Mother Nature frowned mightily on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as rain washed out the first day of the planned two-day Pre-Season Thunder testing sessions at Daytona International Speedway.  A brief sprinkle in the mid-morning left the speedway damp, and a persistent rain around 11:30 A.M. forced NASCAR and track officials to cancel the day's on-track activity.   The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Pre-Season Thunder Fan Fest activities planned for this evening are still on-tap, with several drivers expected to be on site to interact with fans.

The cancellation of today's activities gives the NCTS teams a condensed schedule for tomorrow, should the weather cooperate.  The garage area will open at 7 A.M., with a planned driver safety meeting to follow at 8 A.M.  Weather permitting, the first truck should roll onto the speedway at 9 A.M, and testing will run well after dark and conclude at 9 P.M.

"If we are going to race at night, then we ought to test at night so I think we'll end up a little better off this way," said 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion.  "The 04 truck needs to spend some time working on qualifying setups, but we are really here to work on running in the draft and race setups, so running at night when we are going to actually race will be a big help."

If weather does not allow a full day of testing on Sunday, NASCAR has scheduled a rain day on Monday if it is needed.

Keep it locked on to TruckSeries.com for continuing updates from Daytona International Speedway, including exclusive coverage from Fan Fest on Saturday evening.