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TrackSideLive!
| AAA Insurance 200
Dover International Speedway | June 1, 2007
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!
Good Morning from Dover
05-31-2007 10:45 am
Hello everyone, welcome to TruckSeries.com's TrackSideLive! coverage from Dover International Speedway. We have a full day of practice here at the Monster Mile as we prepare for tomorrow's Live! Bud Pole Qualifying at 10:30 am ET and then the AAA Insurance tomorrow atfternoon at 5 pm ET. The weather today is beautiful, with sunny skies and temps expected to reach into the upper 80s. It will make it a little warm in the cockpit for the drivers and the teams on pit road, but it is a welcome change after the weather difficulties last Saturday in Mansfield. We'll have complete coverage of all the track action here today so stick around!
Dover Track Facts
05-31-2007 10:50 am
Dover International Speedway is a one-mile true oval, with symetrical corners and starightaways both of equal distance.
The banking in the corners is a steep 24 degrees, and even though the track made changes to them several years ago, there is a steep elevation change entering and exiting the corners on both ends of the speedway.
The straightaways - both 1,076 feet long - are tilted at 9 degrees, steep enough to shoot anyone who gets crossed up down the track and into the track's boilerplate walls.
Dover Track Records
05-31-2007 10:53 am
Qualifying (1 lap/1 mile): David Starr, 22.846 seconds/157.577 miles per hour, June 2005
Race (200 laps/200 miles): Mark Martin, 1 hour, 39 minutes, 50 seconds/120.200 miles per hour, June 2006
More Dover Track Records
05-31-2007 10:56 am
Most wins: 1 by seven drivers - Kurt Busch, Scott Riggs, Ted Musgrave, Jason Leffler, Chad Chaffin, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin
Most poles: 1 by six drivers - Kurt Busch, Scott Riggs, Rick Crawford, Carl Edwards, David Starr, David Reutimann
Most top-5 finishes: 3 - Rick Crawford
Most top-10 finishes: 5 - Rick Crawford
Most lead changes: 10 - two times, most recently June 2006
Most lead drivers: 5 - four times, most recently June 2006
Fewest lead drivers: 3 - May 2002
Most caution flags: 11 - June 2005
Fewest caution flags: 4 - June 2006
Most caution laps: 48 - June 2005
Fewest caution laps: 18 - June 2006
Most lead lap finishers: 17 - June 2006
Fewest lead lap finishers: 8 - twice, most recently May 2002
Most drivers running at the finish: 35 - June 2006
Fewest drivers running at the finish: 16 - May 2003
Most laps led by a winner: 135 - Ted Musgrave, May 2002
Fewest laps led by a winner: 9 - Kurt Busch, September 2000
Most wins by a manufacturer: 4 - Dodge
Closest margin of victory: 0.210 second, September 2000, Kurt Busch over Greg Biffle
Greatest margin of victory: 3.052 seconds, June 2006, Mark Martin over Carl Edwards
Starting Position of Winners
05-31-2007 11:04 am
Here is where the winners have started in the past seven Truck Series races at Dover:
2000 - Kurt Busch, 1st
2001 - Scott Riggs, 1st
2002 - Ted Musgrave, 2nd
2003 - Jason Leffler, 10th
2004 - Chad Chaffin, 9th
2005 - Kyle Busch, 5th
2006 - Mark Martin, 13th
No Repeat Winners - Sort Of
05-31-2007 11:07 am
No driver has been able to rack up more than one win at Dover International Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, but that doesn't mean there haven't been repeat winners at Dover. Jim Smith's Ultra Motorsports team won the Dover race for three consecutive years with drivers Scott Riggs, Ted Musgrave, and Jason Leffler from 2001 to 2003. Jack Roush has picked up a pair of Dover trophies as an owner, in 2000 with Kurt Busch and in 2006 with Mark Martin.
Off to the Garage
05-31-2007 11:09 am
We're going to take a quick spin through the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series paddock as the teams roll their trucks through tech and get ready to roll down the hill and work off pit road for the remainder of the weekend. We'll gather plenty of pictures and we'll see if anyone wants to chat with us as well.
Pics and Audio on the Way
05-31-2007 1:39 pm
Keep your eyes out for the first batch of images and audio from here at Dover. There is a huge TruckShots! gallery going up with over 125 pictures, and a VPS Motorimages gallery with another 28 shots going up along with it. We also caught up with a few drivers on our spin through the garage and wrapped up their race last week at Mansfield and previewed their race here at Dover.
Tim Sauter talks about what it takes to get around the Monster Mile and its unique entry to the corners. Aaron Fike talks about the disappointment he faced in the last three laps last week at Mansfield and how he plans to rebound here. Erik Darnell also talked about getting roughed up last week and the unique challenges that Dover presents. We also caught up with the star of last week's show Ron Hornaday, who told us exactly how many trucks he passed on his way to sixth last week.
