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TrackSideLive!
| Ram Tough 200
Gateway International Speedway | September 1, 2007
TrackSideLive! Presented by
Team ASE
Associate Editor Charles Krall
delivers exclusive online coverage - from start to
finish - of the tough trucks and even tougher drivers of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
including Practice Times, Notes, Quotes, Photos, Audio interviews and more!
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Good Morning from Gateway!
08-31-2007 11:35 am
Good morning and welcome to TruckSeries.com's TrackSideLive! coverage of the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 from the Gateway International Raceway. For the first time in a long time the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is in action on Labor Day Weekend, and as of now we couldn't ask for better weather here in the St. Louis area. The sun is shining brightly and there isn't a cloud in the sky, there is a gentle breeeze blowing from the backstretch towards the frontstretch, and we expect temps to stay very mild here over the course of the next couple of days. There is a lot of action slated today with NCTS practice as well as a full docket of practice, qualifying, and the race for the ARCA RE/MAX Series. We'll have all the action from the Truck Series throughout the day as we countdown to the start of practice at 3:30 pm ET. Stay with us!
Today's Schedule
08-31-2007 11:41 am
Here is the NCTS track schedule for today here at Gateway:
2:30pm: NCTS Rookie and Spotter Meetings; Drawing for Qualifying Order
3:30 - 4:30pm: NCTS Practice
4:45 - 5:15pm: NCTS Rookie Practice
7:15 - 8:15pm: NCTS Final Practice
10:00pm: NCTS Garage Closes
Headed to Garage for Pics
08-31-2007 11:47 am
It's still early here at Gateway and the teams are still getting set up in the garage and starting on their preparations to get the trucks through the tech line before practice. While the ARCA cars are out practicing, we'll take this opportunity to take a quick spin through the garage and get some pictures and we'll also dig around for any developing stories as well. We'll be back to update the entry list and any other news from here at the track shortly.
Log Jam at Inspection
08-31-2007 12:53 pm
With the teams now well on their way through their pre-practice preparations, the inspection line is a very busy place. In fact, there is a traffic jam just to get in the template room.
There are normally two stages to inspection. The first is the template room, where the officials check body dimensions. The second is where the officials check the truck's weight, wheelbase, and height. Once the team passes the template check, which is at the north end of the garage, they push the truck down to the middle of the garage area and head through the height sticks and the scales.
When last checked, only a small handful of teams had yet to make their way into the inspection line. The Nos. 4, 10, 18, 86 and 04 were still finishing up their final adjustments before heading to the template line.
Late Adds to Entry List
08-31-2007 1:24 pm
With only 34 trucks on the original entry list, we have a couple of teams pulling out backup trucks to fill out the field. The No. 04 Dodge has been added to the list with Joe Ruttman driving. Locally-based Mittler Bros. Motorsports has also entered a backup, the No. 68 Ford, with Jack Smith at the wheel. Both trucks are expected to just make a couple of laps and pull off in the race.
Overstreet Back at Waltrip
08-31-2007 1:31 pm
While the Bristol race was supposed to be his final one with the team, Jason Overstreet is here this weekend with the No. 00 Toyota team for Michael Waltrip Racing. Overstreet will be assisted from the spotter's stand by ARCA owner Eddie Sharp. Sharp will not only spot for Josh Wise, but he'll also be involved in calling race strategy as well.
Familiar Names on ARCA Entry List
08-31-2007 1:33 pm
We are still waiting for an updated NCTS entry list, but looking at the ARCA entry shows some names familiar to Truck Series fans. Brian Keselowski, son of former NCTS team owners Bob and Kay Keselowski, is entered in the No. 5 Chevy, Bryan Silas is entered in the No. 11 Chevy, Justin Allgaier is in the No. 16 Chevy, Josh Wise is in the No. 22 Toyota, Peter Shepherd is in the No. 39 Ford, Carl Long is in the No. 48 Dodge, Erin Crocker is in the No. 98 Dodge, and Rosuh newcomer Colin Braun is in the No. 99 Ford.
Wise is the only driver to our knowledge attempting double duty here this weekend.
New Look for Skinner
08-31-2007 1:39 pm
Many racecar drivers and racing teams are very superstitious. If they hit a streak of extemely good luck, they don't do anything differently at the racetrack that could interfere with that positive momentum. They might wear the same socks, t-shirts, and even underwear - many times without even washing it for fear of washing away the good luck.
No one has had better fortune in the Truck Series this year than Mike Skinner. In 16 starts, Skinner has only three finishes outside the top five, and four wins. His average finish is an amazing 4.6 and his average start is even more impressive at 2.4. Yet Skinner is here with a new look on his No. 5 Toyota.
Skinner is carrying the XM Radio colors here this weekend. We'll see shortly once we start practice whether or not his incredible streak of good luck and strong performances continues.
