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TrackSideLive!
| Con-way Freight 200
Michigan International Speedway | Friday - Saturday, June
16-17, 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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Good Morning from the Irish Hills
06-16-2006 8:33 am
Good morning everyone and welcome to TrackSideLive! coverage of the Con-way Freight 200 from Michigan International Speedway, round number 10 of the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The Michigan race always offers some of the best three-wide racing we see all season, with lead changes and the old-fashioned slingshot pass both in abundance. We will have practice coverage starting at 10:15 am ET, and we'll also fill the photo galleries and get interviews with all of the major players throughout the day and the rest of the weekend, so stay with us throughout the day today and tomorrow.
MIS Friday Schedule
06-16-2006 8:37 am
The Truck Series is just one part of triple-series schedule here at MIS today. The Cup Series is also scheduled to practice and qualify, and the day is capped off with a 200-mile ARCA race. Here is the schedule:
10:15-11:25 am ET: NCTS Practice
11:35 am - 1:00 pm ET: Cup Practice
1:10-1:40 pm ET: NCTS Rookie Practice
1:50-3:00 pm ET: NCTS Final Practice
3:10 pm ET: Cup Qualifying
5:15 pm ET: ARCA Hantz Group 200
Entry List Update 1
06-16-2006 8:42 am
The preliminary entry list for the Con-way Freight 200 shows 36 trucks, and if no one is added, all 36 teams on site will start tomorrow's race.
Kevin Lepage is shown in the No. 07 Green Light Racing Chevrolet, while Chad McCumbee is scheduled to take the wheel of the No. 08 Green Light Racing Chevrolet for the second consecutive week. Mark Martin is back in the No. 6 Scotts Ford, moving David Ragan into the No. 50 Roush Racing Ford. Ryan Moore is back in the No. 40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet, and 2005 NASCAR Busch Series champion Martin Truex, Jr. is in Billy Ballew's No. 51 Chevrolet.
We expect a couple more changes to the entry list when the final release comes from NASCAR shortly.
Entry List Update 2
06-16-2006 9:36 am
Only one addition to the entry list from the first update earlier this morning: Timothy Peters has been added to the roster in the No. 04 Dodge. His regular ride, the No. 4 Dodge, will be handled by former Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte.
Michigan Weather
06-16-2006 9:50 am
The weather at Michigan International Speedway is very pleasant today, as it has been for miuch of the past week. For seven days it has been sunny and mild, with highs in the 70s. There are some high thin clouds filtering the sunlight, and high temperatures are expected to reach the upper 70s or maybe even the low 80s. There is next to no chance of rain throughout the weekend as well. Things will not be so rosey tomorrow as the heat and humidity get cranked up. Tomorrow's high temperature is expected to reach into the mid 90s.
MIS Track Facts
06-16-2006 9:53 am
Michigan International Speedway is a 2-mile D-shaped oval with 18 degees of banking in the corners. The frontstretch is banked at 12 degrees, while the backstretch is banked at 5 degrees. The length of the frontstretch is 3,600 feet, while the backstretch is 2,242 feet.
Big Day for Benson at Berlin on Wednesday
06-16-2006 9:58 am
Johnny Benson is a part owner of the Berlin Raceway in nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan and was on hand to participate in the ASA Late Model Series race there on Wednesday night. Benson, a former ASA National Series champion, was having a good night until things got turned upside down, literally.
"We were having a good time until I got turned over on my head," Benson said. "I hooked the right rear off the edge of the track and hit the end of the wall in turn three. I didn't do as good as a buddy of mine who did the same thing last year. He got up to the top of the catch fence, I only got up about halfway. Then I went sliding down the track on my roof."
Benson has had similar luck here at MIS; in his NASCAR debut in the Busch Series in 1993, he got tapped on the backstretch on the second lap and took a wild ride, flipping several times and nearly ending up in the infield. Hopefully for Benson he got all of his bad luck out of the way on Wednesday.
Crew Chief Changes at Wood/jtg Racing
06-16-2006 10:03 am
The crew chiefs at Wood/jtg Racing have swapped teams, with Gary Cogswell moving over to work with Marcos Ambrose and John Monsam switching over to work with Bobby East.
"Sometimes change can be a good thing," Monsam said. "Bobby seems like a good kid and I am looking forward to working with him. I spent a lot of time working on building my relationship with Marcos, so from that side of things I am a little disappointed because I think things were starting to turn the corner there. But I've had some good luck making this kind of change, especially when coming here to Michigan. I'm looking forward to making a difference here with Bobby and the 21 truck."
Practice Up Next
06-16-2006 10:08 am
The teams are ready for the day's first practice, which is scheduled to roll off in about five minutes. We'll have all of the action throughout, including periodic timing updates right here on TrackSideLive!, exclusively at TruckSeries.com.
