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TrackSideLive!
| O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
Kansas Speedway | Saturday, July 1, 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 Camping World Truck Series
including Practice Times, Notes, Quotes, Photos, Audio interviews and more!
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Good Morning from Kansas
06-30-2006 9:32 am
Good morning from Kansas Speedway! It is a beautiful morning, with temperatures in the mid 70s but it is excpected to skyrocket into the upper 90s through the mid-afternoon. The teams of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series are busy at work preparing for the first practice which is scheduled to start at 10:30 pm ET. We'll have complete coverage throughout the afternoon leading up to Live! Bud Pole Pole Qualifying, which is scheduled to come your way at approximately 6 pm ET.
Today's Schedule
06-30-2006 9:44 am
Here is today's track schedule at Kansas Speedway:
9:30-10:30 am ET: ARCA Practice
10:40-11:40 am ET: NCTS Practice 1
11:50 a - 12:50 pm ET: ARCA Practice
1 -1:30 pm ET: NCTS Rookie Practice
1:30 - 2:30 pm ET: NCTS Final Practice
4:15 pm ET: ARCA Qualifying
6 pm ET (approx): NCTS Live! Bud Pole Qualifying
8 pm ET: NCTS Garage Closes
Entry List Updates
06-30-2006 9:48 am
The No. 04 Dodge and driver Scott Lagasse were withdrawn earlier in the week, leaving us with just 36 trucks on the entry list for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250.
Here are the updates:
David Ragan is in the No. 6 Scott's Ford
Johnny Chapman is wheeling the No. 07 US Restoration Chevrolet
Chad McCumbee is back in the No. 08 Green Light Racing Chevrolet
Michel Jourdain is entered in the No. 50 Roush Racing Ford
Justin Allgaier is back with us in the No. 63 Dave Porter Truck Truck Sales Ford
Brendan Gaughan is flying the Harrah's colors on the No. 77 Dodge
Kansas Loop Stats
06-30-2006 10:01 am
Who had the best average running position in this race last year?
Todd Kluever averaged 3.029
Todd Bodine 3.106
Bill Lester 5.212
Ron Hornaday 5.365
Jimmy Spencer 7.818
Jack Sprague 8.376
Mike Skinner 8.676
David Reutimann 8.882
Dennis Setzer 8.947
Brandon Whitt 12.400
Double Duty
06-30-2006 10:07 am
Several drivers are doing double duty in a couple of different divisions this weekend.
Defending Truck Series champion Ted Musgrave ran in the Crown Royal IROC race at Daytona International Speedway last night, finishing 12th in the 12 car field. He hoppped on a plane this morning and will be here at Kansas Speedway in time for practice this morning.
Justin Allgaier and Erin Crocker are both scheduled to run in both the NCTS race and the ARCA race here at Kansas Speedway.
Practice Underway
06-30-2006 10:48 am
The first of three NCTS practice sessions just went green moments ago. The track has been very busy in the early moments of the session with 35 of the 36 teams on site already making laps. We'll have a timing update momentarily.
Prac 1 Rundown 1
06-30-2006 10:52 am
1. Crawford, 167.028
2. Sprague, 166.795
3. Skinner, 166.764
4. Bliss, 166.451
5. Starr, 166.379
6. Cook, 165.832
7. Hornaday, 165.761
8. Darnell, 165.731
9. Setzer, 165.507
10. Lester, 165.289
11. Ambrose, 165.213
12. Ragan, 164.875
13. Almirola, 164.704
14. Allgaier, 164.654
15. East, 164.604
16. Musgrave, 164.589
17. Krisiloff, 164.469
18. Gaughan, 164.274
19. Peters, 164.254
20. Kinser, 164.249
21.Bodine, 164.194
22. Jourdain, 164.184
23. Moore, 164.129
24. Hamilton, Jr., 164.119
25. Park, 164.044
26. Crocker, 163.949
27. Miller, 163.934
28. Reutimkann, 163.765
29. Sutton, 162.832
30.Chapman, 162.695
31. Reid, 162.626
32. Crafton, 162.279
33. Earnhardt, 162.274
34. Richardson, 159.372
35. Benson, No Speed
Prac 2 Rundown 2
06-30-2006 11:10 am
Halfway through the session, here are the speeds. All 36 trucks have registered a time:
1. Skinner, 167.697
2. Cook, 167.624
3. Crawford, 167.028
4. Crafton, 166.960
5. Sprague, 166.795
6. Darnell, 166.579
7. Ambrose, 166.574
8. Bliss, 166.507
9. Starr, 166.379
10. Krisiloff, 166.246
11. Lester, 166.220
12. Setzer, 166.164
13. Hornaday, 165.761
14. Reutimann, 165.391
15. Crocker, 165.385
16. Ragan, 165.264
17. Benson, 165.158
18. Jourdain, 165.077
19. Hamilton, Jr., 165.077
20. Miller, 164.916
21. Kinser, 164.785
22. Earnhardt, 164.745
23. Almirola, 164.704
24. Musgrave, 164.689
25. Allgaier, 164.654
26. East, 164.629
27. Peters, 164.609
28. McCumbee, 164.329
29. Gaughan, 164.274
30. Bodine, 164.194
31. Moore, 164.129
32. Park, 164.044
33. Chapman, 163.152
34. Sutton, 162.832
35. Reid, 162.626
36. Richardson, 161.720
Prac 1 Rundown 3
06-30-2006 11:26 am
Clean and green throughout this session as we approach the red and black flags:
1. Skinner, 167.697
2. Cook, 167.624
3. Sprague, 167.359
4. Crawford, 167.028
5. Crafton, 166.960
6. Allgaier, 166.955
7. Darnell, 166.579
8. Ambrose, 166.574
9. Bliss, 166.507
10. Starr, 166.379
11. Krisiloff, 166.246
12. Ragan, 166.241
13. Lester, 166.220
14. Setzer, 166.164
15. Benson, 166.087
16. Gaughan, 165.822
17. Hornaday, 165.761
18. Reutimann, 165.391
19. Crocker, 165.385
20. Miller, 165.218
21. Jourdain, 165.077
22. Hamilton, Jr., 165.077
23. Kinser, 164.785
24. Earnhardt, 164.745
25. McCumbee, 164.714
26. Almirola, 164.704
27. Musrgave, 164.689
28. East, 164.629
29. Peters, 164.609
30. Bodine, 164.194
31. Moore, 164.129
32. Park, 164.044
33. Chapman, 163.152
34. Sutton, 163.127
35. Reid, 162.628
36. Richardson, 161.725
Teams Hard at Work
06-30-2006 11:37 am
The NCTS teams are hard at work making changes between practice sessions as we have an hour break while the ARCA cars complete their final practice. We will be uploading our first TruckShots! gallery shortly, and we'll be scouring the garage for exclusive TruckSeries.com audio post-practice quotes. Stick with us, there is much more to come!
