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TrackSideLive!
| Smith's Las Vegas 350
Las Vegas Motor Speedway | September 22, 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 Vegas
09-22-2007 11:42 am
Good morning from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is a gray morning here at LVMS with rain showers overnight and into the morning putting on us on a slight delay. Forecasts show the rain moving out and a pleasant afternoon in store. The rain stopped here at the track around 8 am PT and the track crews are working on getting the speedway dry so we can get practice underway. The jets have the top groove of the track completed and are now working on the low side of the track. We should be underway shortly.
Excitement Ramped Up
09-22-2007 11:46 am
The NCTS race at Las Vegas always draws a great crowd with many of the hotels and casinos in town participating in ticket programs for their customers. But the excitement here is at an all-time high this weekend with Jacques Villeneuve and Buddy Lazier, both former Indy 500 winners, entered and making their NASCAR racing debuts. Both drivers participated in the annual NCTS autograph session at The Stratosphere last night along with nearly a dozen other drivers and all were greeted by well over a thousand eager aurtograph seekers.
While We are Delayed...
09-22-2007 11:52 am
While we have a little delay in getting started, we're going to take this opportunity to step outside and grab some early morning TruckShots! images. We'll be back to update the weather and schedule shortly, and we'll also have our first batch of pictures. Be back soon!
Schedule Update
09-22-2007 12:31 pm
NASCAR has just updated the schedule for this morning. There will be no rookie practice, and the latest schedule shows the teams starting practice at 12:45 pm ET, which is approximately 15 minutes. Track drying is nearly complete, then NASCAR will send out its safety officials for a quick track inspection and we should be good to go for the first hour of practice.
Lazier Excited
09-22-2007 12:46 pm
Buddy Lazier was anxious to climb in for practice here at LVMS this morning. The 1996 Indy 500 winner was busy adjusting his helmet and driver comfort issues just prior to practice.
"I am really looking forward to it," Lazier said. "I think it's going to be a challenge getting up to speed on a one day show. It would have been nice to get some laps in yesterday or earlier in the week, but we'll get in and get after it."
Trucks Lined Up
09-22-2007 12:55 pm
The trucks are lined up at the exit to the garage area waiting for the command to get underway with practice. There are apparently a couple of areas of concern on the track that are being attended to. We should be on the track any moment.
Trucks on Track
09-22-2007 1:07 pm
The drivers have just fired their engines and moved out onto the speedway. They are now making a few laps behind the pace truck to check the condition of the track. We should be under full-bore practice in a few moments.
First Female in the Flagstand
09-22-2007 1:10 pm
For the first time in series history, and the first time in known history for NASCAR's top three national touring divisions, there is a female in the flagstand serving as the chief starter. Kim Lopez Johnson will be handling the flags throughout the day. Kim usually assists throughout the day in the inspection line and as a pit road official during the race.
We're Green; Practice Until 3 pm ET
09-22-2007 1:14 pm
The field made a few laps behind the pace truck before NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series director Wayne Auton gave the command to "let 'em go." We're now under green, and this practice will run until 3 pm ET/noon PT.
Wimmer Spins
09-22-2007 1:17 pm
Chris Wimmer has spun off turn four and onto the entry to pit road to bring out the red flag. Regan Smith shows at the top of the charts early on with Ron Hornaday, Travis Kvapil, Dennis Setzer, and Matt Crafton at the top of the board. We should be back under green shortly.
Chapman Goes Around Too
09-22-2007 1:19 pm
We went back to green flag conditions for about 30 seconds before Johnny Chapman went for a spin in turns three and four. Chapman, like Wimmer, didn't make contact with anything and drove it back to the garage. We are already back under green.
Lazier Spins for the Hat Trick
09-22-2007 1:23 pm
We were just under green for another minute or so when Buddy Lazier went around in turn four. Just like Wimmer and Chapman, Lazier didn't make contact with anything and he drove it back to the garage. We were red for about two minutes and just recently went back to green.