Teams Down the Hill
05-31-2007 1:49 pm
The teams have all cleared tech inspection and have moved across the horse track and down the hill to pit road to start practice shortly. Teams are now warming the engines and the fluids prior to the first hot laps, which are scheduled to start at 2:30 pm ET.
Track Hot; Green Out
05-31-2007 2:34 pm
The first trucks have made their way onto the track for the opening minutes of the first hour of practice for tomorrow's AAA Insurance 200. We'll have a total of two and a half hours of practice today, and we'll have all the action for you including timing and scoring updates throughout.
Track's Hot, but How Hot?
05-31-2007 2:36 pm
With the warm temperatures and the sun brightly shining, it is extremely warm for the drivers and crews. Track temperature is 101 degrees on the concrete, but 131 on the asphalt where the teams are busy at work. Makes for a long hot day for everyone involved.
Practice 1 Rundown 1
05-31-2007 2:53 pm
Almost 20 minutes into the first of two full-field practice sessions; here is the rundown:
1. Busch 23.890
2. Skinner 24.206
3. Bowyer 24.235
4. Hornaday 24.276
5. Lester 24.409
6. Starr 24.410
7. Bodine 24.430
8. Compton 24.446
9. Allmendinger 24.457
10. Martin 24.477
11. Fike 24.516
12. Gaughan 24.523
13. Schrader 24.556
14. Darnell 24.579
15. Kvapil 24.601
16. Bliss 24.624
17. Sauter 24.742
18. Musgrave 24.784
19. Bjorklund 24.883
20. Allen 25.071
21. Crafton 25.097
22. McCumbee 25.183
23. Setzer 25.269
24. Huffman 25.349
25. Lagasse, Jr. 25.403
26. Kinser 25.448
27. Bell 25.627
28. White 25.720
29. Benson 26.991
30. Mathews 27.220
White Crashes; Red Out
05-31-2007 3:04 pm
Jason White got turned around on the backside of the track and has crashed to bring out the first red flag of the day. We're on the way out to follow up now, and will update when we get back.
Practice 1 Rundown 2
05-31-2007 3:19 pm
1. Skinner 23.784
2. Bowyer 23.892
3. Busch 23.975
4. Bliss 24.038
5. Lester 24/052
6. Fike 24.057
7. Sprague 24.072
8. Gaughan 24.159
9. Martin 24.171
10. Kvapil 24.226
11. Starr 24.266
12. Hornaday 24.276
13. Crawford 24.320
14. Darnell 24.335
15. Schrader 24.355
16. Musgrave 24.375
17. Bodine 24.430
18. Clanton 24.446
19. Allmendinger 24.457
20. Crafton 24.481
21. Bell 24.636
22. Sauter 24.643
23. Cook 24.652
24. Allen 24.654
25. Benson 24.742
26. Huffman 24.801
27. McCumbee 24.801
28. Bjorklund 24.883
29. Lagasse, Jr. 24.918
30. Setzer 24.998
31. Kinser 25.152
32. Jason White 25.720
33. Mathews 26.051
34. Lynch 26.430
35. Dana White 26.985
White to Backup; Lynch Changing Engines
05-31-2007 3:26 pm
Jason White slipped in oil dropped by Scott Lynch's No. 63 Ford and pounded the inside wall with the nose of his No. 7 Chevrolet. The truck was extensively damaged and the Pennington Motorsports team is currently prepping the backup truck in hopes of making some laps in rookie practice and final practice later this afternoon.
Also, Lynch's team is currently working on swapping out an engine after the crankshaft snapped in half in the primary engine.
First Practice Done; Rookies Up Next
05-31-2007 3:35 pm
Practice has just concluded, and the teams are hard at work making adjustments to their trucks prior to the rookie practice in ten minutes and then for the final one-hour full-field practice that is to follow. We'll have all the updates as they happen right here at TrackSideLive!
Rookie's On Track
05-31-2007 4:08 pm
The rookie practice is well underway with no incidents or stoppages as of this moment. We'll head to the monitor for a quick look at the rundown and give you a report shortly.
Rookie Rundown 1
05-31-2007 4:14 pm
1. Fike 24.171
2. Allen 24.227
3. Allmendinger 24.456
4. Huffman 24.553
5. Sauter 24.598
6. Bjorklund 24.913
7. Bell 25.196
8. Mathews 26.424
9. D. White 26.797
Final Practice On Track
05-31-2007 4:31 pm
The red lights just flickered off and the green lights are shining brightly as the final one hour practice for the AAA Insurance 200 is underway. We'll have all the track action updates as they happen, and update timing and scoring periodically throughout.
