|
TrackSideLive!
| Sam's Town 400
Texas Motor Speedway |
Friday June 9,
2006
TrackSideLive! Presented by
Team ASE with TrackSide Editor Charles Krall...
Exclusive online coverage - from start to
finish - of the tough trucks and even tougher drivers of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
including Practice Times, Notes, Quotes, Photos, Audio interviews and more!
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TrackSideLive! from Texas Motor Speedway
06-08-2006 12:00 pm
Join us Thursday at noon as the tough trucks of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start practice for the
Sam's Town 400
at Texas Motor Speedway.
From each practice session, qualifying action and race coverage going late Friday night, keep it locked on
TrackSideLive! Presented by Team ASE with Charles Krall
for behind the scenes action, exclusive TruckShots! and conversations with your favorite driver!
Good Morning from TMS
06-08-2006 9:44 am
Good morning everyone! It's a hot steamy morning here at Texas Motor Speedway, and it's only going to get hotter and steamier! The high temperature today is expected to reach near 100 degrees, and the teams of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be doing the bulk of their work in the heat of the day before qualifying under the lights tonight. We will have all of the action throughout practice and qualifying leading up to tomorrow's Sam's Town 400, round nine of the 2006 NCTS season right here at TrackSideLive!, exclusively at TruckSeries.com.
TMS Track Facts
06-08-2006 10:08 am
Here's the scoop on TMS:
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Banking:
Corners - 24 degrees
Dogleg - 5 degrees
Backstretch - 5 degrees
Straightaways:
Frontstretch - 2,250 feet
Backstretch - 1,350 feet
TMS Track Records
06-08-2006 10:13 am
Qualifying, one lap:
Mike Skinner, 6/05, 29.524 seconds/182.902 miles per hour
Race, 250.5 miles (400 kilometers):
Dennis Setzer, 6/04, 1 hour, 40 mins., 54 secs./148.959 miles per hour
No No. 06 This Week
06-08-2006 10:16 am
Even with a strong start to the season and several impressive runs, it seems the lack of sponsorship has caught up to MRD Motorsports and team owner Dave Malcomsen. The No. 06 Chevrolet is not on the entry list this weekend, and driver Chad McCumbee has moved over to the No. 08 Green Light Racing Chevrolet. It is a shame, as MRD was having a Cinderella season as an underdog independent team racing into the top-15 regularly and even challenging for top-10s.
By not being here this weekend, the No. 06 drops from eligibility for a guaranteed starting position througout 2006. The next highest team in the points now becomes eligible, meaning the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet is locked in here this weekend.
More TMS Track Records
06-08-2006 10:26 am
Most Wins: 4, Brendan Gaughan
Most Poles: 2; Mike Bliss, Jay Sauter, Mike Skinner
Most Top-5s: Dennis Setzer, Jack Sprague
Most Top-10s: 11, Dennis Setzer
Most Lead Changes: 15, twice
Most Leaders: 10, 6/98
Fewest Leaders: 2, 6/97
Most Cautions: 9, twice
Most Caution Laps: 46, 6/98
Fewest Cautions: 3, twice
Fewest Caution Laps: 12, 6/04
Most Lead Lap Finishers: 22, 6/04
Fewest Lead Lap Finishers: 6, twice
Most Running at Finish: 27, 10/99
Most Laps Led by Winner: 120, Greg Biffle, 6/00
Fewest Laps Led by Winner: 9, Jay Sauter, 10/99
Smallest Margin of Victory: 0.208 seconds, 6/99
Largest Margin of Victory: 11.816 seconds, 6/04
TruckShots!
06-08-2006 11:51 am
We just ventured in from the garage with the first batch of TruckShots! for the weekend. Look to the right side of the TrackSideLive! page for the Sights and Sounds Box, with links to all of the TruckSeries.com photo galleries. After you've checked out the shots from Texas, you can browse our entire image archive as well. Don't forget, we'll have exclusive garage audio with as many of the players this week in Texas as we can get, so keep checking the Sights and Sounds box regularly.
Today's Schedule
06-08-2006 11:56 am
Here is today's NCTS schedule at TMS:
7 am ET: NCTS Garage Opens
12 n - 1 pm ET: NCTS Practice
1:15 - 1:45 pm ET: NCTS Rookie Practice
2 - 3 pm ET : NCTS Final Practice
7 pm ET: Live! Bud Pole Qualifying (2 laps, all positions)
Practice Under Way
06-08-2006 11:59 am
The first trucks have rolled onto the speedway and NCTS practice 1 is under way. We'll have several timing updates throughout, and if anything newsworthy happens during this first hour you'll be the first to know!
Entry List Updates
06-08-2006 12:01 pm
Here are the updates to the weekly entry list:
David Ragan is back in the No. 6 Roush Racing Ford
Buth Miller is in the No. 07 Green Light Racing Chevrolet
Chad McCumbee takes over the No. 08 Chevrolet this weekend after the withdrawl of the No. 06 MRD Motorsports Chevrolet
Ryan Moore is back in the No. 40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet
Michel Jourdain Jr. is in the No. 50 Roush Racing Ford
J.R. Patton is entered in the No. 63 Mittler Bros. Motorsports Ford
Blake Mallory is at the track for the first time since the Daytona tests with the No. 76 Milburn Motorsports Chevrolet
Gaughan Fighting Fuel Pressure Issues
06-08-2006 12:07 pm
Brendan Gaughan has had a ton of success at TMS, but he is fighting a fuel pressure problem in the early moments of practice.
"This is the same truck we used at Chicago (for an open test) and had that fuel pressure problem," he said. "We've have the same problem now. I can hear the sound of the engine change coming off turn four."