Practice 1 Rundown 1
09-22-2007 1:26 pm
1. Kvapil 172.994
2. Skinner 171.390
3. Crafton 171.336
4. Smith 169.886
5. Musgrave 169.811
6. Hamlin 169.609
7. Allen 169.337
8. Hornaday 169.300
9. Bodine 168.829
10. Schrader 168.434
11. Bell 168.067
12. Scott 167.525
13. Sauter 167.234
14. Compton 166.893
15. Cook 166.853
16. Lynch 166.780
17. Rogers 166.512
18. Sprague 166.307
19. Chaffin 166.144
20. Green 166.077
21. Gaughan 165.787
22. Darnell 165.787
23. Villeneuve 165.639
24. Benson 164.911
25. Crawford 164.519
26. Wood 164.199
27. Wise 163.552
28. Lazier 163.778
29. McCumbee 161.778
30. White 159.518
31. D. White 156.849
32. Thompson 156.223
33. Wimmer 155.723
Practice Rundown 2
09-22-2007 1:38 pm
1. Skinner 174.239
2. Bodine 173.606
3. Gaughan 173.294
4. Musgrave 173.249
5. Kvapil 172.994
6. K. Hamlin 172.885
7. Wood 172.529
8. Compton 172.375
9. McCumbee 172.342
10. Scott 172.177
11. Green 172.046
12. Hornaday 172.046
13. Cook 172.029
14. Bell 171.975
15. Allen 171.723
16. Smith 171.521
17. Crafton 171.336
18. Rogers 171.000
19. Villeneuve 170.783
20. Schrader 170.751
21. Sauter 170.702
22. Lazier 169.694
23. Chaffin 168.940
24. Allmendinger 168.739
25. Starr 168.182
26. Benson 168.088
27. Crawford 167.822
28. Darnell 167.744
29. Wimmer 167.671
30. Lynch 167.457
31. Thompson 167.110
32. Sprague 166.307
33. J. White 159.518
34. D. White 156.849
Practice Rundown 3
09-22-2007 2:05 pm
1. Skinner 174.239
2. Kvapil 173.801
3. Bodine 173.606
4. Wood 173.310
5. Gaughan 173.293
6. Musgrave 173.249
7. Hamlin 172.855
8. Compton 172.375
9. Green 172.359
10. McCumbee 172.342
11. Setzer 172.254
12. Scott 172.177
13. Hornaday 172.046
14. Cook 172.029
15. Bell 171.975
16. Allen 171.914
17. Smith 171.778
18. Crafton 171.336
19. Rogers 171.255
20. Sauter 170.978
21. Villeneueve 170.783
22. Sprague 170.681
23. Wise 170.164
24. Chaffin 169.843
25. Lazier 169.694
26. Benson 169.391
27. Starr 169.152
28. Crawford 168.993
29. Lynch 168.403
30. Wimmer 167.671
31. Thompson 167.110
32. J. White 159.749
33. D. White 156.849
Canadian Media Here En Force
09-22-2007 2:25 pm
While media centers at NCTS races are hardly as full as at a Cup race, there is a good turnout of media here to witness Jacques Villeneueve's NASCAR debut. There are six Canadian media outlets here on hand, as well as reps from a handful of domestic media outlets that rarely staff NCTS stand-alone races. Also, the Indianapolis Star is here to cover both of the former Indy 500 winners in the field - Villeneuve and Buddy Lazier.
Practice About Done
09-22-2007 2:58 pm
We are just about done with practice here at LVMS. With a few moments left, Mike Skinner leads Regan Smith, Jon Wood, Travis Kvapil, and David Green. The board is changing frequently as the teams are now making their mock qualifying runs. We'll have a complete update with times and speeds as soon as the session is over.
Villeneuve Meets with Media at 4 pm ET
09-22-2007 3:11 pm
Jacques Villeneuve will have an hour to debrief with his team following practice and then he will come in and meet with the media at 4 pm ET. We will take the opportunity to talk to Jacques and get his take on his first official NCTS practice session.
