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THE RACE: KANSAS SPEEDWAY - O'Reilly Auto Parts 250

Truck Series Race #5 of 25 for the 2008 Season

Last Race - Martinsville Speedway
Next Race - Lowes Motor Speedway

Race: Saturday, April 26, 2008 at Kansas Speedway

Length: 167 Laps, 250 Miles

Track Layout: 1.5-Mile Oval

2007 Winner: Erik Darnell

2007 Pole: Mike Skinner

TV: SPEED Prerace - 5:30pm/et, Race - 6:00pm/et

Radio: MRN

Announcers: Rick Allen, Phil Parsons, Michael Waltrip

Pit Reporters: Ray Dunlap, Adam Alexander

Pre-race Host: Rick Allen

Practice Dates/Times

Practice Schedule: Friday, April 25, 2008; Practice, 12:00 - 1:30pm and 3:30 - 4:30pm/et

Qualifying Info

Qualifying Time: Saturday, April 26, 2008: 1:40pm/et

Entry, Practice, Qualifying and Race Information

Hornaday wins at Kansas: #33-Ron Hornaday started from the pole, led the most laps and beat the fuel mileage game to win the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. This is Hornaday's first win, third top-five and fourth top-10 finish of the season and his 34th Craftsman Truck Series win. KHI teammate #2-Jack Sprague finished second; his best finish of the season. Rounding out the top ten were #6-Colin Braun, #23-Johnny Benson, #5-Mike Skinner, #10-Brendan Gaughan, #8-Chad McCumbee, #22-Scott Speed, #14-Rick Crawford, #59-Ted Musgrave. There were 12 lead changes among 7 drivers and 12 caution flags for 45 laps.(Unofficial)(4-26-2008)

Race Awards:
Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award: Chad McCumbee, #8 (25 Places)
Keystone Light Pole Award: Ron Hornaday, Jr., #33 (170.460 mph)
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Ron Hornaday, Jr., #33
Mobil1 Command Performance Driver of the Race: Johnny Benson, #23
Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award: Colin Braun, #6
Sunoco Diamond Performance: Ron Hornaday, Jr., #33
Wix Filters Lap Leader Award: Ron Hornaday, Jr., #33 (136 Laps)(NASCAR Media)(4-26-2008)

NASCAR Race Number 5
Official Race Results for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 - Saturday, April 26, 2008
Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, KS - 1.5 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 167 Laps - 250.5 Miles - Purse: $632,966

Finish	Start	Trk #	Driver	Team	Laps	Points	Bonus	Award	Status
1	1	33	Ron Hornaday Jr.	Camping World Chevy	167	195	10	$61,475	Running
2	3	2	Jack Sprague	American Commercial Lines Chevy	167	175	5	$37,500	Running
3	6	6	Colin Braun #	Con-way Freight Ford	167	165		$29,220	Running
4	25	23	Johnny Benson	Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota	167	165	5	$20,335	Running
5	18	5	Mike Skinner	Toyota Tundra Toyota	167	155		$15,885	Running
6	22	10	Brendan Gaughan	Int'l MAXX FORCE Diesel Ford	167	150		$14,685	Running
7	2	8	Chad McCumbee	Malcolmson Construction Chevy	167	151	5	$16,035	Running
8	8	22	Scott Speed	Red Bull Toyota	167	142		$13,860	Running
9	12	14	Rick Crawford	Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford	167	138		$13,785	Running
10	30	59	Ted Musgrave	Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota	167	134		$15,185	Running
11	17	9	Justin Marks #	V Foundation/Germain Toyota Toyota	167	130		$13,685	Running
12	13	71	Donny Lia #	AutismSpeaks.org/TRG Motorsports	167	127		$13,560	Running
13	21	46	Landon Cassill	Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Chevy	167	124		$13,485	Running
14	11	16	Brian Scott #	Albertsons Chevy	167	121		$13,435	Running
15	29	08	Jason White	GunBroker.com Dodge	167	123	5	$14,735	Running
16	19	13	Shelby Howard	ThorSport Chevy	167	115		$13,310	Running
17	27	40	Chad Chaffin	WrapItUpVehicleWraps.com/JMIS	167	112		$10,985	Running
18	16	51	Shane Sieg	Miccosukee Resorts Toyota	167	109		$13,185	Running
19	9	60	Terry Cook	AutismSpeaks.org/Wyler.com Toyota	167	106		$13,135	Running
20	15	4	Stacy Compton	Gladstone Dodge Dodge	166	103		$12,510	Running
21	26	88	Matt Crafton	Menards/McGuire-Nicholas Chevy	166	100		$11,785	Running
22	31	63	Jack Smith	Dave Porter Truck Sales Ford	166	102	5	$10,760	Running
23	10	30	Todd Bodine	Lumber Liquidators Toyota	156	94		$10,735	Accident
24	4	09	Bobby East	Zaxby's Ford	154	91		$10,710	Accident
25	20	18	Dennis Setzer	ShopHemi.com/Arrington Engines	126	88		$10,685	Accident
26	32	21	Jon Wood	U.S. Air Force Ford	115	85		$10,660	Running
27	14	11	David Starr	Red Horse Racing Toyota	114	87	5	$10,635	Accident
28	7	99	Erik Darnell	Northern Tool + Equipment Ford	108	79		$10,610	Accident
29	24	7	Andy Lally #	TRG Motorsports/Adobe Road Win	106	76		$10,560	Accident
30	23	20	Scott Lagasse	Nicholson Group/Kansas Jayhawks	85	73		$10,535	Accident
31	5	15	Marc Mitchell #	Ergon, Inc. Toyota	72	70		$10,510	Accident
32	28	07	Ryan Lawler	Manheim's Dealers Auto Auctions of Dallas	72	67		$10,485	Engine
33	36	74	Jennifer Jo Cobb	The Annexus Group Dodge	31	0		$10,460	Engine
34	33	12	Mario Gosselin	CrashedToys.com/DGM Enterpises	25	61		$10,435	Engine
35	34	73	Michelle Theriault	Nitrofill Dodge	16	58		$10,410	Electrical
36	35	0	Wayne Edwards	Chevy	2	0		$10,381	Vibration