NCTS Entry List Updates
08-31-2007 3:03 pm
Here are the entry list updates for this weekend's Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 200:
Josh Wise is in the No. 00 Toyota this weekend
Joe Ruttman is in the No. 04 Dodge
Boris Jurkovich takes over in the No. 08 Chevrolet this week
Joey Clanton stays in the No. 09 Ford this weekend
J.R. Norris is tabbed to make his series debut this week in the No. 15 Chevrolet
Derrike Cope is back for the second consecutive race in the No. 16 Ford
Jon Wood returns to the No. 21 Ford after stepping aside for Mark Martin at Bristol
TJ Bell returns to the No. 50 Ford
Kenny Wallace looks to make his first series start since 1996 in the No. 51 Chevrolet
Scott Lynch returns with the No. 63 Ford
Jack Smith is also entered in the No. 68 Ford out of the Mittler Bros. shop
Dana White is entered for the first time since Dover in the No. 86 Chevrolet
Hot Topic: Gateway Predictions
08-31-2007 3:13 pm
As we are about to start practice here at Gateway, why not take the time to drop in on our discussion on our predictions for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200?
Click here to go to our discussion forum and log in to participate!
If you aren't a member yet, it only takes a couple minutes to get signed up.
Spotters on the Stand...Sort of
08-31-2007 3:20 pm
The spotters are in their perch for the start of practice, but unlike tomorrow when it's time to get after it for the race, they are not up on top of the tower. Rather, they are just in front of the tower, in the grandstands, taking refuge from the sun.
Practice Underway, Cook Leads Early
08-31-2007 3:47 pm
Practice got underway right at 3:30 pm ET, and early on in the session former Gateway winner Terry Cook leads the field. Here is the complete rundown with 12 minutes complete in the session:
1. Cook 131.992
2. Gaughan 130.940
3. Hornaday 130.790
4. Skinner 130.784
5. Crafton 130.689
6. Clanton 130.666
7. Darnell 130.427
8. Norris 130.427
9. Wallace 130.189
10. Musgave 129.938
11. Mathews 129.839
12. Smith 129.754
13. Sprague 129.605
14. Miller 129.605
15. Allen 129.422
16. Wise 129.388
17. Bliss 129.351
18. Green 129.243
19. Jurkovich 128.726
20. Starr 128.549
21. Bell 128.505
22. Wood 128.154
23. Schrader 127.937
24. McCumbee 126.718
25. Setzer 125.650
26. Bodine 125.488
27. Lynch 121.026
28. White 120.637
Red Out; Starr Hits Turn 1 Wall
08-31-2007 3:57 pm
The red flag is out here at Gateway for the second incident of the day. Earlier in the day, just about 10 minutes ago, Travis Kvapil scuffed the turn four wall and damaged the right side of the No. 6 Ford. Then, just moments after we went back to green flag conditions David Starr had a right front tire go down in turn one and popped the outside wall.
David Starr climbs from his damaged No. 10 Ford
A flat right front sent Starr into the turn one wall.
Kvapil scraped the turn four wall and littered the track with broken brake parts for the first red of the day.
Both drivers drove back to the garage but the damage to both trucks is necessitating a move to their respective backups.
Practice 1 Rundown 2
08-31-2007 4:17 pm
1. Cook 132.174
2. Skinner 132.023
3. Kvapil 131.714
4. Crawford 131.441
5. Gaughan 130.997
6. Sprague 130.955
7. Hornaday 130.791
8. Benson 130.757
9. Crafton 130.689
10. Wallace 130.685
11. Clanton 130.666
12. Darnell 130.563
13. Norris 130.427
14. Musgrave 130.405
15. Mathews 130.382
16. Bliss 130.378
17. Sauter 130.352
18. McCumbee 130.321
19. Wise 130.114
20. Green 130.054
21. Allen 129.881
22. Smith 129.754
23. Bodine 129.687
24. Miller 129.605
25. Jurkovich 128.969
26. Bell 128.770
27. Schrader 128.719
28. Starr 128.549
29. Wood 128.154
30. Cope 127.613
31. Setzer 125.600
32. White 123.173
33. Lynch 121.025
34. D. White 120.547
Practice 1 Results
08-31-2007 4:50 pm
Terry Cook stayed strong throughout the first practice and ended up on top. Brendan Gaughan continues to look impressive after a strong run at Bristol, with Johnny Benson, Matt Crafton and Rick Crawford rounding out the top five.
Click here to check out the complete results from the first practice.
Rookie Rundown
08-31-2007 5:16 pm
Here is the rundown for the rookie practice with just a few moments left:
1. Mathews 132.869
2. Allen 132.724
3. Smith 132.411
4. Clanton 132.054
5. Wallace 131.617
6. Norris 131.610
7. B. Miller 131.480
8. Sauter 131.223
9. Wise 129.616
10. Lynch 126.436
Rookie Results
08-31-2007 5:36 pm
Ryan Mathews was the fastest driver in the 30-minute rookie practice that just wrapped up.
