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TrackSideLive!
| New Hampshire 200
New Hampshire International Speedway | September 15, 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 New Hampshire
09-14-2007 7:56 am
Good morning from the New Hampshire International Speedway. It is a wonderful day here in the Granite State, with bright sun shining down on the Magic Mile, and high temperatures are expected to be a very pleasant 75 degrees here today. We'll have coverage of all the action from the garage and out on the track throughout the day here at NHIS so stick with us!
Today's NCTS Track Schedule
09-14-2007 8:07 am
The garage area opened here at a very early 6:30 am ET and the teams have been hard at work getting their trucks through the inspection line. Here is what the rest of the schedule for the NCTS looks like today:
9:40 am ET - 10:50 am ET: NCTS Practice
11:20 am ET - 11:50 am ET: NCTS Rookie Practice
1:45 pm ET - 3:00 pm ET: NCTS Final Practice
6:00 pm ET: NCTS Garage Closes
Also on the track today are practice and qualifying for the Cup Series and a 125-lap race for the NASCAR Busch East Series, so it is a very busy day here at NHIS.
Headed to the Garage for Pics
09-14-2007 8:25 am
The start of practice is still about an hour away so we're going to head out and get some pictures for you in the garage area. We'll be back with more updates and any news from the garage shortly.
Smelly Situation for Crafton's Crew
09-14-2007 9:22 am
Matt Crafton's crew has been working out of a beautiful new transporter the past few weeks, but today they might wish the old one could be here at NHIS. On the way to Loudon, transport driver Bob Tebo had an encounter with a small critter that will be giving the team headaches the rest of the week. "At first I thought I hit a rabbit," Tebo said. "It was already dead and I came up on it real quick so I couldn't miss it. Just after I hit it I knew it wasn't a rabbit. It was a skunk. We had to do a little extra cleaning before we got here."
First Timers at NHIS
09-14-2007 9:26 am
While the Truck Series does not employ the Chase format to settle the championship, with the Cup Series Chase starting this weekend here at NHIS all of NASCAR's three national touring series now start the countdown to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead in November. There are just eight races left on the 2007 NCTS calendar, so the championship run starts in earnest here this weekend.
While the points battle is tight at the front, the teams racing for the title will have three NCTS newcomers in the field with them this weekend. Brian Scott takes over the reins of the No. 16 Ford for Xpress Motorsports, and pending approval from NASCAR he is slated to finish out the season with that team. NASCAR Busch East Series driver Sean Caisse will make his series debut, and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Donny Lia will also slip into a Truck for the first time this weekend.
Trucks on Track
09-14-2007 9:41 am
The first trucks have made their way onto the track for the first practice of the day here at NHIS. Ron Hornaday, Terry Cook, Stacy Compton, Erik Darnell, Ryan Mathews and Mike Skinner led the charge onto the speedway first thing, with several more in line to join them. We'll keep you updated of all the action on the track, update practice speeds, and even get some pics of the action on the track for you so stick with us!
Red Out Already
09-14-2007 9:43 am
The red flag is out just two minutes into the first practice here at NHIS. Reports from the spotters stand have Donny Lia in the No. 36 Toyota getting turned sideways on cold tires. We'll follow up and get confirmation as soon as we can. The track has already gone back green.
Practice 1 Rundown 1
09-14-2007 9:58 am
Here is the rundown about 17 minutes into the first session:
1. Cook 127.564
2. Busch 126.711
3. Skinner 126.627
4. Bliss 126.366
5. Hornaday 126.007
6. Benson 125.699
7. C. Rogers 125.674
8. Chaffin 125.550
9. Kvapil 125.434
10. Musgrave 125.421
11. Almirola 125.150
12. Darnell 125.096
13. Crawford 125.063
14. Schrader 124.961
15. Starr 124.924
16. Allmendinger 124.920
17. Compton 124.883
18. Gaughan 124.842
19. Sauter 124.727
20. Sprague 124.609
21. Bodine 124.605
22. Allen 124.499
23. B. Scott 124.166
24. Green 124.013
25. Crafton 123.988
26. Mathews 123.948
27. Bell 123.871
28. Sieg 123.823
29. D. Lia 123.719
30. Wood 123.334
31. McCumbee 123.330
32. Stout 122.363
33. Setzer 121.566
34. J. White 115.906
Park Visiting in the Garage
09-14-2007 10:09 am
Former NCTS winner and New England favorite Steve Park was spotted chatting and renewing friendships in the garage just prior to the start of practice. Park has been on the sidelines since splitting with the HT Motorsports team in the middle of 2006, but is still actively pursuing a ride in any of NASCAR's top three touring divisions.
