The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams will tangle at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis Friday night, site of the Power Stroke Diesel 200, race No. 14 of 25 on the NCTS calendar this season. ORP is a place where the truck drivers definitely don't play nice together, a claustrophobic 0.686-mile oval where the trucks will be bumping and grinding all race long. If nothing else, Friday night's battle ought to shuffle the points standings again.
If recent history is any indication, the driver to watch for on Friday night will be Ron Hornaday Jr., the defending series champion and defending race winner. Hornaday's teammate at Kevin Harvick Inc., Jack Sprague, is also a two-time ORP Truck winner, and his American Commercial Lines No. 2 Chevy ought to run well on Friday night.
The other two-time ORP NCTS winner in the field Friday will be the Toyota Tundra-sponsored No. 5 of Mike Skinner, who is fifth in points and has a streak of nine consecutive top-10 finishes. And his Bill Davis Racing teammates, Johnny Benson and Michael Annett are coming off a 1-2 finish last week at Kentucky Speedway. Wyler.com Toyota driver Terry Cook, who has quietly moved to seventh in points, has one victory and one runner-up finish each at ORP, though his last top-five came here in 2002.
Anytime the NCTS Series races at ORP, Rick Crawford and the Power Stroke by Diesel International Ford F-150 are threats to win.
Don't count out short-track ace Dennis Setzer, either.
Add it all up, and it should be a wide-open — and very physical — battle on Friday night. Qualifying is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EDT Friday, with the race set for 8 p.m. that evening. Both will be televised live on SPEED.
As I suspected might happen, BHR partner Arrington Manufacturing part owner Stacy Compton will be driving the number 4 truck for the Craftsman Truck Series Race Team this season. As had previously been reported during SPEED race coverage last season, Dennis Setzer will continue driving the number 18 for the team.
"Stacy Compton will drive the #4 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge in the Craftsman Truck Series this season, team spokesman Amanda Jones confirmed Thursday. Compton, a co-owner of BHR partner Arrington Manufacturing, and Dennis Setzer will drive for the organization in 2008.
During an interview by Dave Moody on Sirius Radio, Compton said that Dodge will be heavily involved with the team and sponsorship will be provided by Dodge Dealers on the #4 Dodge."
Compton is practicing both trucks today in Daytona. There has been no word to date on who will sponsor the #18 truck. Fastenal will not be back with BHR in 2008 and has announced they will sponsor the #40 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates entry in the Sprint Cup series and driver Dario Franchitti.
Clint Bowyer feels he should have had a better ending to last spring's race at Texas Motor Speedway. “Well, we should have finished in the top 10 last spring but we got some help off of turn two on the last lap and I spun out. So that 19th-place finish doesn’t really reflect how we ran. The fall race was really good for us. I think we can go back there and have a top-five car and possibly race for a win. If I had to call a race for us to win, I think it’s going to be on a mile-and-a-half -- I really do.
In the season’s first six races, Bowyer has earned three top-10 finishes and has only finished outside the top 20 once. He currently enjoys a solid 14.5 starting average and a 14.2 finishing average. The 27-year-old driver has completed 2,020 of the 2,048 total laps run this season (98.63 percent) and is seventh in the championship point standings. Over those same six races last season, Bowyer’s average start was 29th coupled with an 18.8 finishing average. He was 16th in points at this time last year.
“Except for a couple of occasions, things have gone really well," Bowyer said. "Obviously, Las Vegas is a sore spot. I had a really good car and should have finished in the top five. Instead, we wound up wrecked and finished in the back. It’s been a good season so far and for the most part, things are going our way. Hopefully, we can keep Lady Luck on our side and try and control our own destiny.”
Live coverage of the Samsung 500 from Texas Motor Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, April 15 beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The race will be televised live on FOX and broadcast worldwide on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the seventh of 36 points-paying races on the 2007 NEXTEL Cup schedule will be televised live on SPEED Friday, April 13 at 5 p.m. EDT.
It was reported today during NASCAR coverage on SPEED that the #72 Nextel Cup team, owned by Brian and Tony Mullet has advised NASCAR that it will not be continuing operations to qualify for Nextel cup races and that it would be running in the Busch Series. It was also announced that Brandon Whitt would no longer be the driver and that Jason Keller would drive the Busch car. The team is not entered in any of the Atlanta races this weekend.
However, reports on the CJM Racing web site, Jayski.com and Motorsport.com make this about as clear as mud.
The following is a statement from co-owner Bryan Mullet at CJM Racing pertaining to the speculation/rumors regarding CJM Racing and their future as it appeared on their web site, Jayski and Motorsport: "CJM Racing is dedicated to its involvement in the NASCAR ranks. We, as a team, are re-evaluating our position and working on a few different scenarios' that will allow us to grow and become a competitive force within NASCAR. Contrary to unsubstantiated rumors, to date no one has been hired and the team is currently consulting with a group to determine the best avenue for success. Sponsorship discussions are underway and future announcements are to be expected within the next few weeks." This statement was made on Thursday and posted on the teams web site on Friday.
Previously on ThursdayJayski reported that driver Brandon Whitt, General Manager Derek White and Crew/Car Chief Doug George were no longer with the team.
Jayski originally reported on Tuesday that it had been announced to CJM team members and driver Brandon Whitt that it would be moving to the Busch Series. The team was reported to be headed by Greg Pollex (formerly of ppc Racing), with Todd Gordon as Crew Chief and Jason Keller as the driver.
So, was the report on TV today acurate new news? Or was it repetition of a two day old rumor? Who knows? Nobody Knows. Well at least not this writer. So stay tuned while the industry sorts this one out.
Nevertheless it does appear that some owners are seeing the light that the Nextel Cup Scene is too competitive this year and that there may be opportunities at the Busch level. What? An aha moment? Haven't I been saying this needed to happen for two weeks now? Oh well, at least it makes me look brainier, finally.
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