Rookie Practice Up Next
06-30-2006 12:26 pm
The rookies are up next for 30 minutes of open track time before the final practice for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250. We'll have all of the action as it happens during both sessions, so keep it right here at TrackSideLive!, exclusively at TruckSeries.com.
ppc Racing Crew Member is Truly a Lifesaver in Pennsylvania
06-30-2006 12:30 pm
Marty Brice typically assists setting up the pit stall for ppc Racing's No. 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race team at select NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCTS) races. However, early Thursday morning, Brice, a sergeant with the City of Coatesville (Pa.) Police Department, saved a man's life during the ravaging flood waters that hit the Northeast this week. (
Read More
)
Rookies Rolling
06-30-2006 12:53 pm
The rookies have thundered onto the mile and a half Kansas Speedway for 30 minutes of practice. Timothy Peters, Boston Reid, Kraig Kinser, Aric Almirola, Bobby East, Kerry Earnhardt, and the rest are all out on the speedway making laps. We'll have all the action as it happens!
They Said It, Rookie Practice
06-30-2006 1:01 pm
David Ragan, No. 6 Ford: "It's really smooth, it didn't bind up any. It just a lot smoother."
Kraig Kinser, No. 46 Chevrolet: "I went in really hard one time, and that's what made it tight through the center."
Michel Jourdain, No. 50 Ford: "I am able to carry a lot more throttle into the turns and that makes it feel very loose."
Erin Crocker, No. 98 Dodge: "The front tires aren't sliding, but they don't feel like they are turning very good."
Chad McCumbee, No. 08 Chevrolet: "The front is bottom really hard."
Joey Miller, No. 12 Toyota: "I tried to hold it wide open and it got really tight and pushed it right up in the center."
Rookie Rundown 1
06-30-2006 1:10 pm
1. Ragan, 166.821
2. Darnell, 166.497
3. Almirola, 165.858
4. Jourdain, 165.128
5. Ambrose, 165.042
6. Kinser, 165.037
7. Krisiloff, 164.765
8. East, 164,689
9. Earnhardt, 164.429
10. Crocker, 164.204
11. McCumbee, 164.084
12. Krisiloff, 163.964
13. Peters, 163.359
14. Reid, 163.058
15. Moore, 162.543
16. Richardson, 161.904
Final Practice Up Next
06-30-2006 1:25 pm
The rest of the field has joined the rookies as we are ticking down the final 60 minutes of practice. We'll have all the updates as they happen right here.
David Ragan led the rookie session followed by Erik Darnell, Aric Almirola, Michel Jourdain, and Macros Ambrose. A full speed report will be posted to the event bot on the main page shortly.
Final Prac Rundown 1
06-30-2006 1:35 pm
1. Ragan 166.888
2. Benson 166.415
3. Crafton 166.328
4. Crawford 166.087
5. Lester 165.726
6. Sprague 165.720
7. Cook 165.568
8. Bliss 165.558
9. Setzer 165.436
10. Skinner 165.406
11. Reutimann 165.229
12. Bodine 165.213
13. Musgrave 165.128
14. Starr 164.694
15. Hornaday 164.539
16. Allgaier 164.464
17. Crocker 164.414
18. Darnell 164.129
19. Ambrose 164.119
20. Gaughan 163.939
21. Kinser 163.875
22. Miller 163.795
23. Almirola 163.741
24. Hamilton, Jr. 163.300
25. Jourdain 163.108
26. Park 163.078
27. Sutton 161.919
28. Peters 159.664
Richardson Spins to Bring Out Red
06-30-2006 1:52 pm
Robert Richardson spun in turn four seconds ago to bring out the red flag. Richardson did not make contact, but several orange cones were scattered on the track. After a quick cleanup, we're back to green flag action.
Final Prac Rundown 2
06-30-2006 1:59 pm
1. Ragan 166.888
2. Benson 166.415
3. Crafton 166.328
4. Cook 166.292
5. Skinner 166.113
6. Crawford 166.087
7. Lester 165.827
8. Sprague 165.720
9. Reutimann 165.639
10. Bliss 165.558
11. Bodine 165.553
12. Crocker 165.522
13. Moore 165.502
14. Setzer 165.436
15. Musgrave 165.128
16. Earnhardt 164.941
17. Starr 164.694
18. Hornaday 164.539
19. Allgaier 164.464
20. Krisiloff 164.389
21. Darnell 164.344
22. Ambrose 164.119
23. Kinser 163.949
24. Gaughan 163.939
25. Miller 163.795
26. Almirola 163.741
27. Hamilton, Jr. 163.300
28. Jourdain 163.108
29. Park 163.083
30. Sutton 161.919
31. Chapman 161.648
32. Peters 160.585
33. Richardson 158.959
34. Reid 158.466
35. East 158.117
Final Prac Rundown 3
06-30-2006 2:14 pm
The teams are just now starting to get ready for their mock qualifying runs. Here is the rundown as they just get started with that process:
1. Ragan 166.888
2. Benson 166.415
3. Crafton 166.328
4. Cook 166.292
5. Darnell 166.174
6. Skinner 166.113
7. Crawford 166.087
8. Lester 165.827
9. Sprague 165.720
10. Reutimann 165.639
11. Bliss 165.558
12. Bodine 165.553
13. Crocker 165.522
14. Ambrose 165.502
15. Moore 165.502
16. Setzer 165.486
17. Musgrave 165.128
18. Earnhardt 164.941
19. Starr 164.810
20. Gaughan 164.609
21. Hornaday 164.539
22. Park 164.469
23. Allgaier 164.464
24. Krisiloff 164.389
25. Kinser 163.949
26. Miller 163.795
27. Almirola 163.741
28. Hamilton, Jr. 163.706
29. Reid 163.706
30. Jourdain 163.108
31. East 162.778
32. Chapman 162.299
33. Sutton 161.919
34. Peters 160.585
35. Richardson 160.142
Drivers Avoiding Heat in Kansas
06-30-2006 4:06 pm
While it hasn't reached oopressively hot status here at Kansas Speedway, it has warmed up to the point where anyone that doesn't need to be out working in the heat has retreated for some shade and/or air conditioning. Temperatures have risen into the low 90s and there is still a chance to reach the upper 90s yet this afternoon, but there is a gentle cooling breeze blowing through the garage area making it a little more bearable. Most of the drivers have changed from their uniforms and are in the cool comfort of the transporters or even in their motorhomes, parked just outside the garage area.
