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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Race
#21 | Kroger 200
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, VA
Saturday, October 20, 2007
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Ratings for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville last weekend were up 18 percent, according to Nielsen Media Research. The increase continues a trend on SPEED, as the last three NCTS races all have enjoyed ratings increases, with the most noteworthy growth among younger audiences. "These numbers are encouraging," said SPEED President Hunter Nickell. "To be able to deliver consistent ratings increases in this challenging environment is significant."
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Officail Owner points report following the Kroger 200 at Martinsville
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Official Driver championship driver points following the Kroger 200 at Martinsville
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Mike Skinner made it a clean sweep at Martinsville Speedway in 2007 by winning the Kroger 200 on Saturday afternoon, capturing his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in as many visits to the half-mile paperclip oval in Martinsville, Virginia. Skinner started fourth and eventually worked his way around early race leader and polesitter Jack Sprague by Lap 140 of the 200 lap event. Skinner's fifth win of the 2007 season moved him ahead of Ron Hornaday, Jr. for the NCTS championship by eleven points. Skinner is now the first three-time winner at Martinsville with 24 career truck series wins. Jack Sprague had the truck to beat but contact with Terry Cook allowed Skinner to get by both drivers. Making his 400th career start in NASCAR, Sprague won the Bud Pole award and lead early on. Cook elected not to come down pit road which put him out in front of Sprague and the rest of the field but the strategy would not pay off as laps reeled off. Sprague would finish 2nd, his eighth Top-10 finish this season but saw his chance at winning all but disappear on the last lap and the three-time series champion was none too pleased. Ron Hornaday, Jr. qualified 12th and would finish third. For the fourth time in the last five races, the championship point lead would change hands. Hornaday, now eleven points behind Skinner, was still grateful for the podium finish. Making his NASCAR debut, Dario Franchitti started 30th, ran as high as 15th midway through the race, but would have to settle for 33rd after losing a rear gear. Jacques Villeneueve started 27th but would finish 32nd after being involved in a Lap 159 crash on the frontstretch. (David M. Vaughn Photo)
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When Mike Skinner's Tundra crossed the finish line first in Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Virginia's Martinsville Speedway, it enabled Toyota to clinch its second consecutive NCTS manufacturer's championship. "Winning a second manufacturer's championship is a testament to the outstanding race teams that Toyota has been associated with in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as well as the extremely talented Tundra drivers," said Jim Aust, vice president - motorsports, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "Although we've expanded our NASCAR involvement to include the Nextel Cup Series and Busch Series this season, we recognize the popularity and value of the Craftsman Truck Series and our commitment to the series has never wavered. Winning this manufacturer's title during the same month as Toyota's 50th anniversary in the United States makes it even more special." (Steve Keller/TruckSeries.com Photo)
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Mike Skinner made it a clean sweep at Martinsville Speedway in 2007 by winning the Kroger 200 on Saturday afternoon, capturing his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in as many visits to the half-mile paperclip oval in Martinsville, Virginia. Skinner started fourth and eventually worked his way around early race leader and polesitter Jack Sprague by Lap 140 of the 200 lap event. Skinner's fifth win of the 2007 season moved him ahead of Ron Hornaday, Jr. for the NCTS championship by eleven points. Skinner is now the first three-time winner at Martinsville with 24 career truck series wins. (David M. Vaughn Photo)
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Mike Skinner survived a classic rough and tumble short track visit to Martinsville Speedway to win the Kroger 200. Skinner's victory unofficialy moves him one point past Ron Hornaday, Jr. who finished third. Jack Sprague was the truck to beat for most of the afternoon, but contact with Matt Crafton in the final laps allowed Skinner to pull away unchallenged for the win. David Starr finished fourth and teammate Rick Crawford finished fifth. UPDATE: Skinner is now unofficially eleven (11) points ahead of Ron Hornaday for the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship.
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Jack Sprague turned the screws on the competition at Martinsville Speedway capturing his second Bud Pole award of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. Sprague wheeled his No. 60 Toyota around the unique Martinsville oval in 19.796 seconds with an average lap speed of 95.556 mph. Sprague has 31 career Bud Pole awards and will make his 400th career NASCAR start in today's Kroger 200. (Photo: Worth Canoy/VPS Motorimages)
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Jack Sprague will make his 400th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career start at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday and the three-time series champion made his presence known during an abbreviated practice session. Sprague turned an impressive 19.960 second lap at 94.870 mph at a track that until his win here last fall, had all but escaped the veteran driver. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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One visit to Martinsville Speedway - a traditional starting point for drivers new to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - was enough to tab Nashville's Willie Allen, driver of the No. 13 ThorSport Chevrolet, as a star of the future. Allen, driving a second Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Chevrolet, debuted with a sixth-place finish in the 2005 Kroger 200. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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When reigning Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti attempts to qualify for Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Martinsville Speedway, he joins a pack of open-wheel standouts already paving the path to stock cars. Franchitti is preceded in his jump to NASCAR by former open wheelers Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Speed and Sam Hornish, Jr., among others. A variety of opinions exist as to why these men are making the move
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(SPEED Schedule: Saturday, October 20th - NCTS Qualifying at 11 a.m. ET LIVE, Race at 3 p.m. ET LIVE on SPEED™ with the pre-race show NCTS Setup at 2:30 ET)
(Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR Photo)
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Jon Wood's 2003 Kroger 200 victory wasn't a career-defining moment. But winning a few miles from his Stuart, Va., hometown in front of family and friends was sweet for Wood, to say the least. "In terms of career advancement, the effect was minimal," said Wood. "But personally, you couldn't have picked a better race track or a more prestigious one. My grandpa raced there and Martinsville's got a lot of history." The victory was the most recent of the then 21-year-old Wood's two series wins. Since rejoining the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on a fulltime basis in July, Wood has rolled up five top-10 finishes - the best a third place, near victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September. (VPS Motorimages)
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Like an overheated potato, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Mike Skinner keep exchanging the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings lead every seven days. Or so. Both drivers want it. But neither seems able to retain a tight enough grip, or distance himself from his closest pursuer. "Ron and I are back and forth each week, and I just hope that I am the one on top at the end," Skinner said. "This No. 5 Tundra team has just got to get back to having consistent finishes, and then whatever happens will happen. (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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