Silly Season in Full Swing
09-14-2007 10:11 am
In addition to the drivers making their series debut here this week, there are some other "silly season" driver moves that have played out this week. Most notably is the fact Dennis Setzer is not driving the No. 75 this week. Setzer is here driving the No. 08 for Green Light Racing, while USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series regular Clay Rogers has taken the wheel of the No. 75 Chevy. Aric Almirola also gets a call to drive a Truck this week, taking control of the No. 47 Chevy. Early in the practice, Almirola is third, Rogers sits eighth, while Setzer is 32nd.
Practice 1 Rundown 2
09-14-2007 10:17 am
Here is how the field stands after 33 minutes of the first practice:
1. Hornaday 127.773
2. Cook 127.564
3. Almirola 127.282
4. Skinner 126.799
5. Busch 126.711
6. C. Rogers 126.681
7. Allmendinger 126.627
8. Crawford 126.584
9. S. Caisse 126.496
10. Kvapil 126.488
11. Compton 126.475
12. Bowyer 126.395
13. Bliss 126.366
14. Darnell 126.119
15. Sprague 126.061
16. Schrader 126.032
17. Allen 125.832
18. Musgrave 125.769
19. Green 125.728
20. Benson 125.699
21. B. Scott 125.570
22. Chaffin 125.550
23. Crafton 125.343
24. Starr 125.113
25. McCumbee 125.100
26. Wood 125.030
27. Gaughan 124.998
28. Mathews 124.866
29. Sauter 124.801
30. Setzer 124.678
31. Bodine 124.604
32. D. Lia 124.110
33. Bell 123.871
34. Sieg 123.823
35. Lynch 123.743
36. Stout 123.402
37. J. White 115.906
Red Out for the Second Time - UPDATE
09-14-2007 10:25 am
The red flag is out for the second time here this morning. J.C. Stout spun coming off turn two and slid down into the backstretch grass. No word on if he made any contact, we'll head to the garage and update this story as soon as we can.
UPDATE: Stout's team said they were not involved in an incident on the track. However, we now hear the driver involved in the spin was Erik Darnell. Darnell was in the garage with no damage to the truck, but the crew was busy at work.
Practice 1 Over
09-14-2007 10:51 am
The first practice just came to its conclusion here at NHIS. Scoring in the media center is currently down, but we'll try to track down a quick look at the top ten as we await the final results. Look for those results to be posted to the event bot on the main page shortly.
Practice 1 Top Ten
09-14-2007 10:53 am
Here is a quick look at the top ten of the first practice, which ended just a few moments ago:
1. Cook 128.710
2. Hornaday 127.992
3. Gaughan 127.765
4. Bliss 127.654
5. Almirola 127.602
6. Skinner 127.423
7. Allmendinger 127.231
8. Musgrave 127.125
9. Sprague 126.939
10. B. Scott 126.820
Other notables:
12. Busch 126.711
13. Rogers 126.681
16. Caisse 126.496
18. Bowyer 126.395
22. Benson 126.057
30. Bodine 125.401
35. Setzer 124.830
Rookies Up Next
09-14-2007 11:06 am
After a short break, the rookies here at NHIS will take to the track for a 30-minute practice session. We'll update all the track action from that session as soon as it rolls off. That session is slated to start at 11:20 am ET.
Rookies Roll
09-14-2007 11:22 am
The lights just flickered green and the first rookies have taken to the track for a 30-minute practice session. Willie Allen is the first to take to the track, and he has the track all to himself in the early moments. We'll update all the action as it happens and update the speeds throughout, so stick with us.
TruckShots! Posted
09-14-2007 11:25 am
The first batch of TruckShots! from here at NHIS has been posted.
Click on the image above to check them out!
Rookie Rundown 1
09-14-2007 11:36 am
Here is a look at the rookie practice session rundown after 12 minutes of the session:
1. B. Scott 128.307
2. S. Caisse 126.593
3. Mathews 126.345
4. S. Lynch 126.044
5. Allen 125.998
6. Sauter 125.096
7. D. Lia 123.350
8. J. White 123.178
Rookie Results
09-14-2007 11:52 am
Here is how the eight drivers that participated in the rookie practice ended up:
1. B. Scott 128.307
2. S. Lynch 127.113
3. R. Mathews 126.968
4. S. Caisse 126.593
5. W. Allen 126.119
6. T. Sauter 125.096
7. D. Lia 123.803
8. J. White 123.326
Next Practice Up at 1:45 pm ET
09-14-2007 11:55 am
The first practice is in the books with Terry Cook turning the quickest lap of the morning, and the rookie practice that followed wrapped with series newcomer Brian Scott turning in the fastest lap of that session. The NCTS teams now get a short lunch break before they get back at it for a 75-minute practice session that starts at 1:45 pm ET. We're going to head to the garage and get some pictures and try to talk to the newsmakers of the week here so far. We'll be back with more TrackSideLive! updates shortly.
Gill Guiding ThorSport
09-14-2007 12:43 pm
Long-time NCTS crew chief Danny Gill is here this week, and is expected to complete the season, with ThorSport Racing. Gill focuses much of his effort at the track in Willie Allen's garage stall, but is also offering help and assistance to Matt Crafton's team as well.