Race Comments:	Before an estimated crowd of 76,500, Ron Hornaday Jr. won the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250, his 34th career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory. Before the green flag the the following drivers, under penalty, dropped to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: #21 Jon Wood (driver change), #63 Jack Smith (missed drivers meeting), #88 Matt Crafton (adjustments outside impound).
Failed to Qualify:	N/A
Time of Race:	02 Hrs, 22 Mins, 02 Secs.
Average Speed:	105.820 MPH
Margin of Victory:	0.149 Seconds
Caution Flags:	12 for 45 laps: Laps: 27-30 (Oil on track); 37-41 (#4, #21 accident turn 2); 53-56 (#10, #51 accident turn 4); 67-70 (#46 spun turn 4); 74-77 (#15, #18 accident turn 1); 86-88 (#20 accident turn 2); 92-94 (#88 spin turn 2); 108-111 (#7 accident turn 4); 114-116 (#11, #71 accident turn 4); 128-132 (#18 accident turn 4); 157-159 (#09, #30 accident turn 4); 163-165 (Oil on track)
Lead Changes:	12 among 7 drivers: R. Hornaday Jr. 1-27; J. White 28; C. McCumbee 29-31; R. Hornaday Jr. 32-45; J. Sprague 46;R. Hornaday Jr. 47-53; C. McCumbee 54-66; J. Sprague 67-73;J. Benson 74-75; R. Hornaday Jr. 76-108; J. Smith 109-111; D. Starr 112; R. Hornaday Jr. 113-167.

Hornaday leads driver point standings: #33-Ron Hornaday has taken over the lead in the driver point standings following Kansas with 775, 61 points ahead of #14-Rick Crawford who moved into second place. Rounding out the top ten; ##30-Todd Bodine, #18-Dennis Setzer, #23-Johnny Benson, #51-Kyle Busch, #88-Matt Crafton, #8-Chad McCumbee, #2-Jack Sprague, #59-Ted Musgrave.(Unofficial)(4-26-2008)

Points Report
Kansas Speedway
O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Monday, April 28, 2008 OFFICIAL

Pos	Driver	BPts	Pts	Ldr	Starts
1	Ron Hornaday Jr.	35	775	0	5
2	Rick Crawford	5	714	-61	5
3	Todd Bodine	15	704	-71	5
4	Dennis Setzer	20	666	-109	5
5	Johnny Benson	15	666	-109	5
6	Kyle Busch	20	645	-130	4
7	Matt Crafton	0	639	-136	5
8	Chad McCumbee	10	633	-142	5
9	Jack Sprague	15	629	-146	5
10	Ted Musgrave	0	627	-148	5
11	Mike Skinner	10	624	-151	5
12	David Starr	5	621	-154	5
13	Erik Darnell	15	606	-169	5
14	Terry Cook	0	605	-170	5
15	Brendan Gaughan	0	586	-189	5
16	Colin Braun #	0	573	-202	5
17	Justin Marks #	0	560	-215	5
18	Brian Scott #	0	538	-237	5
19	Stacy Compton	0	517	-258	5
20	Phillip McGilton	0	491	-284	4
21	Jason White	10	471	-304	5
22	Shelby Howard	0	467	-308	5
23	Donny Lia #	0	453	-322	4
24	Jon Wood	0	447	-328	5
25	Andy Lally #	0	434	-341	5
26	Scott Lagasse	0	434	-341	5
27	Chad Chaffin	0	431	-344	5
28	Travis Kvapil	5	406	-369	3
29	Marc Mitchell #	0	391	-384	4
30	Scott Speed	0	358	-417	3
31	Shane Sieg	0	273	-502	3
32	Erin Crocker	0	203	-572	2
33	Scott Lynch	0	185	-590	2
34	Ryan Lawler	0	179	-596	2
35	Ken Schrader	0	160	-615	1
36	Mike Bliss	0	155	-620	2
37	Landon Cassill	0	124	-651	1
38	Wayne Edwards	0	112	-663	2
39	Larry Foyt	0	109	-666	1
40	Chrissy Wallace	0	109	-666	1
41	Timothy Peters	0	106	-669	1
42	Denny Hamlin	5	105	-670	1
43	Justin Hobgood	0	103	-672	1
44	Jack Smith	5	102	-673	1
45	Bobby East	0	91	-684	1
46	Brent Raymer	0	70	-705	1
47	Butch Miller	0	67	-708	2
48	Joey Clanton	0	67	-708	1
49	Tim Cowen	0	64	-711	1
50	Mario Gosselin	0	61	-714	1
51	P J Jones	0	58	-717	1
52	Michelle Theriault	0	58	-717	1
53	A J Allmendinger	0	0	-775	1
54	Jennifer Jo Cobb	0	0	-775	1
55	Morgan Shepherd	0	0	-775	1

Owner Points Following Race # 5
Kansas Speedway
O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Monday, April 28, 2008 OFFICIAL