Prac 1 Rundown 1
06-16-2006 10:23 am
1. Reutimann, 178.532
2. Skinner, 178.510
3. Cook, 178.200
4. Martin, 178.106
5. Musgrave, 177.340
6. Bliss, 177.331
7. Peters, 176.216
8. Sprague, 176.112
9. Moore, 175.837
10. Crafton, 175.760
11. Setzer, 175.687
12. Starr, 175.597
13. Almirola, 175.306
14. Crocker, 175.289
15. Lester, 175.251
16. Hornaday, 175.004
17. Crawford, 174.351
18. Reid, 174.064
19. Ambrose, 173.678
20. Lepage, 172.794
21. Benson, 172.658
22. Earnhardt, 172.331
23. Sutton, 171.764
24. Ragan, 171.302
25. Bodine, 171.265
26. Darnell, 171.151
27. Kinser, 170.421
28. Gaughan, 134.446
Prac 1 Rundown 2
06-16-2006 10:40 am
1. Labonte, 179.372
2. Reutimann, 178.532
3. Skinner, 178.501
4. Cook, 178.200
5. Martin, 178.108
6. Truex, 178.002
7. Crawford, 177.633
8. Hamilton, Jr., 177.370
9. Musgrave, 177.340
10. Bliss, 177.331
11. Lester, 177.318
12. Setzer, 176.882
13. Sprague, 176.730
14. Benson, 176.678
15. Peters, 176.216
16. Hornaday, 175.884
17. Moore, 175.837
18. Crafton, 175.760
19. Starr, 175.721
20. Almirola, 175.648
21. East, 175.332
22. Crocker, 175.289
23. Darnell, 175.012
24. Reid, 174.064
25. Ambrose, 173.678
26. Lepage, 173.435
27. Bodine, 173.277
28. Earnhardt, 173.193
29. Kinser, 173.173
30. Sutton, 172.898
31. Park, 172.794
32. McCumbee, 172.472
33. Ragan, 171.301
34. Gaughan, 134.446
Prac 1 Rundown 3
06-16-2006 11:01 am
1. Labonte, 179.372
2. Reutimann, 178.532
3. Skinner, 178.501
4. Cook, 178.200
5. Martin, 178.108
6. Truex, 178.002
7. Crawford, 177.633
8. Benson, 177.607
9. Hamilton, Jr., 177.370
10.Musgrave, 177.340
11. Bliss, 177.331
12. Lester, 177.318
13. Sprague, 176.922
14. Setzer, 176.882
15. Moore, 176.800
16. Peters, 176.216
17. Hornaday, 175.884
18. Crafton, 175.760
19. Starr, 175.721
20. Almirola, 175.648
21. Earnhardt, 175.516
22. East, 175.332
23. Crocker, 175.289
24. Darnell, 175.217
25. Miller, 174.970
26. Park, 174.524
27. Reid, 174.064
28. Ambrose, 173.678
29. McCumbee, 173.615
30. Kinser, 173.548
31. Lepage, 173.435
32. Bodine, 173.277
33. Sutton, 173.139
34. Krisiloff, 172.911
35. Ragan, 171.866
36. Richardson, 163.744
37. Gaughan, 134.446
Red for Debris
06-16-2006 11:10 am
NASCAR officials have put the red out for a quick track inspection as debris has been reported on the speedway. We should be back to green for the final couple of minutes of practice shortly.
Practice Over, No Changes at the Top
06-16-2006 11:22 am
The first practice for the Con-way Freight 200 is over, with no changes at the top of the sheet. We will have complete results posted to the event box on the main page shortly.
Suspension Problems Plague Gaughan
06-16-2006 12:29 pm
Brendan Gaughan ended the first session at the bottom of the chart with a speed not over 135 mph. Suspension problems on the No. 77 Dodge left him with a serious vibration, and the team spent the duration of the practice making a complete suspension overhaul. They were completing the final stages of the suspension change moments ago, and they should be ready to go when the final practice kicks off shortly.
Cup Practice Done; Rookies on Track Next
06-16-2006 1:03 pm
The Cup cars have just finished their practice session prior to their qualifying session this afternoon. The NCTS rookie practice is up next, and should roll off in a couple of minutes. We'll keep you abreast of all the action as it happens.
Rookies on Track
06-16-2006 1:13 pm
Here's a quick rundown of the rookies just about 10 minutes into their 30-minute session:
1. Moore, 174.035
2. Crocker, 173.114
3. Almirola, 172.714
4. Darnell, 172.670
5. Kinser, 172.670
6. Ambrose, 172.092
7. McCumbee, 171.531
8. Miller, 171.221
9. East, 169.464
10. Richarson, 168.004
Condolences to Dotter
06-16-2006 1:17 pm
TruckSeries.com would like to pass along our condolences to Bobby Dotter and his family on the passing of his mother Lynda, who passed away early this week after a long struggle with cancer. Today would have been Mrs. Dotter's 65th birthday. The family has asked that anyone interested make a donation in her memory to the Victory Junction Gang Camp.
Final Practice Underway
06-16-2006 1:55 pm
The final practice for the Con-way 200 has just started. The heat has crept upwards as the sun has baked down on the 2-mile oval, track temps have creeped up as well. In the sun the asphalt is 112 degrees, in the shade it's a cool 89 degrees. If the action on the track heats up, you'll be among the first to know!