Final Practice Rundown 1
05-31-2007 4:35 pm
1. Busch 153.081
2. Skinner 152.220
3. Sprague 150.899
4. Bowyer 150.766
5. Bodine 150.100
6. Lester 149.328
7. Hornaday 149.087
8. Compton 148.945
9. Starr 148.797
10. Schrader 148.644
11. McCumbee 148.417
12. Martin 148.319
13. Gaughan 148.277
14. Darnell 148.057
15. Cook 147.953
16. Allen 147.741
17. Kvapil 147.656
18. Musgrave 147.438
19. Benson 146.466
20. Sauter 146.383
21. Crafton 145.167
22. Kinser 145.666
23. Setzer 144.724
24. Lagasse 144.092
25. Mathews 140.023
Final Practice Rundown 2
05-31-2007 4:49 pm
1. Busch 153.081 mph
2. Skinner 152.220
3. Sprague 150.899
4. Bowyer 150.766
5. Bodine 150.100
6. Lester 149.328
7. Hornaday 149.087
8. Compton 148.945
9. Starr 148.797
10. Schrader 148.644
11. Crawford 148.576
12. Gaughan 148.515
13. McCumbee 148.417
14. Martin 148.318
15. Darnell 148.057
16. Kvapil 148.057
17. Cook 147.953
18. Benson 147.795
19. Bell 147.765
20. Allen 147.741
21. Musgrave 147.438
22. Fike 147.372
23. Bliss 146.747
24. Allmendinger 146.693
25. Sauter 146.383
26. Crafton 145.885
27. Huffman 145.731
28. Kinser 145.666
29. Setzer 145.085
30. Lagasse, Jr. 144.092
31. Bjorklund 141.415
32. Mathews 141.287
Debris Slows Final Practice
05-31-2007 5:08 pm
Red flag is out here at Dover for debris. Skinner jumps to the top of the charts followed by Busch, Sprague, Bowyer, and Bodine. Starr, Lester, Hornaday, Allmendinger and Compton round out the top ten. We are going back to green now.
Musgrave Brings Out Red
05-31-2007 5:26 pm
Ted Musgrave was involved in an incident on the backstretch to bring out the red flag with just seconds left in the final practice. We are on the way to the garage and will update momentarily.
Final Practice Done; Rookie Dinner Next
05-31-2007 5:59 pm
The final practice for tomorrow's AAA Insurance 200 is over with - surprise! - Mike Skinner on top of the charts. Skinner ran a 154.321 mile per hour lap to lead the session ahead of Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, A.J. Allmendinger, and Johnny Benson.
Ted Musgrave's team is busy working on the backup after popping a tire or breaking a right front shock and getting into the turn one wall. The team is still trying to determine the cause of the crash but have narrowed it down to those two possibilities.
We have post-practice audio with Kyle Busch, Bill Lester, Ted Musgrave, and Mike Skinner for you to listen to as you browse our massive TruckShots! gallery. We also have a huge VPS Motorimages gallery for your enjoyment so pop on the audio player, click on the slideshow feature in the galleries and sit back and enjoy.
We're off to attend the annual Raybestos Rookie of the Year dinner at the Dover Downs Slots right next door. We'll get some driver audio and have that posted up for you tomorrow morning.
That's going to do it for TrackSideLive! coverage for Thursday here at Dover International Speedway. We'll see you bright and early for Live! Bud Pole Qualifying from right back here at 10:30 am ET tomrrow morning. Good night everybody!
Drivers in The First Race Also in Race 300
05-31-2007 10:00 am
Here are the drivers that participated in the first NCTS race at Phoenix in 1995 and are also racing here at Dover in Race No. 300, with their finish in the first race in 1995:
Mike Skinner, 1st
Ken Schrader, 3rd
Jack Sprague, 6th
Ron Hornaday, 9th
Mike Bliss, 14th
Scott Lagasse, Jr.'s father Scott Lagasse participated in the inaugural race and finished 11th. Ron Hornaday's team manager Rick Carelli was also in the first race and finished 24th; he also brought out the first caution flag in series history when he bounced off the turn one and two wall early in the race.
Statistical Summary - YTD
05-31-2007 10:08 am
Average start of winner: 5.71
2006: 9.14
Cumulative lead changes: 65
2006: 60
Average lead changes per race: 9.29
2006: 8.57
Average lead drivers per race: 5.43
2006: 4.57
Total caution flag laps: 338
2006: 318
Average caution flags per race: 8.86
2006: 10
Number of race winners: 5
2006: 5
Number of pole winners: 3
2006: 5
NCTS Milestone Winners
05-31-2007 10:02 am
Race No. 1, Phoenix, Feb 5, 1995 - Winner: Mike Skinner
Race No. 50, Evergreen, May 10, 1997 - Winner: Rich Bickle
Race No. 100, Evergreen, April 3, 1999 - Winner: Ron Hornaday
Race No. 150, Martinsville, April 7, 2001 - Winner: Scott Riggs
Race No. 200, Memphis, June 21, 2003 - Winner: Ted Musgrave
Race No. 250, Dover, June 4, 2005 - Winner: Kyle Busch
Race No. 300, Dover June 1, 2007 - Winner: ???