Who had the Better Year?
06-30-2006 4:32 pm
In the all time NCTS record books, Mike Skinner in routinely tabbed as having the best year in the history of the series in 1995. On his way to the inaugural series championship, Skinner won 8 races, picked up 13 top-3 finishes, and was in the top-5 in 17 of 20 races. Skinner averaged a 4.8 finish
While it is split across two calendar years, the 365 days since we were last in Kansas have been equally productive for Todd Bodine. Bodine has scored 8 wins, 17 top three finishes, 18 finishes among the top-five, and scored an impressive 5.5 average finish over the span.
Who had the better year? Well, of course, that is left for debate and for you to decide!
Pics and Audio
06-30-2006 4:44 pm
Check out our TruckShots! gallery for loads of images from the track here in Kansas. While you're viewing the images, check out the audio interviews in the Sights and Sounds bot. We met up with David Ragan, Erik Darnell, Matt Crafton, Dennis Setzer, Terry Cook, and Joey Miller.
Dennis Setzer, No. 85 Chevrolet: "Seems like it was pretty free. You have big long corners here and you need to get it to roll through the center."
Matt Crafton, No. 88 Chevrolet: "I think we can run a 32.2. We need to qualify in the top ten or the top five."
Erik Darnell, No. 99 Ford: "I don't know if we're going to sit on the pole. The Roush Fords have always run well here. We are hoping we can go out and do the same thing..."
Joey Miller, No. 12 Toyota: "The top 20 isn't anything to brag about. It's better than the low 20s or even the 30s like we have been..."
David Ragan, No. 6 Ford: "Our team probably is (a threat for the pole). I don't know if the driver is. Hopefully I won't go out there and mess it up..."
Terry Cook, N0. 10 Ford: "It rolled off the trailer fast. To be fast in this day and age you can't be looking for a half a second. You need to be looking for a half a tenth..."
Click on each driver's name to listen.
Live! Qualifying Up Next
06-30-2006 5:50 pm
Don't forget to click over to our
Live! Bud Pole Qualifying
coverage, which is scheduled to start at the top of the hour. There are some familiar names at the front of the field, but there are some fresh faces that were quick in practice as well. Will a wily veteran take the top spot, or will a crafty young gun take top billing when we roll for the pole? Click on over to find out!
Skinner Streaks to Kansas Pole
06-30-2006 7:42 pm
Skinner Scores Truck Series Pole in Kansas
Mike Skinner scored the Bud Pole Award for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Friday afternoon at the Kansas Speedway. Skinner turned a quick lap of 31.437 seconds with an average speed of 171.772 miles per hour to pick up his 28th career series pole, and his series leading fourth of 2006.
Skinner was pleased with his run in the No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota, but remenisced about one that got away last year. He said the key to winning here tomorrow is not giving the race away to the competition.
"I would trade all of these poles for a good finish," Skinner said. "If we beat every one of these guys across the line tomorrow we'll win the race. We have a great truck, what we need to do is eliminate the mistakes. If we get beat, it should be because someone has a better piece and had a better day, not because we gave it to them."
Skinner edged Rick Crawford for the pole, with Crawford's lap of 31.688 seconds/170.412 miles per hour good for outside the front row.
"We have a great Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford," Crawford said. "It's driving good, and the air conditioning is working well. I give credit to all these young kids that qualified so well. They did a good job hanging on to those trucks in qualifying."
David Ragan qualifed the No. 6 Scott's Ford third with a lap of 31.804 seconds/169.704 miles per hour, with Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Marcos Ambrose turning a lap of 31.689 seconds/169.444 seconds in the No. 20 Aussie Vineyards Ford. Terry Cook gave Ford four of the top five starters with a lap of 31.889 seconds/169.337 miles per hour in the No. 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford.
Ted Musgrave was sixth in the No. 9 Team ASE Toyota, Jack Sprague was seventh in the No. 6p Con-way Freight Toyota, Erik Darnell eighth in the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford, Timothy Peters ninth in the No. 4 DOdge Motorsports Dodge, and Ryan Moore rounded out the top ten in the No. 40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet.
Several drivers found the Kansas Speedway to be treacherous during their qualifying run. Dennis Setzer, Mike Bliss, Brendan Gaughan, and Kelly Sutton all had problems on their runs, with Sutton doing a 90-degree slide through turn four on her second lap. Bliss got loose coming to the white flag, ruining both of his laps and leaving him 34th on the grid.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point leader and defending race champion Todd Bodine did not make a qualifying attempt after failing pre-qualifying tech inspection. Bodine will come from 35th on the grid.
The O'Reilly 250 is scheduled for a 3:15 P.M. Eastern start. TruckSeries.com will have continuing even coverage leading up to and following the race.
