Steve Portenga, #39 Roto Rooter Chevrolet:    "We broke the center section of the right front wheel, and it popped the tire.  That pretty much ruined the day.  But man, we were fast.  I have no doubt we were a top-10 truck."  (12:11 am ET)

Mike Bliss, #16 IWX Motor Freight Chevrolet:    "We won this race by being a good team.  From all the way down to the motor and fuel milage.  Track position ended up being really crucial tonight, we were probably a Top-three or four truck, but we got it better during the race and it was going to come down to fuel milage.  But then we had to beat those other guys too, and that was the team giving me great stops and a awesome truck." (12:10 am ET)

Terry Cook, #29 Power Stroke Diesel Ford:    "There's too many races to be talking championship.  We're just concentrating on every race.  Maybe we didn't focus hard enough on this one, I'm not sure."  (12:08 am ET)

Rick Crawford, #14 Town & Country Ford Ford:    "I told my guys on the last restart, I am not going to pucka, pucka, pucka around.  We are here to win.  I gave it all we had before that last restart and it just ended up that way."  (12:06 am ET)

Bill Lester, #8 Dodge Motorsports Dodge:    "We just got railroaded at the end there.  We got freight-trained.  I don't know what to say about it.  We just didn't have anything for them.  The just ran off." (12:04 am ET)

Bobby Dotter, #08 Be Drug Free Chevrolet:    "We had a great handling truck, but we have been fighting an engine problem all weekend.  But we have two trucks (07 and 08) on the haulers in one piece, both finished in the top-15, so we are happy."  (12:02 am ET)

Robert Pressley, #18 Dickies/Square D Dodge:    "We just missed it today.  We were lucky to salvage this night, so we'll go back and try it again."  (12:00 am ET)

Jason Leffler, #2 Team ASE Dodge:    "Our right front just went down on us.  We went down into turns three and four and it got a little loose and it just blew right there in the corner." (11:58 pm ET)

Bobby Hamilton, Jr., #4 MPact Construction Dodge:    "The front three pretty much had everyone covered.  We had a fourth-place truck.  Everything was great, we were just a fourth place truck." (11:56 pm ET)

Travis Kvapil, #60 CAT Rental Store Chevrolet:    "Really rare, I think we broke a crank shaft or a connecting rod. Hutter builds us great horsepower, but all motors sometimes break.  Something that is out of your hands. It’s pretty unfortunate but these things usually happen when you’re running good. It never happens when you’re running 20th and struggling for a good racetruck."  (11:55 pm ET)

Brendan Gaughan, #62 NAPA Dodge:    "We ran our fastest lap on the dead-last lap.  If we had a yellow flag and could've made that adjustment earlier, maybe we could have been a contender." (11:53 pm ET)

The #46 Axciom Chevrolet of Dennis Setzer pitted under the last yellow and the team lifted the hood. There were no engine problem, but the power steering pump had failed, forcing Setzer to drive the final 12 laps without power steering.  (11:51 pm ET)

Ted Mesgrave, #1 Mopar Dodge:       "The biggest thing was the 20 drove us up into the third lane and the 16 and 14 got underneath me and passed me while I was up in the marbles.  From that point on I was history."  (11:50 pm ET)

The #20 MBNA Chevrolet of Coy Gibbs was stout all night, and looked to have a chance to win on fuel strategy.  After getting trapped a lap down due to the untimely caution when Mark Gibson spun, he had a chance to make up his lap on the restart.  When he went down in turn one on the restart, he reported feeling a tire going down and pitted to have them changed.  The team discovered the tires were not flat, but the right front had a lot of rubber build up on it, making it seem like it was flat.  (11:48 pm ET)

Two drivers have changed engines after problems following Happy Hour.  Jason Leffler will give up his 6th starting position after the team swapped motors.  The team was afraid they may have over-revved their motor and changed as a preemptive measure.  Lance Norick changed after Happy Hour when "something important broke" after qualifying.  (7:34 pm ET)

Local Nashville driver and part-time ARCA competitor Deborah Renshaw was seen in the NCTS garage area yesterday.  She has expressed some interest in finding a ride in a truck, potentially for a race or two by the end of this season.  (6:52 pm ET)