2007 Key Race Statistics
05-31-2007 10:12 am
Average margin of victory: 1.861 seconds
Closest: 0.031 seconds, Daytona
Widest: 10.440 seconds, Kansas
Average start of winner: 5.7
Pole starter won at Daytona, Atlanta, and Martinsville
Dennis Setzer started 18th and won at Mansfield
Average lead changes per race: 9.3
There were 21 lead changes at Daytona, while there were just three lead changes each at Martinsville and Mansfield
Average caution flags per race: 8.9
Most: 15 at Marrtinsville
Fewest: Kansas
Average caution laps per race: 48.3
Most: 103 at Mansfield
Fewest: 19 at California
Average number of drivers running at finish: 28.6
Most: 34 at Mansfield
Fewest: 22 at Daytona
Average number of lead lap finishers: 19.9
Most: 24 at California
Fewest: 11 at Kansas
Good Race Day Morning from Dover
06-01-2007 9:54 am
It's race day here at Dover and we are closing in on Live! Bud Pole Qualifying for today's AAA Insurance 200. It is another picture postcard Mid-Atlantic day here at Dover, with warm temperatures and bright sunny skies. It should reach back into the upper 80s today, but should be fairly comfortable for the Truck Series teams during qualifying and then the race later this afternoon.
We'll have all kinds of stats for you to look at this morning leading up to qualifying, and then we'll count you down to the start of the 300th race in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history.
2007 Lap Leader Standings
06-01-2007 10:00 am
Total laps completed: 1135
Mike Skinner 497 laps led
Rick Crawford 119
Ron Hornaday 99
Erik Darnell 97
Matt Crafton 68
Travis Kvapil 56
Todd Bodine 48
Mark Martin 45
Jack Sprague 26
Johnny Benson 21
Clint Bowyer 17
Dennis Setzer 12
Chad McCumbee 8
AJ Allmendinger 8
Aaron Fike 6
Brendan Gaughan 5
Ted Musgave 2
Blake Bjorklund 1
Tim Sauter 1
Total Wins by Manufacturer
06-01-2007 10:04 am
The AAA Insurance 200 is the 300th race for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Here is how the manufacturer victory breakdown looks entering the event:
Chevrolet: 127 wins
Ford: 79 wins
Dodge: 64 wins
Toyota: 29 wins
Dover NCTS Races Summary
06-01-2007 10:16 am
Average start of winner: 5.86
Pole winners Kurt Busch and Scott Riggs won the race in 2000 and 2001; Mark Martin came from 13th on the grid to win in 2006.
Average number of lead lap finishers: 11
There were 17 lead lap finishers in 2006 while just 8 drivers finished in the lead lap in 2000 and 2002.
Average lead changes per race: 6.71
There were 10 lead changes in both 2000 and 2006, while there were just 4 lead changes in 2003 and 2004.
Average lead drivers per race: 4.57
Five drivers swapped the lead in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2006 while three drivers changed the top spot in 2002.
Average caution flags per race: 7.14
There was a record 11 cautions at Dover in 2005, while just four cautions waved in 2006.
Average caution laps per race: 38.0
In 2005, 48 laps were run under the yellow flag while the caution was only out for 18 laps in 2006.
Cumulative average speed: 102.018 mph
The record average speed is 120.200 mph in 2006, and the slowest race was 96.735 mph 2005.
Dover First Timers
06-01-2007 10:18 am
Here are the drivers making their first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Dover this weekend:
AJ Allmendinger
Aaron Fike
Clint Bowyer
Tim Sauter
Blake Bjorklund
Willie Allen
Scott Lagasse
Ryan Mathews
Shane Huffman
Scott Lynch
Dana White
Manufacturer Year To Date
06-01-2007 10:19 am
Chevrolet: 2 wins, 0 poles, 6 top-5, 19 top-10, 211 laps led
Dodge: 0 wins, 0 poles, 1 top-5, 2 top-10, 0 laps led
Ford: 1 wins, 1 pole, 7 top-5, 16 top-10, 317 laps led
Toyota: 4 wins, 6 poles, 21 top-5, 33 top-10, 608 laps led
Dover Best Finishes
06-01-2007 10:20 am
Here are the drivers entered in the AAA Insurance 200 that have previously raced at Dover and their best result:
Kyle Busch 1st
Mark Martin 1st
Ted Musgrave 1st
Rick Crawford 2nd
Jack Sprague 2nd
Todd Bodine 3rd
Terry Cook 3rd
David Starr 3rd
Mike Bliss 4th
Ron Hornaday 4th
Mike Skinner 4th
Travis Kvapil 5th
Ken Schrader 5th
Johnny Benson 6th
Stacy Compton 6th
Brendan Gaughan 7th
Matt Crafton 9th
Dennis Setzer 9th
Bill Lester 11th
TJ Bell 12th
Chad McCumbee 23rd
Erik Darnell 25th
Jason White 29th
Kraig Kinser 31st
Johnny Chapman 34th
Live! Bud Pole Qualifying Up Next
06-01-2007 10:27 am
We're going to shut down TrackSideLive! while we
roll for the pole
for the AAA Insurance 200. Once we set the field for today's race, we'll resume updating and start counting you down to the start of round eight of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
Busch Ready to Become First Dover Repeat Winner
06-01-2007 12:19 am
Kyle Busch, No. 51 Flanders Beef Patties Chevrolet: "Our Silverado was free on entry and thru the center of the corner and we were on the throttle the whole way around. I didn't flat foot it all the way around but just about. I think the truck will tighten up during the race with all the rubber the Busch and Cup cars will put on the track. The truck is definitely fast and we're looking forward to the race this afternoon. Hopefully we'll bring home our second win here at Dover for Billy Ballew Motorsports."
