They came, they saw and while it's open to question whether any competitor would admit he or she conquered, all nonetheless gave high marks to Talladega Superspeedway and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series' inaugural John Deere 250.

So did a crowd estimated at 80,000 which saw Mark Martin (No. 6 Scotts Ford) become the first competitor to win in all three of NASCAR's national touring series at the mammoth, 2.66-mile speedway.

The racing Oct. 7 frequently was four wide and 30 deep and among the cleanest but most competitive of the season.

It took nearly 12 years but the obvious answer is that the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Talladega are perfect matches.

"It was a really, really great race; a clean race," said Martin, who started his Roush Racing F-150 from the Budweiser Pole with a qualifying lap of 182.320 mph. "The drivers did a spectacular job. They didn't get over their heads or get too aggressive. They got to racing big on the last lap and there was an accident but other than that they really used their heads."

Several other veterans in the field agreed with the winner's assessment.

Joe Nemechek (No. 46 U.S. Army Chevrolet) said, "Everyone used their heads pretty good and nothing crazy was oing on."

Dennis Setzer (No. 85 Shell Rotella T Chevrolet) hadn't been to the track in over a decade. "I was really impressed with the guys," he said.

Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 AES HR Solutions Chevrolet) spoke for the garage. "This was just a blast," he said. "You wish there were more laps."