Terry Cook will be carrying a lucky charm in his truck with him this week.  It keeps with the theme of the team, and it is a scratch of Ohio Lottery ticket.  The name of the game?  Lucky Dog.  The truck Terry is driving this weekend?  Lucky Dog.  Terry mom and aunt purchased 29 of the Lucky Dog tickets, and played 28 of them.  The 29th will be riding along with Terry tonight.  No word on how many of the tickets were winners.  (6:42 pm ET) 

Over the course of the past week, the SealMaster Racing team has started the process of moving into a new 21,000 square foot facility across the parking lot from their current shop.  The new shop is over double the size of the current facility.  Team owner Duke Thorson expects to have the move complete before the transporter leaves for Richmond.  (6:39 pm ET)

While his team has lost its sponsor and is struggling to find a way to finish out the season, team owner Billy Ballew has not thrown in the towel.  "We are going to continue to work on this thing until the very last possible second.  It's good that we have a couple of weeks between here and Richmond because we are going to use this time to work on getting something put together.  Let's put it this way, we aren't going to give up." (6:29 pm ET)

Also hearing that Joe Ruttman could be back in the series full-time in 2003.  He is supposedly close to finalizing a sponsorship that could put him with Petty Enterprises full-time next season.  This has not been addressed at all by the Petty organization, much less confirmed.  (6:25 pm ET)

Hearing rumors that Randy Tolsma may be back in the series next season.  He was seen last week at IRP working the pit and garage area.  Rumors have him back with Team Rensi next season, in Fords, with power under the hood coming from Robert Yates.  (6:23 pm ET)

Veteran Busch Series crew chief and team owner Jeff Hensley is serving as the head wrench for Chad Chaffin here this weekend.  (6:20 pm ET)

All three makes, Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet, have been to victory lane in the last four races.  Terry Cook won last week at IRP, Robert Pressley won two weeks ago at Michigan, and Mike Bliss won four weeks ago in Kentucky.  Cook also won three weeks ago in Loudon.  (6:08 pm ET)

Remember last year when the points were so close and there was seemingly a new leader every week?  Well, comparing the points race between this year and last, you see it is even closer this season.  Here is the point spread between 2001 and 2002:

        2001                                            2002

        1st to 2nd: 8 pts.                  1st to 2nd: 5 pts.

        1st to 5th: 73 pts.                 1st to 5th:  58 pts.

        1st to 10th: 394 pts.              1st to 10th:  241 pts. (6:07 pm ET)        

It should be no surprise that Chevrolet swept the front row here at Nashville.  In April, Chevrolet had their one allotted private manufacturer's test, and it seems to have paid big dividends.  The Chevy teams were very unhappy after being upstaged last year by Scott Riggs, and it would appear they are at least on track to give the Dodges a run for their money this weekend.  (5:50 pm ET)

Not really NCTS news, but the ARCA race last night ended with a bang, literally.  Race-long leader Frank Kimmel was passed on lap 133 by Chad Blount.  As the two went into turn one, Kimmel gave Blount a bump, sending him hard into the wall.  Blount received bumps and bruises, but was mainly uninjured.  Kimmel went on to win the race, but was showered with jeers in victory lane.  Trackside LIVE! is not normally meant to give opinion, but we will stray from the course a little here.  Maybe it is time that Kimmel steps to the plate and plays with the big boys.  With 39 ARCA wins and numerous championships, what else can be accomplished in ARCA?  Many NCTS team members in observance last night wondered how Kimmel, who is generally credited to be a clean and reputable driver, could be happy and celebrate winning in that fashion.  There is no doubt Kimmel is the best in ARCA, he doesn't need to push and shove against the competition to beat them.  It is a shame that had to happen, the fans that paid to get in were getting ready to see a great finish.  Okay...off the soap box.  More reports from the garage area as the NCTS teams prepare to hit the concrete at Nashville Superspeedway shortly. (2:19 pm ET) 