Drivers Meeting Notes
06-01-2007 2:12 pm
Driver introductions are scheduled for 4:30 pm ET, the invocation is scheduled for 4:46 pm ET, and the command to start engines is slated for 4:53 pm ET.
Pit road speed is 35 mph, pace truck speed is 45 mph. Pit speed starts 150 feet before the first pit box and ends 75 feet past the last pit box.
The restart point is the double red line outside turn four.
Minimum speed is 27.41 seconds.
Teams are allowed four cans of fuel. Teams in pits 1-21 will refuel in the Cup garage; teams in pits 22-42 will refuel in the Busch garage.
300th for Showalter
06-01-2007 2:16 pm
With it being the NCTS's 300th race, one person has been a participant in each and every one since February 1995. Chris Showalter has been a part of 13 wins with 6 different teams along the way, and was also the championship crew chief for Travis Kvapil at Xpress Motorsports in 2003.
Chris' father Gary and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series communications manager Owen Kearns will mark their 300th race next week at Texas.
Wayne and Connie Spears will score their 300th start in two weeks at Michigan, and fellow owner Jack Roush will take part in his 300th series race at Loudon in September.
How Many Wins Represented? UPDATED
06-01-2007 2:28 pm
As we are celebrating the 300th series race here at Dover, we thought it would be fun to tabulate how many of the 299 previous race wins are represented in the starting line up today:
Johnny Benson - 5
Mike Bliss - 13
Todd Bodine - 10
Clint Bowyer - 1
Kyle Busch - 4
Stacy Compton - 2
Terry Cook - 6
Rick Crawford - 5
Erik Darnell - 1
Brendan Gaughan - 8
Ron Hornaday - 30
Travis Kvapil - 5
Mark Martin - 7
Ted Musgrave - 16
Ken Schrader - 1
Dennis Setzer - 17
Mike Skinner - 22
Jack Sprague - 28
David Starr - 4
All told, 195 of the 299 previous race wins are represented here this afternoon.
UPDATE: Added the five wins Johnny Benson scored in 2006. Our apologies for the oversight!
How Many Drivers Have Raced in the NCTS?
06-01-2007 2:39 pm
Throughout the years, there has been a lot of drivers that have made laps in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. How many you ask? A total of 572 drivers have made at least one NCTS start since the first race at Phoenix International Raceway in February 1995 through the event last week at Mansfield Motorsports Park. No drivers are making their series debut here this week to add to that total.
Reminder: SPEED Broadcast at 8 P.M. Eastern
06-01-2007 3:04 pm
With the race slated to start before most people are home from work on a Friday, SPEED is delaying the telecast of the AAA Insurance 200 until 8 P.M. Eastern this evening to allow as many viewers as possible to see the event. If you would like to follow all the action live as it happens, stay with us here at TrackSideLive! and we'll have all the race updates for you as they happen.
Compton on Pins and Needles
06-01-2007 3:15 pm
Stacy Compton is on pins and needles here this week as his wife Vicki is at home expecting their second child. The baby is due on Sunday, but as with any baby the family is ready for the delivery at any second. Compton will be on his way out the door at the track as soon as the race is over and on a plane to head back home to be with his family. Best wishes to the Comptons from all of us here at TruckSeries.com!
AAA Insurance 200 Pit Assignments
06-01-2007 3:45 pm
Here are the pit stall assignments for the AAA Insurance 200, starting with the first stall at the exit of pit road and ending with the last stall at the entrance to pit road:
Skinner
Sprague
Sauter
Bell
Break in pit wall
Bowyer
Kvapil
Lester
Bodine
Break in pit wall
Fike
Schrader
Starr
McCumbee
Open Stall
Benson
Bliss
Allen
Cook
Break in pit wall
Busch
Compton
Crafton
Bjorklund
Darnell
Martin
Open Stall
Gaughan
Musgrave
Setzer
Huffman
Mathews
Lagasse, Jr.