TruckShots!
09-22-2007 3:40 pm
The first batch of TruckShots! from LVMS has been posted.
Click on the picture of Jacques Villeneuve waiting in his truck for the start of practice above to check them out!
Lots of Laps
09-22-2007 3:48 pm
Many drivers ran more than 40 laps in practice here this morning. Regan Smith and Todd Bodine both ran 59 laps, Matt Crafton, Brian Scott and Scott Lynch ran 55 laps, and Willie Allen and Jacques Villeneuve ran 54 laps. Travis Kvapil ran 53 laps, Stacy Compton and Josh Wise ran 52 laps, and Brendan Gaughan ran 50 laps. Mike Skinner turned in 49 laps, Tim Sauter ran 48, Dennis Setzer was on track for 46 laps, and Jon Wood turned in 45 laps. Kevin Hamlin and Buddy Lazier also ran 45 laps, with TJ Bell and Brett Thompson running 44, Ted Musgrave ran 43, Ron Hornaday and Rick Crawford ran 42, and David Starr ran 40 laps.
Sun Out at LVMS
09-22-2007 3:54 pm
The skies were cloudy and heavy with rain earlier this morning, but the clouds have broken and it's turned into a fairly pleasant day here at LVMS. There is a nice breeze blowing between the mountains here, and the high temp is expected to be a very pleasant 75 degrees. Should be a beautiful day for racing, even if it did start out gray and gloomy.
Problems for Sprague in Practice
09-22-2007 4:21 pm
Crew chief tony Furr oversees the final stages of repairs to Jack Sprague's No. 60 Toyota during practice.
While many teams turned well over 40 laps of practice, Jack Sprague only ran 21 laps in the two-hour practice. Sprague went out early on and made his first run of the day and noticed there was a strange feel with the truck on the track. He came back to the attention of his crew where they found a faulty weld on the left front shock mount of his No. 60 Toyota. Sprague lost nearly 45 minutes in the garage area while his team fixed the weld. Sprague eventually wound up 14th in practice.
Practice Results
09-22-2007 4:27 pm
Click here for this afternoon's practice results.
Audio!
09-22-2007 5:14 pm
We just wrapped up a couple of chats here in the media center, and the audio will be added to the Sights and Sounds bot to the right side of the page shortly.
First we had a long chat with 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier, who talked about his previous experience here at LVMS to the rigors or open wheel racing and the challenges of getting up to speed in a hurry in a one-day show.
We also sat down with SPEED's Adam Alexander and previewed tonight's Smith's Las Vegas 350. Alexander talked about Lazier and Jacques Villeneuve and their debuts in the NCTS, the struggles that Jack Sprague and his team have faced in recent weeks, and whether or not Toyota can be beat here tonight and if so who can do it.
Click on the Podtrac player to the right side of the page to listen. And remember, you do not have to install any additional software to listen to any audio here on TruckSeries.com.
Oil Down During Legends Race
09-22-2007 5:56 pm
During the Legends car races that took place between NCTS practice and qualifying, one driver had a major engine failure that dropped a significant amount of oil down in the groove on the frontstretch. Track crews have spent a lot of time cleaning the oil and NASCAR officials have been out inspecting the track surface. There is just a slight remnant of the oil dry down on the track and it shouldn't be an issue once we start qualifying at 6:10 pm ET.
Live! Bud Pole Qualifying Up Next
09-22-2007 6:05 pm
Click here for Live! Bud Pole Qualifying!
We will rejoin TrackSideLive! as soon as we roll for the pole and set the 36-truck starting grid.
Drivers Across the Track for Intros
09-22-2007 8:36 pm
Driver introductions is usually a cut-and-dried affair, with the drivers walking across a stage and waving to the fans as their name is called out on the track PA. That is not how they do things here in Las Vegas. The drivers are taken from the infield by shuttle to the back side of the grandstands. As they are introduced, they walk down from the top of the stands through the crowd on hand to the track area. With nearly 60,000 people in attendance, it gives many fans the chance to get right up next to their favorite drivers and is just another way LVMS differentiates itself from every other track on the schedule.
