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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Race
#10 | Michigan 200
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Saturday, June 16, 2007
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The Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel by International team rolled into the Magic Mile having posted a pair of top 10’s in the last 2 races, placing themselves back into the top 5 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship points standings.
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A solid top 5 at Texas Motor Speedway put the Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel team back on the championship track and looking for more at the Michigan 200. While the qualifying effort started Crawford deep in the field, neither he or the team were too concerned about getting to the front on the wide multi-grooved speedway. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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For David Starr the beginning of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series season has been like the lyrics to Wet Willies’ 1974 rock classic “Keep On Smilin”. You got to keep on smilin, has been Starr’s point of view while he and his International MaxxForce Diesel team have gotten up to speed in the opening months of 2007.
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An extremely tight race truck and a severe vibration in the closing laps of the Michigan 200 derailed Bobby Labonte and the No. 4 Open Joist Racing team of a top-10 finish in the 10th race of the 2007 season. Labonte battled inside the top 10 most of the day, but the tight condition and vibration proved too much to handle in the final 15 laps of the event. He finished in the 18th position.
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Fastenal driver Ken Schrader battled a loose race truck all weekend at Michigan International Raceway. The condition stayed persistent in both practices on Friday and during qualifying on Saturday morning. Schrader posted the 21st fastest time in qualifying despite the extremely loose conditions.
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Chad McCumbee’s weekend at Michigan International Speedway started off good and seemed to only be getting better. The young driver was able to secure a top-10 starting spot in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event for his No. 08 theGPSstore.com / Garmin Chevrolet and he was able to stay up front for the majority of the race.
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Travis Kvapil and the No. 6 K&N Filters team came to Michigan International Speedway on the heels of three consecutive top-10 finishes and the feeling that their season had finally turned the corner. Kvapil and crew proved that on Saturday afternoon, scoring their first win of the 2007 season. (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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Kyle Busch in the No. 51 Flanders Beef Patties Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado brought home his second runner-up finish at the Michigan International Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Saturday, June 16. In his first run at MIS for Billy Ballew Motorsports in 2005, Busch also finished in the second place. (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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It’s not often Mark Martin is rendered speechless. But a blown engine during last Saturday’s Michigan 200 did exactly that. Martin had the No. 21 Bush’s Baked Beans Ford in the lead for 35 of the first 47 laps when the engine started to vibrate.
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Just because NASCAR drivers battle race traffic doesn’t mean fans should. Race fans at Michigan International Speedway for this past weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Citizens Bank 400 event should have noticed some significant improvements to their race-day traffic.
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For most of Saturday’s Michigan 200, Stacy Compton’s primary goal was keeping his No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford in position to make a push in the final 50 miles. He did exactly that, driving the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing-prepared F-150 to a 12th-place finish.
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Bill Lester took to the track at the Michigan International Speedway Saturday afternoon with his best start of the 2007 season. Lester put the No. 15 Christian Debt Consolidation Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in the fifth place position on the grid after running just one lap and posting a time of 40.500 seconds at a speed of 177.778 mph.
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Ted Musgrave drove his Germain Racing No. 9 Team ASE Toyota to a fifth-place finish in Saturday's Michigan 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway. Musgrave started ninth, and quickly made his way towards the front. (David M.Vaughn Photo)
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Mike Skinner and his dominating No. 5 Toyota Tundra team headed to the Irish Hills of Michigan this weekend in hopes of yet another strong performance. Skinner started off a little rusty in the first practice session Friday morning.
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Rookie Ryan Mathews was excited to race his Toyota Tundra in Michigan this past weekend. He had competed there in other divisions with much success, and he wanted to do the same in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
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Defending NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Todd Bodine started sixth and finished seventh in Saturday’s Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway in the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota Tundra. Bodine’s Tundra performed well in both practice sessions, and per his prediction, made it into the top-ten during qualifying.
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The No. 33 Camping World team not only had to contend with a loose-handling truck for the first half of the race, but by lap 20 driver Ron Hornaday radioed that the truck also had a bad vibration. After heading to pit road under green to fix his right rear tire, he rejoined the field one lap down.
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With 40 laps to go in Saturday’s Michigan 200, Terry Cook was mired in 25th position and hoping the most recent round of pit stops would correct the race-long handling issues that had plagued his No. 59 HT Motorsports Toyota Tundra.
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Benson posted a fast time of 40.660 seconds during Saturday morning’s qualifying session, placing the TCUV Tundra in the 10th position for the start of that afternoon’s race. When the green flagged waved to start the 100-lap event, Benson immediately began his charge to the front. However, the handling of the truck became looser by the lap, and Benson knew he would need a change soon.