Good afternoon from Murfreesboro, Tennessee!  The garage area doesn't open until 3 pm ET, but weather conditions have "precipitated" an update.  As of 2:15 pm ET, there is a heavy downpour in the Nashville area, with heavy rain falling for the past 15 minutes.  Weather radar and forecasts indicate that the rain will not last long, and there is little concern for weather delaying the start of the Federated Auto Parts 200 this evening.  Local Tennessee residents say that when conditions are similar to today (hot, steamy), it is common for brief storms to brew then rapidly dissipate.  More weather updates from trackside shortly. (2:15 pm ET)

This concludes Trackside Live! coverage of practice and qualifying for the Federated Auto Parts 200 at the Nashville Superspeedway.  Over the course of the 12 hours we have been with you, we have spoken to 37 of the 38 drivers on the grounds, with only Conrad Burr escaping our all-encompassing grip.  We will continue bringing you all the news and notes from the garage area at Nashville Superspeedway tomorrow when gates open at 3:00 pm ET.

Steve Portenga, driver of the #39 Roto Rooter Chevrolet, made a visit to the local children's hospital yesterday, something he has done quite regularly of late.  Portenga became a father for the first time in December, and has made a point to visit as many children's hospitals as he can during the season.  (10:35 pm ET)

Mark Gibson, driver of the #15 Williams Brothers Lumber Ford, ran in tonight's Waste Management 200 ARCA race.  Engine problems sidelined him early on in the event, leaving him with a 32nd-place finish. (10:27 pm ET)

Jason Small, #07 Sunbelt Rentals Chevrolet:    "We are very disappointed in our run.  We thought we would run a lot better than that to tell the truth.  The truck has been great all afternoon, but suddenly we just lost a little speed.  That is okay, I guess.  We need to finish and work on closing up the points in the rookie deal.  We can start crossing out some of those bad finishes we had earlier this year with some good ones, and this is a great place to start to do that." (10:25 pm ET)

Jerry Hill, #79 RDS Racing Engines Dodge:    "We have been tight in the center all day, that has been our major concern.  We needed to take a provisional, but we are in the race and look to have a good day." 10:19 pm ET)

David Starr, #75 Spears Manufactuing Chevrolet:    "We don't know what has changed between now and qualifying.  We are trying to figure that out.  All I know is we aren't happy with the way it's running now." (10:18 pm ET)

Travis Kvapil, CAT Rental Store Chevrolet:    "It has been a few weeks since I felt this good.  The track is great, lots of grip.  We don't want to try the outside groove at all, especially not like we did last year." (10:17 pm ET)

Coy Gibbs, #20 MBNA America Chevrolet:    "I can go out and on the second lap in race trim be faster than I was in qualifying.  I haven't figured out why yet.  The track is in good shape.  Looks like the groove will be right down on the bottom, though." (10:15 pm ET)

Matt Crafton, #88 Menards/Color Pave Chevrolet:     "I hear there is a real nice track in Nashville.  It's too bad we don't race there.  I really don't like this place.  If they put some asphalt down instead of the concrete, it would make this a real racetrack." (10:13 pm ET)

Happy Hour is DONE!  Top-10 drivers are:

    Musgrave, Bliss, Crawford, Leffler, Setzer

    Gibbs, Hamilton, Jr., Gaughan, Pressley, Starr (9:02 pm ET)

Carlos Contreras #43 Hot Wheels Dodge:    "I don't know.  We tried three different setups, and they all gave us three different times.  We ran better in practice with this same setup.  I don't know what happened. We've got another practice to find out what will work for tomorrow's night race, but I'm surprised with that time." (8:57 pm ET)

Brendan Gaughan, #62 NAPA/Orleans Dodge:     "This is the first time that the NAPA guys have done that many weeks in a row.  It took a toll on us.  We can claim that it's because we're out on the west coast - we can claim a lot of things - but I don't believe any of it. We just weren't ready from top to bottom during the last couple of weeks.  We had a big meeting last week, and everyone just settled down a little bit.  We took a little extra time on the Dodge that we brought out here this week. We came here with the oldest truck we've got - it's old faithful.  For us right now, we're back to trying to be solid and showing that we're the strong team that started this season."  (8:54 pm ET)