Smith's Las Vegas 350 Pit Assignments
09-22-2007 8:40 pm
Here are the pit assignments for the Smith's Las Vegas 350, 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:
Kvapil
Bell
Kingsland
Wood
Wimmer
Hornaday
J. White
Scott
Rogers
Thompson
Sauter
Chaffin
Gaughan
Bodine
Break in pit wall
Green
Allen
Setzer
Chapman
Benson
Sprague
Crafton
Villeneuve
Break in pit wall
Compton
Hamlin
Lynch
Musgrave
Crawford
Cook
Starr
Darnell
Break in pit wall
McCumbee
D. White
Smith
Lazier
Wise
Skinner
Hamlin Under the Weather
09-22-2007 8:48 pm
Immediately after the driver's meeting, Kevin Hamlin stopped in the infield care center to take some IV fluids prior to the race. Hamlin has been suffering from some flu-like symptoms throughout the day here, and his team wanted him to get hydrated prior to the start as a precaution.
Wimmer to Backup?
09-22-2007 8:53 pm
Chris Wimmer had a hard crash in qualifying that left his team's one and only truck damaged beyond repair. As of moments before the start of the race, Wimmer's team has not withdrawn - but they have also not appeared on the grid. We shall find out in a matter of moments if Wimmer makes the start or not.
Smith's Las Vegas 350 Race Updates 1-10
09-22-2007 9:10 pm
10. Lap 10 - Kvapil leads Bodine by 0.6 seconds. Skinner continues to slide backwards, now running fifth as Darnell goes by on the outside.
9. Lap 7 - Kvapil dips inside and takes the lead at the stripe. By the time the reach turn three, Bodine has moved to second. Skinner is reporting he may have a soft right front tire. McCumbee moves into third.
8. Lap 6 - Villeneuve has dropped back to 16th after starting 7th. Hornaday is on the upside, moving to tenth.
7. Lap 4 - Kvapil is still on Skinner's tailgate. McCumbee moves to third with Bodine and Darnell the rest of the top five.
6. Green flag. Crowd on its feet. Kvapil gets the jump but Skinner charges back hard on the outside into turn one. Skinner leads lap one and Kvapil falls back to second.
5. The field is now on its final pace lap. Green flag next time by.
4. Trucks are now rolling off pit road. There are three laps on the initial roll-off.
3. Trucks still warming on pit road. Wimmer will not answer the bell and will be listed as a Did Not Start.
2. To the back: Allen, Lazier, and Scott for unapproved adjustments in impound; Wimmer for a backup truck.
1. Engines have been fired. Pit speed is 45 mph. Pace truck speed is 55 mph. Race distance is 146 laps, 219 miles/350 kilometers.
Smith's Las Vegas 350 Race Updates 11-20
09-22-2007 9:26 pm
20. Lap 38 - Bodine powers around Compton off turn two after the restart.
19. Lap 36 - Compton wins the race off pit road. Bodine is second with Kvapil, Green, Benson, Crawford, McCumbee, Skinner, Hornaday and Setzer the rest of the top ten. Bell, Starr, Smith, Sauter, Darnell, Villeneuve, Crafton, Musgrave, Wise, Cook, Rogers, Wood, Hamlin, Chaffin and Gaughan are the rest of the lead lap.
18. Lap 33 - gaughan pits early with damage to the right front fender. Pits are open, we'll update the running order after stops. Chaffin picks up the free pass.
17. Lap 32 - Sprague pops a right front tire and slaps the turn two wall. Caution out for the first time.
16. Lap 28 - D. White, Chapman, and Kingsland are all off the track.
15. Lap 25 - Bodine is already up by 1.8 seconds over Wood, Kvapil, McCumbee, and Compton.
14. Lap 22 - Bodine slides underneath Kvapil for the lead in turn three. J. White and Allen next up to be put a lap down.