Click here for complete rookie practice results
ARCA Qualifying Underway; NCTS Final Practice Up Next
08-31-2007 5:59 pm
A unique schedule here at the track has the NCTS practice sessions separated by a couple of hours. We concluded rookie practice a while ago, and the ARCA cars are now on track for their qualifying session. Once this concludes we'll move into the final hour of practice for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 200. We'll have all the action from the final 60 minutes of practice so stick with us!
Gateway Audio
08-31-2007 7:01 pm
We've had a chance to talk to a few people here today at Gateway. First, Roush Fenway Racing teammates Erik Darnell and Travis Kvapil joined the media in the deadline room for a chat. Kvapil talked about how he's seen the series change and grow since his early days in the series in 2002 as well as his incident in practice earlier this afternoon. Darnell talked about how Lady Luck has affected his season and how he works to stay positive when things don't go his way.
After we spoke to the Roush guys, we sat down with St. Louis native Kenny Wallace. Wallace talked on a variety of topics, including his long history with some of his Billy Ballew Motorsports teammates.
Finally, we had our weekly chat with SPEED pit reporter Ray Dunlap and previewed this week's broadcast. Ray told us who looked good in practice and also talked about how the cooler weather than we're used to here may impact some of the team's setup. He also talked about some of the silly season rumors he's heard and when we can start to see some of those dominos start to fall.
Look to the Podtrac player to the right side of the TrackSideLive! page to listen. All you have to do is click on it, you don't need to install any additional software.
Final Practice Underway
08-31-2007 7:27 pm
The sun is setting here at Gateway, and the final hour of practice for tomorrow's Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 is underway. Early on in the session, Johnny Benson leads Mike Skinner, Jack Sprague, Terry Cook, and Ron Hornaday. We'll have a complete rundown in a few moments.
Final Practice Rundown 1
08-31-2007 7:34 pm
1. Benson 133.349
2. Skinner 133.109
3. Sprague 133.018
4. Cook 133.014
5. Hornaday 132.700
6. Green 132.419
7. Bliss 132.248
8. Sauter 132.213
9. Mathews 132.100
10. Allen 132.058
11. Norris 131.926
12. Musgrave 131.911
13. Crawford 131.884
14. Darnell 131.818
15. Gaughan 131.775
16. Smith 131.652
17. Clanton 131.610
18. Wood 131.329
19. Crafton 131.237
20. Wise 131.214
21. Wallace 131.195
22. Schrader 131.161
23. Bodine 130.882
24. Bell 130.768
25. Cope 130.753
26. B. Miller 130.696
27. Jurkovich 130.492
28. McCumbee 130.423
29. Starr 129.758
30. Setzer 129.754
31. Kvapil 129.511
32. J. White 127.276
33. Lynch 126.853
34. Smith 124.244
Gaughan Pancakes the 77
08-31-2007 7:41 pm
Brendan Gaughan pushed up out of the fourth turn and scraped the wall in the No. 77 Chevrolet, flatsiding his ride and scuffing off some of the decals. The incident was not serious enough to warrant a red flag and he brought the truck back to the attention of his crew.
Gaughan to Backup Truck
08-31-2007 7:47 pm
Brendan Gaughan's No. 77 Chevrolet is the third casualty of the day here at Gateway after he brushed the wall just moments ago.
Gaughan's team is unloading the backup truck as the damage to the nose is too severe to be quickly repaired. Gaughan was 20th on the sheet when he was involved in the incident. With the session half over, it's unlikely he will make it back out onto the track before the session ends.