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Jack Sprague and the Wyler Racing team relived their fascinating victory at Daytona International Speedway when they presented Con-way Freight with a replica trophy from their win during an outing on Friday night in Michigan.
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Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet, wrestled a loose-handling truck throughout the entire 100-lap event at the Michigan International Speedway. Friday afternoon, Harvick was ninth (40.624 seconds) in the first practice session and fourth (40.688 seconds) in the final practice, very confident with his truck for Saturday’s qualifying session and race.
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For Travis Kvapil and crew chief Mike Beam, the frustration has ended. For Roush Fenway owner Jack Roush, the success continues. Kvapil, whose most recent victory in September 2004 at New Hampshire International Speedway, preceded two seasons of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competition with lukewarm results. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Brendan Gaughan drove the No. 77 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Silverado to a third-place finish at Michigan. "We had a Chevrolet Silverado that could have won this race today," Gaughan said. "But with the monkey that we had on our back - the gorilla actually - I'd say bringing this Silverado home in third feels great, but it's not what I want. I want more." (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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Pennington Motorsports primary goal heading into Saturday’s Michigan 200 was to qualify. They did that solidly with a 31st place qualifying effort Saturday morning. Unfortunately, driver Jason White battled a loose condition on his No. 7 Hooter’s Energy Drink Chevrolet Silverado throughout the 100 lap/200 mile event to hinder a potential top-20 finish.
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Erik Darnell scored his second ARCA RE/MAX Series victory at Michigan Speedway on Friday, leading 58 of 100 laps. Darnell’s win is his second in three series starts in 2007. Darnell started third and upon the drop of the green flag reported to his Roush Fenway Racing crew that his Ford was tight, and was sliding around the racetrack.
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With Ford picking up win No. 2, three of the series' four manufacturers count multiple victories in 2007. Toyota, however, continues to pace the manufacturers' standings with 71 points to Chevrolet' 61. Two Roush drivers count back-to-back victories at MIS - since this was Kvapil's first time back since giving Toyota its maiden NASCAR national touring victory. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Travis Kvapil hunted down leader Kyle Busch over the final ten laps and made the move to the front coming to take the white flag and was able to hold on to win the Michigan 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. Kvapil, the 2003 series champion, started from the pole and diced near the front all day long, leading a total of 18 laps on his way to his seventh career series win. For Kvapil, he returns to victory lane for the first time since September 2004 when he last won at New Hampshire. And although he's only been in the seat of the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 K&N Filters Ford for ten races, this trip to victory lane was a long time in coming. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Unable to solve a loose handling condition through most of Saturday afternoon’s Michigan 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Michigan International Speedway, Clay Rogers and his Key Motorsports team were forced to settle for a frustrating 25th place finish.
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Mike Skinner led two times for nine laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in the Michigan 200. Skinner grabbed the honor for the fifth time this season. Skinner finished fourth in today’s event, which was won by Travis Kvapil. Skinner holds a three-race lead (5-2) over Ron Hornaday Jr. in the overall WIX Filters Lap Leader standings.
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Raybestos Rookie of the Year leader Aaron Fike proved why he is leading the rookie standings after 11 races this year by having another solid top-20 performance at one of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ toughest tracks – Michigan International Speedway.
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The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series put on a fantastic show before a huge crowd of over 60,000 at the Michigan International Speedway on Saturday afternoon with three and four wide racing throughout the field. Green Light Racing’s Tim Sauter fought hard throughout the event but the 23rd place finish in his No. 07 Lester Buildings Chevrolet was not quite the Father’s Day gift he was looking for.
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Erik Darnell fought a loose truck all day at Michigan International Speedway to bring home a disappointing 26th-place finish. Darnell's No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford posted fast times in both practice sessions, but Darnell and the crew could not make the adjustments needed to keep their truck competitive in the race.
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T.J. Bell came to Michigan International Speedway needing a change of luck. In his previous two outings at Dover and Texas, Bell suffered two hard hits in both the races and the point standings. Hoping to capitalize on Roush Fenway Racing's history of success at Michigan, Bell's optimism was high entering the weekend. Unfortunately, Bell's 20th-place finish was not what he had in mind.