Joe Ruttman, #45 Richard Petty Driving Experience Dodge:    "It's great to be running with 'ol Richard Petty.  I'll get some free driving experience out of this deal, and heck I might get better.  They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, so he's probably got his work cut out for him.  It's been great.  We've got to go just a little bit quicker.  We've been sneaking up on it, but we're just not quite where we need to be.  Hopefully we can bring in another top-five like we did with Dodge in Daytona this year." (8:51 pm ET)

Bill Lester, #8 Dodge Motorsports Dodge:  "It was another pretty good qualifying run.  It's not quite what we wanted, but we'll take it.  Again, the key objective is to have a good run tomorrow.  With this track really only being one groove and a half as far as I can see so far, I think track position is going to be a big deal." (8:49 pm ET)

Bobby Hamilton, Jr., #4 Square D Dodge:    "Our truck was good.  It was a little bit loose earlier in practice, and we made the right calls to fix it.  We put our fastest lap out there in qualifying, and we're happy about that.  I think we're pretty stout, so we're looking forward to the race.  We've always been pretty lucky running good here.  We made it into the field today, and that's what counts." (8:48 pm ET)

Robert Pressley, #18 Square D/Dickies Racing Dodge: "Yeah, we were quick, but we lost a little time from practice.  We had hoped for just a bit more out of that run.  The thing is, I've never been one to qualify.  I love racing, and I try to really concentrate on what we've got to do later on down the road - especially with my not having run these trucks all that much." (8:46 pm ET) 

Ted Musgrave, #1 Mopar Performance Parts Dodge: "It was a little free, but you've got to be that way to try and keep up with everyone out there.  I figured we were probably going to run about that time for qualifying.  We ran a 30.970 (sec.) lap in practice - I had one guy get in my way a little bit.  So, I knew if the guys stepped it up a little bit, we'd probably be running in the .80's like we did." (8:45 pm ET)

After 40 minutes of Happy Hour, the top-10 are:

    Leffler, Musgrave, Crawford, Bliss, Hamilton, Jr.

    Pressley, Wallace, Starr, Setzer, Gaughan (8:39 pm ET)

Jason Leffler, #2 Team ASE/CarQuest Dodge:    "I like it out there on the concrete.  We had a decent lap.  We didn't have a chance to try our qualifying setup in practice, so we probably could have run a little harder.  I didn't think our time would hold up for the pole, but I knew it would put us near the front." (8:36 pm ET)

Chad Chaffin is running the Federated Auto Parts 200 in tribute to his late friend, Andy Kirby.  Chaffin is running a photo of Kirby on the TV panel of the #87 with a phone number for donations to the Andy Kirby's Children Fund.  (8:34 pm ET)

Also hearing in the garage area rumor mill that NASCAR Goody's Dash Series driver Kelly Sutton is searching for a ride to compete in some NCTS races in the latter stages of the 2002 season.  (8:31 pm ET)

After 20 minutes of Happy Hour, the top-10 are:

    Leffler, Musgrave, Crawford, Hamilton, Jr., Pressley

    Bliss, Wallace, Starr, Setzer, Gibbs (8:25 pm ET)

Mike Bliss, #16 IWX Motor Freight/Knights Inn Chevrolet:    "It was a definite advantage to go late, the track cooled off and our truck really, really stuck.  We seem to be good at tracks like this.  It's great to start on the pole, it should be a big help in the race.  Our truck always seems to run better on long runs, so to start in front is a big boost." (8:20 pm ET) 

Early on in Happy Hour, the top-10 are:

    Musgrave, Crawford, Hamilton, Jr., Starr, Gibbs

    Lester, Wallace, Pressley, Cook, Setzer (8:14 pm ET)

Andy Thurman, #5 Akita Copy Products Dodge:    "Gained on the truck all through the practice session. Went out at first and was extremely tight off. We were giving up way to much in (turns) 1 and 2. In our mock qualifying run we went from tight off to way too loose. The track should tighten up naturally going into qualifying, but with us going out first the track won't change too much so we need to gain just a little bit more on the set up. A top 20 qualifying run would not be out of the question." (6:26 pm ET)

Post-practice quotes...(posted 6:16 pm ET)

Jon Wood was seen under the hood of the #50 US Navy Ford, assisting the crew in diagnosing chassis issues. 