Final Practice Rundown 2
08-31-2007 7:53 pm
1. Skinner 133.507
2. Benson 133.349
3. Sprague 133.018
4. Cook 133.014
5. Darnell 132.775
6. Hornaday 132.700
7. Crawford 132.474
8. Green 132.419
9. Mathews 132.419
10. Bliss 132.248
11. Sauter 132.213
12. Smith 132.128
13. Bodine 132.120
14. Musgrave 132.077
15. Allen 132.058
16. Norris 131.926
17. Crafton 131.899
18. Clanton 131.853
19. Wallace 131.791
20. Gaughan 131.775
21. Schrader 131.368
22. Cope 131.356
23. Wood 131.329
24. Wise 131.214
25. B. Miller 131.172
26. Bell 131.111
27. Jurkovich 130.492
28. McCumbee 130.423
29. Kvapil 130.156
30. Setzer 129.765
31. Starr 129.758
32. Ruttman 127.132
33. J. White 127.226
34. Lynch 127.054
35. Smith 125.205
Final Practice Rundown 3
08-31-2007 8:07 pm
The sands are quickly running out of the hourglass as they are just mere minutes remaining in this final hour of practice. Here is how they stand with about 5 minutes to go:
1. Skinner 135.706
2. Norris 134.172
3. Sprague 134.000
4. Smith 133.626
5. Benson 133.614
6. Mathews 133.144
7. Cook 133.014
8. Bell 133.873
9. Green 132.806
10. Darnell 132.775
11. Wallace 132.739
12. Hornaday 132.700
13. Schrader 132.532
14. Crawford 132.474
15. Bliss 132.248
16. Sauter 132.213
17. Bodine 132.120
18. Crafton 132.112
19. Musgrave 132.077
20. Allen 132.058
21. Clanton 131.899
22. Wise 131.833
23. Gaughan 131.775
24. Cope 131.356
25. Wood 131.329
26. Starr 131.326
27. B. Miller 131.172
28. Kvapil 130.879
29. Jurkovich 130.533
30. Setzer 130.488
31. McCumbee 130.423
32. Ruttman 128.132
33. J. White 127.226
34. Lynch 127.054
35. Smith 125.205
Dana White did not practice this session.
Practice Over; Skinner Quickest
08-31-2007 8:58 pm
Mike Skinner led the final hour of practice for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 here at Gateway International Raceway. The sun went down behind the grandstands and the speeds quickly climbed with Skinner actually eclipsing the existing track record.
Click here for complete final practice times and speeds.
Pics! Pics! Pics! and More Pics!
08-31-2007 9:04 pm
The TruckShots! gallery and VPS Motorimages gallery are both overflowing with images from throughout the day here at Gateway.
Click on the picture of J.R. Norris' No. 15 Chevrolet to check out the TruckShots! gallery.
Click on Scott Lynch's No. 63 Ford to check out the VPS Motorimages gallery.
Practice Audio
08-31-2007 9:11 pm
We caught up with a couple of drivers that led the field in the final practice to get their thoughts after the session wound down. Mike Skinner, to no one's surprise, was the quickest in the final hour and he told us that his crew is here working with an entirely new setup than what they ran last year. We also tracked down rookie J.R. Norris, who is making his series debut here this weekend. Norris was third quick in the final session.
Look to the right side of the TrackSideLive! page and click on the Podtrac player to listen. You do not have to install any additional software to hear any of our exclusive TruckSeries.com audio.
Kenny Wallace to Yates' No. 88?
08-31-2007 9:14 pm
Kenny Wallace mentioned in his media center visit earlier this afternoon that he received a call from Nextel Cup Series owner Robert Yates earlier in the weekend. Yates needs to fill a vacancy in his team's No. 88 Fords for 2008 and apparently Wallace is on the short list of drivers for that ride.
You can hear Wallace discuss his future by clicking on the Podtrac player and then clicking on his name.
Happy Birthday to You
08-31-2007 9:22 pm
Happy birthday wishes go out to two members of the NCTS community this weekend. Jamie Maynard, who reps David Green and the No. 1 Red Horse Racing Toyota, will blow out the candles this weekend, as will Tom O'Connor who is Toyota's media relations rep at the track. Best wishes to them both!
Don't Forget Your Predictions!
08-31-2007 9:24 pm
As we wrap up the night, don't forget to log into our TruckSeries.com Discussion Forum and post your predictions for this weekend's Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200!
http://www.truckseries.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=551
If you need to register, it only takes a few moments and then you too can share with us who you think will run well here at Gateway this weekend.
That's All for Friday from Gateway
08-31-2007 9:24 pm
We're going to call it a night from Gateway International Raceway. We have plenty of audio for you to check out with Mike Skinner, J.R. Norris, Roushkateers Travis Kvapil and Erik Darnell, Kenny Wallace, and our popular SPEED preview with Ray Dunlap. We also have a few hundred pictures for you to check out in the TruckShots! and VPS Motorimages galleries. That should keep you well occupied until we rejoin you tomorrow morning. Until then, so long everybody!
Good Saturday Morning from Gateway
09-01-2007 12:25 pm
Good morning from here at Gateway International Raceway. It is another wonderful weather day here in the St. Louis area, with crystal clear skies and a gentle breeze blowing across from the backside of the track towards the front. It will be a little warmer today than yesterday, with the high expected to reach 85 to 87 degrees. We are closing in on Live! Bud Pole Qualifying, set to come your way at 2:05 pm ET, so we'll get some news updates from the garage and then get ready to roll for the pole so stick with us.
Autograph Session at 12:45 pm ET
09-01-2007 12:29 pm
The teams are hard at work getting ready to go through pre-qualifying inspection and the drivers are just about ready for the annual on-track autograph session here at Gateway. The drivers will sign on the pit road as the teams get ready to grid their trucks for qualifying. We'll have plenty of pictures from the autograph session shortly.