Prac 1 Rundown 1
06-08-2006 12:18 pm
1. Skinner, 181.409
2. Darnell, 180.699
3. Reutimann, 180.487
4. Cook, 179.450
5. Bliss, 179.015
6. Setzer, 178.980
7. Bodine, 178.477
8. Gaughan, 178.359
9. Miller, 178.018
10. Hornaday, 177.942
11. Crafton, 177.877
12. Park, 176.869
13. Krisiloff, 176.806
14. Almirola, 176.725
15. Sprague, 176.678
16. Kinser, 176.580
17. Earnhardt, 176.097
18. Lester, 175.930
19. Hamilton, Jr., 175.861
20. Ragan, 175.661
21. East, 175.251
22. Crawford, 174.171
23. Moore, 174.132
24. Lagasse, Jr., 173.121
25. Reid, 172.911
26. Patton, 170.902
27. Crocker, 170.406
28. Benson, 170.347
29. Ambrose, 169.662
30. Jourdain, 167.890
Prac 1 Rundown 2
06-08-2006 12:32 pm
1. Benson, 181.500
2. Skinner, 181.409
3. Darnell, 180.699
4. Reutimann, 180.487
5. Cook, 179.450
6. Miller, 179.039
7. Bliss, 179.015
8. Starr, 179.004
9. Setzer, 178.980
10. Almirola, 178.903
11. Bodine, 178.477
12. Gaughan, 178.359
13. Sprague, 178.042
14. Hornaday, 177.942
15. Crafton, 177.877
16. Kinser, 177.784
17. East, 177.637
18. Park, 176.869
19. Krisiloff, 176.806
20. Earnhardt, 176.097
21. Lester, 175.930
22. Ragan, 175.896
23. Hamilton, Jr., 175.861
24. Crocker, 175.393
25. Reid, 174.803
26. Crawford, 174.599
27. Peters, 173.379
28. Moore, 173.132
29. Ambrose, 172.527
30. Lagasse, Jr., 173.121
31. McCumbee, 172.712
32. Richardson, 171.679
33. Sutton, 171.467
34. Jourdain, 171.429
35. Musgrave, 171.369
36. Patton, 170.902
37. Miller, 170.277
Clean and Green So Far
06-08-2006 12:42 pm
This first practice has run clean and green so far, with no incidents slowing the action. There hasn't been so much as a stoppage for debris either. There are about 15 minutes left in the session, then a quick break before we go into rookie practice.
Prac 1 Rundown 3
06-08-2006 12:47 pm
1. Benson, 181.500
2. Skinner, 181.409
3. Darnell, 180.699
4. Reutimann, 180.487
5. Cook, 179.450
6. Miller, 179.039
7. Bliss, 179.015
8. Starr, 179.004
9. Setzer, 178.980
10. Almirola, 178.903
11. Gaughan, 178.778
12. Bodine, 178.477
13. Sprague, 178.141
14. Hornaday, 177.942
15. Crafton, 177.877
16. Kinser, 177.784
17. East, 177.637
18. Park, 176.869
19. Krisiloff, 176.806
20. Earnhardt, 176.097
21. Lester, 175.930
22. Ragan, 175.896
23. Hamilton, Jr., 175.861
24. Peters, 175.598
25. Crocker, 175.393
26. Musgrave, 174.859
27. Reid, 174.803
28. Crawford, 174.599
29. Moore, 174.407
30. Ambrose, 174.008
31. Jourdain, 173.991
32. Lagasse, Jr., 173.633
33. Miller, 173.188
34. McCumbee, 172.712
35. Richardson, 171.679
36. Sutton, 171.467
37. Patton, 170.902
38. Mallory, 163.473
Mallory Crashes in Four; Red Out
06-08-2006 12:55 pm
Blake Mallory has crashed in turn four on his second lap on the speedway to bring out the red flag with just a few moments left in Practice 1. Mallory nipped the apron exiting turn three and slid up into the outside wall in turn four, impacting the SAFER barrier with the rear of the truck. The truck does not have a lot of damage, but no word yet from the team whether they will be able to affect repairs.
Uneventful Rookie Practice Over
06-08-2006 1:48 pm
The NCTS rookies went out for their 30 minutes and the session was uneventful as no incidents or stopages were needed.
1. Miller, 177.989
2. Almirola, 177.977
3. Darnell, 177.258
4. Kinser, 177.049
5. Earnhardt, 177.020
6. Crocker, 176.991
7. Ambrose, 175.553
8. Krisiloff, 175.262
9. McCumbee, 174.526
10. East, 173.975
11. Reid, 173.941
12. Jourdain, 173.561
13. Lagasse, Jr., 173.005
14. Richardson, 172.403
15. Moore, 171.619
16. Patton, 167.131
Final Practice Underway
06-08-2006 1:57 pm
The final one hour session before tonight's Live! Bud Pole Qualifying has just started. Scott Lagasse, Jr. led the charge onto the speedway as we anticipate a busy hour for the NCTS teams. We will keep you informed of all that happens, including timing updates throughout.
Bodine's Tires Talking to Him?
06-08-2006 2:00 pm
Todd Bodine came back to his crew telling him the No. 30 Toyota is "not bad", but he is facing a push coming off the corners.
"It's not bad coming off the corner, but the tires are just on the verge of chattering," Bodine said. The tires will tend to make a slight noise as they slide across the surface when the truck has an understeer condition. That's when the truck wants to continue to go straight, even with the wheel turned.
Sutton Spins off Four
06-08-2006 2:14 pm
Kelly Sutton spun the No. 02 Chevrolet off turn four to bring out the red flag. She didn't make contact, but both left side tires are flat. She will need assistance to get back to the garage as she is dug into the infield grass on the frontstretch. We should be back to green shortly.