Pos	Driver	BPts	Pts	Ldr	Starts
1	Delana Harvick	33	775	0	5
2	Billy Ballew	51	754	-21	5
3	Tom Mitchell	14	714	-61	5
4	Steve Germain	30	704	-71	5
5	Lori Hamilton	18	666	-109	5
6	Gail Davis	23	666	-109	5
7	Rhonda Thorson	88	639	-136	5
8	Dave Malcolmson	8	633	-142	5
9	Bill Davis	22	633	-142	5
10	Delana Harvick	2	629	-146	5
11	James Harris Jr.	59	627	-148	5
12	Bill Davis	5	624	-151	5
13	Tom Deloach	11	621	-154	5
14	Jack Roush	99	606	-169	5
15	Jeffrey Wyler	60	605	-170	5
16	Tom Mitchell	10	586	-189	5
17	Jack Roush	6	573	-202	5
18	Jack Roush	09	564	-211	5
19	Bob Germain	9	560	-215	5
20	David Dollar	46	543	-232	5
21	Joe Scott	16	538	-237	5
22	Lori Hamilton	4	517	-258	5
23	Kevin Buckler	71	517	-258	5
24	Billy Ballew	15	496	-279	5
25	Bobby Dotter	08	471	-304	5
26	Duke Thorson	13	467	-308	5
27	Eddie Wood	21	447	-328	5
28	Kevin Buckler	07	434	-341	5
29	Ken Smith	7	434	-341	5
30	Tad Geschickter	20	434	-341	5
31	Curtis Key	40	431	-344	5
32	James Lynch	29	185	-590	2
33	Ken Schrader	52	160	-615	1
34	Michael Mittler	63	160	-615	2
35	Jim Rosenblum	28	112	-663	1
36	Shelly Brevak	31	109	-666	1
37	Rick Germain	3	109	-666	1
38	David Dollar	47	106	-669	2
39	William Bishop	53	103	-672	1
40	Chrissie Raymer	85	70	-705	1
41	Gene Christensen	0	67	-708	3
42	Bob Cowen	42	64	-711	1
43	Michelle Gosselin	12	61	-714	1
44	Kevin Payne	73	58	-717	1
45	Jerry Reary	54	52	-723	0
46	Derrike Cope	74	0	-775	1
47	Curtis Key	44	0	-775	1

Hornaday wins pole at Kansas: #33-Ron Hornaday Jr. was the fastest on track with a speed of 170.460 to win the Keystone Light Pole for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. This is Hornaday's second pole in 2008; his 16th pole in 205 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races. Rounding out the top ten were #8-Chad McCumbee, #2-Jack Sprague, #09-Bobby East, #15-Marc Mitchell, #6-Colin Braun, #99-Erik Darnell, #22-Scott Speed, #60-Terry Cook, #30-Todd Bodine, first Dodge [15th] #4-Stacy Compton.(4-26-2008)

Pit Stall Selections

Starting Line Up
Kansas Speedway
O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sat, April 26, 2008 @ 03:20 PM Eastern

Pos	Trk#	Driver	Team	Time	Speed
1	33	Ron Hornaday Jr.	Camping World Chevy	31.679	170.460
2	8	Chad McCumbee	Malcolmson Construction Chevy	31.725	170.213
3	2	Jack Sprague	American Commercial Lines Chevy	31.802	169.801
4	09	Bobby East	Zaxby's Ford	31.915	169.199
5	15	Marc Mitchell #	Ergon, Inc. Toyota	31.915	169.199
6	6	Colin Braun #	Con-way Freight Ford	31.928	169.131
7	99	Erik Darnell	Northern Tool + Equipment Ford	31.968	168.919
8	22	Scott Speed	Red Bull Toyota	31.977	168.871
9	60	Terry Cook	AutismSpeaks.org/Wyler.com Toyota	31.986	168.824
10	30	Todd Bodine	Lumber Liquidators Toyota	31.991	168.797
11	16	Brian Scott #	Albertsons Chevy	31.996	168.771
12	14	Rick Crawford	Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford	32.078	168.340
13	71	Donny Lia #	AutismSpeaks.org/TRG Motorspor Chevy	32.081	168.324
14	11	David Starr	Red Horse Racing Toyota	32.110	168.172
15	4	Stacy Compton	Gladstone Dodge Dodge	32.117	168.135
16	51	Shane Sieg	Miccosukee Resorts Toyota	32.142	168.004
17	9	Justin Marks #	V Foundation/Germain Toyota Toyota	32.143	167.999
18	5	Mike Skinner	Toyota Tundra Toyota	32.156	167.931
19	13	Shelby Howard	ThorSport Chevy	32.179	167.811
20	18	Dennis Setzer	ShopHemi.com/Arrington Engines Dodge	32.187	167.770
21	46	Landon Cassill	Chevy	32.190	167.754
22	10	Brendan Gaughan	Int'l MAXX FORCE Diesel Ford	32.216	167.619
23	20	Scott Lagasse	Nicholson Group/Kansas Jayhawks Ford	32.256	167.411
24	7	Andy Lally #	TRG Motorsports/Adobe Road Win Chevy	32.292	167.224
25	23	Johnny Benson	Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota	32.358	166.883
26	88	Matt Crafton	Menards/McGuire-Nicholas Chevy	32.429	166.518
27	40	Chad Chaffin	WrapItUpVehicleWraps.com/JMI S Chevy	32.450	166.410
28	07	Ryan Lawler	Manheim's Dealers Auto Auctions of Dalla	32.483	166.241
29	08	Jason White	GunBroker.com Dodge	32.489	166.210
30	59	Ted Musgrave	Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota	32.510	166.103
31	63	Jack Smith	Dave Porter Truck Sales Ford	32.684	165.218
32	21	Brandon Whitt	U.S. Air Force Ford	32.821	164.529
33	12	Mario Gosselin	CrashedToys.com/DGM Enterpises Chevy	33.049	163.394
34	73	Michelle Theriault	Nitrofill Dodge	34.285	157.503
35	0	Wayne Edwards	Chevy	34.581	156.155
36	74	Jennifer Jo Cobb	The Annexus Group Dodge	34.841	154.990
DNQ - None.