13. Lap 20 - Thompson's lapped truck allows Bodine to close right in on Kvapil. Wood is up to third. McCumbee and Darnell round out the top five.
12. Lap 17 - Skinner drops to eighth as he continues to worry about the right front. He has been quiet on the radio. Kvapil leads by 0.3 seconds over Bodine.
11. Lap 12 - Skinner is still worried about his right front tire. Wood passes him to take fifth.
Smith's Las Vegas 350 Race Updates 21-30
09-22-2007 9:47 pm
30. Lap 68 - Benson has passed Kvapil and is chasing down Bodine for the lead.
29. Lap 64 - Bodine leads Kvapil, Benson, Compton, Wood, Green, Crawford, Smith, McCumbee, and Hornaday in the top ten. Skinner is eleventh, followed by Sezter, Starr, Wise, Cook, Crafton, Chaffin, Hamlin, Darnell, Rogers, Musgrave, Satuer, Gaughan, Allen, Villeneuve, and J. White.
28. Lap 61 - Skinner on the outside tries to keep Hornaday behind him. Skinner keeps his momentum up in the high groove but Hornaday drives it in deep into turn one. Skinner builds speed on the outside and oputdrags Hornaday down the backstretch.
27. Lap 59 - Hornaday and Skinner battle for the tenth position.
26. Lap 52 - Hornaday and McCumbee nearly crash in turn three. Smith, Wood, and Skinner all go by on the inside.
25. Lap 49 - Villeneuve comes to the pits for repairs. It appears the grille may be pushed in down and cutting off air flow to the radiator.
24. Lap 48 - Villeneuve shows damage to the left front fender as a result of the incident with Scott.
23. Lap 47 - Scott bounces off the wall in turn two. Caution out for the third time. Allen picks up the free pass.
22. Lap 43 - One to go signal given. Bodine leads Kvapil, Compton, Green, Crawford, Benson, Hornaday, Skinner, Starr, and McCumbee in the top ten. Setzer, Smith, Musgrave, Sauter, Wood, Cook, Rogers, Villeneuve, Hamlin, Crafton, Sauter, Chaffin, White, Darnell, and Gaughan are the lead lap trucks. Darnell pitted to add a spring rubber to tighten his truck up.
21. Lap 40 - Bell spins and backs into the wall in turn two. Caution out for the second time. Bell was running 11th at the time of the spin. There is significant damage to the rear of his truck.
Smith's Las Vegas 350 Race Updates 41-50
09-22-2007 10:09 pm
50. Lap 105 - Crawford and Green race side by side for seventh.
49. Lap 103 - Cook slips back a few spots to sixth. Kvapil and Bodine now race for third.
48. Lap 100 - Restart. Wood dips to the inside then moves outside to block Benson on the start. Cook starts to press Kvapil for third.
47. Lap 97 - Compton and Bodine made door to door contact with Compton losing control and spinning to the inside.
46. Lap 96 - Wood starts to stretch out the advantage over Benson and Kvapil. Hornaday moves past Compton, who then gets a tap and spins down the frontstretch. Caution out for the fifth time.
45. Lap 92 - After an extended period with the pits closed, stops have been completed. Wood wins the race off pit road with Benson, Kvapil, Cook, Compton, Hornaday, Bodine, Green, Crawford, Setzer, Rogers, Skinner, Smith, Starr, Wise, Crafton, Darnell, Musgrave, Hamlin, Lynch, McCumbee, and Allen behind.
44. Lap 86 - Wood leads the field down pit road. We will update the running order after stops.
43. Lap 85 - Gaughan has a right front tire go down and pounds the wall off turn four. Caution out for the fourth time.
42. Lap 73 - Benson slips past Bodine and takes the lead.
41. Lap 70 - Benson is on Bodine's rear bumper. Wood has charged through the field after problems on his first pit stop of the night. Both Wood/jtg trucks are among the top five as Wood and Compton are fourth and fifth.