NHIS Audio Going Up
09-14-2007 1:22 pm
We had a chance to talk to a couple of people as the final practice was about to get underway here at NHIS. We chatted with 2002 NHIS winner Terry Cook about a variety of subjects, from the number of drivers making their series debut here and how the championship contenders will have to deal with them to whether or not his HT Motorsports team can carry on the momentum from what was a good run at Gateway before engine problems left him on the sidelines. We also tracked down SPEED's Ray Dunlap and previewed this week's race. Ray talked about the "Silly Season" that seems to already be in full-swing, and teases us with hints that some big NCTS news is just over the horizon.
Look to the Podtrac player to the right side of the page and click on it to play the interviews. You do not need to install any additional software to listen to TruckSeries.com audio!
Final Practice Underway
09-14-2007 1:46 pm
The trucks just rolled on to the track for the final 75 minutes of practice here at NHIS. We'll update all of the action and give you speed reports throughout, so stick with us!
Red Out; Stout Crashes
09-14-2007 1:57 pm
J.C. Stout brings his damaged No. 91 Chevrolet to the pits after a practice crash. (TruckSeries.com/Charles Krall photo)
The red flag is out after a crash on the speedway in the early moments of practice. We were mistaken earlier when we said J.C. Stout was involved in a crash in the first practice, but unfortunately that is not the case in the final practice. Stout's No. 91 Chevrolet spun sideways and slapped the wall with the driver's side entering turn three, doing some moderate damage to the left side of the truck. He was able to drive it back to the garage where is team is now evaluating the damage. We are already back to green flag action.
Red Out for Debris
09-14-2007 2:04 pm
Several spotters have reported that one of the trucks kicked off an oil pump belt, and NASCAR has thrown the red flag to retrieve it. The driver without might not know it yet, but as soon as he tries to make some laps without that engine will be in danger of locking up. We'll take a spin through the garage after practice to see if any of the teams are busy changing an engine as a result.
Final Practice Rundown 1
09-14-2007 2:07 pm
Here is how the field looks after 20 minutes of the final practice:
1. Skinner 127.142
2. Hornaday 127.066
3. Bliss 126.977
4. Bowyer 126.820
5. Cook 126.740
6. Crawford 126.698
7. Mathews 126.391
8. Rogers 126.307
9. Sauter 126.236
10. Green 126.194
11. Musgrave 126.040
12. Allen 125.877
13. Gaughan 125.749
14. Almirola 125.674
15. Chaffin 125.603
16. Compton 125.537
17. Starr 125.467
18. Sprague 125.463
19. Wood 125.455
20. Kvapil 125.442
21. Scott 125.318
22. Bell 125.252
23. Lia 125.240
24. Caisse 125.174
25. Darnell 125.084
26. Allmendinger 125.055
27. Schrader 125.018
28. Lynch 124.957
29. Setzer 124.957
30. Crafton 124.944
31. McCumbee 124.875
32. Benson 124.871
33. Sieg 124.231
34. Bodine 123.880
35. J. White 123.867
36. Stout 123.727
37. Busch 123.170
Clouds Rolling In
09-14-2007 2:20 pm
There is a front approaching that has tomorrow's weather in question. As it moves closer, more and more clouds have floated overhead here at NHIS. The sun is still shining brightly, but what once was a crystal clear sky is now partly cloudy.
Final Practice Rundown 2
09-14-2007 2:28 pm
Here is a look at the field 40 minutes into the final practice:
1. Skinner 127.287
2. Hornaday 127.066
3. Rogers 127.053
4. Bliss 127.032
5. Bowyer 126.820
6. Musgrave 126.766
7. Cook 126.740
8. Crawford 126.698
9. Mathews 126.648
10. Gaughan 126.639
11. Green 126.341
12. Starr 126.328
13. Bodine 126.320
14. Sauter 126.236
15. Compton 125.965
16. Almirola 125.957
17. Allen 125.877
18. Allmendinger 125.852
19. Scott 125.761
20. Busch 125.670
21. Lynch 125.653
22. Chaffin 125.603
23. Kvapil 125.558
24. Darnell 125.479
25. Sprague 125.463
26. Wood 125.455
27. Schrader 125.450
28. McCumbee 125.327
29. Bell 125.269
30. Sieg 125.265
31. Setzer 124.965
32. Crafton 124.944
33. Benson 124.871
34. White 123.867
35. Stout 123.727
Quick Look at Final Practice Top Ten
09-14-2007 2:57 pm
Sorry for the silence from here at NHIS, we had a network crash and are just now getting back online. That said, here is a look at the top ten with just a few seconds left in Final Practice:
1. Skinner 129.156
2. Hornaday 128.998
3. Bowyer 128.963
4. Bliss 128.893
5. Musgrave 128.268
6. Allen 128.204
7. Mathews 128.135
8. Rogers 128.074
9. Caisse 128.057
10. Crawford 127.881
Here are some other notables:
11. Lynch 127.799
15. Busch 127.461
19. Cook 127.219
24. Setzer 126.749
27. Crafton 126.379
Headed to the Garage
09-14-2007 3:02 pm
Practice is over, but we aren't done here just yet! We're going to track down some of the drivers that made news in practice and get their thoughts on the day and their chances for the rest of the weekend. We should be back soon, and we'll update the news and notes from the garage when we get back.
