Bobby East knew it would take some time to get used to his Ford 150 truck and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. But Saturday's Kroger 250 at the Martinsville Speedway won't be a learning experience. It will be like old times.

"Short-track racing is something you never forget," East said as he prepared to drive the State Fair Corn Dogs Ford for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing at the half-mile short track. "My background may be USAC cars, but we did most of our racing on short tracks. It's going to be good to be back in my element again."

East is the youngest race winner in USAC history. He was 16 when he won his first race and he was the second-youngest USAC national champion when he won the Midget Car Series two years ago. Now he's part of the driver development program for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. Some of the lessons during his rookie season will be difficult, but East said he will tackle them like he races - at full speed.

"The whole idea is to learn as much as you can," he said. "We learned a ton in our first race at Atlanta. Martinsville is the next step. At the same time, we're not discounting the idea of winning. After all, that's what racing's all about. The race at Martinsville is a race we can win. My Ford F150 is fast. We've proven that all year. Winning the race would be the best kind of lesson of all."

East will be making his third career start in the truck series. The difference between his first and second starts was dramatic.

"I finished 13th in my first Craftsman truck race at Phoenix a year ago and it made me so eager to do this all the time," he said. "Atlanta was my first race at a fast superspeedway, and that was a tremendous experience. The thing I've learned in those two races is that you never stop working on the truck. You're always thinking one pit stop ahead because you're always making changes on the truck. When you stop thinking, you stop going fast."

Martinsville is a paperclip-shaped racetrack that taxes a truck - and a driver's temperament. East knows he has to push his truck to keep it in the lead pack, but not so hard it won't make it to the finish line.

"The key to short-track racing is finding a rhythm," East said. "You want to get in a rhythm, into a groove. You don't want to abuse the truck. When you find your rhythm, the truck seems to respond, too. The quicker you find that rhythm, the faster you'll be. It's all part of the learning process, too."

Pole qualifying for Kroger 250 is Saturday at noon. The race is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start on Speed later that afternoon.

Bobby East Fast Facts

• Youngest winner in U.S. Auto Club history (16 years, six months, 25 days) at Schereville, Ind., in 2001
• Second-youngest U.S. Auto Club national champion - 2004 Midget Car Series
• Will compete for rookie of the year title in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season
• Has two career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts with $14,630 in earnings
• Signed a long-term contract with Ford Racing Technology in 2005