Engine Change for the No. 21
09-01-2007 1:23 pm
The Wood/jtg team had a lot of work to do this morning as they came in and made a last minute decision to change engines. They had pulled the engine late last night to try to repair it, but after thinking about it last night and doing a leak check this morning the decision was made to change it.
That means the Jon Wood will have to drop to the back of the field for the start. As of now, he is the only drive that will have to drop to the rear as drivers Brendan Gaughan, David Starr and Travis Kvapil all reverted to their backup trucks prior to pre-qualifying inspection. Those teams also put their primary truck engines in their backups, meaning they are still eligible to start where they qualify.
Dexter Bean to Trucks?
09-01-2007 1:28 pm
ARCA regular Dexter Bean is here this afternoon wandering the garage area. We spoke to him briefly and asked him if the rumors he is going Truck Series racing were true.
"We'd like to come race the Trucks," Bean said. "Right now we're looking at it real hard, we're just looking for some money to make it happen."
Bean has been rumored in recent weeks to be looking at a full-time Truck ride in 2008.
Gaughan Confident in Backup Truck
09-01-2007 1:54 pm
Brendan Gaughan crashed his primary truck late in practice yesterday, but he's not concerned. We caught up with him just as the autograph session was winding down and asked him what his chances are today:
"The driver just made a mistake. Brian Berry and the boys made a change and it made the truck better and I just overdrove it. I went into one and it stuck and then I got to turn two and things didn't look right. Well, that was the wall coming at me at an angle it's not supposed to. But these trucks are all alike, it's a big reason why I am bragging on my team as much as I am. Our backup truck is just a primary truck that's not being raced this week. I am feeling pretty good about it. I still think we'll qualify in the top five."
Live! Bud Pole Qualifying Coming Up Next
09-01-2007 2:04 pm
We are just about ready to roll for the pole here at Gateway. Each driver will strap in for two laps against the clock to determine their starting position.
CLick here to follow Live! Bud Pole Qualifying from Gateway
We'll resume TrackSideLive! coverage after qualifying.
Progression of the Pole
09-01-2007 3:55 pm
Jack Sprague, out first, 34.315, starts 15th
Johnny Benson, out second, 34.045, starts fourth
Terry Cook, out seventh, 34.000, starts third
Mike Skinner, out ninth, 33.909, starts first
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 Pit Assignments
09-01-2007 3:55 pm
Here are the pit stall assignments for today's Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200, starting with the first pit stall at the exit of pit road and ending with the last pit stall at the entrance to pit road:
Skinner
Bodine
Kvapil
Cope
Mathews
Open stall
Hornaday
Musgrave
Green
D. White
Sprague
Allen
Open stall
Darnell
McCumbee
Wallace
Bell
Miller
Benson
Open Stall
Break in pit wall/Start-Finish Line
Cook
Norris
Crafton
Jurkovich
Crawford
Sauter
Open Stall
Gaughan
Wise
Schrader
Ruttman
Bliss
Setzer
Clanton
Lynch
Smith
J. White
Wood
Starr
Smith
Gateway Bud Pole Fast Facts
09-01-2007 4:05 pm
Skinner's pole is his 41st career series pole in 146 series starts; it's his ninth pole of the season and the 12th time he starts on the front row...Skinner's average start is now 2.3; this is his 16th top five start of the season...Skinner's best previous start at Gateway was in 2005 when he qualified eighth; that is the only other time he started in the top ten here...Hornaday qualified second for the third time in 2007...Cook qualified in the top five for the first time in 2007; his previous best start was sixth at Mansfield.
Where Has Skinner Not Won a Pole?
09-01-2007 4:11 pm
Mike Skinner picked up his first Gateway pole here today. After 40 poles in 145 previous starts, it's surprising to find that Skinner had a handful of tracks where he had not earned a top qualifying position. So now that Gateway is off that list, where else has Skinner not won a pole? There are five tracks that Skinner needs to claim a pole to have one at each track on the schedule: Daytona, Kentucky, Memphis, Nashville and Talladega. The only track on that list that we have yet to race at so far this season is Talladega.
Driver's Meeting Notes
09-01-2007 4:25 pm
The drivers meeting is just about to start across the way in the meeting room. Here are the talking points that Wayne Auton will go over with the drivers and crew chiefs:
The Invocation is at 5:33 National Anthem will be at 5:34...the command to start engines is scheduled for 4:41...the pit road speed is 45 mph and the pace truck speed is 50 mph...pit road speed starts 215 feet before the first pit stall and ends 110 feet after the last pit stall...minimum speed to stay in competition is 37.31 seconds...all trucks must enter the pit road on the access lane starting in turn three; drivers may escape back onto the track in turn four if the caution flag comes out while they are on the access lane; a driver is considered to be on pit road under green if he crosses the first pit speed line...the drivers must also exit pit road on the access lane until they reach turn two.