McCumbee fastest in Happy Hour: #8-Chad McCumbee was the fastest during the final practice session for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas with a speed of 168.629 mph. Rounding out the top ten were; #6-Colin Braun, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #2-Jack Sprague, #5-Mike Skinner, #60-Terry Cook, #14-Rick Crawford, #13-Shelby Howard, #09-Bobby East, #99-Erik Darnell; first Dodge [21st] #4-Stacy Compton. There were 36 trucks on track for the final session.(4-25-2008)

Final Practice
Kansas Speedway
O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, April 25, 2008 @ 04:31 PM Eastern

Pos	#	Driver	Team	Time	Speed	# Laps
1	8	Chad McCumbee	Malcolmson Construction Chevy	32.023	168.629	21
2	6	Colin Braun #	Con-way Freight Ford	32.150	167.963	37
3	33	Ron Hornaday Jr.	Camping World Chevy	32.173	167.843	26
4	2	Jack Sprague	American Commercial Lines Chevy	32.239	167.499	25
5	5	Mike Skinner	Toyota Tundra Toyota	32.295	167.209	25
6	60	Terry Cook	AutismSpeaks.org/Wyler.com Toyota	32.310	167.131	19
7	14	Rick Crawford	Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford	32.421	166.559	19
8	13	Shelby Howard	ThorSport Chevy	32.427	166.528	23
9	09	Bobby East	Zaxby's Ford	32.479	166.261	26
10	99	Erik Darnell	Northern Tool + Equipment Ford	32.521	166.047	23
11	46	Landon Cassill	Chevy	32.530	166.001	27
12	23	Johnny Benson	Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota	32.531	165.996	20
13	9	Justin Marks #	V Foundation/Germain Toyota Toyota	32.553	165.883	27
14	51	Shane Sieg	Miccosukee Resorts Toyota	32.562	165.837	20
15	71	Donny Lia #	AutismSpeaks.org/TRG Motorsports	32.567	165.812	13
16	11	David Starr	Red Horse Racing Toyota	32.618	165.553	25
17	88	Matt Crafton	Menards/McGuire-Nicholas Chevy	32.633	165.477	20
18	22	Scott Speed	Red Bull Toyota	32.658	165.350	23
19	7	Andy Lally #	TRG Motorsports/Adobe Road Win	32.764	164.815	26
20	20	Scott Lagasse	Nicholson Group/Kansas Jayhawks Ford	32.778	164.745	21
21	4	Stacy Compton	Gladstone Dodge Dodge	32.788	164.694	24
22	59	Ted Musgrave	Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota	32.792	164.674	16
23	15	Marc Mitchell #	Ergon, Inc. Toyota	32.809	164.589	26
24	30	Todd Bodine	Lumber Liquidators Toyota	32.813	164.569	21
25	18	Dennis Setzer	ShopHemi.com/Arrington Engines Dodge	32.825	164.509	16
26	21	Brandon Whitt	U.S. Air Force Ford	32.849	164.389	25
27	16	Brian Scott #	Albertsons Chevy	32.877	164.249	33
28	*40	Chad Chaffin	WrapItUpVehicleWraps.com/JMIS	32.878	164.244	22
29	08	Jason White	GunBroker.com Dodge	32.882	164.224	25
30	07	Ryan Lawler	Manheim's Dealers Auto Auctions of Dallas	32.894	164.164	21
31	10	Brendan Gaughan	Int'l MAXX FORCE Diesel Ford	33.019	163.542	24
32	*63	Jack Smith	Dave Porter Truck Sales Ford	33.266	162.328	20
33	*12	Mario Gosselin	CrashedToys.com/DGM Enterpises	33.398	161.686	29
34	*0	Wayne Edwards	Chevy	35.164	153.566	7
35	*74	Jennifer Jo Cobb	Providence Medical Center Dodge	35.703	151.248	21
36	*73	Michelle Theriault	Nitrofill Dodge	36.130	149.460	35
*Required to qualify on time

Hornaday quickest in first practice session: #33-Ron Hornaday Jr. led the first practice session at Kansas Speedway with a speed of 168.088 mph. Rounding out the top ten were; #6-Colin Braun, #99-Erik Darnell, #2-Jack Sprague, #8-Chad McCumbee, #5-Mike Skinner, #71-Donny Lia, #46-Landon Cassill, #51-Shane Sieg, #23-Johnny Benson; first Dodge [13th] #18-Dennis Setzer. There were 33 trucks on track for the opening session.(4-25-2008)

Practice 1
Kansas Speedway
O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, April 25, 2008 @ 01:31 PM Eastern

Pos	#	Driver	Team	Time	Speed	# Laps
1	33	Ron Hornaday Jr.	Camping World Chevy	32.126	168.088	21
2	6	Colin Braun #	Con-way Freight Ford	32.222	167.587	20
3	99	Erik Darnell	Northern Tool + Equipment Ford	32.226	167.567	28
4	2	Jack Sprague	American Commercial Lines Chevy	32.264	167.369	15
5	8	Chad McCumbee	Malcolmson Construction Chevy	32.326	167.048	15
6	5	Mike Skinner	Toyota Tundra Toyota	32.354	166.904	27
7	71	Donny Lia #	AutismSpeaks.org/TRG Motorsports	32.427	166.528	17
8	46	Landon Cassill	Chevy	32.437	166.477	23
9	51	Shane Sieg	Miccosukee Resorts Toyota	32.447	166.425	20
10	23	Johnny Benson	Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota	32.466	166.328	14
11	60	Terry Cook	AutismSpeaks.org/Wyler.com Toyota	32.535	165.975	21
12	30	Todd Bodine	Lumber Liquidators Toyota	32.535	165.975	21
13	18	Dennis Setzer	ShopHemi.com/Arrington Engines Dodge	32.535	165.975	14
14	09	Bobby East	Zaxby's Ford	32.540	165.950	27
15	22	Scott Speed	Red Bull Toyota	32.548	165.909	19
16	7	Andy Lally #	TRG Motorsports/Adobe Road Win	32.578	165.756	23
17	14	Rick Crawford	Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford	32.592	165.685	21
18	20	Scott Lagasse	Nicholson Group/Kansas Jayhawks Ford	32.592	165.685	22
19	11	David Starr	Red Horse Racing Toyota	32.593	165.680	17
20	16	Brian Scott #	Albertsons Chevy	32.627	165.507	24
21	10	Brendan Gaughan	Int'l MAXX FORCE Diesel Ford	32.637	165.456	19
22	88	Matt Crafton	Menards/McGuire-Nicholas Chevy	32.642	165.431	20
23	13	Shelby Howard	ThorSport Chevy	32.670	165.289	20
24	59	Ted Musgrave	Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota	32.708	165.097	25
25	4	Stacy Compton	Gladstone Dodge Dodge	32.724	165.017	10
26	9	Justin Marks #	V Foundation/Germain Toyota Toyota	32.780	164.735	26
27	15	Marc Mitchell #	Ergon, Inc. Toyota	32.831	164.479	11
28	*40	Chad Chaffin	WrapItUpVehicleWraps.com/JMIS	33.051	163.384	14
29	08	Jason White	GunBroker.com Dodge	33.172	162.788	25
30	21	Brandon Whitt	U.S. Air Force Ford	33.186	162.719	34
31	*12	Mario Gosselin	CrashedToys.com/DGM Enterpises	33.674	160.361	14
32	07	Ryan Lawler	Manheim's Dealers Auto Auctions of Dallas	33.696	160.256	30
33	*63	Jack Smith	Dave Porter Truck Sales Ford	34.116	158.284	18
*Required to qualify on time