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Travis Kvapil won the pole in the morning and the Craftsman Trucks Series race in the afternoon Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. But it was nowhere near as easy as it sounds. In between, he had to outlast a stronger truck and outdrive four others every bit as fast as he was. Mark Martin, who started next to Kvapil on the front two, dominated the first half of the race, leading 36 of the first 48 laps before the engine in his Wood Brothers Racing truck quit. "Martin was the class of the field today. He was gone," Kyle Busch said. "Nobody could touch him." Martin's departure set up a spirited battle over the last 80 miles, and the winner wasn't decided until the last three. (NASCAR Images Photo)
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The lap summary report for the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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The unofficial owner points following the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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The unofficial driver points following the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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The unofficial results for the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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Kyle Busch, No. 51 Flanders Beef Patties Silverado, fought the valiant fight for the victory in the Michigan 200 but couldn't lead the final lap of the 100-lap/200-mile race. Busch, who lead four times for 38 laps, held the lead from lap 69 to 98 to score the runner-up spot in the order. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Aaron Fike finished 17th and took Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors for the seventh time this season. Unofficially Fike leads the Raybestos Rookie standings by 33 points (112-79) over both Tim Sauter and Willie Allen, who are tied for second. (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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"Obviously, it all starts back at the race shop, and I've got to thank everyone at Roush Fenway Racing, K&N and Ford for giving me this opportunity. We started the year off kind of struggling, and Mike Beam and the guys here really just figured out what we needed to do to make the trucks where I could drive 'em fast."
-Travis Kvapil
(VPS Motorimages Photo)
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Mike Skinner finished in the fourth position driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra. Ted Musgrave brought the No. 9 Team ASE Tundra to the finish line in the fifth position. Last week's winner, Todd Bodine, finished seventh in the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Tundra. Defending race winner, Johnny Benson, finished ninth in the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra. (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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Travis Kvapil won the pole in the morning and the Craftsman Trucks Series race in the afternoon Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. But it was nowhere near as easy as it sounds. In between, he had to outlast a stronger truck and outdrive four others every bit as fast as he was. Mark Martin, who started next to Kvapil on the front two, dominated the first half of the race, leading 36 of the first 48 laps before the engine in his Wood Brothers Racing truck quit. "Martin was the class of the field today. He was gone," Kyle Busch said. "Nobody could touch him." Martin's departure set up a spirited battle over the last 80 miles, and the winner wasn't decided until the last three. (NASCAR Images Photo)
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The occicial penalty report of the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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"I wasn't sure where we would qualify so this is good, because I know we have a good truck. I am just looking forward to the race this afternoon and see if we can't get this Billy Ballew Motorsports Silverado in victory lane." -
Kyle Busch, Qualified 3rd
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Despite a healthy line-up of top-quality teams in his rear view mirror, Roush Racing's Erik Darnell drove away from Penske Racing's Sam Hornish, Jr. to win the ARCA RE/MAX 200 Friday afternoon at Michigan Int'l Speedway. Darnell, in the fuel conservation mode, stretched his advantage to 20 lengths at the final stripe over Hornish, Jr., who finished second in his career-first series start. It was Darnell's second RE/MAX Series victory of the season. (ARCA RE/MAX Photo)
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After struggling to find a good setup underneath his No. 7 Hooter’s Energy Drink Chevrolet Silverado during the two practice sessions at Michigan International Speedway on Friday, Pennington Motorsports stepped up to the plate during NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) qualifying Saturday morning, locking the team 31st on the starting grid for this afternoon’s Michigan 200.
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The official starting lineup by row for the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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Travis Kvapil rebounded from a disappointed end at last week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway to take the pole for today's Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway. The 2003 series champion went out early in the session and turned a 40.090 second/179.596 mile per hour lap in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 K&N Filters Ford to score his first Bud Pole Award since he qualified first at California Speedway in October 2004. Kvapil will start alongside the man who drove the No. 6 Ford to a runner-up finish in this race last year, Mark Martin. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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The official best qualifying lap times for the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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Kyle Busch, No. 51 Flanders Beef Patties Silverado:
"We have a pretty good truck. We worked on it an awful lot today, burned up a set of tires doing it. I think we will be ok. I think we have a pretty good truck; there are a couple of other really good ones too. We will see how it plays out tomorrow.