Final Prac Rundown 1
06-08-2006 2:18 pm
1. Skinner, 179.760
2. Bodine, 178.849
3. Hamilton, Jr., 177.090
4. Kinser, 176.748
5. Crawford, 176.748
6. Sprague, 176.707
7. Bliss, 176.540
8. Darnell, 176.494
9. Almirola, 176.137
10. Reutimann, 176.102
11. Earnhardt, 176.005
12. Benson, 175.684
13. Peters, 175.496
14. Crafton, 175.484
15. Starr, 175.393
16. Gaughan, 175.370
17. McCumbee, 175.347
18. Crocker, 175.075
19. Cook, 174.317
20. Park, 174.104
21. Miller, 173.913
22. Musgrave, 173.734
23. Lester, 173.656
24. Hornaday, 173.416
25. Lagasse, Jr., 173.193
26. Ragan, 172.977
27. Setzer, 172.578
28. Reid, 172.348
29. Miller, 172.265
30. East, 171.996
31. Krisiloff, 171.647
32. Sutton, 168.977
33. Jourdain, 168.819
Final Prac Rundown 2
06-08-2006 2:37 pm
1. Skinner, 179.760
2. Reutimann, 179.004
3. Bodine, 178.849
4. Crawford, 178.271
5. Hamilton, Jr., 177.090
6. Benson, 177.043
7. Almirola, 176.962
8. Cook, 176.893
9. Kinser, 176.748
10. Sprague, 176.707
11. Bliss, 176.540
12. Darnell, 176.494
13. Crafton, 176.016
14. Earnhardt, 176.005
15. Starr, 175.919
16. Peters, 175.496
17. Setzer, 175.450
18. Gaughan, 175.370
19. McCumbee, 175.347
20. Crocker, 175.075
21. Miller, 175.029
22. Ambrose, 174.995
23. Park, 174.413
24. Ragan, 174.334
25. Lester, 173.762
26. Hornaday, 173.740
27. Musgrave, 173.734
28. Reid, 173.349
29. East, 173.260
30. Lagasse, Jr., 173.193
31. Moore, 172.944
32. Krisiloff, 172.789
33. B. Miller, 172.265
34. Richardson, 172.139
35. Jourdain, 171.499
36. Sutton, 170.962
37. Patton, 171.290
Final Prac Rundown 3
06-08-2006 2:45 pm
1. Skinner, 179.760
2. Reutimann, 179.004
3. Bodine, 178.849
4. Crawford, 178.271
5. Kinser, 178.136
6. Sprague, 177.451
7.Hamilton, 177.090
8. Benson, 177.043
9. Almirola, 176.962
10. Cook, 176.893
11. Bliss, 176.540
12. Darnell, 176.494
13. Peters, 176.384
14. Crafton, 176.016
15. Earnhardt, 176.005
16. Starr, 175.919
17. Setzer, 175.450
18. Gaughan, 175.370
19. McCumbee, 175.347
20. Crocker, 175.075
21. J. Miller, 175.029
22. Ambrose, 174.995
23. Musgrave, 174.723
24. Park, 174.413
25. Ragan, 174.334
26. Lester, 173.762
27. Hornaday, 173.740
28. Reid, 173.349
29. East, 173.260
30. Lagasse, Jr., 173.193
31. Krisiloff, 172.999
32. Moore, 172.944
33. Jourdain, 172.911
34. B. Miller, 172.656
35. Richardson, 172.139
36. Sutton, 171.860
37. Patton, 161.290
Final Practice Over
06-08-2006 2:59 pm
Final practice for the Sam's Town 400 has just concluded. Mike Skinner led David Reutimann, Erik Darnell, Rick Crawford, and Todd Bodine as the teams now start to make their preparations for Live! Bud Pole Qualifying coming your way at 7 pm ET. The track won't remain quiet for long as the IRL Indy Car Series starts their practice sessions. The Indy Cars will approach 220 miles per hour on the TMS mile and a half, and many Truck Series drivers will be making their way out to watch the action from pit road.
Images and Audio
06-08-2006 4:44 pm
There's a second round of images going up to the TruckShots! gallery, and our first round of exclusive TrackSideLive! audio is going up as well. We hooked up with several drivers and got their thoughts on the day so far:
Johnny Benson, No. 23 Toyota: "The second practice we didn't want to work on it too much because it's 100 degrees and we're not going to race like this..."
Todd Bodine, No. 30 Toyota: "We got better. The Tundra wasn't what it needed to be in the first practice. We changed some things we thought were wrong and we got better..."
Erik Darnell, No. 99 Ford: "We had a truck last week that we knew wasn't going to run well. We have the Woolrich truck back on track, and so far today it's running pretty good..."
Michel Jourdain, Jr., No. 50 Ford: "I am very excited. We made a lot of progress today. Driving the truck has a lot different feel than what I am used to, even from the Busch car..."
Steve Park, No. 59 Ford: "We learned in Charlotte what not to do. We have a truck that drives good. We practice then have three hours of IRL practice and that is a big question mark..."
Robert Richardson, No. 1 Chevrolet: "There's some nerves here at Texas my hometown track. We didn't get much practice this afternoon. We made a kind of a mock qualifying run and we got it to stick pretty good, so we should be okay in qualifying..."
Timothy Peters, No. 4 Dodge: "At this point any change is going to be good. I think you will see it even more next week in Michigan..."
Look to the Sights and Sounds Box on the right side of the TrackSideLive! page for the links to the image galleries, including our High Sierra and Rhonda Greer galleries, and you can click on each driver's name to listen to their interview in Media Player.
NCTS vs. IRL
06-08-2006 4:55 pm
Mike Skinner topped out in practice at 179 mph and some change. How much quicker are the Indy cars? As they near the conclusion of their practice, Scott Dixon leads the field with an average speed of 213.396 mph. The slowest driver in the field is Felipe Giaffone, who is averaging a little over 201 mph. The slowest IRL driver is still 22 miles an hour faster than the fastest NCTS driver, meaning that Skinner would be passed by Giaffone about once every eight laps.