Final Prac Rundown 1
06-16-2006 2:01 pm
1. Skinner, 175.060
2. Martin, 175.050
3. Labonte, 174.812
4. Moore, 174.423
5. Setzer, 174.406
6. Cook, 173.926
7. Bliss, 173.913
8. Bodine, 173.695
9. Reutimann, 173.477
10. Crafton, 173.223
11. Hornaday, 173.106
12. Darnell, 172.815
13. Starr, 172.749
14. Truex, 172.707
15. Sprague, 172.666
16. Crawford, 172.641
17. Lester, 172.443
18. Musgrave, 172.401
19. Crocker, 172.331
20. Park, 172.113
21. Hamilton, Jr., 171.858
22. Benson, 171.518
23. Almirola, 171.249
24. Miller, 171.046
25. Earnhardt, 171.025
26. Lepage, 170.810
27. Kinser, 170.217
28. Gaughan, 170.044
29. East, 169.940
30. Ragan, 169.436
31. Krisiloff, 169.296
32. Richardson, 168.895
33. Sutton, 168.840
34. Reid, 165.952
Final Prac Rundown 2
06-16-2006 2:19 pm
1. Skinner, 175.264
2. Martin, 175.050
3. Labonte, 174.812
4. Moore, 174.423
5. Setzer, 174.406
6. Cook, 173.926
7. Bliss, 173.913
8. Bodine, 173.695
9. Reutimann, 173.477
10. McCumbee, 173.364
11. Darnell, 173.339
12. Crafton, 173.223
13. Hornaday, 173.106
14. Sprague, 173.073
15. Starr, 172.749
16. Crocker, 172.712
17. Truex, 172.707
18. Crawford, 172.641
19. Lester, 172.443
20. Musgrave, 172.401
21. Benson, 172.249
22. Hamilton, Jr., 172.133
23. Park, 172.113
24. Miller, 171.961
25. Kinser, 171.686
26. Almirola, 171.612
27. Earnhardt, 171.567
28. East, 171.567
29. Peters, 171.347
30. Lepage, 170.810
31. Ambrose, 170.632
32. Ragan, 170.620
33. Sutton, 170.547
34. Gaughan, 170.044
35. Krisiloff, 169.296
36. Richardson, 168.895
37. Reid, 166.620
Final Prac Rundown 3
06-16-2006 2:36 pm
1. Skinner, 175.264
2. Martin, 175.050
3. Labonte, 174.812
4. Moore, 174.423
5. Setzer, 174.406
6. Cook, 173.926
7. Bliss, 173.913
8. Bodine, 173.695
9. Kinser, 173.632
10. Reutimann, 173.477
11. McCumbee, 173.364
12. Darnell, 173.339
13. Benson, 173.314
14. Crafton, 173.223
15. Sprague, 173.206
16. Musgrave, 173.202
17. Hornaday, 173.106
18. Crawford, 172.877
19. Earnhardt, 172,770
20. Starr, 172.749
21. Crocker, 172.712
22. Truex, 172.707
23. Lester, 172.443
24. Hamilton, Jr., 172.133
25. Park, 172.113
26. Miller, 171.961
27. Peters, 171.928
28. Almirola, 171.612
29. East, 171.567
30. Lepage, 170.887
31. Ambrose, 170.632
32. Ragan, 170.620
33. Sutton, 170.547
34. Gaughan, 170.044
35. Krisiloff, 169.296
36. Richardson, 168.895
37. Reid, 167.298
Final Practice Over
06-16-2006 2:58 pm
The top-10 as final practice winds down:
1. Skinner, 177.651
2. Crocker, 176.331
3. Reutimann, 175.837
4. Martin, 175.503
5. McCumbee, 175.404
6. Sprague, 175.255
7. Ambrose, 175.246
8. Labonte, 174.812
9. Darnell, 174.795
10. Crafton, 174.516
Images and Audio!
06-16-2006 4:47 pm
Look to the Sights and Sounds Box on the right side of the TrackSideLive! page for access to our TruckShots! photo gallery and our exclusive garage audio. We met up with some of the newsmakers here at MIS and got their thoughts:
Todd Bodine tells us about how his team adjusted for track conditions today and gained spots on the speed charts. Mike Skinner tells us he has a fast truck, but says it's a hold your breath situation running those speeds. Barry Dodson tells us the improvement at Key Motorsports is hard work by the team and a fortunate acquisition in the driver's seat. Terry Cook is a hometown favorite here and always runs well, and he tell us how fortunate he's been through the years to have good runs in front of the home crowd. Chad McCumbee has been involved in some excitement here in the past, and tells us all about it. Jack Sprague talks about racing at his home track and in the race sponsored by his sponsor. Finally, Marcos Ambrose tells us about the learning curve at MIS and how it compares to Texas.
Click on each driver's name to listen. While you're doing that, check out the nearly 150 images we have in our TruckShots! gallery.
Early End of the Day
06-16-2006 4:38 pm
With Bud Pole Qualifying tomorrow morning, the on track action for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is done here today. But that doesn't mean these guys are done. Many have picked up some extra work crewing for ARCA teams in the Hantz Group 200, which kicks off on Speed at 5 pm ET. Others are headed to Toledo Speedway for tonight's winged sprint car and supermodified doubleheader. Others are calling it an afternoon and heading to one of the hundreds of small lakes that dot the Irish Hills country side to go boating, jetskiing, or just chilling on the beach.