Kansas Qualifying Fast Facts
06-30-2006 7:43 pm
Mike Skinner picks up his fourth pole of the season, the most of any driver; his last pole was at Michigan...Skinner qualified alongside teammate Bill Lester to start outside the front row for this event last season...Skinner has now won three of the last four poles in NCTS competition...Skinner now holds the all-time series record with 28 poles, breaking a tie with three-time series champion Jack Sprague...Skinner finished second after starting from the pole at Texas, but finished 31st in Texas and 11th at Charlotte...Rick Crawford's second place start is his best of 2006; his previous best was a pair of fourths at Martinsville and Dover...Marcos Ambrose was the top qualifying Raybestos Rookie in fourth; the Australian rookie has qualified among the top five three times and in the top ten on four occasions...Todd Bodine will start 35th after his truck failed pre-qualifing inspection and he did not turn a lap.
That's All for Qualifying; See You Tomorrow
06-30-2006 7:47 pm
We're going to put a period on it for our qualifying coverage of the O'Reilly 250 from Kansas Speedway. We have audio clips with the top three qualifiers for your listening enjoyment, and we will pick up more coverage from the Kansas Speedway tomorrow morning. Until then, good night everybody!
Good Morning from Kansas Speedway
07-01-2006 11:13 am
Good morning everybody, welcome to our raceday TrackSideLive! coverage of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 from the Kansas Speedway.
It is a beautiful day here, but we do expect temperatures to creep up into the upper 90s again today. There is a nice breeze blowing which will make the entire afternoon much more tolerable for the teams and officials on pit road. As for the drivers, it's going to be one of the toughest tests they face all season long as we are going as far as we do all season long - 250 miles - and the sun baking down on the track and the heat generated by the exhaust will drive cockpit temps into the 140 degree range.
Keep it right here at TrackSideLive!, exclusively here at TruckSeries.com for much more leading up to the start of today's O'Reilly 250.
Kansas Best Finishes
07-01-2006 11:18 am
Here are the best Kansas Speedway Truck Series finishes for each driver in the starting lineup this afternoon:
Mike Bliss 1st
Todd Bodine 1st
Ted Musgrave 2nd
Dennis Setzer 2nd
Rick Crawford 3rd
David Reutimann 3rd
Steve Park 4th
Mike Skinner 4th
Matt Crafton 5th
Bill Lester 5th
Terry Cook 6th
Brendan Gaughan 8th
Jack Sprague 8th
Ron Hornaday 17th
David Starr 19th
Johnny Benson 28th
Kelly Sutton 31st
Johnny Chapman 35th
Justin Allgaier 36th
Here are the drivers making their first Truck Series appearance at Kansas Speedway: David Ragan, Marcos Ambrose, Erik Darnell, Timothy Peters, Ryan Moore, Joey Miller, Erin Crocker, Bobby East, Chad McCumbee, Kerry Earnhardt, Bobby Hamilton, Jr., Kraig Kinser, Aric Almirola, Boston Reid, Kyle Krisiloff, Michel Jourdain, Jr., Robert Richardson
Kansas Top-5s
07-01-2006 11:34 am
Here are drivers that have scored a top five finish at Kansas Speedway:
Dennis Setzer 3
Jon Wood 2
Ted Musgrave 2
Carl Edwards 2
Rick Crawford
Travis Kvapil
Matt Crafton
Bill Lester
Bobby Hamilton
Robert Pressley
Jason Leffler
Todd Bodine
Coy Gibbs
Mike Skinner
David Reutimann
Steve Park
Mike Bliss
Ricky Hendrick
Todd Kluever
Bill Bigley
Kansas Speedway Races Summary
07-01-2006 11:37 am
There have been five previous NCTS races at Kansas Speedway. No driver has won more than one race here. Here are the previous winners:
2001 - Ricky Hendrick
2002 - Mike Bliss
2003 - Jon Wood
2004 - Carl Edwards
2005 - Todd Bodine
The average start of the winner is 4.2 with Bodine coming from 10th to win to be the winner with the deepest starting position. Every other winner has been from the top five, with Hendrick and Edwards winning from the second starting spot.
There are an average of 12 lead lap finishers. The record is 17 set here last year, while in the first race here in 2001 there were just 6 trucks on the lead lap at the finish.
The lead changes hands an average of 12.6 times per race. The record is 14 lead changes in 2004, while there were just 10 lead changes in 2002.
An average of 7.6 drivers lead the race per year. The record is 9 set in 2004, while the low is 5 set in 2002.
The caution flag waves an average of 7.6 times per race. The record is 10 in 2004, while the low is 5 in 2001.
The pace truck leads the field for an average of 32.8 laps per race. The most caution laps per race was 2004 with 44 laps under yellow, while there were just 22 yellow laps in 2001.
The cumulative average speed is 116.834 miles per hour. The record was set in the inaugural year with a 125.094 mile per hour average. The slowest race was 2004 at 105.994 miles per hour.
2006 Key Race Statistics
07-01-2006 11:44 am
Here are the key race stats for all races run to this point in 2006:
The average margin of victory is 1.459 seconds so far this season. One race - Daytona - ended under caution.
The average start of the winner is 8.4, with the deepest anyone has come being Kyle Busch starting 20th to win at Charlotte. The pole starter won at Daytona and Atlanta.
There have been an average of 9.7 lead changes per race so far this season. The most was 21 at Daytona; the fewest was just 2 at Mansfield.
There are an average of 5.3 leaders per race in 2006. The most was 9 at Daytona, while there were three leaders at Mansfield.
We've had an average of 8.9 caution flags per race in 2006. The most times the yellow light has blinked on this season was a series record 18 times at Mansfield, while there were just 4 cautions at Atlanta and Dover.
The pace truck leads the field for an average 38.8 laps per race. The most was 85 yellow laps at Mansfield, with the fewest being 17 laps under caution at Daytona.
An average of 31.9 drivers finish, which means 4.1 drivers do not finish to this point in 2006. Of those there are an average of 21.4 lead lap finishers.