Hornaday
Open stall
Crawford
Kinser
Shepherd
Lynch
D. White
J. White
Allmendinger
AAA Insurance 200 Race Updates 1-10
06-01-2007 4:59 pm
10. Lap 6 - Gaughan tells MRN Radio: "That's what happens when you have a Cup superstar on the front row and he doesn't think he has to lift."
9. Lap 3 - Bowyer says to MRN Radio "I guess the old man didn't want the kid to get by him." Skinner leads Benson, Busch, Fike, Bell, Bodine, Cook, Allmendiner, Crawford, Martin, McCUmbee, Hornaday, Kvapil, Bliss, Compton, Crafton, Allen, Setzer, Huffman, Bjorklund, Musgrave, Lagasse, Sauter, Mathews, Lynch, D. White, Shepherd, J. White, and Darnell. Starr, Schrader, Bowyer, and Sprague are in the garage.
8. Green flag. Skinner out drags Bowyer to turn one. Skinner pushes up into Bowyer out of turn two and Bowyer smacks the wall. Sprague, Gaughan, Bowyer, and Lester, Starr, and Schrader are involved. All trucks have considerable damage. Schrader is stopped in turn three, while Sprague's right front corner is wiped out. Bowyer has severe damage to the right side.
7. The second pace lap is complete. The lights are off on the pace car. Green flag will wave next time by.
6. The field is completing the first pace lap. The drivers are building heat in the tires and setting their pit road speed.
5. Engines have been started and the two Dodge Viper pace cars lead the field down pit road. There will be three pace laps on the initial roll off.
4. Race length is 200 laps/200 miles. There will be one attempt to make a green-white-checkered finish if the race is under caution at the 200 lap mark. The only driver going to the back will be Scott Lynch due to an engine change in practice yesterday.
3. The anthem is over and a C-5 from Dover Air Force Base has just flown over the speedway. Drivers are now strapping in for 200 laps of competition here at the Monster Mile.
2. The teams are lined up on pit road for the invocation and the National Anthem.
1. Driver introductions are currently taking place. We are slightly behind the originally planned schedule due to Cup qualifying running a little long.
AAA Insurance 200 Race Updates 11-20
06-01-2007 5:35 pm
20. Lap 20 - Several teams at the back come to the pits, with Musgrave, Darnell, Sauter, White, and Lynch among them. One to go signal has been given.
19. Lap 19 - Shepherd take his truck to the garage.
18. Lap 18 - Gaughan and Lester have been seen and released from the care center.
17. Lap 16 - So far the following trucks are out of competition: 2, 18, 15, 10, 7, 47, and 50 due to crashes; 86 due to mechanical. Last year there were 35 trucks running at the finish. Just 17 laps in there are already eight off the track.
16. Lap 15 - The boiler plate wall separating the track from pit road is bowed in at the point of impact. Bell is being taken to the care center for evaluation.
15. Lap 12 - Bell slips up and Cook sticks his nose underneath for the spot. Bell gets loose off turn four and slips into the outside wall before slamming hard nose first into the inside wall. Safety crews are on the scene and giving the thumbs up after a hard crash. Bell's truck is at the head of pit road. Bell is climbing out under his own power and appears to be uninjured.
14. Lap 10 - Restart. Skinner leads into turn one with Busch pressing Benson for second. Busch dips inside going into three for the spot.
13. Lap 9 - D. White goes behind the wall. One lap to go signal is given. Kinser also takes his truck back to the garage for repairs.
12. Lap 8 - Skinner reports to his crew he doesn't believe his truck is damaged. Sprague will now have to move his truck behind the wall for repairs. Lights are still on the pace car.
11. Lap 7 - Caution is still out. Cleanup activity is concentrated on pit road as Starr's truck left a significant streak of oil.
AAA Insurance 200 Race Updates 21-30
06-01-2007 5:53 pm
30. Lap 42 - One to go signal given.
29. Lap 41 - Busch leads Skinner, Benson, Fike, McCumbee, Sauter, Bjorklund, Darnell, Bodine, Crawford, Kvapil, Allmendinger, Martin, Compton, Bliss, Hornaday, Cook, Crafton, Allen, Mathews, Musgrave, Huffman, Setzer, and Lynch.
28. Lap 40 - Pits are open. About half the field comes down pit road. Busch, Skinner, and Benson stay out. Lineup updated after pitstops.
27. Lap 39 - White loses control in turn one, sliding 90 degrees sideways in front of Cook before regaining control. Good job by Cook to avoid contact. Caution out for the third time. Lynch receives the free pass.
26. Lap 35 - Busch goes to the outside of White, Starr, and Lynch, the first race traffic the leader has had to deal with. The top two have opened a significant gap on Benson in third. Kvapil, Hornaday and Martin race for ninth.