Sprague Swapping Engines
09-14-2007 3:48 pm
The garage area is not the usual beehive of activity it is when the teams are getting ready to practice, but there is still a lot of work going on following the day's pratice runs. One team that is still hard at work is Wyler Racing, as they are busy swapping out engines on Jack Sprague's No. 60 Toyota. The crew reports that the engine overheated late in practice forcing them to go to the backup bullet.
Stout Busy with Repairs
09-14-2007 3:56 pm
J.C. Stout's team is also hard at work late in the day here following his crash in the early minutes of the final practice. A small team without a lot of sponsorship, Stout's crew doesn't have a backup truck to pull out so they are hard at work making repairs to their only truck in hopes of making into the field in qualifying tomorrow. "I just drove it in a little too deep into turn three and it didn't stick," Stout said as he was trying to assist his team with the repairs.
More NHIS Friday Audio
09-14-2007 4:02 pm
We caught up with a couple of drivers after the practice session ended.
Johnny Benson talks about the stuggles his team went through during practice and what he thinks was the cause of it. Benson is the defending winner of this race, and is on a two-race winning streak after going to victory lane at Bristol and Gateway.
We also talked to Mike Bliss. The former series champion has bounced from series to series and ride to ride in 2007, but seems to have found kindred spirits with the BHR team. He talks about what makes their combination such a good pairing, and also talks about their chances to give BHR and Dodge their first win since May 2005.
Look to the right side of the page and click on the Podtrac player and then click on the driver's name to listen to the interviews. Remember, you do not need to install any additional software to listen to TruckSeries.com audio.
VPS Motorimages Posted
09-14-2007 4:26 pm
We literally have hundreds of VPS Motorimages posted in our NHIS gallery!
Click on the picture of Sean Caisse's No. 03 Toyota to go to the VPS Motorimages gallery.
That's All for Friday
09-14-2007 4:54 pm
That's going to do it for our coverage of practice for tomorrow's New Hampshire 200 here at the New Hampshire International Speedway. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather that is expected here tonight moves through quickly and we are able to get in both qualifying and the race as scheduled.
We will have Live! Bud Pole Qualifying for you tomorrow at 10:10 am ET - weather permitting of course - and we'll follow up on several more of the stories that are developing here this weekend.
Until tomorrow, so long everybody!
Good Morning from NHIS
09-15-2007 9:23 am
Good morning and thanks for joining us for our TrackSideLive! coverage from Loudon. We wish we had better weather news for you, but it is raining here at the track and it is a certainty that we will not roll off with Live! Bud Pole Qualifying on time. There have been no announced changes to the schedule at this point, and NASCAR has not made any determination about canceling qualifying, but the schedule here is fairly tight and it's likely if we stay wet for the next hour that the field will be set by the rule book. The forecast calls for showers around noon with rapid improvement in the early afternoon and eventually partly sunny skies around 3 or 4 this afternoon. We'll have continuing weather updates, any schedule updates, and the news and notes from the garage as we hear it so stick with us.
Riethmeyer Walking the Garage
09-15-2007 9:30 am
Bradley Riethmeyer, fresh of an impressive 20th-place finish at Bristol in his last outing in the NCTS, is here walking the garage area at NHIS. "I'm just out shaking hands and kissing babies," Riethmeyer said, taking a line from the politicians that make New Hampshire their stomping grounds during presidential elections. "I hope people saw what we did at Bristol with just one truck, one engine, and not a lot of resources.
Inspection Line Busy, Even in the Rain
09-15-2007 9:37 am
The rains are coming down very steadily right now, but that hasn't kept the NCTS teams from their work this morning. With a scheduled 10:05 am ET start of qualifying, the teams had to be through inspection by about 9:30 am ET this morning to get ready for their two-lap run on the clock. The weather has obviously impeded everyone's progress, but the teams are still getting their trucks through the inspection process. Once clear of inspection, the teams have been pushing the trucks to the impound area in the corner of the garage and throwing the covers on them. And then, just like the rest of us, they sit and wait for the weather to clear.
Who Would Miss the Field if Qualifying Rains Out
09-15-2007 9:59 am
While we would all like to see the field set with qualifying rather than through the rules and proceedures in place, with every passing moment the rain continues to fall it is increasingly likely that qualifying will be canceled. In that instance, the top 30 owners in the current points are locked in and the remainder of the field is set by a combination of past winning drivers and owners from the previous year, previous series champions, and then current year qualifying attempts.