We're going to call it an afternoon and watch the ARCA race as well, then head for the house. We'll be back first thing tomorrow morning with pre-qualifying updates, Live! Bud Pole Qualifying, and pre-race coverage leading up to the Con-way Freight 200. We'll kick off at 9 am ET, so join us then. Until then, good night everybody!
Good Morning from MIS
06-17-2006 9:00 am
Good morning from Michigan International Speedway! The sun is shining down brightly, there are some high thin clouds scattered across the sky, and we are closing in on the start of on-track activity for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. We have Live! Bud Pole Qualifying coming your way at 11:40 am ET, with a quick turnaround to the start of the Con-way Freight 200 at 3:15 pm ET. We'll track down some drivers for some interviews, we'll add more images to the photo galleries, and we'll bring you all of the news and notes and stats leading up to the start of the race. Stick with us for all that and more here at TrackSideLive!, exclusively at TruckSeries.com.
Who Needs In on Speed?
06-17-2006 9:05 am
Who needs in on speed when we qualify at 11:40 am ET? Here are the seven drivers vying for those six open positions, and their best lap in practice (session in parenthesis):
Martin Truex, Jr., 40.449 (1)
Bill Lester, 40.605 (1)
Ryan Moore, 40.605 (1)
Timothy Peters, 40.859 (1)
Kraig Kinser, 41.007 (F)
David Ragan, 41.261 (1)
Robert Richardson, 42.146 (F)
Happy Fathers Day
06-17-2006 9:20 am
TruckSeries.com would like to wish all of the fathers participating here in the NCTS and all of you out there reading along with us a happy Father's Day weekend. Here are the dads that will be out racing later this afternoon:
Marcos Ambrose
Johnny Benson
Mike Bliss
Todd Bodine
Terry Cook
Rick Crawford
Kerry Earnhardt
Bobby Hamilton
Bobby Hamilton, Jr.
Ron Hornaday
Kevin Lepage
Bill Lester
Mark Martin
Ted Musgrave
David Reutimann
Dennis Setzer
Mike Skinner
Jack Sprague
On a completely selfish note, I had the opportunity to bring my daughter Samantha up to MIS on Thursday to show her what her Daddy does when he goes away to work. She had a blast watching the racecars, meeting all of the people she got to meet, and of course getting her picture taken with the racecars.
MIS Best Finishes
06-17-2006 9:42 am
Here is the best MIS NCTS finish for each driver entered here this weekend:
Brendan Gaughan 1st
Dennis Setzer 1st
Ted Musgrave 2nd
Mike Skinner 3rd
Johnny Benson 4th
Mike Bliss 4th
Jack Sprague 4th
David Starr 5th
Terry Cook 6th
Rick Crawford 6th
David Reutimann 8th
Todd Bodine 9th
Ron Hornaday 9th
Bill Lester 11th
Matt Crafton 12th
Steve Park 17th
Timothy Peters 25th
Kelly Sutton 25th
David Ragan 31st
Here are the drivers making their first MIS NCTS start: Aric Almirola, Marcos Ambrose, Erin Crocker, Erik Darnell, Kerry Earnhardt, Bobby East, Bobby Hamilton, Jr., Kraig Kinser, Kyle Krisiloff, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Lepage, Mark Martin, Chad McCumbee, Joey Miller, Ryan Moore, Boston Reid, Robert Richardson, Martin Truex, Jr.
MIS Top-5s
06-17-2006 9:50 am
Here are the drivers that have scored a top five in an NCTS race at MIS:
Dennis Setzer-2
Bobby Hamilton-2
Ted Musgrave-2
Travis Kvapil-2
Jason Leffler-2
Mike Skinner-2
Greg Biffle-2
Robert Pressley
Brendan Gaughan
Andy Houston
Jack Sprague
Carl Edwards
Mike Wallace
Kevin Harvick
Jimmy Hensley
Joe Ruttman
Mike Bliss
Johnny Benson
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Jay Sauter
NCTS MIS Races Summary
06-17-2006 9:52 am
There have been six previous NCTS races at Michigan. The winner comes from an average 7.5 starting position. The deepest anyone has come to win is 11th, Greg Biffle in 1999. Ironically, Biffle also started the closest to the front on his way to winning in 2000 when he started outside the front row.
There are an average of 19 trucks on the lead lap, with a record high of 27 here in 2005. The fewest on the lead lap was 12 in 2000.
The lead changes hands an average of 13.3 times per race, with 18 being the record set in 2004. The fewest was 9 lead changes in 2002.
There are an average of 8.17 lead drivers, with 13 taking their turn at the front in 2005. Only six drivers took a turn at the front in 2000.
MIS has seen lots of cautions and next to no cautions. The average is 4.67, but last year saw a record 8 yellow flags. In 2003 the race ran with just one caution which allowed Brendan Gaughan to set the record for the fastest race in NCTS history.
There are an average of 17.3 caution laps with last year's 26 being the record high. The fewest caution laps was six in 2003.