25. Lap 30 - Busch starts to stretch the lead, opening up a ten length advantage over Skinner as Benson now closes in for the second spot. Bodine is fourth with Fike fifth, and Allmendinger, Cook, Crawford, Hornaday, and Kvapil the rest of the top ten. Starr returns to the track.
24. Lap 25 - Bodine also made a move on the restart to take fourth from Fike. The field is now stringing out around the speedway in single file.
23. Lap 24 - Busch blasts around the outside to take the lead on the restart.
22. Lap 23 - One to go signal given again. Bell has been seen and released from the care center. Skinner leads Busch, Benson, Fike, Bodine, Allmendinger, Cook, Crawford, Hornaday, Martin, Kvapil, McCumbee, Bliss, Crafton, Compton and the field to the flag.
21. Lap 22 - Restart waved off as the safety crew spots oil at the exit of pit road.
AAA Insurance 200 Race Updates 31-40
06-01-2007 6:09 pm
40. Lap 72 - Bodine moves past Fike for fourth. Sauter is now a lap down and Busch has Cook in his sights. If we stay green, pit stops are around 10-15 laps away.
39. Lap 70 - Crafton sweeps beneath Bliss into three to take the 12th spot.
38. Lap 66 - Busch now leads Skinner by over 2 seconds. Benson, Fike, Bodine, McCumbee, Kvapil, Crawford, Allmendinger, Hornaday, Compton, Bliss, Crafton, Martin, Allen, and Sauter are the rest of the lead lap trucks.
37. Lap 63 - Busch is starting to lap the back of the pack. Mathews, Lagasse, Bjorklund, and Musgrave are all now off the lead lap.
36. Lap 60 - Bodine goes to the outside to take the fifth spot out of turn two. Lynch retires to the garage with engine problems.
35. Lap 57 - Bodine starts to close on McCumbee for fifth. Martin is slipping back in the field, now back to 14th with Crafton on his tailgate.
34. Lap 54 - Kvapil slips under Sauter in turn one for the seventh spot. Sauter has to grab a handful of steering wheel when his truck jumps loose and drops to tenth.
33. Lap 50 - Crafton presses Cook for 15th. Compton slips past Martin, who slams the door on Hornaday for 11th.
32. Lap 46 - Hornaday and Compton are racing for 12th. Hornaday gets to the outside but is blocked by the lapped truck of White.
31. Lap 44 - Restart. Busch launches into turn one. Bodine is the first one to dip out of line, sliding underneath Bjorklund and starts to move back towards the front.
AAA Insurance 200 Race Updates 41-50
06-01-2007 6:23 pm
50. Lap 107 - Bodine pits. Crawford takes the lead but quickly loses it to Hornaday.
49. Lap 106 - Bodine's lead on Crawford is 12.6 seconds.
48. Lap 103 - Bodine leads Crawford, Allmendinger, Kvapil, Crafton, Compton, Bliss, Martin, Allen, Cook, Busch, Mathews, Skinner, and Benson.
47. Lap 100 - Busch comes to the pits with Benson following. Bodine leads at the line.
46. Lap 97 - Skinner comes down pit road for four tires and fuel. Busch is expected around lap 105.
45. Lap 95 - Hornaday reports a serious vibration. He did pit under the last caution. Fike comes to the pits, giving up the fifth spot.
44. Lap 90 - Busch is on Bliss's tail, with Compton also directly ahead.
43. Lap 87 - McCumbee gives up sixth to come to the pits.
42. Lap 82 - Busch leads Skinner, Benson, Bodine, Fike, McCumbee, Kvapil, Crawford, Allmendinger, Hornaday, Crafton, Compton, and Bliss. Martin is the first driver one lap down followed by Allen, Cook, Sauter, Musgrave, Huffman, and Mathews.
41. Lap 75 - Busch leads by over 2 seconds. Compton now has to deal with Crafton, who looks high and then low to take the spot. Kvapil. Crawford, Allmendinger and Hornaday are in line racing for seventh.
AAA Insurance 200 Race Updates 51-60
06-01-2007 6:38 pm
60. Lap 138 - Hornaday leads Busch, Kvapil, Compton, Bliss, Martin, Cook, Skinner, Crafton, Fike, Allmendinger, Benson and Bodine on the lead lap. Bodine is directly in front of the leader.
59. Lap 136 - Busch slips up and Hornaday goes under to retake the lead.
58. Lap 134 - Bodine goes around Hornaday to unlap himself and Busch follows to snag the lead.
57. Lap 132 - Crawford cut a right rear tire down to cause the crash. He is still running and on the lead lap. Some of the rolling wounded has returned to the track, including Schrader and Kinser. Sprague is buckled in and ready to go once the crew finishes their repairs. Hornaday leads Kvapil, Busch, Compton, Bliss, COok, Martin, Skinner, and Crafton to the restart. Allmendinger is the last truck on the lead lap, restarting at the front of the field. Crawford pulls out just in front of the field.
