10-25-2006 | TruckSeries.com Report
Sprague wins in 'lucky 13th' ... Add another champion to the list of winners at Martinsville Speedway. Jack Sprague (No. 60 Con-way Freight Toyota), led 95 laps in winning the Oct. 21 Kroger 200 after 12 unsuccessful attempts to crack the .526-mile track's Victory Lane. Sprague is one of only three champions to win on the Virgina short track - a series staple since 1995. He's also the first driver in series history to lead 6,000 laps. Sprague's total stands at 6,085. Air goes out of Bodine's day ... While challenger Benson was racing to a solid, fifth-place finish, championship leader Bodine was forced to pit to change a cut tire at mid-race. The latter gave up a probable top-five and wound up 14th. NEXTEL Cup drivers in the house at AMS ... Martin has unfinished business after losing March's race by a split second. Other campaigners from NASCAR's premier division also will compete in the EasyCare Vehicle Service 200. Jeremy Mayfield will be at the helm of the No. 15 Quest Global Chevrolet that carried Kyle Busch to victory a year ago. Derrike Cope (No. 40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet) and Joe Nemechek (No. 46 Silverado Chevrolet) will reprise their Talladega drives. EasyCare 200 has international flavor ... Three foreign-born drivers are due to belt up for this week's race headed by Australia's Marcos Ambrose (No. 20 Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards Ford), who is locked in a tight battle for the No. 2 position among Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates. Michel Jourdain Jr. returns to Roush Racing's No. 50 Ford. Completing the international trio is John Mickel (No. 07 Dudman Group/DSI Group Chevrolet), a native of Cambridge, England in the United Kingdom. Top 10 Championship Contenders Best Atlanta Finishes Top Winners on 1.5-Mile Tracks Driver Wins This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders … Through 21 races of the 25-race season: ETC... Bodine has occupied the No. 1 position in series standings for a record-extending 17 consecutive weeks. The number matches Sprague (1998) for No. 2 among times having led the championship in a season. If Bodine continues as the leader following this week's race, he'll tie Ron Hornaday Jr.'s (No. 33 AES HR Solutions Chevrolet) record set in 1996. ... Sprague was the fourth driver in five races to win from the Budweiser Pole. He's only the second to win from the pole in a series race at Martinsville. Rich Bickle was the first in 1997. The pole was Sprague's 29th, one fewer than category record holder Skinner. ... The total margin of victory in four series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway is .920 second. ... A victory in Atlanta will clinch the 2006 manufacturer championship for Toyota. Quotable "Atlanta is about as opposite from Martinsville as you can get." - Rick Crawford (No. 14 Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford), the AMS qualifying record holder. "The thing I like there is you can't get held up. If your truck's not working in one line, you can try another, or if your competitor's using one groove, you can use another." - Ted Musgrave on why he looks forward to competing at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "These guys show you no mercy out here." - David Ragan after finishing 25th in his second NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Martinsville Speedway. Ragan completed all 700 laps during the weekend's racing. In the Loop Todd Bodine and Johnny Benson are co-joined at Atlanta Motor Speedway in several key Scoring Loop categories. Bodine's average finish is 5.0 vs. Benson's 5.7. Bodine is fractionally better in average running position - 6.118 vs. 6.208. Bodine and Benson boast the best Driver Rating among competitors running the most recent three races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bodine comes in with a rating of 115.8 vs. Benson's 112.3. Mark Martin claimed the highest Driver Rating in March's John Deere 200 - 144.5 - despite finishing second to Bodine. In March, Martin's Ford was fastest in turns 1, 2 and 3 with a fastest speed among all drivers of 185.311 mph in Turn 3. Speed in Traffic Quality Passes Average Running Position Manufacturers' Championship Chevrolet won both Atlanta races in 2005. A Dodge was the inaugural race winner. Toyota won in March. From The Archives Those tight endings have sent Atlanta's races into "overtime" on three of four occasions, most recently in March when Todd Bodine denied Mark Martin a record-matching third consecutive victory. Fast Facts Schedule: Friday — Practice, 12:15 p.m. - 1:25 p.m., 1:40 p.m. - 2:10 p.m. and 2:25 p.m. - 3:25 p.m. Saturday - Qualifying, 1:15 p.m.
Driver Finish Year
Todd Bodine 1st 2006-1
Johnny Benson 3rd 2006-1
David Reutimann 3rd 2005-1
Ted Musgrave 4th 2006-1
Rick Crawford 10th 2006-1
David Starr 5th 2005-1
Ron Hornaday Jr. 1st 2005-1
Jack Sprague 4th 2005-1
Terry Cook 9th 2005-1
Mike Bliss 7th 2006-1
1. Todd Bodine # 7
2. Brendan Gaughan 5
3. Dennis Setzer 4
Jack Sprague 4
5. Greg Biffle 3
Kyle Busch # 3
Bobby Hamilton # 3
Ron Hornaday Jr. # 3
Ted Musgrave 3
# Atlanta Motor Speedway Winner
• Points leader - Todd Bodine (3,197)
• Winnings - Todd Bodine ($555,740)
• Laps led - Mark Martin (522)
• Miles led - Mike Skinner (758.168)
• Victories - Mark Martin (5)
• Budweiser Poles - Mike Skinner (6)
• Top-five finishes - Johnny Benson (12)
• Top-10 finishes - Johnny Benson (16)
• Raybestos Rookie Leader - Erik Darnell (52 over Chad McCumbee)
• Races led - Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner (10)
On The Right Track Three have completed every Atlanta lap ... Three competitors have run all 533 possible laps/799.5 miles in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. They are Bobby Hamilton, Ted Musgrave (No. 9 Team ASE Toyota) and Dennis Setzer (No. 85 E85 FlexFuel Chevrolet). Skinner is the all-time laps/miles leader at AMS with 117 laps/180.18miles. Skinner and Bodine are the only drivers to lead three different races - Bodine the most recent three.
Driver Speed (mph) Driver Passes Driver Average Place
Mark Martin 175.697 Todd Bodine 34 Mark Martin 1.822
Todd Bodine 175.108 Johnny Benson 24 Todd Bodine 6.118
Johnny Benson 174.630 Dennis Setzer 24 Johnny Benson 6.208
Erik Darnell 174.471 5 drivers 22 Erik Darnell 8.178
Ted Musgrave 173.306 Dennis Setzer 9.970
* Among drivers expected to compete in the EasyCare Vehicle Service 200, average last three races
2006 Point Standings Following Round 21 at Martinsville Speedway.
Toyota 150
Ford 135
Chevrolet 102
Dodge 73
Atlanta Motor Speedway has a history of close finishes, the first coming in the 2004 EasyCare Vehicle Service 200 when winner Bobby Hamilton and Mike Skinner exchanged the lead twice on the final lap.
The Race: EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Oct. 28, 2006
The Time: 5:05 p.m. (ET)
Race Distance: 200 miles (130 laps)
TV: SPEED, 4:45 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: 1.54-mile banked paved oval
Race Purse: $528,620
2005 Winner: Kyle Busch 2005
Pole: Mike Skinner