Inspection Line Open
06-08-2006 5:43 pm
Business is picking up at the inspection station as several trucks have made their way through and several more are in line. The 21, 59, 13, and 85 trucks have already cleared inspection, and the 88, 63, 11, 15, 75, and 5 are in the process of working their way through.
Who to Look for in Qualifying?
06-08-2006 6:33 pm
Who should be strong tonight when we roll for the pole in qualifying for the Sam's Town 400? Based on practice speeds, the Toyota teams have a strong shot at taking not only the pole but sweeping the front row. Johnny Benson turned the fastest lap of the day at 181.500 mph, while Mike Skinner paced final practice at 180.747 mph. David Reutimann is also in the mix, and Roush Racing has one of their trucks up front this weekend with Erik Darnell. Rick Crawford is always strong at Texas and this week is no different, and Todd Bodine has had a lot of success here in the past. A dark horse? Look for Kraig Kinser, who was sixth in the final practice to have a good run in qualifying. His Morgan-Dollar team has had success here in the past, and Kinser is running strong.
Live! Bud Pole Qualifying
comes your way at 7 pm ET.
Musgrave Concerned
06-08-2006 8:55 pm
Ted Musgrave is looking for some improvement once the race starts tomorrow. "This is my worst effort ever here," Musgrave said. "The truck was terrible. We were terrible all day. I don't know if we can fix it. Hopefully during the race we can fix it. It's a handling issue. It's the worst handling truck we've ever had here. We're going to put our heads together and see what we can come up with." Musgrave will start 23rd in the No. 9 Team ASE Toyota.
Sam's Town 400 Bud Pole Qualifying Fast Facts
06-08-2006 8:58 pm
Mike Skinner picks up his 26th career NCTS Bud Pole; he is one shy of career record holder Jack Sprague who has 27 poles...Skinner now has four consecutive poles at TMS, setting the series record for the most consecutive poles at one track; Skinner was previously tied with Ron Fellows who had three consecutive poles at Watkins Glen from 1997 to 1999...Skinner also won the Bud Pole at Charlotte in May...Terry Cook qualified second, his best start of 2006; Cook has now qualified among the top 10 in four consecutive NCTS races...Kraig Kinser was the highest qualified Raybestos Rookie candidate in third; Kinser is the fourth rookie to qualifiy among the top three this season (Darnell, third, Atlanta; Crocker, second, Charlotte; Ambrose, third, Charlotte)...four-time Texas winner Gaughan, who swept every series race at TMS in 2002 and 2003, will start 18th; series championship leader Bodine starts 6th...
That's a Wrap from TMS Qualifying
06-08-2006 9:03 pm
NASCAR officials have just announced the garage area is closed, and with that we're going to call it a day. The NCTS garage doesn't open until 5 pm ET tomorrow evening, but we will pick up pre-race coverage sometime around 3 pm ET tomorrow afternoon. We will have our pre-race stats breakdown, drivers meeting notes, and as many images and audio clips as we can get for you leading up to the drop of the green flag. We will also stay late and get you as much post-race coverage as we can before they turn out the lights and kick us out. Thanks for stopping by TrackSideLive! this afternoon, and we look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow afternoon. Good night everybody!
Good Afternoon; Raceday in Texas!
06-09-2006 4:55 pm
Good afternoon from the infield here at Texas Motor Speedway! It is another extremely hot day here at the track with the high temperature today expected to nip at 100 degrees. There is not much of a breeze and with the trucks already impounded prior to the start tonight, there is very little activity here at the track.
We'll kick off tonight's coverage with a look at some stats, pick up some pre-race audio as we can, and give you the notes from the driver and crew chief meeting as well. We've got a lot to cover, so stick with us here at TrackSideLive!
Sam's Town 400 Pit Map
06-09-2006 4:57 pm
Here are the pit assignments for the Sam's Town 400, starting with pit exit in turn one and ending with pit entrance in turn four:
Skinner
Earnhardt
Park
Ragan
Lagasse, Jr.
Setzer
Darnell
Moore
Bliss
Reid
Almirola
Break in pit wall
Benson
Richardson
Gaughan
Sutton
Crafton
Jourdain
Ambrose
Lester
Hornaday
Scoring Camera/Start-Finish Line
Empty Stall
Kinser
Empty Stall
Crawford
Hamilton, Jr.
Starr
B. Miller
J. Miller
Sprague
Peters
Reutimann
Break in pit wall
Bodine
Crocker
East
Musgrave
McCumbee
Krisiloff
Cook
Chevrolet (13)
Dodge (6)
Ford (8)
Toyota (9)
TMS Best Finishes
06-09-2006 5:11 pm
Here is the best NCTS finish for each driver in tonight's starting field at Texas Motor Speedway:
Aric Almirola 34th
Johnny Benson 2nd
Mike Bliss 5th
Todd Bodine 1st
Terry Cook 6th
Matt Crafton 5th
Rick Crawford 2nd
Brendan Gaughan 1st
Ron Hornaday 6th
Bill Lester 11th
Butch Miller 13th
Ted Musgrave 2nd
Steve Park 10th
Timothy Peters 32nd
David Ragan 20th
David Reutimann 3rd
Dennis Setzer 1st
Mike Skinner 2nd
Jack Sprague 1st
David Starr 3rd
Kelly Sutton 29th
Here are the drivers making their first NCTS start at TMS:
Macros Ambrose
Erin Crocker
Erik Darnell
Kerry Earnhardt
Bobby East
Bobby Hamilton, Jr.
Michel Jourdain
Kraig Kinser
Kyle Krisiloff
Scott Lagasse, Jr.
Chad McCumbee
Joey Miller
Ryan Moore
Boston Reid
Robert Richardson
TMS NCTS Races Summary
06-09-2006 5:21 pm
There have been 17 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at Texas Motor Speedway.