56. Lap 131 - Hornaday leads the field down pit road. Hornaday leads off pit road followed by Kvapil, Busch, Crafton, Compton, Bliss, and Cook.
55. Lap 129 - Skinner picks up the free pass.
54. Lap 126 - Hornaday leads Crawford, Allmendinger, Kvapil, Crafton, Bliss, Compton, Martin, Cook, and Busch on the lead lap. Crafton reports a lost cylinder. Crawford backs into the turn three wall, damaging the back of his truck. Caution out for the fourth time.
53. Lap 118 - Busch unlaps himself on the track, with Skinner quickly closing on the leader to unlap himself as well.
52. Lap 115 - Crafton makes a serious run on Kvapil, but Kvapil slams the door shut coming off turn two. Crafton tries again at the opposite end of the track and makes the pass stick.
51. Lap 111 - Crawford starts to slip back as Allmendinger closers. Crafton presses Kvapil for fifth.
AAA Insurance 200 Race Updates 61-70
06-01-2007 6:55 pm
70. Lap 180 - Busch off the pace in turn three with a flat right front tire. He drifts up and nearly collects Bodine before slowing and heading to pit road. He makes a quick change and heads back out but is now a lap down.
69. Lap 176 - Hornaday ahead by 2.4 seconds. Sprague rejoins the race.
68. Lap 173 - Crawford, Bodine, and Lagasse come off turn four three wide and Crawford gets pinched low and nearly loses it, doing a good job to keep it pointed in the right direction.
67. Lap 171 - Martin is inching closer and closer to Bliss in a race for fifth. Hornaday lost a half second to Busch as he weaved through several lapped trucks.
66. Lap 167 - Hornaday leads by 1.8 seconds over Busch. Compton is closing in Kvapil for third.
65. Lap 161 - Crafton's truck erupts in smoke and he comes to the pits. Another tough break for Crafton, who will finish outside the top 20 for the second week in a row after a strong run.
64. Lap 155 - Busch now rides a half straightaway behind Hornaday. Kvapil is another half straightaway behind in third.
63. Lap 152 - Hornaday finally slips past Bodine and puts him back one lap down. Skinner tells the crew he thinks he may have a tire going down.
62. Lap 146 - Skinner brushes the wall exiting turn four.
61. Lap 142 - Hornaday rides behind Bodine as he opens up a one second lead on Busch.
AAA Insurance 200 Race Updates 71 -
06-01-2007 7:12 pm
76. Lap 200 - Hornaday wins. Results to follow.
75. Lap 199 - Hornaday takes the white flag.
74. Lap 193 - Hornaday runs by himself but the battle for second is still hot. Benson moves past Bliss to take over fourth.
73. Lap 191 - Kvapil looks inside COmpton down the backstretch, but Crawford's lapped truck blocks the lane. Benson moves past Martin for fifth.
72. Lap 187 - Hornaday leads by over 8.5 seconds. Kvapil is back on Compton's tailgate in the race for second.
71. Lap 182 - Compton now runs second with Kvapil in third, Bliss fourth, and Martin fifth.
AAA Insurance 200 Unofficial Results
06-01-2007 7:25 pm
1. Hornaday
2. Compton
3. Kvapil
4. Benson
5. Bliss
6. Martin
7. Skinner
8. COok
9. Allmendinger
10. Fike
11. Bodine
12. Busch
13. McCumbee
14. Allen
15. Mathews
16. Bjorklund
17. Sauter
18. Darnell
19. Setzer
20. Musgrave
21. Lagasse
22. J. White
23. Crawford
24. Huffman
25. Starr
26. Crafton
27. Lynch
28. Shepherd
29. Sprague
30. Bell
31. Kinser
32. D. White
33. Schrader
34. Bowyer
35. Lester
36. Gaughan
That's All From Dover!
06-01-2007 9:12 pm
The lights in the media center are being clicked off, and that's our signal that it's time to head for the bridge and roll for home. Congratulations go out to Ron Hornaday on his second win of 2007, and to Stacy Compton and Travis Kvapil on their best finishes of 2007.
We have several audio clips for you to listen to as the sun sets on our Dover coverage. Ron Hornaday and Rick Ren sat for a press conference after the win, and we have complete coverage of that in addition to a one-on-one with Hornaday. We also spoke with Compton and Kvapil, as well as Johnny Benson and Mike Bliss. We tracked down Jack Sprague to get his take on the first-lap incident that kept him behind the wall for nearly 180 laps, and we talked to Willie Allen who survived his first ever trip to the Monster Mile.
Thanks to Gary Camp and all of the hard working PR staff here at Dover International Speedway for their hospitality and assistance this weekend. We look forward to coming back again next year!
That's going to do it for now. We'll see you next Thursday morning from Texas. So long every body!
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