All of the previous year's winning drivers and owners as well as all active series champions are already locked in due to being in the top 30 in owners points.
Here are the teams not in the top 30 in owners points and how many attempts they have made this season:
No. 7 Pennington Motorsports - 17 attempts
No. 2 Kevin Harvick Inc. - 11 attempts
No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports - 11 attempts
No. 91 Stellar-Quest Motorsports - 4 attempts
No. 29 Lynch Mob Motorsports - 1 attempt
No. 03 Germain Racing - 1 attempt
No. 36 Bill Davis Racing - 0 attempts
The No. 36 that started the season has been renumbered to No. 22 and the No. 36 that is entered here this weekend has no previous attempts. However, according to NASCAR sources, the No. 03 is a post entry (meaning the entry was filed past the deadline, which is usually about 2 weeks prior to the event) and would not be eligible. The No. 36 of Donny Lia would then make the field, and the No. 03 of Sean Caisse would be the only truck to not make the lineup.
Qualifying Postponed
09-15-2007 10:11 am
We have not yet heard any official word from NASCAR or NHIS officials on any schedule changes, but as the rain is still falling here at the track and we were supposed to start qualifying a few moments ago it's safe to say we have been postponed. Once we hear any official announcement on schedule changes we'll let you know.
BBM Racing in Memory of Carolyn Bolter
09-15-2007 10:30 am
Billy Ballew Motorsports is racing here this weekend with heavy hearts. Carolyn Bolter, mother of the team's spotter Frank Bolter, passed away on Monday after a long illness. The team has decals on both the No. 15 and No. 51 Chevrolets in memory of Mrs. Bolter. Our condolences go out to Frank and his family as well.
Rainout Lineup?
09-15-2007 10:38 am
Here is how we unofficially see the lineup should the rain continue and qualifying is canceled:
Row 1
Hornaday
Skinner
Row 2
Kvapil
Bodine
Row 3
Benson
Crawford
Row 4
Musgrave
Green
Row 5
Sprague
Crafton
Row 6
Darnell
Starr
Row 7
Compton
Gaughan
Row 8
Schrader
Rogers
Row 9
Bliss
Wood
Row 10
Mathews
Cook
Row 11
Bell
Sieg
Row 12
Allmendinger
Almirola
Row 13
Setzer
Sauter
Row 14
Allen
Chaffin
Row 15
Scott
McCumbee
Row 16
Busch
Bowyer
Row 17
White
Stout
Row 18
Lynch
Lia
Again, this is idle speculation as we continue to watch the rain here at NHIS. Radar shows the end of the current wave of rain is near, then we'll have a short window followed by another brief wave of rain and then we're in the clear. NASCAR has yet to announce any determination on changes to today's schedule.
Qualifying Cancelled
09-15-2007 11:29 am
Persistent rain has forced the cancellation of qualifying. We will post an official lineup as soon as one is made available. The top 30 in owners points are locked in, followed by past champion drivers, current and previous calendar year winning owners, current and previous year winning drivers, and then remaining positions are filled by the number of current calendar year qualifying attempts an owner has made.
Jets Drying Track
09-15-2007 11:32 am
The NHIS track crew is already hard at work trying to start the drying process. The heavy rain has stopped, and last we checked there just a very light - almost imperceptible - sprinkle falling. NHIS has six jet dryers on hand, and once they get rolling and the rain moves out for good it should take just about 90 minutes to get the track into shape for racing.
Weather Update
09-15-2007 12:02 pm
It looks like the majority of the rain has moved out. According to radar, there is one more very small cell of showers headed this way but it is dissipating as it makes its way to the northeast. The jet dryers are still at work trying to get the track in shape, and NHIS is hoping the process is finished by 1 pm ET so they can fire off the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on time.
Track Drying Nicely
09-15-2007 12:31 pm
The track drying process is coming along very nicely. The straightaways are about 98 percent dry with just some small wet spots long the inside wall on the frontstretch. The bottom groove of the corners is where they are concentrating now, and alongside the very top of the racetrack. The SAFER barrier, which is in place in the turns here, tends to retain water on the flatter racetracks and that is causing some weepers at the top of the track. Once the track itself is dry the jets will make a couple passes up and down pit road. The jets are still out there finishing up the process and hopes are high that the Modified race will start close to on time.
Sun is Out at NHIS!
09-15-2007 2:27 pm
There was one more pesky shower that passed over just as the Modified Tour race was supposed to kick off that set us back, but the clouds have moved on and the sun is now shining brightly down upon the New Hampshire International Speedway. The jet dryers are finishing up their work on the track and pit road, and we should be on target for an on-time start for the New Hampshire 200.