Drivers Introduced; Command to Start Engines Next
09-01-2007 5:28 pm
The drivers have all been introduced and the remainder of the pre-race ceremonies are close at hand. We'll have the invocation in about four minutes with the National Anthem and command to start the 36 engines on pit road to follow. We'll have all the action from the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 right here...next!
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 Race Updates 1-10
09-01-2007 5:31 pm
10. Lap 7 - Gaughan, Darnell, and Mathews mix it up for fifth, sixth and seventh. Darnell takes the spot with Gaughan now starting to pick up a push. Crafton has a left front flat and brings his truck down pit road for an unscheduled stop.
9. Lap 5 - Skinner leads by 0.9 seconds over Hornaday. The top five is in single file but Cook continues to pressure Hornaday for second.
8. Lap 4 - Smith grazes the wall off turn four but continues on.
7. Skinner and Hornaday go into one side by side but Hornaday loses grip and slides up the track off turn two. COok looks inside for second through turns three and four. Skinner leads at the line as Hornaday, Cook, Benson and Gaughan string out single file behind.
6. The field is given the one to go signal at the start-finish line.
5. Lights are on the pace truck as the field is now setting its 45 mph pit road speed.
4. The field is rolling off pit road.
3. Ken Schrader just gave the command from inside the No. 18 Dodge to crank the engines. The field roars to life on pit road. We will have three laps on the initial roll-off this afternoon.
2. The National Anthem has just been completed. Up next is the command to start engines.
1. The drivers are standing at their trucks ready for the invocation. Only one driver will start at the back of the field due to penalty, that being Jon Wood. However, Wood is already slated to start in the final row.
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 Race Updates 11-20
09-01-2007 5:55 pm
20. Lap 32 - Hornaday looks low off turn two and pulls alongside into three. Benson now looks outside but Skinner is able to hold second for now.
19. Lap 29 - Hornaday is all over Skinner's tailgate and Benson is chasing them both down. Cook rides fourth 1.1 seconds back from Skinner.
18. Lap 25 - Setzer gets a tap from Wise going into three and goes for a long slide up near the wall. He does a great job keeping it straight, but falls back to 28th.
17. Lap 24 - Benson powers around Cook to the outside of turn two and takes the spot down the backstretch.
16. Lap 23 - Bodine, Musgrave and Miller scrap for the 17th spot. Kvapil throws his hat in the ring and makes it a four-truck race for position.
15. Lap 19 - Restart. Skinner leads into one as Hornaday and Cook have to deal with Crafton's lapped truck. Benson, Mathews, Darnell, Smith, Sprague, Sauter, and Gaughan round out the top ten.
14. Lap 18 - Clanton comments on crash: "I guess we were just a magnet for the 15." D. White picks up the free pass and rejoins the lead lap. Crafton is still trapped one lap down.
13. Lap 16 - Caution out for a crash in turn four with Norris and Clanton. The two touched and they both slammed the outside wall. Clanton has heavy damage to the rear of his truck and Norris has heavy right side damage.
12. Lap 14 - Skinner is now out by 1.3 seconds on Hornaday and Cook. Benson and Mathews give BDR all three trucks in the top five.
11. Lap 11 - Crafton rejoins the race almost two laps off the pace in 33rd. Green and Bell race side by side for the 13th and 14th positions with Bodine looking on behind.
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 Race Updates 21-30
09-01-2007 6:12 pm
30. Lap 64 - Hornaday stretches his lead on the restart to 1.1 seconds on Green. Cook was running third when his truck erupts in smoke and drops off the pace.
29. Lap 61 - Hornaday retakes the lead after pit stops. Green, Cook, Smith, Mathews, Darnell, Musgrave, Kvapil, Bell, Wallace, Crawford, Wise, Schrader, McCumbee, Gaughan, Bliss, Schrader, Wood, Allen, Benson, and Starr are the rest of the lead lap trucks.
28. Lap 60 - Skinner climbs from his truck and grabs an impact wrench and personally takes off the shredded right front tire. Sauter's luck goes up in smoke as he brings his truck to the garage with an expired engine.
27. Lap 57 - Skinner has a right front tire shred and he takes the truck behind the wall. Caution is out for the second time. Suater had come down pit road and will be trapped a lap down.
26. Lap 53 - We are about ten laps away from the first scheduled round of pit stops if we don't have a caution.
25. Lap 49 - Benson leads by about five lengths on Hornaday. Skinner, Cook, Mathews, Darnell, Smith, Sauter, Green, and Musgrave are the rest of the top ten.
24. Lap 47 - Sprague climbs out of the truck and goes to the transporter, out of the race. "Blew up, simple as that," Sprague said to MRN Radio.
