![]() |
|
| Ford Practice Notes: Michigan
06-16-2006 | TruckSeries.com Report
Pulling double-duty this weekend in the Truck Series and the Cup Series, Mark Martin, No. 6 Scotts F-150 was the top Ford in Truck Series practice. Martin spoke about his final practice run in the No. 6 truck as he headed out to qualify his No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion. Mark Martin No. 6 Scotts Ford F-150: You were running up top all day, how is the truck feeling today? "The truck feels real good; we're not worried that much about qualifying. You know, we're not going to be up there for that, but for racing, I think we're in real good shape." Here at MIS you always seem to run in the top five or top 10 in any series you run. Are you having fun running on top with the truck guys here? "The truck is just a blast, I really love it and I really look forward to doing more truck races." Sylvania, Ohio native, Terry Cook, No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel International F-150, ran around the top 10 for most of practice at Michigan International Speedway. Cook talks about the ability to run multiple grooves at Michigan. Terry Cook No. 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l F-150 You said earlier in the week that Michigan is a great place to run the high groove and the low groove. Did you find it easier to run up high or to run low today in practice? "I tried to run low and run on the bottom because I figured not many people run there. I was trying to find a groove that no one else runs. If someone is running the same groove as you, they can be just as fast." Rick Crawford, No. 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral F-150, is ninth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Crawford talks about practicing at Michigan's two-mile oval. Rick Crawford No. 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford F-150 You qualify 33rd tomorrow, does that change how you approach your setup coming out more towards the afternoon? "Not necessarily. Once you get past 11 o'clock, the track is pretty much hot. So, if we were qualifying at nine in the morning, you may think those guys would have an advantage, but with everyone qualifying around noon, everybody is about the same." Marcos Ambrose, No. 20 Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards F-150, is the first Australian native to run in the Craftsman Truck Series. The rookie talks about his first laps around Michigan and getting ready for race day. Marcos Ambrose No. 20 Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards Ford F-150 "This run here, we're having a great time, we started off very cautious today and we kind of chipped away at it. We had a decent run there at the end with the practice qualifying run. This weekend is about laps; again we want just as many laps as we can, get the experience. We're just really trying to finish every lap of this race. We're excited, we've got Aussie Vineyards on the side and the Aussie experience, they are here this weekend to see us run. For us, this is the beginning and I'm excited to be part of it and I'm excited for the Ford Motor Company too, it's nice to be running strong here." You kind of ran around mid-pack in the first practice, and at the end of the second practice, you kind of shot up to the top. Were you working on a qualifying run or the race setup? "I think you are being quite nice to me, we were kind of near the back of the pack weren't we? You've just got to get your head around this place and I like to creep up on it. I like to just get a feel. Some of the guys were running high and I wasn't brave enough to run up there with them. The more laps you get, the more comfortable you feel. You know you wear your tires out when you do 70 laps. We knew we were going to have a decent run there at the end and we've just got to stay patient, knowing that at the end of the practice, you put the good tires on, you put the good setup on and tap the nose and see what you've got."
| |