The winner has an average starting position of 6.31. Todd Bodine is starting sixth tonight. The pole starter has won three times, all in consecutive races from Oct. 1999 to Oct. 2000. The deepest anyone has come from to win was 22nd.
There are an average of 12 drivers on the lead lap at the finish. The most lead lap finishers was 24 last November. The fewest number of lead lap finishers was 6, twice in June 2000 and June 2002.
There are an average of 10.2 lead changes. The most was 15, twice in back to back races in June and October 2000. The fewest number of lead changes was 1 in the inaugural race in 1997.
There are an average of 6.19 lead drivers. The most number of leaders was 10 in June 1998. The fewest number of leaders was 2 in June 1997.
The caution flag waves an average of 5.63 times. The most cautions was 9, twice, in June 1998 and October 2004. The fewest number of cautions was 3, three times, in June 2001, September 2002, and June 2004.
There are an average of 28.7 caution laps, with the most being 46 in June 1998 and the fewest being 12 in June 2004.
The cumulative average speed of all 17 races is 128.215 mph.
Look for a race that runs about 2 hours, has 8 to 12 lead changes, a half dozen or so leaders, 5 to 7 cautions, and about 30 laps under caution. In 9 of the 17 races, the winner has come from the top five starting positions, and only twice has the winner come from outside the top 10 starting positions.
2006 Laps Led
06-09-2006 5:34 pm
Here are the laps led standings entering tonight's Sam's Town 400:
Martin 288
Bodine 238
Busch 181
Hornaday 131
Starr 121
Bowyer 84
Reutimann84
Skinner 79
Musgrave 36
Setzer 30
Hamilton, Jr. 28
Sprague 9
Crawford 8
Jon Wood 6
Lester 3
Brad Keselowski 2
Bliss 2
Kevin Hamlin 1
Chad Chaffin 1
2006 Key Race Stats
06-09-2006 5:37 pm
Avg Start of Winner: 9.6
Avg Lead Changes: 8.8
Avg Lead Drivers: 4.6
Avg Caution Flags: 9.3
Avg Caution Laps: 42
Avg Running at Finish: 31.5
Avg Did Not Finish: 4.5
Avg Lead Lap Finishers: 21.9
2005 vs 2006 YTD
06-09-2006 5:39 pm
Avg Start of Winner: 2005, 14.9/2006, 9.63
Cumulative Lead Changes: 2005, 73/2006, 70
Avg Lead Changes per Race: 2005, 9.13/2006, 8.75
Avg Leaders per Race: 2005, 6.75/2006, 4.63
Total Caution Flag Laps: 2005, 340/2006, 336
Avg Cautions per Race: 2005, 8.63/2006, 9.25
Current Year Manufacturer Performance
06-09-2006 5:49 pm
Chevrolet: 2 wins, 0 poles, 6 top-5, 22 top-10, 434 laps led
Dodge: 0 wins, 1 pole, 0 top-5, 5 top-10, 29 laps led
Ford: 3 wins, 1 pole, 7 top-5, 18 top-10, 304 laps led
Toyota: 3 wins, 4 poles, 27 top-5, 35 top-10, 570 laps led
Point Spread
06-09-2006 5:52 pm
Difference, 1-2:
2005:20
2006: 76
Difference between 1-5:
2005: 116
2006: 227
Difference between 1-10:
2005: 242
2006: 280
Best Avg Finish, 2006
06-09-2006 5:54 pm
Here are the top ten drivers with the best average finish in 2006:
Bodine, 4.9
Musgrave, 6.5
Reutimann, 7.0
Benson, 10.1
Starr, 11.3
Sprague, 11.6
Bliss, 11.9
Crafton, 12.4
Setzer, 12.5
Cook, 12.6
Races Since Last Win
06-09-2006 6:02 pm
Mike Bliss, 17
Todd Bodine, 3
Terry Cook, 91
Rick Crawford, 14
Brendan Gaughan, 34
Ron Hornaday, 1
Butch Miller, 103
Ted Musgrave, 28
Steve Park, 26
David Reutimann, 17
Dennis Setzer, 18
Mike Skinner, 15
Jack Sprague, 24
David Starr, 4
Who's Picked Up Their First Win at TMS?
06-09-2006 6:07 pm
There have been three drivers that picked up their first NCTS win at TMS:
Brendan Gaughan, 6/02, 8 career wins (4 at Texas)
Travis Kvapil, 10/01, 5 career wins
Bryan Reffner, 10/00, 1 career win
Final Adjustments Done; Drivers Meeting Next
06-09-2006 6:33 pm
The teams reluctantly came out into the heat to make their final adjustments on the trucks leading up to tonight's Sam's Town 400. The teams were allowed to add or removetape to the nose, prime the oil systems, make some adjustments to the shocks, install the driver water bottle and a few other minor adjustments. All of this is done under the watchful eye of NASCAR officials.
Next up is the driver and crew chief meeting, which is scheduled for 7 pm ET.
Drivers Meeting Notes
06-09-2006 7:48 pm
Here is what went down in the NCTS drivers meeting:
Pit road speed is 45 mph, pace truck speed is 55 mph...pit road speed starts 240 feet before the first pit box and ends 150 feet after the last pit box...speed lines on pit road are yellow and marked with an orange box...the restart point is at the edge of the grass on the frontstretch, with a correspondoing double red line on the outside wall...teams are allowed five cans of fuel tonight...NASCAR will allow the teams to exchange two right side tires used in practice for two new tires to be used in the race tonight...the minimum speed to stay in competition is 33.61 seconds...Ryan Moore and crew chief Barry Dodson were late to the meeting, meaning the No. 40 Chevrolet will be relegated to the back of the field for the start.