23. Lap 39 - Benson slips inside going into three but Hornaday knocks on the back bumper and slips back underneath off turn four and drag races down the frontstretch. Benson takes the spot free and clear in one and leads by two lengths. Sprague loses power down the backstretch and drops the window net as he coasts back to the garage.
22. Lap 37 - Gaughan now has his hands full with Kvapil, Bodine, and Bliss. Gaughan has dropped back to 15th. Benson now looks inside Hornaday for the lead, but Hornaday slams the door going into turn three.
21. Lap 34 - Gaughan has dropped back to eleventh. Wallace is pressing him hard for that spot. Hornaday leads by 0.6 seconds on Benson.
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 Race Updates 31-40
09-01-2007 6:36 pm
40. Lap 102 - Benson chops another second off the lead. Smith, Green and Musgrave round out the top five. Darnell, Kvapil, Mathews, Wise and Wallace round out the top ten. Caution waves for the third time as there is debris in turn one.
39. Lap Lap 100 - Benson is 2.8 seconds behind Hornaday and closing.
38. Lap 98 - Benson has chopped a full second off Hornaday's lead.
37. Lap 91 - Benson charges through the field and reaches Green. He had a loose lugnut on his caution flag pit stop and restarted at the tail of the lead lap. He is now 4.1 seconds behind Hornaday but starting to close the gap.
36. Lap 87 - Miller drops off the pace down the backstretch.
35. Lap 84 - Hornaday continues to lead. Crafton stays the first truck one lap down. There are only 26 trucks on the track.
34. Lap 76 - Hornaday opens up a 2.3 second lead on Green, Smith, Mathews, Musgrave, Darnell, Kvapil, Benson, Bell, Wise, Bliss, Bodine, Allen, Gaughan, Starr, McCumbee, Schrader, Wood, and Norris.
33. Lap 73 - Crawford comes to the pits for right side tires.
32. Lap 72 - Musgrave starts to put pressure on Mathews for fourth.
31. Lap 65 - Cook drives his truck behind the wall in turn one. Hornaday leads Green, Smith, Mathews and Musgrave.
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 Race Updates 41-50
09-01-2007 6:59 pm
50. Lap 128 - The caution flag waves after a short red to clean up fluid spilled in the Bell/Bliss crash in turn three. Hornaday leads Green, Benson, Musgrave, Bodine, Smith, Kvapil, Darnell, Wallace, Wise, Gaughan, Allen, McCumbee, Mathews, Wood, Norris, Starr, Schrader, and Crafton. The top 20 are the only ones on the lead lap.
49. Lap 126 - After being a lap down for 120 laps, Crafton picks up the free pass to rejoin the lead lap.
48. Lap 125 - Bliss and Bell get caught up in tiurn three and slam the wall. Bliss was tapped by Wise going into the turn and caught Bell as he spun up the track.
47. Lap 123 - Hornaday darts out to the lead on the restart, but he has Green, Musgrave, and Benson mix it up for second behind him.
46. Lap 120 - Hornaday leads Green, Musgrave, Benson, Mathews, Smith, Bodine, Kvapil, Darnell, Bell, Bliss, Wise, Wallace, Allen, Gaughan, McCumbee, Norris, Wood, Starr, and Schrader on the lead lap. Crawford will rejoin the lead lap momentarily. Crafton, Setzer, Jurkovich, and White are all still running but not on the lead lap.
45. Lap 119 - Miller stalls on the access road in turn three. Crawford picks up the free pass. Crafton once again misses the free pass by one position.
44. Lap 115 - Wise and Bell mix it up for 10th. Bliss makes it a three way tussle for the spot. Allen slaps the wall racing for the spot with that group coming out of turn two.
43. Lap 110 - Hornaday slips underneath to take the lead in turn three. Benson looks inside Musgrave in turn three as they race for fourth.
42. Lap 107 - Green leads Hornaday, Smith, Musgrave, Benson, Kvapil, Mathews, Darnell, Bell, Bodine, Wise, Bliss, Wallace, Allen, Wood, Gaughan, McCumbee, Norris, Starr, and Schrader. The green is back out.
41. Lap 106 - Pits are open. We are in the pit window to make it to the end, so the field should all come down. We will reset the running order after stops.
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 Race Updates 51-
09-01-2007 7:33 pm
60. Lap 160 - Checkered flag, Benson wins with Hornaday, Musgrave, Bodine and Smith the top-five. Mathews crashes in turn two to bring out the caution as the field comes to the line.
59. Lap 156 - Green pops the wall in turn one and comes to the pits with a flat right front tire and a heavily damaged truck. He was third at the time.