2005 vs 2006 YTD
07-01-2006 11:53 am
Here are some year to date comparisons from 2005 to 2006:
Avg start of winner: 2005, 12.6; 2006, 8.36
Cumulative lead changes: 2005, 104; 2006, 107
Avg lead changes per race: 2005, 9.45; 2006, 9.73
Avg lead drivers per race: 2005, 7.09; 2006, 5.27
Total laps under caution: 2005, 385; 2006, 427
Avg cautions per race: 2005, 7.45; 2006, 8.91
Trucks Out of Garage
07-01-2006 11:56 am
Immediately after qualifying yesterday, NASCAR officials watched closely as each driver peeled off the track and drove straight to the NCTS garage and each truck was then impounded over night with no further contact by any team member. Shortly after the garage opened this morning, NASCAR officials started moving them out of the garage bays and onto the staging area in the garage. The entire field has now been moved from the garage and is staged out in the open, again under close watch by NASCAR officials.
Current Year Manufacturer Performance
07-01-2006 11:59 am
It has been a Toyota year to this point, but it looks like the Ford teams are going to be strong here at Kansas if qualifying is any indication. Here is the breakdown of manufacturer performance to this point:
Chevrolet: 2 wins, 1 pole, 9 top-5, 31 top-10, 551 laps led
Dodge: 0 wins, 1 pole, 1 top-5, 7 top-10, 39 laps led
Ford: 3 wins, 1 pole, 9 top-5, 25 top-10, 389 laps led
Toyota: 6 wins, 6 poles, 36 top-5, 47 top-10, 828 laps led
There have been 55 total available top five finishes so far in 2006. Toyota teams have earned 65 percent of all available top five finishes.
Lots of Wins Outside Top-20
07-01-2006 12:07 am
Looking at the starting lineup, the drivers outside the top-20 have earned 81 career wins:
Ron Hornaday, starting 21st, 28 wins
Johnny Benson, starting 22nd, 2 wins
Steve Park, starting 24th, 1 win
Dennis Setzer, starting 26th, 16 wins
David Starr, starting 28th, 4 wins
Brendan Gaughan, starting 33rd, 8 wins
Mike Bliss, starting 34th, 12 wins
Todd Bodine, starting 35th, 10 wins
The drivers starting 33rd, 34th, and 35th have earned 30 career wins.
Indy Car Qualifying Wrapping Up
07-01-2006 2:23 pm
The IRL Indy Car Series is wrapping up their qualifying session, which will put us on the countdown to green for the O'Reilly 250. Right now the pole speed for the Indy Cars is in the 213 mile per hour range, some 45 miles per hour faster than the pole speed for the Truck Series. We will be moving across the track for our race coverage, and we'll pick that up as soon as we get to the tower.
Pre-race Audio
07-01-2006 2:29 pm
We met up with Chad McCumbee, Ryan Moore, and Brendan Gaughan prior to the start of today's race, and you can listen to their comments by clicking on their name in the Sights and Sounds Box to the right side of the TrackSideLive! page.
Driver Intros Over
07-01-2006 2:58 pm
The drivers have all been introduced to the massive crowd on hand here at Kansas Speedway, next up will be the conclusion of pre-race ceremonies - the invocation, Star Spangled Banner, and the command to start engines. We have 167 laps to go and the air temperature is reaching through the mid 90s. There is still a nice breeze blowing and it's a very tolerable day for officials and crew members, even if they are wearing fireproof uniforms. Cockpit temperatures are in the 130-140 degree range, so it wil be tough on the drivers.
We'll have all of the action throughout the race right here at TrackSideLive! so stick with us for the next few hours!
O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 Updates 1-10
07-01-2006 3:07 pm
10. Lap 15 - Cook takes over second. Only Reid and Hamilton are side by side, but Earnhardt makes a run on both and sweeps the outside making it three wide to take the spot going into one.
9. Lap 10 - Bodine is up to 22nd, Bliss is 29th. Ambrose drifts up and allows Crawford and Cook to slide underneath to take over second and third. Skinner leads by half a straightaway, while Reutimann is a half-straightaway behind sixth place Sprague.
8. Lap 6 - Skinner leads by over a second over Ambrose, Crawford, Cook, Ragan, Sprague, Peyers, Reutimann, Crocker, and Musgave. The first side by side racing is just outside the top-10 as Moore, Hornaday, Crafton, and Darnell mix it up.
7. Lap 3 - Kinser drifts up out of the groove in three and four and drops at least a dozen spots. Bodine has already moved up to 29th and is challenging for 28th. Peters dips under Musgrave to battle for seventh.
6. Green flag. Crawford edges ahead of Skinner who was laying back, which gives Ambrose the edge to power around the outside. Ambrose leads the first lap, the first Australian to ever lead an NCTS race. Skinner powers underneath off turn four to lead lap two.
5. One to go signal given.
4. Trucks are rolling. One Toyota and four Fords are in the top five. The first Dodge comes from ninth, the first Chevrolet from tenth.
3. Engines have been fired. The jet blowers are going to make one lap to blow the debris from the Indy car qualifying down to the bottom of the track. Three pace laps for the Trucks and we'll see the green.
2. Pit road speed is 45 mph, pace truck speed is 55 mph. Drivers will need to maintain speed from the yellow line 210 feet before the first pit stall through the yellow line 75 feet past the last pit stall.
1. Track temp is 134 degrees as we get ready to crank the engines. One truck to the back: No. 13 Earnhardt will go to the back due to a post-practice engine change.
O'Reilly 250 Updates 11-20
07-01-2006 3:34 pm
20. Lap 40 - Kinser and Earnhardt come together in turn two and brush the wall. Kinser had a wiggle and pushed into Earnhardt who was making a move to the outside, with Earnhardt scraping the wall. Caution out for the second time.
19. Lap 37 - Gaughan pushes up out of the groove in three and four and loses ten spots, falling to the back of the field.
18. Lap 34 - Sprague is rolling as the field comes to the green. Cook is trapped behind Jourdain in the restart, but quickly moves past, hoping for a quick caution to pick up the free pass and rejoin the lead lap. Bodine moves up to fourth as 12 trucks rush into turn one side by side and three wide.