Special Award Winners
06-09-2006 7:52 pm
Here are tonight's special award winners, to be presented during driver introductions:
Bud Pole Award: Mike Skinner
Checkers/Rallys Double Drive-Thru Challenge: David Reutimann
Clevite Engine Builders Award: Roush/Yates
Featherlite Most Improved Driver: Aric Almirola
Mobil 1 Command Performance: Todd Bodine
Raybestos Rookie of the Race: Aric Almirola
Wix Lap Leader: David Reutimann
Trucks to Grid Shortly
06-09-2006 7:55 pm
NASCAR will release the trucks from the garage at 8 pm ET, and the teams will move them to a staging area on pit road. From there, following the Indy Car Series final practice at 8:30, the teams will move the trucks to the starting grid on the speedway. Driver intros will follow at 8:45, the Star Spangled Banner is scheduled for 9:12, and the command to start 36 engines is scheduled for 9:18 pm ET. We will have all of the race updates for you right here at TrackSideLive!, and we'll have as much post-race coverage as the track officials will allow!
Pre-race Audio!
06-09-2006 9:14 pm
Before we go green, there are six pre-race audio clips for your enjoyment:
Brendan Gaughan talks about four wins here at Texas and what he has to do to make it a fifth. Aric Almirola talks about how the added seat time he has had since his first start here last fall will give him a better shot for a top finish tonight. Marcos Ambrose talks about lessons learned in Charlotte and how he hopes not to make those mistakes again. Rick Crawford talks about how the heat affects the drivers, and how growing up in a warm and humid climate may give him an advantage here today. Finally, David Starr talks about the pleasure of being the hometown favorite and how glad he is to have the opportunity to race at this level in front of his friends and family. Click on each driver's name to listen.
Sam's Town 400 Race Updates 1-10
06-09-2006 7:57 pm
10. Lap 12 - Skinner leads by over a second over Benson, Crawford, Cook, Bodine, Reutimann, Hornaday, Setzer, Almirola, and Darnell. His average speed for the opening 10 laps is over 177 miles per hour.
9. Lap 9 - Things get racey just out of the top 10 as Darnell, East, and Bliss look to mix it up for 11th. Bliss moves inside East to take 12th into one. Gaughan follows around the outside to push East back to 14th, the only side by side race on the track.
8. Lap 5 - The lead pack starts to calm down at the front as the field is now single file from front to back.
7. Lap 3 - Kinser was caught out on the start and has dropped to eleventh. East has moved up a couple of spots to 12th. Reutimann challenges Hornaday for sixth into three.
6. Green flag is out. The front row starters both spin their tires scrambling the field into three wide into turn one. Skinner leads Benson, Crawford, Cook, and Bodine across the line to complete lap one.
5. The field has already set pit road speed behind the two pace trucks and they have now formed into one pack of 18 rows of two. The one to go signal is given to the field as the cross the stripe.
4. Lagasse Jr.'s truck shows some smoke while idling on the grid. He rolls off with the rest of the field, so it is likely just excess oil burning off.
3. It is 94 degrees on a cloudless evening. The moon is rising over turn two as the engines roar to life and the field is ready to roll.
2. The anthem has been performed and two F-16 jets just buzzed the track to the delight of the 70,000 people in attendance tonight. The drivers are buckling in and we should hear the command to start engines shortly. Three drivers will join Ryan Moore (missed drivers meeting) at the back: Marcos Ambrose, Bill Lester, and Scott Lagasse, Jr. will all drop to the back due to unapproved pre-race adjustments.
1. The drivers are completing their rides around the 1.5-mile quad-oval in the back of sparkling new Chevrolet Silverado trucks. As each driver crosses the stage, he or she has been introducing him or herself to the huge crowd here in Texas. The trucks are gridded on the frontstretch, and we're about 15 minutes away from the command to start engines.
Sam's Town 400 Race Updates 11-20
06-09-2006 9:32 pm
20. Lap 54 - Cook jumps into the lead on the restart, but the caution waves immediately as Sutton spins into the grass off turn four.
19. Lap 51 - Skinner leads the field to pit road, but Bodine leads off. Hornaday is second, Skinner third, followed by Bliss, Gaughan, Crawford, Reutimann, Benson, Sprague, McCumbee, Ragan, Krisiloff, Moore, Crafton, Setzer, Jourdain, Peyers, Park, Sutton, Kinser, Ambrose, Richardson, Starr, Musgrave, Reid, Hamilton, Lester, Crocker, Lagasse, and Almirola. Bliss and Park made contact on pit road, leaving Bliss with some damage to the right front nose, forcing him to the pits again for repairs.
18. Lap 47 - Skinner continues to lead over Bodine as the front two have pulled out to a healthy lead over Crawford in third. Musgrave cracks the top 10 for the first time as does Crafton. The caution comes out for the third time and Almirola cuts down a tire and makes contact with the turn three wall. He drives to the pits for a quick right side tire change and rejoins the field with little damage and stays on the lead lap.
17. Lap 37 - Restart,. Skinner gets away cleanly with Bodine and Crawford on his tail. He opens up three lengths off turn two. Benson looks under Crawford for third, but Crawford pulls him down the frontstretch. East peels off ther banking in four for four tires and loses two laps to the field.
16. Lap 36 - The debris is from J. Miller's truck, as he has damage to the left side nose and the right side tail of his truk. One to go signal given to the field.
15. Lap 32 - Cook has caught the tail of the field. How moves to the outside to start making his way back up the scoring charts. Cook catches a break as the caution comes out for debris on the backstretch on lap 35, the second caution of the evening. Skinner leads Bodine, Crawford, Benson, Reutimann, Sprague, Bliss, Hornaday, Earnhardt, and Setzer. Earnhardt is the only truck among the top 20 to pit. Park, J. Miller, Moore, Lester, B. Miller, Sutton, Lagasse, Jr., and Cook also come to pit road.