Smith's Las Vegas 350 Race Updates 51-
09-22-2007 10:42 pm
62. Lap 144 - Kvapil holds the top spot. Benson and Wood are right there. Cook lurks back in fourth.
61. Lap 142 - Benson looks inside Kvapil for the lead. He leads at the stripe. Kvapil carries more momentum off the top down the backstretch.
60. Lap 140 - Kvapil, Wood, and Benson all mix it up for the lead. Wood tries to block Benson and loses momentum. Wood drops to third but is right on Benson's bumper and Benson races Kvapil for the lead.
59. Lap 137 - Kvapil leads Wood, Benson, Cook, Crawford, Setzer, Wise, Darnell, Green, Compton, Skinner, McCumbee, Smith, Rogers, Miusgrave, Sauter, Chaffin, Lynch, and Starr on the lead lap.
58. Lap 135 - Hornaday has a right front go down and he has damage to the fender as well. Caution is out for the eighth time.
57. Lap 134 - Kvapil blows past Wood for the lead.
56. Lap 129 - Kvapil moves past Benson for second and starts to chase down Wood for the lead.
55. Lap 126 - Kvapil joins Benson and Wood in a race for the lead.
54. Lap 119 - Skinner bounces off the wall to get that three-wide race set in motion.
53. Lap 118 - Kvapil, Hornaday, and Cook all mix it up and the back of the top five on the restart. Skinner, Starr, and Wise go three wide at the back of the top ten. Benson rides on Wood's tail in a race for the lead.
52. Lap 113 - J. White has trouble on the backstretch and pops the wall. Caution is out for the seventh time.
51. Lap 109 - Bodine slaps the wall off turn four and the caution is out for the sixth time. McCumbee picks up the free pass.
Smoth's Las Vegas 350 Unofficial Results
09-22-2007 11:17 pm
1. Kvapil
2. Benson
3. Wood
4. Cook
5. Darnell
6. Wise
7. Setzer
8. Compton
9. Crawford
10. McCumbee
11. Rogers
12. Smith
13. Skinner
14. Starr
15. Musgrave
16. Chaffin
17. Hamlin
18. Green
19. Lynch
20. Sauter
21. Villeneuve
22. Hornaday
23. Allen
24. Lazier
25. Thompson
26. Crafton
27. J. White
28. Bodine
29. Scott
30. Gaughan
31. Bell
32. Sprague
33. D. White
34. Chapman
35. Kingsland
Kvapil Scores Vegas Gold
09-22-2007 11:18 pm
Travis Kvapil held off an amazing late-race charge by Johnny Benson and Jon Wood to pick up his fourth win of the 2007 season in the Smith's Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Ron Hornaday's flat tire within the final 10 laps set up a furious six-lap sprint to the checkered flag, but left Hornaday 22nd at the finish. Mike Skinner finished 13th and unofficially moves back to the point lead by three points. Johnny Benson, Jon Wood, Terry Cook, and Erik Darnell rounded out the top five finishers. TruckSeries.com will have a complete report to follow.
That's All from LVMS
09-23-2007 12:21 am
We're going to call it a night from here at LVMS. Look to the Sights and Sounds bot to the right side of the page for tons of post-race audio with all of the top five drivers as well as a couple of other newsmakers here tonight.
We talked to Travis Kvapil, Johnny Benson and Jon Wood and talked about their furious sprint to the checkered flag. Terry Cook talks about his best run of the 2007 season, and Erik Darnell talks about building momentum with a new crew chief. Dennis Setzer talked about his phenomenal run in the BHR Dodge, and Mike Skinner told us about his long night and taking over the points lead.
Click on the Podtrac player to the right side of the page to listen. As always, you do not have to install any additional software to listen to TruckSeries.com audio.
Congratulations go out to Travis Kvapil, Mike Beam and the entire Roush Fenway Racing team on their fourth win of the 2007 season.
We'll catch up with you in a couple of weeks at Talladega Superspeedway. Until then, so long everybody!
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