Gaughan's 154.044 mph average in 2003 is the track record and series record for the fastest race ever. The first race at MIS in 1999 was the slowest at 121.889. The cumulative average speed is 134.069 mph.
Live! Qualifying Up Next
06-17-2006 11:33 am
Log on to our Live! Bud Pole Qualifying page, which is scheduled to roll off at 11:45 am ET. We'll rejoin you with TrackSideLive! coverage as soon as it's over. Look for some pre-qualifying audio with Ron Hornaday, Ted Musgrave, and Steve Park shortly as well. Talk to you again after qualifying.
Special Awards
06-17-2006 2:06 pm
Here are the special award winners to be presented during driver introductions this afternoon:
Bud Pole Award: Mike Skinner
Checkers/Rallys Drive Thru Award: Mike Skinner
Clevite Engine Builders: John Dysinger
Featherlite Most Improved Driver: Boston Reid
Mobil 1 Command Performance Award: Todd Bodine
Raybestos Rookie:Chad McCumbee
Wix Lap Leader: Mike Skinner
Drivers Meeting Notes
06-17-2006 2:09 pm
Here are the notes from the driver's meeting held earlier this morning:
Pit road speed is 55 mph and starts 210 feet before the first pit box and ends 80 feet past the last pit box...pace truck speed is 65 mph...the restart point is the double red line on the wall in turn four...drivers must keep their left side tires below the yellow line exiting pit road until the exit of turn two...the minimum speed to stay in competition this afternoon is 46.61 seconds...
2006 Laps Led
06-17-2006 2:12 pm
Here are the drivers who have led at least one lap in NCTS competition this year:
Mark Martin 288
Todd Bodine 239
Mike Skinner 192
Kyle Busch 181
Ron Hornaday 131
David Starr 121
Clint Bowyer 84
David Reutimann 84
Rick Crawford 41
Ted Musgrave 36
Dennis Setzer 30
Bobby Hamilton, Jr. 28
Terry Cook 14
Jack Sprague 9
Jon Wood 6
Kerry Earnhardt 5
Bill Lester 3
Brad Keselowski 2
Mike Bliss 2
Kevin Hamlin 1
Chad Chaffin 1
Johnny Benson 1
Chad McCumbee 1
2006 Key Race Stats
06-17-2006 2:17 pm
Avg start of winner: 9.2
Avg lead changes per race: 9.0
Avg number of leaders: 4.9
Avg cautions per race: 9
Avg caution laps per race: 40.1
Avg running at finish: 31.4
Avg did not finish: 4.6
Avg lead lap finishers: 20.9
2006 Stats Summary
06-17-2006 2:20 pm
Avg start of winner: 2005 - 14.0/2006 - 9.22
Cumulative lead changes: 2005 - 82/2006 - 81
Avg lead changes per race: 2005 - 9.11/2006 - 9
Avg leaders per race: 2005 - 6.78/2006 - 4.89
Total laps under caution: 2005 - 355/2006 - 361
Avg caution laps per race: 2005 - 8.11/2006 - 9
Current year MFR Performance
06-17-2006 2:25 pm
Chevrolet: 2 wins, 0 poles, 6 top-5, 25 top-10, 440 laps led
Dodge: 0 wins, 1 pole, 0 top-5, 5 top-10, 29 laps led
Ford: 3 wins, 1 pole, 8 top-5, 20 top-10, 351 laps led
Toyota: 4 wins, 5 poles, 31 top-5, 40 top-10, 685 laps led
Bud Pole Fast Facts
06-17-2006 2:53 pm
As we near the start of the Con-way Freight 200, here are the Bud Pole Qualifying Fast Facts...
Mike Skinner's pole is his 27th in NCTS competition, tying the series record; Jack Sprague also has 27 career NCTS poles...Skinner becomes the first to earn three NCTS poles in 2006; his previous poles were at Charlotte and Texas...it also marks Skinner's fifth front row start of 2006; his best finish was second last week in Texas...Skinner's last win was at Richmond in September 2005...Toyota has won six of nine poles in 2006; the field was set by the rule book at Mansfield...Marcos Ambrose was the best qualified rookie driver, starting outside the front row; his best previous start was third at Charlotte.
Con-way Freight 200 Pit Assignments
06-17-2006 3:00 pm
Here are the pit stall assignments, starting with the first pit stall at the exit of pit road and ending with the last pit stall at the entrance to pit road:
Skinner
Truex
Bodine
Musgrave
Park
Sutton
Cook
Break in pit wall
Benson
Hamilton, Jr.
Krisiloff
Lepage
Almirola
Darnell
Hornaday
Break in pit wall
Crafton
Earnhardt
Sprague
East
Start-Finish Line/Scoring Camera
Ambrose
Moore
Setzer
Break in pit wall
Reutimann
Reid
Peters
Starr
Kinser
Ragan
Gaughan
Crocker
Break in pit wall
Labonte
Lester
Miller
Crawford
McCumbee
Martin
Con-way 200 Race Updates 1-10
06-17-2006 3:10 pm
10. Lap 18 - Reutimann falls back to 20th and is reporting an engine miss. The team has changed ignition boxes, but Reutimann still reports a miss.