New Hampshire 200 Pit Assignments
09-15-2007 2:29 pm
Here are the pit assignments for the New Hampshire 200, starting with the first pit stall at the exit of pit lane and ending with the last pit stall at the entrance to the pits:
Hornaday
Wood
Busch
Green
Bowyer
Stout
Musgrave
Empty stall
Bodine
White
Rogers
Mathews
Scott
Almirola
Chaffin
Darnell
Break in pit wall
Compton
Allen
Cook
Gaughan
Sieg
Benson
Start/Finish Line
Scoring Camera
Kvapil
Starr
Break in pit wall
Crafton
Bell
Lia
Schrader
Lynch
Sprague
Empty stall
Crawford
Bliss
Sauter
Setzer
Allmendinger
McCumbee
Skinner
Racecars on Track!
09-15-2007 2:35 pm
After six hours of delays for rain, there are racecars on the track! The USAC Silver Crown cars, making their debut here at NHIS, are out on the track for a short practice session prior to their 75-lap feature event this evening. The Modified race that was scheduled for prior to the Truck race has been pushed back and will now follow the NCTS race.
Clay Rogers Interview Posted
09-15-2007 2:49 pm
While the drivers were dodging the raindrops here at NHIS a short while ago, we tracked down Clay Rogers and discussed his opportunity behind the wheel of the No. 75 Chevy this weekend. Click on the Podtrac player to the right side of the page to listen. And as always, you do not have to install any additional software to listen to TruckSeries.com audio.
Trucks Pushed to Pit Road
09-15-2007 2:52 pm
The teams are pushing their trucks out to pit road, and the track announcer is going through a very hastened driver introductions. We should have the command to start engines shortly. We'll update all the action as it happens right here, so pop the TV on to SPEED and keep your browser locked on to TrackSideLive!
To the Back
09-15-2007 2:55 pm
One driver will have to drop to the back of the field on the start: Jack Sprague will fall back from his ninth starting position due to an unapproved engine change yesterday.
New Hampshire 200 Race Updates 1-10
09-15-2007 2:58 pm
1. The drivers have been hastily introduced and are now climbing aboard their trucks.
2. Even with the rain there is a nice crowd on hand. The sun is still shining down brightly with some scattered clouds.
3. Drivers are buckling in after the conclusion of pre-race ceremonies.
4. Engines have been started. There will be three laps on the intial roll-off.
5. One to go signal given. The field is down the backstretch rolling towards the green.
6. Hornaday gets a great start and pulls out to a four length lead as Skinner drops back to third. The field scrambles two and three wide behind. Hornaday leads at the stripe.
7. Lap 2 - Hornaday continues to lead. Green and Crafton race at the back of the top ten with Darnell starting to put pressure on. Skinner now pressures Kvapil for the lead.
8. Lap 6 - Busch and Bowyer have moved to 21st and 24th respectively.
9. Lap 7 - Skinner snatches second from Kvapil. They race one second behind leader Hornaday.
10. Lap 10 - Bodine and Kvapil race for third with Bodine sneaking past going into turn three. Skinner chops Hornaday's advantage to sevent tenths of a second.
New Hampshire 200 Race Updates 11-20
09-15-2007 3:24 pm
20. Lap 43 - Restart. Allmendiner holds tough on the inside but Skinner sneaks past and starts pull away. Hornaday and Bodine are stacked up behind Allmendinger racing for second.
19. Lap 40 - Skinner leads off pit road with Bliss, Hornaday, Bodine, Schrader, Benson, Crawford, Darnell, Setzer, Kvapil, Crafton, Green, Compton, Starr, Busch, Mathews, Bell, Musgrave, Allen, Cook, Almirola, Bowyer, Sieg, Rogers, Sauter, and Wood.
18. Lap 37 - Debris in turn three brings out the caution for the first time. Wood picks up the free pass and rejoins the lead lap. That leaves 26 trucks on the lead lap. Pits are open, we'll reset the field after stops.
17. Lap 31 - Hornaday leads by 2.1 seconds and has lapped Stout, White, McCumbee, Lia, Lynch, Sprague, Chaffin, and Scott.
16. Lap 27 - Musgrave moves past Kvapil to take fifth.
15. Lap 24 - Hornaday doubles his lead as he's now 1.5 seconds ahead of Skinner.
14. Lap 20 - Bliss closes in on Green as he tries to crack into the top ten. Busch, Bowyer and Cook go three wide for 20th. Allmendinger comes to the pits for an unscheduled stop.
13. Lap 17 - Hornaday leads Skinner, Bodine, Crawford, Kvapil, Musgrave, Benson, Darnell, Crafton and Green.
12. Lap 12 - Former NHIS winner Crawford cracks the top five and moves past Kvapil to take fourth. Hornaday's lead stabilizes at 0.7 seconds.
11. Lap 11 - Sprague started at the back due to the engine change and has only gained two positions. He is already 17 seconds behind the leader.