14. Lap 27 - Bodine dusts off Benson to take second and he closes on Skinner for the lead. Bliss takes eighth from Setzer.the top 20 are single file, but from 21st on back is a snarling two-wide pack through the field. Cook passes Richardson and now starts to chase down the back of the field.
13. Lap 22 - Skinner leads the field down pit road. Earnhardt stays out to lead his first lap of the season. Skinner leads Benson, Bodine, Crawford, Reutimann, Setzer, Sprague, Cook, Bliss, Kinser, Hornaday, Starr, Gaughan, Almirola, Musgrave, Ragan, Crafton, Reid, Lester, Moore, Hamilton, Jr., East, j. Miller, Sutton, B. Miller, Peters, Crocker, Park, Krisiloff, Jourdain, McCumbee, Ambrose, Lagasse, and Richardson. Cook comes back to the pits to repair damage to the nose from pit road contact and rejoins the field a half lap down as the green comes out.
12. Lap 21 - Cook has been passed by Bodine and now races Reutimann for fifth. Darnell was racing with Hornaday for 7th and loses control, slamming the SAFER barrier in turn four. There is heavy damage to the driver's side of the truck, but Darnell is able to fire it up and bring it to the attention of his crew. The first caution of the night is out.
11. Lap 20 - Skinner is now just a straightaway behind the tail of the field. There are six trucks running close together, as Jourdain, Hamilton, Jr., Ambrose, B. Miller, and Lagasse, Jr. all try to stay ahead of the leader.
Sam's Town 400 Race Updates 21-30
06-09-2006 10:06 pm
30. Lap 91 - Skinner goes three wide off turn four to get passed the lap trucks of Peters and Richardson.
29. Lap 87 - Earnhardt is off sequence, and after dropping back he has started to move back to the front. He's passed Cook to move to sixth.
28. Lap 84 - Halfway. Crawford, Benson, Reutimann, Sprague, Skinner, Cook, Earnhardt, Hornaday, Ragan, McCumbee, Starr, Crafton, Musgrave, Setzer, Bliss, Bodine, Jourdain, Moore, Reid, Ambrose, Crocker, and Hamilton, Jr. are all the lead lap trucks.
27. Lap 76 - Ragan now challenges McCumbee for 9th. Crawford challenges Skinner on the frontstretch and takes the lead going into turn one. Benson moves past Skinner into second and Reutimann closes on Skinner in fourth. Sprague rounds out an all-Toyota top five.
26. Lap 72 - Bodine continues to drift back as he is now 12th. McCumbee is up to ninth. Crawford takes second, and Benson moves into third, bouncing Cook to fourth.
25. Lap 69 - Skinner retakes the lead. Crawford knocks on Cook's door for second.
24. Lap 66 - Bodine is now back to ninth. McCumbee makes his first appearance in the top ten. Gaughan, Crafton, and Starr lock in a battle for 12th.
23. Lap 64 - Almirola takes his truck behind the wall. Skinner closes on Cook for the lead. Crawford has moved to third, while Reutimann slides under Bodine for fourth. Benson now challenges Reutimann at the stripe.
22. Lap 58 - Cook leads on the restart. Bodine and Skinner stay with him as the open up a big gap on Crawford in fourth.
21. Lap 56 - Replays show Kinser and Sutton got together in a jam-up on the restart. Kinser has damaged the radiator and has been pushed behind the wall. He and Darnell are the only two trucks off the track.
Sam's Town 400 Race Updates 31-40
06-09-2006 10:28 pm
40. Lap 117 - Crafton, Bliss, Musgrave, McCumbee, and Bodine pit. Moore receives the free pass.
39. Lap 116 - Crocker has a problem going into one and drops off the pace. Caution comes out for the 6th time for debris.
38. Lap 113 - Skinner retakes the lead.
37. Lap 108 - Hornaday is posted for the damage to the right front and will have to come to pit road. Bodine is up to 11th, Jourdain up to 12th. Ambrose makes an unscheduled stop. Crawford leads Skinner, Sprague, Reutimann, Benson, Ragan, Starr, Setzer, Crafton, Bodine, Jourdain, Bliss, Musgrave, and McCumbee.
36. Lap 106 - Hornaday dips into the grass and tucks the left front valence under, throwing up a shower of sparks.
35. Lap 103 - Restart. Crawford follows Cook and Gaughan ionto turn one. Cook is on the tail of the lead lap. Cook pulls away from Crawford as Sprague deals with Gaughan and Skinner in second.
34. Lap 101 - Leaders pit. Crawford wins race off with Sprague, Reutimann, Skinner, Ragan, Benson, Crafton, Hornaday, Starr, Setzer, Musgrave, Jourdain, and Bliss to follow. Benson leads lap 101, McCumbee leads lap 102. Bodine receives the free pass and rejoins the tail of the lead lap.
33. Lap 99 - Earnhardt brushes the wall in turn three to bring out the caution for the fifth time.
32. Lap 97 - Green flag stops for Cook and Gaughan. Both now need the race to go green and the leaders to cycle through their stops under green.
31. Lap 95 - Crawford closes on Bodine and passes him off turn two to put Bodine a lap down.
Sam's Town 400 Race Updates 41-
06-09-2006 10:45 pm
54. Lap 166 - Restart. Skinner pulls out to a quick lead but Bodine closes. Bodine swings to the outsidefor the lead in one. Bodine wins.
53. Lap 164 - Caution lights come back on as the field was readying for the restart.
52. Lap 160 - Bodine has made a shambles of the field and takes second from Crawford. Sprague spins out of fourth in turn two to bring out the seventh caution of the night. Bodine will now be right on Skinner's bumper with a handful - or less - laps remaining. Skinner had a four second lead before the caution.