Entry List
Kansas Speedway
O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, April 25, 2008 @ 11:20 AM Eastern

Entry	Trk#	Driver	Team	Owner	Crew Chief
1	*0	Wayne Edwards	Chevy	Gene Christensen	Jim Schneider
2	2	Jack Sprague	American Commercial Lines Chevy	Delana Harvick	Ernie Cope
3	4	Stacy Compton	Gladstone Dodge Dodge	Lori Hamilton	Bryant Frazier
4	5	Mike Skinner	Toyota Tundra Toyota	Bill Davis	Jeff Hensley
5	6	Colin Braun #	Con-way Freight Ford	Jack Roush	MIke Beam
6	07	Ryan Lawler	Manheim's Dealers Auto Auctions of Dalla	Ken Smith	Bobby Dotter
7	7	Andy Lally #	TRG Motorsports/Adobe Road Win Chevy	Kevin Buckler	Butch Hylton
8	08	Jason White	GunBroker.com Dodge	Bobby Dotter	Doug Howe
9	8	Chad McCumbee	Malcolmson Construction Chevy	David Malcolmson	Randy Dean
10	9	Bobby East	Zaxby's Ford	Jack Roush	Chad Norris
11	9	Justin Marks #	V Foundation/Germain Toyota Toyota	Richard Germain	Jason Overstreet
12	10	Brendan Gaughan	Int'l MAXX FORCE Diesel Ford	Tom Mitchell	Bryan Berry
13	11	David Starr	Red Horse Racing Toyota	Tom DeLoach	Jamie Jones
14	*12	Mario Gosselin	CrashedToys.com/DGM Enterpises Chevy	Michelle Gooselin	Germain Gosselin
15	13	Shelby Howard	ThorSport Chevy	Duke Thorson	Chris Rice
16	14	Rick Crawford	Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford	Tom Mitchell	Kevin Starland
17	15	Marc Mitchell #	Ergon, Inc. Toyota	Billy Ballew	Doug George
18	16	Brian Scott #	Albertsons Chevy	Joe Scott	David Fuge
19	18	Dennis Setzer	ShopHemi.com/Arrington Engines Dodge	Lori Hamilton	Marcus Richmond
20	20	Scott Lagasse	Nicholson Group/Kansas Jayhawks Ford	Tad Geschickter	Gary Cogswell
21	21	Jon Wood	U.S. Air Force Ford	Eddie Wood	John Monsam
22	22	Scott Speed	Red Bull Toyota	Bill Davis	Doug Wolcott
23	23	Johnny Benson	Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota	Gail Davis	Trip Bruce
24	30	Todd Bodine	Lumber Liquidators Toyota	Stephen Germain	Mike Hillman Jr.
25	33	Ron Hornaday Jr.	Camping World Chevy	Delana Harvick	Rick Ren
26	*40	Chad Chaffin	WrapItUpVehicleWraps.com/JMI S Chevy	Curtis Key	Lance Hooper
27	46	Landon Cassill	Chevy	David Dollar	Eric Phillips
28	51	Shane Sieg	Miccosukee Resorts Toyota	Billy Ballew	Richie Wauters
29	59	Ted Musgrave	Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota	James Harris	Danny Rollins
30	60	Terry Cook	AutismSpeaks.org/Wyler.com Toyota	Jeff Wyler	John Quinn
31	*63	Jack Smith	Dave Porter Truck Sales Ford	Mike Mittler	Mike Mittler
32	71	Donny Lia #	AutismSpeaks.org/TRG Motorspor Chevy	Kevin Buckler	Jason Miller
33	*73	Michelle Theriault	Nitrofill Dodge	Kevin Payne	Rich Markle
34	*74	Jennifer Jo Cobb	Providence Medical Center Dodge	Derrike Cope	Del Markle
35	88	Matt Crafton	Menards/McGuire-Nicholas Chevy	Rhonda Thorson	Bud Haefele
36	99	Erik Darnell	Northern Tool + Equipment Ford	Jack Roush	Matt Puccia
*Required to qualify on time

Truck Series News & Notes - April 21, 2008

O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 Could Be Break-Out Race For McCumbee:

Will Chad McCumbee (#8 MRD Motorsports Chevy) became the fifth under-25 winner of Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway? If the 23-year-old McCumbee's recent performances on intermediate tracks are any indication, the answer could be yes. He nearly won last fall in Texas before contact with Jack Sprague (#2 American Commercial Lines Chevy) knocked McCumbee from the lead on a green-white-checker restart.

McCumbee has led two of the three most recent races on 1.5-mile speedways including last month's stop at Atlanta Motor Speedway where the Supply, N.C., native finished a career-best fifth. He qualified on the front row at Texas Motor Speedway and Atlanta. "The intermediates always have been a strength of mine," said McCumbee, whose first top-10 finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series came in June 2006 at 1.5-mile Texas. "They suit my driving style." McCumbee has a sense of "feel" greater than his NASCAR Craftsman Truck experience. He agrees that was key to helping crew chief Randy Dean make the aero adjustments that nearly put the team in Victory Lane at Atlanta. "We definitely were able to find the right balance that the truck wanted," he said.