New Hampshire 200 Race Updates 21-30
09-15-2007 3:44 pm
30. Lap 73 - Bell and Setzer scrap for 14th. Bell slides underneath and takes the position. Crawford and Bliss race for fourth. Crawford sneaks underneath but can't make the pass stick off the corners.
29. Lap 70 - Bodine is right on Skinner's tailgate as they race hard for second. Bodine inches under through turns one and two and clears for the spot down the backstretch.
28. Lap 65 - Restart. Hornaday goes to the lead as the field again goes three wide behind. Bliss tries to race past Allmendinger to get up and race Bodine for third.
27. Lap 63 - Track crews are still working on cleaning up all of the fluid spilled in the crash in turn two.
26. Lap 60 - Hornaday leads Skinner, Bodine, Bliss, Crawford, Benson, Schrader, Darnell, Crafton, Busch, Kvapil, Starr, Musgrave, Setzer, Green, Mathews, Cook, Bell, Sauter, Sieg, Lia, Allen, Rogers, Wood, and Compton on the lead lap.
25. Lap 58 - Big crash off turn two leaves Chaffin, Bowyer, and others with damage. Chaffin's truck looks to be done for the day. Bowyer brings his truck to the pits with radiator damage. Almirola and Compton were also involved.
24. Lap 52 - Hornaday slips inside again and retakes the lead.
23. Lap 51 - Hornaday dive bombs going into three and races side by side with Skinner for the lead. He gets loose off turn four and nearly takes Skinner and Bliss with him, but all keep it pointed straight.
22. Lap 49 - Restart. Skinner clears Allmendinger who is inside Hornaday and Bliss racing for second. The field is two and three wide behind.
21. Lap 46 - Lynch loses it in turn three and backs it into the wall, smashing up the rear end of his truck. Caution out for the second time.
New Hampshire 200 Race Updates 31-40
09-15-2007 4:08 pm
40. Lap 108 - Crawford and Bliss race for fourth, with Bliss taking the spot and Crawford dropping back to fifth.
39. Lap 100 - Halfway. Hornaday leads by 1.6 seconds over Bodine.
38. Lap 96 - Musgrave knocks on Schrader's door as he marches back into the top ten.
37. Lap 92 - Setzer races Kvapil for 12th.
36. Lap 90 - Darnell and Busch run hard for sixth. Busch closes on Darnell's tail into the corners but Darnell opens the advantage down the straight.
35. Lap 89 - Busch shows damage to the right front splitter of his ride.
34. Lap 86 - Bodine rides second 1.5 seconds behind Hornaday. Skinner, crawford, Bliss, Darnell, Busch, Starr, Benson, and Schrader round out the top ten.
33. Lap 82 - Musgrave moves up and races Crafton for 11th.
32. Lap 79 - Sauter, Mathews, and Green go three wide for 16th, 17th, and 18th with Sauter poking his nose down to the far inside looking for racing room.
31. Lap 77 - Musgrave and Kvapil trade spots, with Musgrave moving to 12th. Hornaday leads by 0.5 seconds.
New Hampshire 200 Race Updates 41-50
09-15-2007 4:25 pm
50. Lap 141 - Kvapil came to pit road a couple of laps ago, giving the lead to Allen. Allen pitted under the final caution and still had a few more laps to go before his stop. Busch gets turned sideways in turn three and brings out the third caution of the day. Pits are open, we'll reset the field after the stops.
49. Lap 136 - Darnell gives up the lead to Kvapil as he comes to pit road. Bodine now presses Skinner for eighth.
48. Lap 134 - Hornaday wins the race off pit road but now Skinner tries to move to the inside and take over the seventh position. Both drivers are now a lap down, but the front six have yet to make their scheduled pit stops.
47. Lap 130 - Starr, Schrader, Benson, and now Hornaday come to the pits. Crawford leads at the stripe.
46. Lap 128 - Bliss and Musgrave come to the pits.
45. Lap 127 - Skinner comes to the pits for the first of the leader's scheduled stops. Cook follows as the pit window is now open.
44. Lap 124 - Setzer's strong run ends prematurely as he coasts out of power down the backstretch.
43. Lap 119 - Crawford and Bodine bounce off one another coming off turn four. Bliss moves in and makes it a three-way race for the spot. Bodine clears them and Crawford and Bliss stay locked together for the spot.
42. Lap 115 - Hornaday is out front by 2.3 seconds over Skinner, Bodine, Bliss, and Crawford. Darnell stays sixth with Busch, Musgrave, Starr, and Benson the rest of the top ten.
41. Lap 111 - Musgrave moves past Benson to take tenth.
New Hampshire 200 Race Updates 51-60
09-15-2007 4:44 pm
59. Lap 200 - Hornaday wins over Darnell, Skinner, Bodine and Bliss. Full results to follow.
58. Lap 199 - Darnell is trying to keep Skinner behind as they are separated by just three truck lengths.
57. Lap 196 - Hornaday leads by 4.8 seconds.
56. Lap 191 - Darnell closes to 4.7 seconds. Skinner is third 5.5 seconds back. Bodine, Bliss, and Crawford battle for fourth 11.3 seconds back.