17. Lap 33 - Sprague remains on pit road as the field is given the one to go.
16. Lap 32 - Main oil line is cut on Sprague's truck, which means an extended repair. Sutton leads lap 32. Skinner leads Reutimann, Crawford, Ragan, Ambrose, Musgrave, Setzer, Darnell, Bodine, Benson, Peters, Lester, Starr, Crocker, Hornaday, Crafton, Bliss, Earnhardt, Krisiloff, Kinser, East, Hamilton, Almirola, McCumbee, Moore, Gaughan, Reid, Park, and Allgaier. The lap Sutton leads before coming to pit road is her first ever lap led in NCTS competition.
15. Lap 31 - Richardson receives the free pass and will rejoin the lead lap. Lead lap trucks pit.
14. Lap 26 - Overlooked in Bodine's charge to the front is Earnhardt, who has shadowed him the entire time. Earnhardt is up to 17th. Sprague is shown the black flag for smoke out of the rear and is coming to pit road, the second top five truck to have problems early on. Miller spins on the backstretch to bring out the first caution of the day.
13. Lap 23 - Hornaday, East, Setzer, and Benson are all running hard for 12th. Bodine joins the battle to make it a five truck race for position.
12. Lap 20 - Ragan looks inside Ambrose to take third. Skinner catches the tail of the field, lapping Jourdain and Chapman. Bodine passes Crafton to take 16th.
11. Lap 17 - Cook drops off the pace and onto pit road with a soft right front tire. Two tires only but Cook drops a lap down early in the going.
O'Reilly 250 Updates 21-30
07-01-2006 3:54 pm
30. Lap 73 - Cook is on the move, up to 12th and closing in on the race for 10th. Reutimann leads Crawford, Skinner, Bodine, Ragan, Bliss, Setzer, Peters, Ambrose, Hornaday, Benson, Cook, Crafton, Krisiloff, and Lester the top-15.
29. Lap 69 - Reutimann slips under Crawford to lead at the strioe and clears him in traffic down the backstretch to take possession of the lead. The front three have a second and a half gap on Bodine in fourth.
28. Lap 65 - Jourdain drops off the pace and comes to pit road for four tires. Crawford has now caught the tail of the field and puts Earnhardt a lap down. Earnhardt has heavy damage following his scrape with the wall that brought out the second caution.
27. Lap 62 - Cook is threading his way back up towards the front, making it up to 16th.
26. Lap 59 - The field is static and spread out across the entire 1.5-mile distance.
25. Lap 52 - Crawford, Reutimann, Skinner, Ragan, Bodine, Setzer, Hornaday, Peters, Crafton, Bliss, Lester, Ambrose, Krisiloff, Benson, Darnell, Starr, Hamilton, East, Crocker, Musgrave, McCumbee, Cook, Reid, Almirola, Allgaier, Gaughan, Park, Kinser, Richardson, Sutton, and Earnhardt are the lead lap trucks. Lester and Miller make hard contact at the line but keep pointed in the right direction.
24. Lap 48 - Reutimann leads at the stripe, but Crawford powers past off turn two to retake the top spot.
23. Lap 46 - Crawford takes over the lead and Reutimann pulls past Skinner into second. The front five run single file nose to tail.
22. Lap 44 - Restart. Skinner leads as Crawford charges past Reutimann to take over second off turn two.
21. Lap 41 - Gaughan, Richardson, Park, Sutton, Chapman, and Earnhardt come to the pits. Cook receives the free pass and rejoins the lead lap, but will restart 32nd.
O'Reilly 250 Updates 31-40
07-01-2006 4:17 pm
40. Lap 104 - As the safety crew continues to work on the backstretch the leaders come to pit. Skinner leads off pit road with Bodine, Ragan, Benson, Reutimann, Crawford, Cook, Starr, East, Hornaday, Darnell, Ambrose, Crafton, Hamilton, Gaughan, Crocker, Setzer, Almirola, Reid, Richardson, Krisiloff, and Musgave the lead lap trucks.
39. Lap 101 - Chapman is off the pace with engine problems. Setzer is back up to 21st after restarting from the tail. Reutimann drops to seventh as Sutton crashes on the backstretch and catches the grass on fire. There is a trail of flame from the point of impact to where Sutton's truck stopped.
38. Lap 97 - Ragan, Reutimann, Cook, and Benson go side by side two deep for position. Ragan takes fourth with Reutimann, Benson and Cook following. Miller brushes the turn four wall, no caution.
37. Lap 92 - Restart. Cook jumps to the outside and races Benson into turn one. Starr, Crafton and Peters race three wide into turn three. The front three are ahead by a second. Skinner dips under Bodine to take the lead at lap 95.
36. Lap 91 - Pits are open. Almirola, Gaughan, Sutton, Miller, Allgaier, and Richardson come for service. Jourdain is in as well and the team is under the hood.
35. Lap 88 - Restart. Bodine again jumps out front. Crafton swings to the outside and goes three wide around Starr and Krisiloff to take 9th. Allgaier spins around in turn four to bring out the fifth caution. Sutton picks up the free pass.
34. Lap 87 - Lester drops out of the top ten to mend damage to the nose received in the Bliss crash.
33. Lap 84 - Restart. Bodine leads Skinner, Crawford, Reutimann and Ragan as we take the halfway signal. Bliss gets loose through turn four and slides sideways and then up into the wall nose first. There is heavy damage to the nose, but he drives it to pit road for four tires. Miller receives the free pass and rejoins the lead lap.
32. Lap 80 - Pits are open. Crawford leads at the stripe as Reutimann's pit box is the first one off turn four. Bodine leads off pit road with Skinner, Crawford, Reutimann, Ragan, Benson, Setzer, Cook, Lester, Bliss, Peters, Starr, Krisiloff, Crafton, East, Ambrose, Musgrave, Darnell, Hamilton, Crocker, Almirola, Hornaday, McCumbee, Reid, Park, and Allgaier. Setzer's team let a wheel loose on pit road, sending him to the tail of the longest line for the restart.