9. Lap 15 - Restart. Martin has a great restart and moves to challenge for the lead off turn four. Cook races around the outside to take over the third position and challenges Martin for second. Labonte back to fourth, Crafton now fifth as Skinner leads Martin.
8. Lap 11 - Skinner leads Labonte, Martin, Crafton, Reutimann, Ambrose, Cook, Hornaday, Setzer, East, Sprague, Bliss, Benson, Darnell, Crawford, Bodine, Crocker, Miller, McCumbee, Moore, Musgrave, Lepage, Kinser, Peters, Earnhardt, Park, Starr, Truex, Gaughan, Reid, Krisiloff, Lester, Hamilton, Ragan, Sutton, and Almirola as some of the trucks towards the back of the pack come to pit road.
7. Lap 9 - Restart. Skinner leads Ambrose, Reutimann, Crafton, Labonte, Martin, Cook, Hornaday, Benson, and Setzer the top 10. Reutimann, Crafton, Labonte, and Martin blast past Ambrose as they complete lap 10. Labonte moves up to second as Almirola bounces off the wall in turn two, damaging the right front fender of the No. 75. Caution is out for the second time.
6. Lap 6 - Hamilton, Jr. gets loose off turn four and spins through the infield grass on the frontstretch. He has some minor damage to the right rear bumper. He is able to drive away without further damage.
5. Lap 2 - McCumbee is black flagged for passing before the start finish line and will come to the pits for a pass-thru penalty. Skinner leads Ambrose, Reutimann, Crafton, and Hornaday.
4. Green flag is out, 100 laps to go. Skinner jumps to the lead with Ambrose tucked in behind in second. Reutimann moves to the outside of Ambrose to challenge for second but drifts too high and slides back. Skinner leads lap one with Ambrose, Crafton, Reutimann and Hornaday behind.
3. The first lap is in the books, two to go before we get to racing. No drivers reported to be going to the back on the start.
2. Engines have been fired. We will have three roll-off laps leading to the green flag.
1. The fans have filed into the stands, the anthems have been performed, and we are closing in on the command to fire engines. Air temperature is 90 degrees. Asphalt temperature in the shade is 95.5 degrees, in the sun it is a warm and snuggly 125.0 degress.
Con-way Freight 200 Race Updates 11-20
06-17-2006 3:44 pm
20. Lap 51 - Just past halfway and there are 33 trucks still on the lead lap. Only Bliss, Reutimann, and Almirola are off the lead lap.
19. Lap 48 - Martin leads at the stripe by inches over Labonte as Benson stalks the top two in third.
18. Lap 44 - Hornaday dips inside off turn two and moves up to fourth. Crawford, Cook, Crafton and Sprague all battle for fifth.
17. Lap 42 - Benson takes second from Cook. Labonte leads Benson, Cook, Martin, and Crafton.
16. Lap 39 - Cook leads on the restart. Labonte takes second from Benson as Crafton follows. Labonte challenges Cook for the lead. Labonte leads lap 40 as the computer registers a difference of 0.000 seconds from first to second.
15. Lap 36 - Debris on the backstretch. Martin leads Labonte, Crafton, Cook, Benson, East, Crawford, Hornaday, Musgrave, Bodine, Sprague, Setzer, Truex, Darnell, Peters, Ambrose, Starr, McCumbee, Lepage, Earnhardt, Miller, Hamilton, Kinser, Ragan, Reid, Reutimann, Gaughan, Park, Moore, Sutton, Lester, Krisiloff, Crocker, Skinner, Bliss, and Almirola. The field comes to pit road for the first of two scheduled stops on the day. A rundown to follow...
14. Lap 35 - Skinner is off the pace and headed to pit road for tires.
13. Lap 33 - Labonte now rides around the outside looking to take over second from Skinner.
12. Lap 25 - Martin slides under at the start finish line to take the official lead, but Skinner powers around down the backstretch. They criss-cross off turn four with Skinner on the bottom and Martin outside. The side by side race for the lead lets Cook and Labonte close in.
11. Lap 19 - Crocker nearly loses it off turn four, but she keeps it pointed in the right direction and no caution comes out. Skinner and Martin open up a slight advantage on Cook in third. Martin looks inside and pulls even through turns one and two, but Skinner takes the advantage off turn two.
Con-way Freight 200 Race Updates 21-
06-17-2006 4:13 pm
35. Benson wins!
34. Lap 100 - Green/white/checkered. Benson leads Martin, Labonte, Bodine, Crafton, and Crawford.
33. Lap 97 - Truex loses a rear tire and makes contact with the wall in three and slides down the track into the path of Earnhardt, who makes door to door contact. Caution is out for the eighth time, tying the track record.
32. Lap 96 - Benson leads by two lengths on Martin. Labonte in third with Crawford and Crafton the rest of the top five.
31. Lap 91 - Benson leads Martin, Crawford, Crafton, Labonte, Hornaday, Bodine, Gaughan, Truex, Sprague, Setzer, Darnell, Starr, Skinner, and Kinser on the restart.