55. Lap 186 - Hornaday's lead is slowly shrinking but Darnell doesn't have enough time unless there is a caution. Hornaday leads by 4.9 seconds.
54. Lap 168 - Skinner takes third, and now Bliss starts to press Bodine for fourth. Darnell cuts Hornaday's lead to 5.7 seconds.
55. Lap 165 - Darnell dusts off Skinner to take third, and then blows around the outside of Bodine to take over second. Darnell is 6 seconds behind Hornaday.
54. Lap 161 - Skinner tries to dive inside Bodine off turn four but Bodine throws a block and Skinner has to get out of the gas.
53. Lap 154 - Hornaday clears the lapped traffic and starts to stretch out the lead. He's ahead by 2.5 seconds over Bodine and Skinner.
52. Lap 148 - Hornaday tries to cautiously make his way through the lapped trucks. He leads Bodine and Skinner by 0.6 seconds.
51. Lap 144 - Hornaday retakes the lead. Bodine, Skinner, Crawford, Bliss, Darnell, Musgrave, Benson, Sieg, Wood. Allen, Rogers and Crafton round out the lead lap trucks. Kvapil, Schrader, Starr, Green, Mathews, Cook, and Bell are on the tail of the lead lap, trapped behind the pace truck.
New Hampshire 200 Unofficial Results
09-15-2007 5:16 pm
1. Hornaday
2. Darnell
3. Skinner
4. Bodine
5. Bliss
6. Crawford
7. Musgrave
8. Benson
9. Wood
10. Sieg
11. Crafton
12. Rogers
13. Mathews
14. Starr
15. Kvapil
16. Bell
17. Schrader
18. Cook
19. Green
20. Lia
21. Scott
22. Compton
23. Sauter
24. Sprague
25. Gaughan
26. McCumbee
27. White
28. Allen
29. Stout
30. Setzer
31. Lynch
32. Almirola
33. Busch
34. Allmendinger
35. Bowyer
36. Chaffin
Hornaday Dominates Loudon
09-15-2007 5:16 pm
Ron Hornaday dominated the New Hampshire 200, winning his fourth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race of the season. He won by 4.2 seconds over Erik Darnell, Mike Skinner and Todd Bodine. Darnell used a late-race charge to come from the back of the top five to second, while Skinner had to race hard to hold back Bodine. Hornaday unofficially opens up 24 point advantage in the championship battle over Skinner. TruckSeries.com will have a complete report to follow.
Caisse to Get Another Shot
09-15-2007 7:02 pm
While he was the only driver not to make the field here today, Sean Caisse will have another chance to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the coming weeks.
"Yeah, it's disappointing but what can you do, you can't argue with Mother Nature," he said. "This deal just came together very late, and we didn't get the entry in before the deadline. We knew the only thing that would screw us up was if qualifying was rained out, and that's exactly what happened. But we'll look at the schedule and see where else we can go and race this truck for Germain Racing. It's a good team, and we're looking at some stuff with them for next year too."
Newcomer and Silly Season Updates
09-15-2007 7:06 pm
How did the drivers making their series debut do here this weekend? How were the drivers that were involved in the "silly season" driver swaps this week?
Shane Sieg had a very strong run, taking the Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevy to a tenth-place finish. He was just ahead of Clay Rogers who was 12th in the Spears Motorsports Chevy. Donny Lia rounded out the top-20 in his series debut driving for Bill Davis Racing, one spot ahead of Brian Scott in the Xpress Motorsports Ford. Dennis Setzer had a very strong run going early on, knocking on the door for a top ten run before he had to come to pit road for an unscheduled stop leaving him four laps down and in 30th at the finish.
Post-race Audio!
09-15-2007 7:10 pm
We have several interviews with the top finishers for your listening enjoyment this evening. We talked to winner Ron Hornaday, runner-up finisher Erik Darnell, and third-place finisher Mike Skinner and got their thoughts about today's race. We also spoke to fifth-place finisher Mike Bliss, seventh-place finisher Ted Musgrave, and caught up with a disappointed fifteenth-place finisher Travis Kvapil as well.
Look to the right side of the page and click on the Podtrac player to listen. As always, you do not have to install any additional software to listen to TruckSeries.com audio.
That's All from NHIS
09-15-2007 7:12 pm
That's going to do it for our TrackSideLive! coverage of the New Hampshire 200 from here at the New Hampshire International Speedway. Thanks for joining us throughout the weekend, and thanks to everyone here at NHIS for their wonderful hospitality throughout the weekend as well. Congratulations go out to Ron Hornaday and everyone at KHI on their fourth win of the season. We look forward to joining you next week at Las Vegas. Until then, so long everyone!
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