'Long Tow' Award Goes To Erin Crocker Two days ago, Erin Crocker (No. 46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Chevrolet) was vacationing in Ireland, her family's ancestral home. She flew to Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday and on to Daytona Beach, arriving about an hour after the first round of NASCAR Preseason Thunder commenced.

Naturally, her luggage didn't follow on the trans-Atlantic flight.

Crocker, who anticipates driving David Dollar's Silverado in at least the season's first two races at Daytona and California Speedways, spent the past week enjoying the Emerald Isle - home most recently to her mother's grandparents.

She found time, of course, for the must-see tourist stops.

"I kissed the Blarney Stone," she said, "but I've already got the gift of gab."

Sprague Eyes Another Daytona Win... Jack Sprague (No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet) won the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 250 in a three-way, photo finish over Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles/Exide Chevrolet) and Travis Kvapil.

Eleven months later, Sprague cherishes the accomplishment - perhaps more so than in Victory Lane.

"It was certainly a victory that I never thought I could achieve just because it's so difficult to win here," he said. "It would obviously be great to win here again … but it is so hard. It is the hardest race to win, I think, in anybody's career."

Sprague will partner with 2007 series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) at Kevin Harvick Inc. He considers Hornaday, likewise a three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck champion, a good friend as well as a teammate.

"I think we will be able to make each stronger sharing information and things like that," Sprague said. "Surely, we aren't going to teach each other how to drive or anything."

Pit Stops... Three Roush Fenway Fords topped Friday's morning session (single-truck laps) with now senior member Erik Darnell (No. 99 Northern + Tool and Equipment Ford) posting the quickest speed of 177.420 mph. Rookie Colin Braun followed in the No. 6 Con-way Freight F-150 at 176.790 mph with Joey Clanton (No. 09 Zaxby's Ford) at 176.509 mph. Braun and Clanton were involved in an incident during the afternoon session that damaged both trucks and caused the teams to terminate testing for the weekend. Roush Fenway trucks have won twice at Daytona - Carl Edwards in 2004 and Mark Martin in 2006. … Billy Ballew Motorsports will have a distinctly different look in 2008, fielding both Toyota and Chevrolet trucks. Kyle Busch and David Stremme will share the seat in the No. 51 Toyota with a driver to be named next week for the team's No. 15 Chevrolet. … Derrike Cope (No. 19 Xpress Motorsports Ford) will serve as an in-race mentor next month for rookie teammate Brian Scott (No. 16 Xpress Motorsports Ford) as he did last October at Talladega Superspeedway. Cope won the 1990 Daytona 500.

Jim Murray No NASCAR Rookie... At age 69, Jim Murray, a member of the Billy Ballew Motorsports team, has as much or more experience as anyone in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage. This week, Murray, a fabricator and "untitled" engineer, is working with Kyle Busch (No. 51 Toyota).

Busch, 22, is young enough to be Murray's grandson.

Murray, who occasionally still goes over the wall to change tires, has been in the sport for 53 years working with - among others - Cale Yarborough, Benny Parsons, David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Rusty Wallace and Dick Brooks.

"There are so many moments that stick out but winning the Daytona 500 three years in a row really sticks out and working with (team owner) M.C. Anderson and Buddy Baker," he said.

Murray, who celebrated his 69th birthday earlier this month, isn't contemplating retirement any time soon.

"I told Billy that I'd like to cut out the travel to all the tracks so I'm going to enjoy it this year," he said.

Hornaday Needles New Teammate Sprague... During a Friday lunch-break visit to Daytona's infield media center. Jack Sprague (No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet) expounded on his rivalry with new Kevin Harvick Inc. teammate Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet), calling it mostly "media hype" saying the pair are good friends.

On Saturday, Hornaday had his turn before the media and got in a couple of licks at Sprague's expense.

"When (Kevin) Harvick hired me, he hired two new fabricators," he said. "When he hired Jack, he hired four more. Chevrolet gave us an allotment of more sheet metal than we are ever going to need."

Hornaday, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck champion, reiterated that the so-called Hornaday-Sprague feud, 1995 through 1999 seasons, existed more off the track than on.

"A bigger rivalry existed between our team owners (Dale Earnhardt and Rick Hendrick) and Richard Childress that Mike (Skinner) drove for," he said. "Finally, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Mr. Hendrick said, 'Enough is enough guys, we have to work on these trucks.' "

Hornaday said he knows how to motivate his new partner.

"Jack is so funny," he said. "When you can run into the back of him, his eyes turn red. I still like to do that no matter if he is my teammate or not. The madder he gets, the better he drives."

Pit Stops... Erik Darnell (No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford) remained atop the single-truck speed charts for the second session on Saturday morning, boosting his fast lap to 178.547 mph. Darnell's top speed on Friday was 177.420. Former NASCAR Camping World Series, West champion Scott Lynch (No. 29 Westward Racing Enterprises Dodge) advanced from seventh to second at 178.827 mph, while Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) was third with a lap of 177.792 mph. Skinner, who resides in Daytona Beach, was 10th on Friday. … Each of the series' four manufacturers placed a truck among the six fastest speeds with Shelby Howard's No. 13 ThorSport Chevrolet ranking sixth at 176.039 mph. … Scott Lagasse, who placed ninth in the 1995 championship standings driving a Chevrolet jointly owned by Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, is returning to the series fulltime - just not in the cockpit. Lagasse will spot for his son, Scott Jr., who will drive the No. 20 JTG Racing Ford in 2008. … Ted Musgrave has driven the No. 59 HT Motorsports Toyota during this week's test while continuing to search for a fulltime ride this season.