31. Lap 78 - Kinser and Moore crash in turn four bringing out the third caution. Moore got loose and slid up into the wall. Kinser tried to steer under Moore's crash and it bit back and sent him up the wall into Moore's truck. Sutton spun to avoid, nearly collecting Bodine and Ragan.
O'Reilly 250 Updates 41-50
07-01-2006 4:50 pm
50. Lap 130 - Restart. Skinner is restarting 15th. Cook pulls out to a ten length lead down the backstretch as Sprague separates the leader from second place Crawford.
49. Lap 127 - Cook stays on the track and takes the lead, followed by Crawford, Hornaday, Starr, Peters, Ambrose, Hamilton, Crafton, Gaughan, Park, Crocker, Almirola, Allgaier, and Miller. Skinner wins the race off pit road followed by Bodine, Benson, Krisiloff, Reutimann, Ragan, Setzer, East, Musgrave, Reid, Richardson, McCumbee, Lester, and Earnhardt.
48. Lap 125 - Bliss spins off turn two to bring out the caution for the seventh time of the day. No contact with anything and Bliss drives on from the scene.
47. Lap 122 - Sprague presses Krisiloff from four laps down and brings Skinner with him. Krisiloff rides second in front of Bodine and Cook.
46. Lap 120 - The medical helicopter has just left, carrying Kelly Sutton for further evaluation at a local hospital. No word on what, if any, her injures are at this point.
45. Lap 117 - Ambrose has a big moment off turn two, doing a great job catching it. East and Crafton join the mix and both of those drives have big wiggles as the air is moving around in heavy traffic.
44. Lap 112 - Skinner dips past leader Krisiloff to lead lap 112, but Krisiloff comes back to lead lap 113. Krisiloff is now out front by almost a second as Skinner is busy racing Sprague who is four laps down. Bodine, Benson, Cook, Ragan, Reutimann, Crawford, Starr, Hornaday, Peters, Darnell, Ambrose, East, Hamilton, Setzer, Crafton, Crocker, Gaughan, Almirola, Musgrave, Reid, Allgaier, Richardson, and Miller follow.
43. Lap 109 - Speed Channel reports Kelly Sutton is awake and conscious after her hard crash on the backstretch. NASCAR and track safety officials cut the roof off her truck to extricate her, but she is awake and alert in the care center. No word on what her injuries are, if any.
42. Red flag has been pulled and engines refired. Trucks are rolling after a 9:25 red flag period. Kinser returns from the garage as the field rolls.
41. Lap 107 - Red flag is out as the safety crew continues to work on the backstretch.
O'Reilly 250 Updates 51 -
07-01-2006 5:25 pm
63. Lap 163 - Cook leads by two seconds. Reutimann, Starr, Benson and Hornaday are going at it hard for eighth. Skinner looks inside Ambrose for fourth, but Ambrose wants Gaughan for third.
62. Lap 160 - Starr gets sideways and almost clips Hornaday in one. He reels it in and continues on but drops to eighth.
61. Lap 158 - Cook leads by a second over Crawford. Gauaghan looks to the ouside of Hornaday and takes third going ionto three, bringing Ambrose with him to fourth.
60. Lap 154 - Bodine pushes off turn two and legs Reutimann and Skinner slip underneath. Skinner dives under Reutimann to take that spot going into one. Gaughan is up to fourth after passing Starr down the backstretch.
59. Lap 152 - Gaughan makes the move to the outside to get past Bodine and Ambrose.
58. Lap 150 - One to go. Cook leads Crawford, Hornaday, Starr, Ambrose, Bodine, Peters, Skinner, Gaughan, Reutimann, Ragan, Hamilton, Benson, Crafton, Setzer, Park, Almirola, McCumbee, Crocker, Darnell, Allgaier, Richardson, East, Miller, Musgrave, and Reid.
57. Lap 148 - Cook was pulling away by a couple of tenths a lap prior to the caution. He will have open track on the restart. Bodine is up to sixth, but can he make the moves towards the lead without having clean air on the nose?
56. Lap 146 - Cook's 4.1 second lead evaporates as Reid spins in turn three. Caution is out for the eighth time.
55. Lap 143 - Bodine slips around Skinner to take over eighth. Bodine then moves under Gaughan to move to seventh and he's pressing Peters hard for sixth.
54. Lap 140 - Skinner and Bodine have caught Gaughan for seventh but have not been able to make a move. Cook now leads by 2.6 seconds and continues to pull away from Crawford in second.
53. Lap 137 - Krisiloff slides sideways in turn two and throws up a huge smokescreen, but he saves it and we stay green. Good break for Cook as he has nearly a 2.5 second lead.
52. Lap 135 - Ambrose passes Peters to move into fifth. Skinner is now ninth with Bodine tenth.
51. Lap 132 - Skinner is up to eleventh with Bodine 12th. Cook continues to stretch the lead as Crawford makes his way past Sprague to clear all lapped traffic between he and the leader.
O'Reilly 250 Unofficial Results
07-01-2006 6:49 pm
1. Cook
2. Crawford
3. Ambrose
4. Gaughan
5. Skinner
6. Ragan
7. Bodine
8. Starr
9. Benson
10. Reutimann
11. Setzer
12. Hornaday
13. McCumbee
14. Park
15. Hamilton
16. Crocker
17. Krisiloff
18. Almirola
19. Peters
20. Crafton
21. Allgaier
22. Musgrave
23. Lester
24. East
25. Earnhardt
26. Darnell
27. Richardson
28. Reid
29. Sprague
30. Miller
31. Bliss
32. Jourdain
33. Chapman
34. Moore
35. Kinser
36. Sutton
Sutton Update
07-01-2006 7:11 pm
Kelly Sutton has been admitted to Kansas University Medical Center and is listed in Fair condition. There is no further update on her condition or her injuries.