McCumbee's best finish at Kansas is 13th, but the driver has run well there in other series.

Kansas Win Sets The Table For Successful Season:

Win the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 and odds are excellent you'll finish high in the final standings. The Kansas Speedway winner has gone on to log a top-10 finish in six of the seven seasons the 1.5-mile track has been a part of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck schedule.

Mike Bliss also won the 2002 championship; four other Kansas winners - including 2006 champion Todd Bodine (#30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) - finished among the final top five. Bliss, currently a NASCAR Nationwide Series competitor, is the only driver to win multiple times in Kansas. He captured the final of five races at nearby Heartland Park Topeka, a 2.1-mile road course, in 1999.

Ironically, 2007 broke the Kansas Speedway/top-10 streak. It was good news and bad for Erik Darnell (#99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford). Darnell became the track's third, first-time winner joining Ricky Hendrick and Jon Wood. Unfortunately for Darnell, the season didn't end quite so successfully. He won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award, but finished 14th overall.

Kansas Speedway Winners: How They Finished: (The O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 winner has finished among the top 10 in six of seven seasons)
Year-Winner, Final Points
2001-Ricky Hendrick, 6
2002-Mike Bliss, 1
2003-Jon Wood, 5
2004-Carl Edwards, 4
2005-Todd Bodine, 3
2006 Terry Cook, 8
2007 Erik Darnell, 14

Standings Leader Kyle Busch Out; Shane Sieg In At Kansas:

One set of standings will change; the other -- perhaps not. Kyle Busch, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings leader since his February victory at Auto Club Speedway, will not drive the #51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota at Kansas Speedway. With four drivers within 69 points of Busch, it's a certainty someone else will be the leader when Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 concludes.

Georgia native Shane Sieg, 25, will take the wheel of the Tundra - a move Ballew hopes will allow him to retain the owner standings lead. Busch is expected to return May 16 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Sieg has competed in 27 races since 2003 with a best finish of eighth at The Milwaukee Mile. He drove Ballew's #15 truck three times last season, finishing 10th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "With Kyle's schedule at Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend, there was no way he could make the race in Kansas," Ballew said. "We looked at all the scenarios but it just wasn't feasible. Shane has driven for us before and is familiar with the equipment. "We hope to leave Kansas still leading the owners' points and know Kyle can make up some ground in the drivers' points when we race at Lowe's.

Sieg ran as Busch's teammate in 2007, but as Billy Ballew Motorsports' #1, knows the pressure is on. "It's a great opportunity to get back behind the wheel," Sieg said. "I know I have big shoes to fill but I just want to bring a good finish home to keep Billy as the team owner point leader."

Etc:

Two Teams Change Crew Chiefs: John Quinn has succeeded George Church at Wyler Racing while Lance Hooper - formerly with Thorsport Racing - replaces Gary Showalter at Key Motorsports. "Let's just say John and I are both working on a Windows computer," said Terry Cook (#60 Wyler.com Toyota). "We're on the same page and speaking the same language." Curtis Key, owner of the #40 Chevy driven by Chad Chaffin, said the move was performance-related.

Speed In #22 Toyota: Scott Speed will drive the Red Bull Tundra for Bill Davis Racing in Kansas. Phillip McGilton has left the organization.

New Faces: Mario Gosselin (#212 Chevy) and Michelle Theriault (#73 Dodge) will debut at Kansas. Gosselin is a former USAR Pro Cup champion. Theriault was 13th in NASCAR Camping World Series East competition last year.

Germain's Kyle Davis Kansas City-Area Native: Kyle Davis, truck chief on the #9 Toyota driven by Justin Marks, grew up in Savannah, Mo., a small town 45 minutes from Kansas Speedway. When he moved to the southeast hoping to break into NASCAR racing by offering his services free of charge, little did Davis know he would become a key part of one of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series' top teams. "I laid brick to pay the bills," said the Savannah High School graduate, former go-kart racer and Savannah Speedway champion. As truck chief, Davis is the right arm of crew chief Jason Overstreet. "Jason decides on which chassis we will run and what he wants to do with it. I just make sure the truck setup matches up with the calls he's made."

Noted: J. B. Fiske, Mike Skinner's coach driver/ fuel runner, hails from Solomon, Kan.

Raybestos Rookies:

Colin Braun (#6 Con-way Freight Ford), had a productive off-week, winning the Coors Light Pole for last Sunday's Corona Mexico 200 presented by Banamex. Braun won the coveted #1 starting position in just his third NASCAR Nationwide Series appearance. Braun ran near the front of the field for much of the race before finishing 33rd.

Now, he has some work to do to catch current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year co-leader Justin Marks (#9 V Foundation/Germain Racing Toyota). Marks won the pole for last year's ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Kansas before finishing sixth. "It is an honor to represent The V Foundation on our Tundra this weekend in Kansas," Marks said. "They have made an incredible impression in the fight against cancer in professional sports and we look forward to playing a small part in spreading their message. Having The V Foundation for Cancer Research on our truck this week gives us purpose beyond on-track results."

Rookie Standings:
1. Justin Marks, 38
2. Phillip McGilton, 38
3. Brian Scott, 36
4. Colin Braun, 34
5. Donny Lia, 28
6. Andy Lally, 28
7. Marc Mitchell, 22

In The Loop:

As the days since the race at Martinsville clicked off Mike Skinner's calendar, the race at Kansas Speedway got closer and closer. And all of a sudden, Skinner's outlook got brighter and brighter. A former series champion, Skinner has encountered uncharacteristic troubles. After four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, he's just 14th in the standings. Two poor finishes of 29th sandwich two strong results of eighth and third. But Kansas acts as an opportunity for Skinner to vault back into the top 10 and get his season back on track. In four Kansas races, Skinner's worst finish is 12th, and he's finished inside the top five in each of the last three races. Over that three-race span, Skinner has series-best numbers in Driver Rating (122.9), Average Running Position (5.5) and Laps in the Top 15 (468), and is second only to Todd Bodine in Fastest Laps Run with 65. One other stat Skinner has going for him - he has yet to win at Kansas. Oddly, that might help his cause. No driver has repeated at Kansas.

