ted Musgrave and Dennis Setzer will line up second and sixth respectively. Skinner rolls from his sixth pole.
Easy Care 200 Race Updates 11-20
10-29-2005 4:10 pm
20. Lap 50 - Benson leads at the line for lap 49, but Busch comes back to lead lap 50 and stretches it out by a couple of lengths. Bodine is moving his way through the top of the field and sits third. Labonte and Skinner and locked in a battle for fourth and fifth. Musgrave is running 28th.
19. Lap 46 - Skinner leads off pit road with Busch second. Benson, Bodine, Whitt, Labonte, Kluever, Sprague, Hamilton, Setzer, Craven, Starr, Miller, Fedewa, Lamar, Peters, Crawford, Cook, Gaughan, Smith, Lester, Keselowski, Hornaday, Wimmer, Renshaw, and Crafton will make the the rest of the lead lap. Musgrave is still on the lead lap as well but reports the toe-in off, the steering wheel was a quarter turn off center.
18. Lap 38 - Musgrave reports a chattering right front, but the right front tire gives way before he can make it to pit road. He pops the turn four wall and damages the right side of his machine. The crew is changing tires and will pull the fenders off hoping to get back out and merely survive. Musgrave is back on track.
17. Lap 38 - Benson blasts past Labonte and Sprague to take sixth. Gaughan, Cook, Keselowski, and Peters have been side by side for the last handful of laps racing deep in the field. Hines has fallen off the lead lap and his teammate Crafton is in Skinner's sights. Kluever is racing Musgrave for third.
16. Lap 33 - Montgomery goes to the garage. Busch is now putting pressure on Skinner for the lead. Sprague is no on Labonte's back bumper and the bulk of the field has spread out all around the speedway.
15. Lap 29 - Kluever racing hard with Labonte for fifth. Montgomery has pancaked the wall and is off the pace on the apron, but we stay under green.
14. Lap 18 - Spencer makes an unscheduled stop for four tires. Skinner leads at the stripe. Musgrave, Bodine, Labonte, Kluever, Sprague, Hamilton, Craven and Whitt are the top ten. The top two have separated from third place by 1.8 seconds.
13. Lap 16 - Skinner takes second going into turn one. The first side by side racing is for 9th, but from there on back it is a jumble as Sprague, Setzer, Benson, Whitt, Hamilton, Craven and Crawford and in the mix. Crawford is up to 12th after pitting on lap 4.
12. Lap 12 - Restart. Busch leads Musgrave while Bodine jumps to the outside back in the pack to race Crawford.
11. Lap 8 - Reutimann's chances to finish in the top-10 in points took a huge hit as he goes up in smoke and his team is pushing him directly behind the wall.
Easy Care 200 Race Updates 21-30
10-29-2005 4:41 pm
30. Lap 102 - Sprague looks inside Busch and they fight side by side for the lead. Benson closes in to make it a three way fight for the lead.
29. Lap 97 - Craven has a huge wiggle in one and two and reports he may have a tire problem. Hamilton up to fifth as Busch leads Sprague and Benson.
28. Lap 90 - Leaders to pit road. Peters gets the free pass and rejoins the lead lap. Sprague leads Busch, Whitt, Kluever, Benson, Labonte, Starr, Craven, Hamilton, Musgrave, Miller, Setzer, Cook, Skinner, WImmer, Gaughan, Peters, Bodine, Lester, Fedewa, Hornaday, Smith, Renshaw Spencer, Pressley, Keselowski, Crafton, Lamar, Lynch, Hines. Crawford goes behind the wall. Busch leads on the restart as Hamilton is blasting around traffic around the outside.
27. Lap 85 - Hornaday and Crafton have been lapped. Bodine is reporting a vibration on the right front and goes hardinto the turn one wall.
26. Lap 81 - Musgrave is now 14th, just two positions behind Setzer. Sprague is now in lapped traffic and his lead has been chopped to just under three tenths of a second.
25. Lap 74 - Sprague leads for the first time ever in a Toyota. He stretches the advantage over Labonte to 0.15 seconds in just one lap. Benson is racing Labonte for second but loses momentum and falls to fourth behind Bodine.
24. Lap 70 - The leaders are all riding the rim right up next to the outside wall. Sprague dips to the inside to race Bodine for second. Skinner has fallen back to 11th. Chevrolet leads with three Toyotas behund and another Chevy rounding out the top five.
23. Lap 66 - Labonte looks outside Bodine for the lead. Sprague is starting to reel in the leader.
22. Lap 59 - Busch slides behind Bodine to suck off a windshield tear off from the grill. Bodine leads with Busch second and Labonte now rides in third. Musgrave has moved up to 22nd. Crafton restarted 29th and has moved up to 17th after getting the free pass. Sprague is racing side by side for fourth with Benson.
21. Lap 55 - Benson is fighting Bodine for second. Craven and Hamilton are racing for 8th, with Kluever sneaking in to make it a three-way battle. Busch leads by 0.6 seconds.