Bobby Dotter, #08 People Against Drugs Chevrolet:    "We backed up our times from the April test here, which is good.  Some teams have gained, others have lost.  We are happy to be able to maintain and backup what we did back then.  We are a little sluggish of the corners right now, so we will tune on the motor a little and get ready for qualifying."

Chad Chaffin, #87 Town and Country Ford Ford:    "We are not bad chassis wise, but we just are not getting through the air the way we need to.  A lot of drag on this body."

Joe Ruttman, #45 Petty Driving Experience Dodge:    "We were great in practice.  We just want to be able to go out there and back it up in qualifying."

Dana White will replace Phil Bonifield in the #25, with Bonifield moving over to the #23 that was wrecked in practice.  The team is working on repairing the damage and is hopeful to be on the track for qualifying.

Stan Boyd, #89 All Pro/Bumper-to-Bumper Chevrolet:    "We are trying to squeeze into the field this weekend.  We have one set of tires to practice and qualify on.  If we get a good lap in qualifying, maybe we can get in the field and race."

Eric Jones, #34 Safelite Auto Glass Chevrolet:    "We have a transmission problem right now.  It looks like we may be able to get one from Larry Clement out of the ARCA garage.  We are running one of his old Chevy motors and he has been very good to us."

Brian Rose, Ware Racing Enterprises Dodge:    "We have a decent truck.  My goal is to get to the finish and impress the sponsors we have been talking to for 2003.  This is an old Petty truck and it ran really well at Richmond last year.  We would like to take it back there this year and run just as well.  We need to make sure we don't knock the sides off of it."

Lance Norick, #90 Express Personnel Services Chevrolet:    "John Monsam is back this week, and his plan was to use most of the practice to get settled into race mode.  With about a half an hour left, we came in, taped up and went out in qualifying trim and picked up a bunch of time on the charts."

The #72 US Security Chevrolet of Randy McDonald had a broken push rod and a broken valve in engine, forcing a change to be made.  The team is installing the new motor and expects to be on the track for qualifying.  They will go to the rear for the start tomorrow. 

Michael Dokken will qualify the #93 Troxell Motorsports Chevrolet.  The team will decide after the race whether Dokken or Norm Benning will run the race.

Lance Hooper, #86 Motor State Performance Chevrolet:    "We are just tight.  We will wait until happy hour to make the changes we want to make.  We want to race good, and it is best to make those changes when conditions are closest to what its going to be like in the race."

Dennis Setzer, #46 Acxiom Chevrolet:     "We are chasing a chassis problem.  We think we have it fixed. We will find out if we have it fixed come happy hour."

Okay...seriously this time.  With seconds left in practice, the top-10 are:

    Bliss, Pressley, Musgrave, Starr, and Crawford

    Leffler, Cook, Gaughan, Hamilton, Jr., Lance Norick (5:15 pm ET)

Chad Chaffin  is in the most unmistakable truck in the field  Painted lime green, the #87 Town and Country Ford is a throwback to the days his father raced mini-modified at the old Nashville Fairgrounds Raceway.  (5:06 pm ET)

Some surprises in pre-qualifying practice.  Jason Small has been among the top-10 all afternoon, as has Bobby Hamilton, Jr.  Hamilton has only one other NCTS start to his credit, that being at NHIS last July.  Other surprises include Dennis Setzer, Jon Wood, and Coy Gibbs, all of whom have been near the bottom half of the top-20 all afternoon.  (5:00 pm ET)

With mere seconds remaining in the day's practice session, the top-20 drivers are:

        Crawford, Leffler, Bliss, Musgrave, Starr

          Hamilton, Jr., Pressley, Cook, Small, Gaughan

          Lester, Wallace, Norick, Kvapil, Portenga

          Wood, Ruttman, McDonald, Gibbs, Setzer (4:54 pm ET)

The #4 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge has picked up sponsorship for this event from MPact Construction Group.  (4:29 pm ET)

Morgan Shepherd is lucky to be here at the race track following an incident on the highway earlier this week.  A six-pound tow truck hook came up off the road and through the windshield of his truck, missing his head by mere inches.  (4:27 pm ET)

The #14 Circle Bar Ford driven by Rick Crawford has picked up sponsorship from Town and Country Ford for the Federated 200.  Town and Country is located in Nashville, and is a long-term supporter of mid-Tennessee motor sports.  (4:26 pm ET)

Bliss moves to top of the charts!  Mike Bliss has topped the speed charts with about 40 minutes remaining on the clock.  The top five are:

        Bliss, Crawford, Musgrave, Starr, and Hamilton, Jr.