Another driver who has yet to visit Kansas' Victory Lane is Jack Sprague, who finished third there last season. Over his past three Kansas races, Sprague has a Driver Rating of 102.7 and an Average Running Position of 13.5.

Last season, Erik Darnell was not only a first- time Kansas winner, he was a first-time winner - period. Watch for another strong performance. Darnell has a Kansas Driver Rating of 105.0, an Average Running Position of 11.1 and 50 Fastest Laps Run.

This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders: (Through four races of the 25-race season)
Points leader - Kyle Busch (645)
Driver Rating - Kyle Busch (122.0)
Winnings - Kyle Busch ($183,935)
Laps led - Dennis Setzer (130)
Victories - Kyle Busch (2)
Keystone Light Poles - three drivers with three
Top-five finishes - Kyle Busch (3)
Top-10 finishes - three drivers with three
Raybestos Rookie Leader - Justin Marks (0 points/best finish over Phillip McGilton)
Races led - Ron Hornaday Jr. (4)
Weeks in Top 10 - Seven drivers with four

Wayne's Words:

"Kansas Speedway, by virtue of the way the track was built, makes this week's O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 a wide-open affair. "The track consistently produces new winners - three in seven races - and sends up-and-coming drivers as well as veterans to Victory Lane. It's anyone's guess who might end up driving a victory lap holding the checkered flag this Saturday.

"What makes Kansas Speedway so interesting and unpredictable? Unlike some of the intermediate tracks where hitting the exact racing line is critical, Kansas Speedway allows a driver to select multiple grooves in order to find out where the truck works the best. "That's one good reason why a newer driver can get up to speed in short order.

"Finally, the sweeping nature of the turns, banked less than some tracks on which we compete, allows competitors to enter side-by-side, easily pick up the throttle and keep right on racing. "Based on what we saw in Atlanta, another intermediate track, reducing horsepower increased the level of competition. That has put the outcome more in the hands of the drivers and has created the kind of race, from start to finish, that our NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series fans and competitors have come to enjoy." - Wayne Auton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director.

More Etc:

"We've gotten to that point a few times, but we've just never had the perfect day that it takes to win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race (at Kansas). You never say a track owes you one, but it'd sure be nice to put our Ford F-150 in Victory Lane at Kansas and erase all those memories of finishing second there." - Rick Crawford, #14 Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford, the runner-up finisher at Kansas in 2006-07.

Skinner Defends Pro/Celebrity Title … Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) won the Professional division of Saturday's Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Long Beach (Calif.) Grand Prix. He finished .324 second behind ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little. The race featured a split start with celebrity drivers getting a 30-second handicap. "That was fun," said Skinner. "Knocked a little paint off my car and had a blast."

Cancer Week To Be Observed … Lori Hamilton, co-owner of BHR-VA, and Yahoo Sports reporter Bob Margolis were in Atlanta Monday as part of Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week. They spoke with current cancer patients and conducted several media interviews with CNN and Fox. Kansas Speedway will offer free Head and Neck Cancer screenings throughout the race weekend.

Up Next:

At last: A home game. Virtually all of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams call the Charlotte, N.C., area home, so a trip to Lowe's Motor Speedway takes just a few minutes.

The May 16 North Carolina Lottery 200 marks the sixth time the series has competed at the 1.5-mile facility. Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 Camping World Chevy) is the defending race winner. Kyle Busch, the 2005-06 winner, also is expected to compete.
(NASCAR Media)(4-21-2008)

Truck Series News & Notes - April 14, 2008

Skinner Races For A Good Cause Out West:

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran and former series champion Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) headed west to his home state of California last week to prepare to defend an important title. In addition to all his success in NASCAR, Skinner also happens to be the defending Professional Champion of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. The race, which takes place Saturday, is part of the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. In its 32nd year, the celebrity racing event has become one of the main attractions during the Grand Prix race weekend. Fans will see a field of 18 competitors from both the celebrity and professional driver world's battle in a 10-lap race on a 1.97-mile street circuit through the streets of downtown Long Beach. The charity event benefits "Racing for Kids," a national organization that helps children's hospitals in Southern California.

With a busy NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule and fulltime truck duties, the driver still made it to the practice and media day to prepare for the race and spend time with this year's field. Skinner is excited to be back in 2008 but not just to add another win to the chart. "To me, the race itself is just the finale to everything that builds up to the race," he said. "There's the training and then the practice day when they actually close down the streets just for the celebrities to practice and let the media get involved. "Then, when we get back to Long Beach on race weekend, we make the children's hospital visit on Thursday and you start to get the warm, fuzzy feeling that you're actually doing something for charity and helping a wonderful company like Toyota do something so good for others," Skinner said.

Teams Keep Busy Testing:

How do teams spend a break in the racing schedule? For several, the time is spent testing at various tracks ever after information to benefit them and keep them competitive down the road. Two of Roush Fenway Racing's teams took two days to test at the newly-repaved Darlington Raceway. Erik Darnell in the #99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford turned laps while Travis Kvapil and Bobby East shared the #09 Zaxby's Ford. "We tested a brand-new truck that we plan on racing at Lowe's and Dover next month, and we spent a lot of time comparing it to what we have been racing," Darnell said. Matt Puccia, Darnell's crew chief, agreed with his driver. "The things we learned here will benefit us at the many fast banked tracks like Lowe's," he said. East, who took over the truck from Kvapil for the second day of testing, took it as another opportunity to gain valuable seat time. "That Zaxby's truck was probably the best stock car/truck I've ever driven," said East, who will start his 2008 schedule in Kansas. "I made about 200 laps between the two days so it was good to get the laps in and get familiar with Chad (Norris, crew chief) and the truck before Kansas."