Easy Care 200 Race Updates 31-
10-29-2005 5:12 pm
36. Busch wins and the leaders scramble and a huge crash erupts as they cross the line.
35. Lap 123 - Sprague stays out, as does Benson, Bodine, Kluever, Craven, Starr, Cook and Wimmer. Busch will restart 9th.
34. Lap 122- Musgrave has a flat right rear and the caution comes out as the tire starts to come apart.
33. Lap 119 - Bodine has scrapped his way through the field to sit fifth with 10 laps remaining. Sprague leads by 3.2 seconds.
32. Lap 113 - Sprague leads by one second over Busch and Benson who are fighting for second. Musgrave has dipped to ninth. Setzer rides in 14th.
31. Lap 106 - Musgrave has moved to seventh place while Setzer rides in 14th. Sprague leads by nearly half a second over Busch.
Easy Care 200 Unofficial Results
10-29-2005 5:26 pm
1. Busch
2. Benson
3. Bodine
4. Sprague
5. Labonte
6. Kluever
7. Miller
8. Craven
9. Starr
10. WHitt
11. Skinner
12. Cook
13. Setzer
14. Gaughan
15. Wimmer
16. Peters
17. Hamilton
18. Renshaw
19. Musgrave
20. Lester
21. Fedewa
22. Hornaday
23. Crafton
24. Spencer
25. Hines
26. Lynch
27. Pressley
28. Lamar
29.Smith
30. Keselowski
31. Montgomery
32. Crawford
33. Reutimann
34. Park
35. Norris
36. Bliss
No Injuries on Final Lap
10-29-2005 6:57 pm
Even though several trucks were destroyed on the final lap as the field came to the checkered flag, no injuries were reported among the drivers involved. Bobby Labonte, Todd Kluever and David Starr were all seen and released from the infield care center.
Audio Coming
10-29-2005 7:01 pm
We spent a lot of time in the garage trying to track down as many of the players in today's wild finish as we could, and we also looked for the series point leaders. We were able to get with race winner Kyle Busch to hear about his thrilling charge to the finish, and we grabbed Todd Bodine and Johnny Benson to talk about their wild rides off turn four coming to the checkered flag. We heard from Jack Sprague who was happy after a good finish but a little disappointed he wasn't sitting in victory lane. We also met up with Bobby Hamilton who talked about the last lap, and gave his opinion on some of the wilder stuff that broke out coming to the finish line. We heard from Joey Miller who picked up his first career top-10 finish, and we also met up with a frustrated David Starr who had a good run but ended the day with a wadded up truck.
We were able to catch up with Dennis Setzer who told us about his long afternoon, but we were not able to catch Ted Musgrave before he departed the speedway.
Points Shaken Up at Back of Top-10
10-29-2005 7:07 pm
While the top seven positions remained the same in the championship standings, the back of the top 10 was jumbled as several of the contenders have long afternoons. David Starr picked up a position, as did Ricky Craven. Matt Crafton had a long day, starting 35th and finishing 22nd and dropped two spots in the points.
The battle to break into the top 10 is just as intense, as Jack Sprague jumped one spot and Todd Kluever jumped two to sit eleventh and twelfth. Terry Cook holds steady in 13th, but David Reutimann dropped three spots and now sits 14th.
There is a 134 point gap between fifth place Bobby Hamilton and tenth place Matt Crafton with just three races remaining. There are 105 points between tenth-place Crafton and 15th-place Johnny Benson.
Lap Leaders
10-29-2005 7:15 pm
Kyle Busch led 45 laps today, while runner-up Todd Bodine paced the field for 11 laps. Third-place Johnny Benson led for a single lap, while Jack Sprague matched Busch for the most laps led, again with 45. Bobby Labonte led 6 laps, and Ricky Craven made it up front for a single circuit. Mike Skinner led three times for 20 laps, and Deborah Renshaw stayed out under caution to pick up the five bonus points for leading a lap. As there are two drivers tied at the top for the most laps led, both Busch and Sprague were awarded the 10 bonus points.
The Shrub Looking to Tie Big Brother
10-29-2005 7:21 pm
Kyle Busch said in his post-race press conference that it is unlikely he will return to the Truck Series in 2006 in any capacity, so he has just three races left in 2005 to tie his brother Kurt on the series all-time win list. Kurt won series rookie of the year honors in 2000 after picking up four wins for Roush Racing. Kyle nearly picked off a win at Chicago Motor Speedway in 2001, but after being "aged out" at the end of that season he didn't start another series event until this season. He now has three wins and is just one win away from matching his brother's mark.
That's all folks! See you from Texas!
10-29-2005 7:25 pm
They are turning the lights off in the media center here at AMS, and the only people left here are TruckSeries.com people! Our photographers are hard at work cataloguing the galleries you will see later in the week, and there are some awesome shots of the two big incidents on the day. You will be able to listen to nine post-race interviews that will take you into the night. Big thanks to everyone here at AMS for their hospitality, and we look forward to talking to you all again from Texas Motor Speedway on Thursday. Until then, good night everybody!
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