The second red flag of the practice session came out about 3:30 pm ET when the #93 Troxell Motorsports Chevrolet caught fire on pit road.  Driver Norm Benning reported that a heat shield caught fire after some oil sprayed and ignited.  (4:18 pm ET)

One of the rumors floating around the garage is Tina Gordon will join Rick Ware Racing for a limited schedule later this season.  Gordon was injured in an ARCA crash in Charlotte in May, and would like to make her return to racing in the Truck Series. (4:16 pm ET)

After one hour of the two-hour practice session, the top-20 drivers are:

        Musgrave, Starr, Crawford, Bliss, Leffler

          Hamilton, Jr., Pressley, Small, Gaughan, Cook

          M. Wallace, Kvapil, Norick, Portenga, Ruttman

          McDonald, Setzer, Lester, Wood, Gibbs (4:11 pm ET)

Dana White has backed the #23 Coverall Car Ports Chevy into the Turn Four wall.  The driver was not injured, and details on the truck's condition will follow as they are available.  (2:32 pm ET)

After only five minutes of practice, the top-10 are:

        Kvapil, Bliss, Gibbs, Setzer, Wood

          Gaughan, Dotter, Lester, Portenga, McDonald (3:09 pm ET)

Practice is on!  The first Trucks have taken to the track....continuing updates as they happen here on Trackside Live! (3:02 pm ET)   

Tom Powers looks to have a better weekend here than he did at IRP.  "We didn't even have a motor until last night," he said.  "RDS called me and said they had one and wanted us to run it, so we scrambled on it and got here.  The good thing is we have an agreement with Lycos.com for the last eight races of the year.  They have helped us out with some online advertising and we have already sold some of it to SBG.  We had a brake line come off at Indy and it put us in the fence, so we just hope to make the show here and run all night long." (2:53 pm ET)

Margaret Lindhgem is working with the Petty Enterprises R&D team this weekend.  She was last at an NCTS race at Gateway where she was scheduled to go over the wall and change tires for Scott Kuhn.  Kuhn, who did not qualify at Gateway after a crash in qualifying, will be back with the series at Richmond, and Lindhgem intends to go over the wall.  Her nine-to-five" job is with Petty Enterprises Winston Cup operation, where she serves as an engineer. (2:49 pm ET)

The three drivers in contention for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year competition now have an interesting twist thrown in for the remainder of the year.  The competition only counts the drivers' best 14 finished through the season, and Nashville marks race number 15.  The only way the drivers can gain more than one point per event (each driver receives one point per race started) is to better a previous finish.  (2:22 pm ET)

NCTS team owner Rob Morgan is competing with the Grand Am Road Racing Series at Watkins Glen this weekend.  Unfortunately, engine problems have plagued the team's efforts.  Two engines blew yesterday, and the team was busy installing a third.  Morgan, along with David Dollar, is the co-owner of Dennis Setzer's #46 Acxiom/Computer Associates Chevy. (10:52 am ET)

The SealMaster Racing team would like to express their sympathies to team sponsor John Menard on the death of one of Menard's former Indy car drivers.  Jim Crawford, who drove in the Indy 500 for Menard in the early 1990s,  passed away earlier this week from undisclosed causes.  (10:46 am ET)

The NCTS is happy to have veteran Joe Ruttman back in the seat for the first time since Darlington in March.  Twenty years ago this week, Ruttman hopped in the seat of another race vehicle for the first time and won a 200-lap ASA race at Toledo Speedway.  Subbing for Canadian legend Junior Hanley, Ruttman dominated the event, defeating the likes of fellow NASCAR star Darrell Waltrip.  (DW finished fifth that day.)  Ruttman again is in an unfamiliar race vehicle for the Federated 200, this time one of Petty Enterprises' formidable Dodge Rams. (10:44 am ET)