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The official final practice best lap times for the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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The official rookie practice best lap times for the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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The official qualifying order for the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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The official first practice best lap times for the Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway, the tenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
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Last year at Michigan International Speedway, Johnny Benson was able to deliver his first series win for his hometown fans. The win helped jump-start his season and propelled him to a second-place finish in the standings. "I am very excited about Michigan. It is my home track on the NASCAR side, and it is a great place to race," Benson said. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Terry Cook will hit a major milestone this weekend when he becomes the third driver in series history to compete in 250 races. Rick Crawford and Jack Sprague share the series record with 256 starts. "I hope to be here for another 250 races," Cook said. (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series come to the Irish Hills of Michigan for the tenth race of its 2007 season. The racing action on the two-mile Michigan International Speedway rewards those that find the right setup, but the wide racing groove and long straightaways also allow for some of the most intense, high speed three- and even four-wide racing the series will see all season long. With speeds approaching 190 miles per hour down the straightaways, the draft will play a major role as drivers jockey for position. With the large aero profile of the trucks, the fabled "slingshot" pass will again be seen frequently. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Kyle Busch will be once again piloting the No. 51 Flanders Beef Patties Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in the Michigan 200. "I'm looking forward to going back to Michigan with Billy Ballew," Busch said. "Michigan is a racy track with room for three and four wide racing," said Busch. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Teams in both the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Craftsman Truck Series will be running the same tire codes this weekend, though the Cup tires will be branded "Goodyear Eagle," while the Truck tires will be branded "Goodyear Wrangler". (Charles Krall/TruckSeries.com Photo)
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As NASCAR Drivers time with their families is shortened by the lengthy race schedules each series has, so every moment they can capture together at or away from the racetrack is precious. This weekend Bill Lester will not only be heading to the Michigan International Speedway for the 10th race of the 25 race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, but will also be having a mini family reunion.
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Wayne and Connie Spears, owners of Spears Motorsports, will become the first owners to reach 300 races this weekend. The Spears are the only owners to field a team in each of the series' 13 seasons, including the inaugural race at Phoenix International Raceway in 1995. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR Photo)
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Tim Sauter grew up in a family of racers making racing on Father's Day weekend special for him. Sauter's father Jim raced in the first ever NCTS event at Michigan back in 1999. Jim Sauter started 9th and finished 10th in the goracing.com 200. (Ronda Greer Photo)
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Following a season-best finish of 15th place at the Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) last Friday night, Kraig Kinser and Morgan-Dollar Motorsports (MDM) are ready to take to the Michigan International Speedway (MIS).
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“I’m looking forward to racing at Michigan. I like the track so it should be a lot of fun. I was there in an IRL Infinity Pro car about four years ago and finished third. I like the bigger, faster race tracks and Michigan is one of them. It’s a two-mile track, so there should be a lot of drafting involved and it should be pretty fast, which seems to suit my driving style.”
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Travis Kittleson and Morgan-Dollar Motorsports are teaming up once again when the trucks take to the Michigan International Speedway Saturday afternoon. "I am pumped up and ready to go racing again, after an unfortunately short race in Kansas when I wrecked the truck early," Kittleson said. (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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You would think that a driver who saw his last race cut short by engine problems might have an axe to grind, but for Clay Rogers, nothing could be further from the truth. In essence, the still rookie-classified pilot of the No. 40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado sees his race team turning the competition corner.
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Cup veteran Bobby Labonte climbs behind the wheel of the No. 4 Open Joist Dodge this weekend. It will be his second start for BHR. Labonte drove this particular truck last season at Michigan and finished third. Mike Bliss was scheduled to pilot the Open Joist Dodge, but is unable due to a previous commitment with his NBS team. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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Ken Schrader will be making his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Michigan International Speedway when he pilots the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge. The Michigan 200 will mark Schrader’s 77th NCTS start. In his previous 76 races Schrader has an average starting position of 15th and finishing of 16h.
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Perched on top of the South Point Racing pit box this Saturday at Michigan International Speedway will be Brendan Gaughan’s biggest fan – his dad, Michael Gaughan. After a little pre-race radio banter between father and son, Brendan will turn his focus to one thing – scoring a solid finish for his dad and team owner on Father’s Day weekend.
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Travis Kvapil will make his fourth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Michigan International Speedway this Saturday in the No. 6 K&N Filters Ford F-150. The No. 6 K&N Filters team will be bringing chassis RK319-43 to Michigan. Kvapil last raced this chassis at Kansas in April. He started fourth and finished 13th.
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Erik Darnell will attempt to make his second ARCA RE/MAX Series start at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday afternoon. In his one previous ARCA start at MIS, Darnell recorded a 20th place finish.
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Michigan International Speedway is considered the ‘home’ track for two Tundra drivers. Benson is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-native and fellow Tundra driver Jack Sprague, driver of the No. 60 Con-Way Freight Tundra, is from Spring Lake, Mich
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Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 6 K&N Ford F-150, has one win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Michigan International Speedway, host to this weekend's Michigan 200. Kvapil spoke about returning to MIS in a truck and the improvement his team has made since the start of the season.
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