Cook Breaks 94-Race Winless Streak at Kansas
07-01-2006 7:32 pm
Cook Breaks 94-Race Winless Streak in Kansas
It had been since August 2002 that Terry Cook scored a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory. After his fourth win of 2002 at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, Cook would embark on a 94-race streak that spanned nearly four full years without taking the checkered flag. After a flat tire just 18 laps into Saturday's O'Reilly 250 at Kansas Speedway, it appeared Cook's winless streak would stretch at least one more race. But Cook kept calm, used superb pit strategy, and rode a fast truck to claim his sixth career series victory.
Cook dropped into line behind early race leaders Mike Skinner and Rick Crawford, but was sent to pit road early on when the right front tire went soft on the No. 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford. A quick two-tire change left Cook a lap down, but with the free pass given to the highest scored non-lead lap truck on each caution, Cook quickly rejoined the lead lap. His march through the field was complete when the lead group pitted for tires and fuel with 35 laps to go. From there, Cook was able to open up a several second lead - even after a late caution allowed the field to close the gap.
"When we had that tire go down, I was actually pretty calm in the truck," Cook said. "In the past I would have gotten myself all worked up and upset, but Dennis Connor really kept me calm and led us back to the front. He has so much experience, he's won almost 30 races and three series championships. I actually thought we were two laps down, but we were just one. We picked up the free pass and my spotter Tony Hirschman guided me through the field. I knew we had a truck that could do it. It just seemed like we'd never get back here, I am so excited I can't stand it!"
Cook's win was also the first NCTS win for ppc Racing, a team that has multiple wins and a series championship in the NASCAR Busch Series.
"I'm so happy to get this win for the team," Cook said. "ppc Racing has a lot of wins with Jeff Green, Scott Riggs, and Jason Keller in the Busch Series, but throughout the three years of this program we've not been able to get that first Truck Series win. We were finally able to bring Dennis on board to be the crew chief and that's what we needed."
Cook led a Ford 1-2-3 sweep at the finish, with Rick Crawford coming home second and Australian Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Marcos Ambrose crossing the line third.
"We made some bold moves out there today, I just wish we could have passed one more truck," Crawford said. "We were strong from the get-go. The key to our success is our payroll. The people we have on staff at Circle Bar Racing are what makes us what we are. I knew those guys that pitted with 60 laps to go and got fuel only would need to come down for tires with 30 laps or so if we had a caution. Once they did that, the Fords were up front to stay."
Ambrose, who became the first Australian to lead a series event, charged through the top ten late in the going to pick up his first career top five finish.
"I came over here with no oval experience or stock car experience," Ambrose said. "There have been a couple of guys that helped me out whenever I had a question, Todd Bodine and Brendan Gaughan. It was a real treat to get out there and race them for position today, and to beat them. I owe it to the guys on this team, they have stuck behind me."
Ambrose nipped Brendan Gaughan's Harrah's Dodge for fourth by inches at the stripe, with Mike Skinner fifth in the No. 5 Toyota Tundra Tundra. David Ragan was sixth in the No. 6 Scott's Ford, series championship leader Todd Bodine seventh in the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota, David Starr eighth in the No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota, Johnny Benson ninth in the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota, and David Reutimann rounded out the top ten finishers in the No. 17 Team Tundra Toyota.
The race was red flagged for 9 minutes and 25 seconds after a hard crash on the backstretch involving Kelly Sutton. Sutton got loose off turn four and struck the inside retaining wall with the driver's side of the No. 02 Sutton Motorsports Chevrolet. With the relative drought conditions in Kansas, the accident started a grass fire in the infield which took several minutes to contain as safety officials cut the roof off the truck to remove Sutton from the wrecked truck. She was awake and alert following the crash, and has been admitted to the KU Med Center in fair condition where she will be kept overnight for evaluation.
There were a total of eight caution flags for 36 which held the average speed to a record low 111.581 miles per hour. Ryan Moore, Kraig Kinser, Mike Bliss, Joey Miller, Justin Allgaier and Boston Reid were all involved in incidents throughout the afternoon. Cook's margin of victory was 2.040 seconds.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series moves on to the Kentucky Speedway for Saturday's Built Ford Tough 225. TruckSeries.com will have complete event coverage starting with practice updates on Friday 7th, with Live! Bud Pole QUalifying and complete race coverage on Saturday July 8th.
Whos' In; Who's Out and Kentucky
07-01-2006 7:41 pm
Here are the teams at or near the bubble and beyond in the race for the top-30 in owner points, locking them into the field at Kentucky:
26. Woodard 25 1080
27. Evernham 98 1071
28. Green Light 07 1059
29. Sutton 02 1001
30. Davis 22 998
Who's out:
31. ThorSport 980
32. Morgan-Dollar 46 971
33. Key 40 866
34. Richardson 1 843
No other teams have attempted every race and therefore are not eligible for a locked-in starting position.
Kansas Points Movers
07-01-2006 7:50 pm
Here are the drivers making big moves in the points, both forward and backwards:
5. Rick Crawford +3
6. Terry Cook +5
7. David Starr +2
8. Dennis Setzer -1
9. Jack Sprague -4
11. Mike Bliss -5
13. Mike Skinner +1
14. Brendan Gaughan +3
15. Bobby Hamilton, Jr. +1
16. Erik Darnell -3
Points Top Ten
07-01-2006 8:00 pm
1. Bodine 1909
2. Reutimann 1771
3. Benson 1766
4. Musgrave 1657
5. Crawford 1636
6. Cook 1602
7. Starr 1600
8. Setzer 1593
9. Sprague 1578
10. Hornaday 1560
Kansas Wrap Up
07-01-2006 8:07 pm
That's going to do it for TrackSideLive! from Kansas Speedway. Congratulations goes out to Terry Cook and the ppc Racing Team for a resounding victory, Cook's first in 94 races. Our thoughts go out Kelly Sutton and everyone here at TruckSeries.com offers her thoughts for a quick recovery.
We'll pick up coverage at Kentucky Speedway next Friday afternoon as we start practice for the Built Ford Tough 225. Until then, so long every body!
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