30. Lap 88 - East spins on the restart and the caution comes out for the seventh time.
29. Lap 85 - Gaughan and Bodine come together off two with debris from Gaughan's valence bringing out the caution. Benson, Martin, Crawford, Crafton, Labonte, Hornaday, Bodine, Gaughan, Truex and Sprague the top ten.
28. Lap 84 - Caution is out for the sixth time, third time for debris in turn two.
27. Lap 82 - Crafton, Hornaday, and Truex go three wide for fourth. Hornaday takes the spot with Truex and the Crafton following. The pack behind is three and four wide.
26. Lap 80 - Restart. Benson leads Martin, Crawford, Crafton and Truex.
25. Lap 72 - Benson challenges Martin for the lead and takes the lead by a foot at the stripe. Sprague closes in as Reutimann is in the mix even though he is 2 laps off the pace. Crafton, Sprague, and Crawford race three wide off four for third as Peters makes heavy head-on contact with the SAFER barrier in turn four. Peters truck slid loose through three and as he corrected it bit and turned right sending him hard into the wall. Peters is out of the truck and walked to the ambulance for a ride to the care center.
24. Lap 70 - Martin leads Benson, Sprague, Crafton, Truex, Crawford, Hornaday, Skinner, Bodine, Labonte, Darnell, Setzer, Starr, East, Ambrose, McCumbee, Kinser, Gaughan, Ragan, Miller, Reid, Sutton, Cook, Earnhardt, Peters, Crocker, Lepage, Hamilton, Jr., Moore, Musgrave, and Bliss. Bliss was the free pass truck to get back on the lead lap after an unscheduled stop for overheating.
23. Lap 67 - Fourth caution for debris in three.
22. Lap 60 - Musgrave gets loose off four after contact with Krisiloff and touches the grass. Replays show Musgrave 45 degrees sideways after the contact. No caution.
21. Lap 55 - Martin leads Labonte, Benson, Hornaday, Crafton, Sprague, Crawford, Musgrave, Truex, East, Bodine, Peters, Skinner, Darnell, Starr, Setzer, McCumbee, Ambrose, Cook, Gaughan, Ragan, Kinser, Miller, Moore, Lepage, Reid, Lester, Earnhardt, Crocker, Sutton, Hamilton, Krisiloff, and Park.
Con-way 200 Unofficial Results
06-17-2006 5:11 pm
1. Benson
2. Martin
3. Labonte
4. Bodine
5. Crafton
6. Crawford
7. Hornaday
8. Setzer
9. Cook
10. Sprague
11. Skinner
12. Darnell
13. Starr
14. Bliss
15. Reutimann
16. Gaughan
17. Reid
18. McCumbee
19. Ragan
20. Miller
21. Lepage
22. Kinser
23. Musgrave
24. Crocker
25. Sutton
26. Ambrose
27. Moore
28. Hamilton
29. Earnhardt
30. East
31. Park
32. Krisiloff
33. Lester
34. Truex
35. Peters
36. Almirola
Post-race Audio
06-17-2006 7:01 pm
The post-race audio from the Con-way Freight 200 is posted to the Sights and Sounds Box. We met up with race winner Johnny Benson, third-place Bobby Labonte, fourth-place Todd Bodine, fifth-place Matt Crafton, sixth-place Rick Crawford, eighth-place Dennis Setzer, ninth-place Terry Cook, 16th-place Brendan Gaughan, and 23rd-place Ted Musgrave and got their thoughts on one of the most entertaining races we've seen all season long. Click on each driver's name to listen!
Con-way Freight 200 Fast Facts
06-17-2006 7:05 pm
Johnny Benson wins in his 60th career NCTS start; his best previous finish was second, four times, most recently at Texas Motor Speedway in June, 2005...Benson now has six top ten finishes in 10 starts in 2006; his previous best 2006 finish was third at Atlanta...Benson joins Benny Parsons as the only Michigan native to win a NASCAR sanctioned race at MIS...Geoff Bodine also won a race at MIS sponsored by Exide Batteries, winning a Cup race here in 1994; ironically, Mark Martin finished second in that race as well...Martin now has six top five finishes in seven series starts in 2006; overall Martin has nine top tens in 10 starts, and his worst finish is 13th.
Points Movers
06-17-2006 7:08 pm
Who's up:
David Reutimann, +1 to second
Rick Crawford, +3 to sixth
Dennis Setzer, +1 to seventh
Matt Crafton, +2 to eighth
Mark Martin, +1 to 13th
Erik Darnell, +1 to 14th
Joey Miller, +2 to 19th
Boston Reid, +2 to 20th
Who's down:
Ted Musgrave, -1 to third
David Starr, -3 to ninth
Mike Bliss, -3 to tenth
Bobby Hamilton, Jr., -2 to 15th
Timothy Peters, -2 to 21st
Kyle Krisiloff, -2 to 22nd
Owners: Who's In, Who Needs to be In
06-17-2006 7:15 pm
Again, the race for that last guaranteed spot next week in Milwaukee is extremely tight. The 30th position is actually a tie, with one team losing on the tie breaker:
Who's in:
26. HT Motorsports No. 59 875
27. Green Light Racing No. 07 874
28. Sutton Motorsports No. 02 874
29. Evernham Motorsports No. 98 868
30. Morgan-Dollar No. 46 834
Who's out:
31. ThorSport No. 13 834
32. BHR No. 04 807
33. Bill Davis Racing No. 22 786
35. Key Motorsports No. 40 705
All other teams are not eligible due to not entering each series event.