52. Lap 158 - Bodine is up to third and chasing down Crawford for second.
51. Lap 155 - B. Miller makes it to pit road. Bodine has caught Reutimann and Sprague.
50. Lap 153 - B. Miller's engine gives up the ghost entering one. If he cannot coast back we may have another caution.
49. Lap 152 - Bodine is the fastest truck on the track. He is closing on Reutimann but may be out of time to catch Skinner.
48. Lap 146 - Bodine is up to fifth. He is the distance of turns one and two behind Skinner. 20 laps remain.
47. Lap 144 - McCumbee closes on Crafton for 11th. Great performance by McCumbee in an unfamilair ride.
46. Lap 140 - Skinner leads by half a straightaway over Crawford, who has some breathing room on Sprague in third. Reutimann, Benson, Setzer, Ragan, Bodine, Bliss, Musgrave, Crafton, McCumbee, Starr, Moore, and Jourdain are the lead lap trucks. Cook is on Hornaday's bumper for the free pass position in 16th and 17th.
45. Lap 133 - Bodine up to 8th as he is charging towards the front. 33 laps remain.
44. Lap 130 - Musgrave passes Crafton, with Bliss and Bodine following. Crafton drops to 11th. Bodine now 9th behind Musgrave in 8th. Skinner leads as Sprague challenges Crawford for second.
43. Lap 126 - Crafton has passed Starr and Bliss to move to 8th. Musgrave follows him to 9th. Cook chasing down Hornaday to try to take over the free pass position in 16th.
42. Lap 120 - Skinner leads to the restart. Ragan gets loose off two and bounces off Richardson.
41. Lap 118 - Crocker goes behind the wall. Skinner leads Crawford, Sprague, Reutimann, Benson, Ragan, Setzer, Starr, Jourdain, Crafton, Bliss, Musgrave, McCumbee, Bodine, and Moore.
Sam's Town 400 Unofficial Results
06-09-2006 11:24 pm
1. Bodine
2. Skinner
3. Crawford
4. Reutimann
5. Benson
6. Setzer
7. Musgrave
8. Ragan
9. McCumbee
10. Bliss
11. Sprague
12. Crafton
13. Jourdain
14. Moore
15. Hornaday
16. Cook
17. Reid
18. Starr
19. Krisiloff
20. Peters
21. Park
22. Lester
23. Richardson
24. Sutton
25. Hamilton, Jr.
26. Gaughan
27. Ambrose
28. East
29. Lagasse, Jr.
30. J. Miller
31. B. Miller
32. Almirola
33. Crocker
34. Earnhardt
35. Kinser
36. Darnell
Points Update
06-10-2006 12:48 am
1. Bodine 1490
2. Musgrave 1375
3. Reutimann 1354
4. Benson 1258
5. Sprague 1203 +1
6. Starr 1187 -1
7. Bliss 1187
8. Setzer 1175 +2
9. Crawford 1168 +3
10. Crafton 1155 -1
11. Cook 1140
12. Hornaday 1112 +1
13. Hamilton, Jr. 1065 +1
14. Martin 1034 -6
15. Darnell 1026
16. Skinner 968 +2
17. Gaughan 965 -1
18. Almirola 924 -1
19. Peters 855 -1
20. Krisiloff 846 +1
Post Race Audio
06-10-2006 12:53 am
We picked up nine post-race audio clips for you in our post-race coverage here tonight, including winner Todd Bodine, third place Rick Crawford, fourth place David Reutimann, fifth place Johnny Benson, sixth place Dennis Setzer, seventh place Ted Musgrave, eighth place David Ragan, ninth place Chad McCumbee, and 36th place Kraig Kinser.
Todd Bodine, No. 30 Toyota: "It was quite a race. We made a mistake in the middle of the race and got down a lap, and I didn't know if we could get it back or not..."
Rick Crawford, No. 14 Ford: "I was sittin' like Bob Eucker in the front row on that last lap watching Skinner and Bodine going into one. I was thinking, I still have a shot..."
Chad McCumbee, No. 08 Chevrolet: "I couldn't be more happy. I have certainly been blessed with opportunities this year. I got the call Wednesday morning to do this deal and I was on a place Wednesday night. I am certainly glad we did it now..."
Dennis Setzer, No. 85 Chevrolet: "That's our best finish of the year so we are happy about that. It's a long hill to climb and we still have a lot of work to do..."
David Ragan, No. 6 Ford: "I am tickled to death. These guys can win races every week. Everybody puts a good team together. I wish we could've finished in the top five but we were too loose..."
Ted Musgrave, No. 9 Toyota: "Miracles. I gues it was just miracles. We got this thing over tight. We are going to look at this thing, there are some demons in this truck..."
Kraig Kinser, No. 46 Chevrolet: "We just got bottled up on the restart and got into Sutton and knocked the radiator out..."
Johnny Benson, No. 23 Toyota: "I thought today was going to be the day. But we had a pit stop that went all to heck and we went from second to eighth..."
David Reutimann, No. 17 Toyota: "We have to get a little better. We've made huge gains but finding that last little bit is tough man..."
Click on each driver's name to listen.
Who's In...Who's Out
06-10-2006 1:07 am
Here are the owners on the bubble heading into Michigan next week, and the owners trying to catch them to get locked in:
In:
26. Wood/jtg 20 793
27. Sutton 02 786
28. Evernham 98 777
29. Green Light 07 774
30. ThorSport 13 758
Not In:
31. BHR 04 749
32. Morgan-Dollar 46 737
33. Bill Davis Racing 22 722
35. R3 1 645
36. Key 40 623
That's All Folks!
06-10-2006 1:11 am
As the transporters roll from the garage area here at TMS, so we will call it a night. Congratulations to Todd Bodine and the Germain Racing team on their third win of 2006. Don't forget to download the podcast race review from Texas early in the week, and we will pick up TrackSideLive! coverage of the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next Friday from Michigan International Speedway. Until then, so long everybody!
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