58. Lap 155 - Benson leads Hornaday by 1.3 seconds.
57. Lap 152 - Benson leads Hornaday, Green, Musgrave, Bodine, Smith, Kvapil, Darnell, Wise, Gaughan, Mathews, Crafton, Crawford, Allen, McCumbee, Wallace, Wood, Norris, and Schrader. Crawford pops the fence coming off turn four but continues on.
56. Lap 147 - Benson takes the high groove away from Hornaday on the exit of turn two and powers past on the backstretch to take the lead. Green is about ten lengths behind in third.
55. Lap 145 - Hornaday nearly clips the wall coming out of turn two but again keeps his foot in it and maintains the lead.
54. Lap 142 - Hornaday slides sideways off turn four but keeps his foot in itand holds Benson behind.
53. Lap 139 - Benson looks to the inside but Hornaday jams the door shut. Green, Musgrave, and Bodine round out the top five.
52. Lap 137 - Starr gets a tap in turn one and backs hard into the turn two wall. He has heavy damage to the rear of his truck but there is no yellow as the track is clear and Starr is rolling back to the pits.
51. Lap 132 - Restart. Benson looks outside of Green for second and drags side by side down the backstretch. Benson now starts to hunt down Hornaday for the lead.
Benson Goes Back-to-Back
09-01-2007 7:50 pm
Johnny Benson picked up his second consecutive NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, doing it in come-from-behind fashion by taking the win in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway. Benson slipped past Ron Hornaday on lap 147 and led the final 13 laps to take his third win of the 2007 season. Hornaday held on for second and unofficially takes the points lead after pole sitter Mike Skinner had an early accident and finished 28th.
TruckSeries.com will have a complete report to follow.
Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 Unofficial Results
09-01-2007 7:55 pm
1. Benson
2. Hornaday
3. Musgrave
4. Bodine
5. Smith
6. Kvapil
7. Darnell
8. Wise
9. Crafton
10. Gaughan
11. Crawford
12. Allen
13. Wallace
14. Wood
15. McCumbee
16. Norris
17. Schrader
18. Mathews
19. Setzer
20. Green
21. Jurkovich
22. Starr
23. J. White
24. Bell
25. Miller
26. Bliss
27. Lynch
28. Skinner
29. Cope
30. Cook
31. Sauter
32. Spragye
33. D. White
34. Clanton
35. Ruttman
36. Smith
Post-race Audio Coming
09-01-2007 9:14 pm
We tracked down the top five finishers in today's Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway:
Winner Johnny Benson talked about coming from the back after a rough pitstop, and then discussed how to chose between three race-winning trucks to take to the next race at New Hampshire in two weeks.
Second-place finisher Ron Hornaday talked about trying to hold Benson off and how his outlook will or will not change now that he's taken over the championship lead from Mike Skinner.
Third-place finisher Ted Musgrave talked about returning to the podium with a strong run at one of his best tracks.
Fourth-place finisher Todd Bodine talked about some of the changes his team made throughout the day and how the Germain Racing team's plans are shaping up so far for 2008.
Finally, fifth-place finisher Regan Smith talked about the momentum he and his team are building after just a handful of races together and how he worked his way into fifth late in the going.
Keep an eye on the Sights and Sounds bot on the right side of the TrackSideLive page for the Podtrac player, and click on each driver's name to listen. Remember, you don't have to install any additional software to play any TruckSeries.com audio.
Points Picture Looks Drastically Different
09-01-2007 9:22 pm
The championship standings look dramatically different at the top leaving St. Louis than entering. Ron Hornaday, who was 164 points behind Mike Skinner just four races ago, now leads unofficially by four points heading into the next series race at New Hampshire International Speedway on September 15. Hornaday has a total of three wins, nine top-5 finishes, and 16 top-10 finishes in 17 starts, while Skinner has four wins, 13 top-5 finishes, and 15 top-10 finishes in his 17 starts. All that adds up to a 2769 to 2765 advantage for Hornaday over Skinner.
Travis Kvapil has now whittled the two front runners' advantage down to under 200 points, as he sits back 194 points with seven races remaining. Kvapil will need both of the drivers ahead of him to have a little back luck, but with a "wild card" race at Talladega and Martinsville, anything can happen as we enter the stretch run for the 2007 series championship.
That's All from St. Louis
09-01-2007 9:28 pm
That is going to do it for TrackSideLive! coverage from here at Gateway. Our congratulations go out to Johnny Benson and the Bill Davis Racing team on his third win of the season and second in a row. Our thanks also go out to Brandon Mudd and Lenny Batycki for their warm hospitality here at the track all weekend as well.
Next up for the NCTS is the New Hampshire 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway on September 15. We'll have TrackSideLive! coverage of round 18 of the 2007 season starting with practice updates at 9 am ET on Friday September 14.
Look for our Fastenal Race Review podcast from here at Gateway on Monday.
Until we see you from New Hampshire, so long everybody!
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