Benson Scores Popular Hometown Win
06-17-2006 7:20 pm
Johnny Benson claimed his first career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory by taking the win in the Con-way Freight 200 Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. Benson, from nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan, held back three-time 2006 Truck Series winner Mark Martin to become the 17th driver to pick up wins in all three nationally touring NASCAR series.
Benson, driving the No. 23 Exide Batteries Toyota, delivered his first series win in his 60th series start.
"I keep telling people I would have liked to have gotten my first win here, but have it been last year," Benson joked after the race. "It's been a very big week. We had a big fan club meeting on Tuesday, raced the late model at Berlin on Wednesday, raced go-karts on Thursday, and now to cap the week off with this is just great."
Benson took over the lead from Mark Martin on lap 73, and was forced to endure three late-race cautions before securing the victory. With clean air out front, Benson was able to choose his line, and he decided to run the bottom, forcing runner-up finisher Martin to try to make the high groove work.
"We were good on the bottom," Martin said. "We needed a little bit longer run and we needed to be on the bottom. Johnny kind of forced us to move up, and we might have been able to make it work, but we needed more laps at the end. Congratulations to Johnny on that win. He and his whole team did a great job today, and they definitely earned it."
Former Michigan Cup Series winner Bobby Labonte piloted the No. 4 Dodge Motorsports Dodge to a third place finish, the best finish for a Dodge all season.
"Michigan is always one of my best tracks," Labonte said. "I think the Dodges have something now that can run with the others on the superspeedways. If I could have gotten in clean air, I might have been able to give them a run for the money there at the end."
Todd Bodine survived a late-race scrape with Brendan Gaughan to make a charge through the top ten to come home fourth in the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota.
"We weren't very good at the beginning, we were loose - bad," he said. "We were able to make an adjustment and come out of here fourth. If you can't win, you have to do the best you can and we did that today. When we needed to race them we were tight enough that we could get up there and race them. We came out of here fourth, made up a lot of points, and it was a pretty good day."
Matt Crafton rounded out the top five finishers in the No. 88 Menards/Energizer Chevrolet, his second top five finish of 2006.
"We talked about it at dinner last night and they wanted to make some changes," Crafton said. "I have total faith in my guys, and I told them to just do what needed to be done. I didn't even want to know what they did. We were ninth in happy hour practice, and we qualified sixth and were in the top five here all day. The truck just took about five laps to come in so on those short runs at the end I was just trying to hold them off. If we had some green flag runs at the end, I think we had a top three truck for sure."
Rick Crawford was sixth in the No. 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford, Ron Hornaday was seventh in the No. 33 Kevin Harvick, Inc. Chevrolet, Dennis Setzer was eighth in the GM FlexFuel Chevrolet, Terry Cook ninth in the Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford, and Jack Sprague rounded out the top ten in the No. 60 Con-way Freight Toyota. Erik Darnell was the highest Raybestos Rookie finisher, coming across the line 12th in the No. 99 Woolrich Ford. Mike Skinner started on the pole but overheating problems sent him to the pits for an unscheduled stop, relegating him to eleventh at the finish in the No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota.
There were a record-tying 8 cautions for a track record 29 laps, with two significant incidents on the afternoon. Timothy Peters got loose in turn four on lap 74 and overcorrected, sending his truck head-on into the SAFER barriers. There was significant damage to the nose of the truck, but Peters was checked and released from the infield care center. The second major incident was on lap 97 as Martin Truex, Jr. lost a left rear tire in turn three and spun into the wall, collecting hard-luck Kerry Earnhardt in the process. The record number of cautions held the race pace down to just 116.534 miles per hour.
Benson's margin of victory was 0.112 seconds, and the 30 lead lap finishers sets the series record.
Bodine continues to lead the points, now leading David Reutimann by 178 points heading into the next series race this Friday night at Milwaukee. Ted Musgrave now sits third, with Benson up to fourth, Sprague fifth, Crawford sixth, Dennis Setzer seventh, Crafton eighth, David Starr ninth, and Mike Bliss in tenth.
The Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 is up next for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from the Milwaukee Mile on Friday June 23rd. TruckSeries.com will have complete event coverage, including practice, qualifying, and race updates starting at 9 A.M. Eastern on Friday morning.
See You from Milwaukee
06-17-2006 7:21 pm
The hard working media center staff here at MIS is wrapping up their day, and we are as well. Many thanks go out to Bill Janitz, Bill Stone, and all of the staff here at MIS for their assistance and hospitality throughout the weekend. We look forward to rejoining you next Friday from the historic Milwaukee Mile as we get ready for the Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200, round 11 of the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
Congratulations to Johnny Benson on his win here at MIS! That's going to do it for now, see you from Milwaukee on Friday. Good night everybody!
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