Joey Clanton, driver of the No. 09 Zaxby's Ford F-150 was the fastest rookie, posting the second fastest overall in Friday's final practice at Nashville Superspeedway. Clanton makes his 11th career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He is ranked fourth in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings and 26th in overall championship points.

Joey Clanton - No. 09 Zaxby's Ford F-150
Talk about practice. "I think the biggest thing we did this afternoon was being cautious on what we were doing to the truck. Our Ford F-150 was driving good and we had an issue with the brake pedal. The team made adjustments to go around it and we made those adjustments and it worked. It made the truck so much better that we kept going in that direction. We took information from the good run in Kentucky, not thinking they would carry over here, but a lot of it did. Right there in the last 30 minutes of practice, we just started changing things. The team had good communication, good feedback, good teamwork and everybody on the Zaxby's team has been working really hard. To get a run like we had, it's fantastic. We haven't been racing or qualifying yet this weekend, but the team is motivated. I got of the truck and told my team, 'That's the best running truck that I've ever drove in.' I told them that in Kentucky and we freed it up, got it fast and it was still comfortable. It doesn't take much to drive a truck well when it's set the way you like it. To get it to the point where we've got the truck this weekend, it took communication between me and the guys to really get the teamwork to get us to where we are."

Thoughts on the track? "I love the track. This my second time here. I ran here in 2002 in the Busch series in the middle of the summer at this time, in this heat. Practice and qualifying were both rained out. I went straight to racing here without having any track time. So far, this weekend is good. I have the laps to get the truck working before we get to race it. And being up there near the top of the board - it feels good."

Danny O'Quinn Jr. makes his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the No. 50 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford F-150 for Roush Fenway Racing. He has three previous starts at Nashville Superspeedway in the NASCAR Busch Series. O'Quinn and crew chief Matt Puccia talk about this weekend's race.

Danny O'Quinn Jr. - No. 50 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford F-150
This weekend marks your NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut. "I'm pretty excited to be here in Nashville with the No. 50 Roush Fenway team. I've been to Nashville a few times in the Busch series, so the track really isn't new to me. Matt Puccia (crew chief) and everybody on the team gave me a great Ford F-150 for this weekend. It's my first time here getting to race a truck; it will be my debut, but I have had the opportunity to test the trucks a few times. I'm just getting used to things. The trucks drive on these bigger tracks a little different than the cars. We learned a lot and picked-up quite a bit in the practice, we've still got a long way to go but I feel pretty good about the direction and where we are heading this weekend.

How are the trucks and cars different to you as a driver? "There's a lot of difference between the truck and the car. It's amazing how much harder you've got to drive the trucks in the corners. Compared to using a decent amount of brakes here in the car. In the trucks, you just carry your momentum more. They are a little slower on the straightaway because they are boxy, but you drive them so much deeper to make-up for that in the corners. That's probably the biggest thing, just getting used to that. It's a different feel. They travel different and behind other trucks, the air is affected different. There are definitely things that I'm going to learn this weekend, in the race and practice. I'm just going to pick-up on every bit that we can - inch-by-inch here."

Did you drive your motorcoach to the race? "Yes, I drove here in the motorcoach with my parents. I'm glad they're here to watch my first truck race. Plus, it's great having the motorcoach here, it's someplace where I can take it easy and get out of the heat."

Matt Puccia - No. 50 - Crew Chief
"We're pretty excited about being here. Danny is doing a great job. We're just trying to figure out the truck and the track at the same time. This is a fast track, there is more aerodynamics that we need to work on, compared to a short track. What Danny is working on is determining on how the trucks move in traffic. He's got a lot of laps around here in a Busch car and has been very successful in that. We're just trying to figure our trucks out. We're doing really well, but the truck is not where we need to be just yet. We're going to try and make some adjustments to the front end and improve. I think we'll take advantage of all the track time we can. Everything is going really good. We're running Northern Tool + Equipment on our Ford F-150 again this week and we're pleased to have them on board."

What is your strategy for tomorrow? "There's no reason why we can't qualify in the top-10 and run in the top-10 all day tomorrow. We're looking for good track position. If you get back in traffic, then you'll get really aero-tight and it's tough to get a clean run. We'll work on getting near the front and in clean air. We are going to try for a top spot and stay there throughout the race."