Further north, some of the series' Chevy teams tested at Richmond Int'l Raceway. Defending series champion crew chief Rick Ren was pleased with the track time. "We had a really good test," he said. "We worked on some short track set-ups. We learned a lot and look forward to taking what we learned and applying it at Mansfield. These off-weeks have given our two truck teams an opportunity to assess where we are and regroup before the long summer stretch."

Several teams also practiced at Pocono Raceway.

Etc:

Another Lady Set To Debut … Kansas native Jennifer Jo Cobb will be the latest female to make her debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Cobb will not be the only new face in the garage; so will her team. She will pilot the #74 Dodge owned by 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope. "I couldn't be more excited," Cobb said. "I love racing at Kansas Speedway, and am looking forward to climbing behind the wheel in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and kicking off Derrike's new race team." The daughter of racer Joe Cobb, she has found success in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, where she's posted three top-10 finishes in her first five starts, one of which came at Kansas. The driver also has two appearances in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, including one at Kansas Speedway.

Lori Hamilton Voice Of Foundation's Awareness Week … Lori Hamilton, of Bobby Hamilton Racing VA and widow of 2004 series champion Bobby Hamilton, has been chosen to serve as the official spokesperson for the 2008 Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week which runs April 21-27. A major part of the week will be free cancer screenings at over 150 medical facilities nationwide. "When Bobby was diagnosed he immediately became an advocate of early detection of head and neck cancer," Lori Hamilton said. "He asked everyone around him to get tested, promoted it to anyone who would listen and became a huge believer in the screening process. It doesn't hurt, is free and the 10 minutes it takes to do it could save your life. So we are encouraging everyone to please take advantage of this free screening opportunity."

Drivers Challenge Media In Kansas … Roush Fenway Racing drivers Darnell and Colin Braun (#6 Con-Way Freight Ford) head to Kansas this week to promote the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250. On Tuesday, the drivers face off against local media members on the go-kart track at Sadler's Indoor Racing in Olathe, Kansas. Darnell won his first series race at Kansas Speedway in last year's O'Reilly Auto Parts 250. Braun, the rookie teammate, would like to add his first win to his resume and gain points on fellow freshmen in the close Raybestos Rookie of the Year battle.

Roush Fenway Racing's drivers know where to find Victory Lane in Kansas. In the seven races held at the speedway since 2001, its drivers have won three - Jon Wood (2003), Carl Edwards (2004) and Darnell (2007).

This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders: (through four races of the 25-race season)
Points leader - Kyle Busch (645)
Driver Rating - Kyle Busch (122.0)
Winnings - Kyle Busch ($183,935)
Laps led - Dennis Setzer (130)
Victories - Kyle Busch (2)
Keystone Light Poles - three drivers with three
Top-five finishes - Kyle Busch (3)
Top-10 finishes - three drivers with three
Raybestos Rookie Leader - Justin Marks (0 points/best finish over Phillip McGilton)
Races led - Ron Hornaday Jr. (4)
Weeks in Top 10 - Seven drivers with four

In The Loop:

A quick glance at the top 10 in the Driver Rating proves that the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is an all-welcoming, parity-filled series. The numbers reiterate the old saying, "Age is just a number." The top 10 in Driver Rating ranges from age 22 to 50. There are two drivers in their 20s, one in his 30s, six in their 40s and one his 50s.

The youngest in the top 10 is the points leader, 22-year-old Kyle Busch. With a series-leading Driver Rating of 122.0, he's one of three drivers with a Driver Rating above 100.0. Additionally, he has an Average Running Position of 5.1, 107 Fastest Laps Run and has run a series-high 94.5 percent of the laps in the top 15.

At the other end of the spectrum is 50-year-old Mike Skinner, who has had solid runs but some poor finishes this season. Despite a 14th-place points position, Skinner ranks fifth in Driver Rating (92.1), seventh in Average Running Position (12.8) and fifth in Laps in the Top 15 (72 percent).

Representing the 40-year-old crowd is defending series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., who is third in the points standings. The 49-year-old has a Driver Rating of 110.1, an Average Running Position of 8.2 and 39 Fastest Laps Run.

The lone 30-something in the top 10 of Driver Rating is Matt Crafton, who ranks 10th with an 83.5. Crafton, 31, has an Average Running Position of 14.2 and has run 65.7 percent of the Laps in the Top 15.

Rookies: (After four races of the 2008 season)
1. Justin Marks, 38
2. Phillip McGilton, 38
3. Brian Scott, 36
4. Colin Braun, 34
5. Donny Lia, 28
6. Andy Lally, 28
7. Marc Mitchell, 22

2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings:
Toyota, 30
Chevy, 21
Dodge 19 Ford, 18

Up Next:

Two short weeks remain until the series returns to action with the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 on April 26. Kansas will be the first track to host the series not in conjunction with the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
(NASCAR Media)(4-14-2008)

Truck Series News & Notes - April 7, 2008

First Wins Abound In Kansas: Resurgent Crafton Says 'Why Not?'

Veterans can't wait to race on 1.5-mile tracks where their experience certainly makes a difference. The most recent seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions have won 31 of 71 races held on so-called "intermediate" speedways. Kansas Speedway, however, is different. Beginning with the late Ricky Hendrick's surprise victory in the 2001 inaugural race, there have been three first-time winners including Erik Darnell (#99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford) in 2007.

That would lead Matt Crafton (#88 Menards Chevy) to believe the April 26 O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 could be special. Crafton is anything but a rookie but the Tulare, Calif., native remains without a victory in 176 series starts. Crafton, 31, is on a roll of sorts having finishing second - a career best - at Martinsville Speedway on March 29. So why not the next step up? "To win races, you first have to put yourself in position to be there at the end. We've had top-five finishes before but we haven't been as consistent as we'd have liked," said Crafton, currently sixth in NASCAR Craftsman Truck point standings. "Now we really feel like the pieces are in place for us to be (consistent) … and the wins will come."

Crafton's team, owned by Duke and Rhonda Thorson, has been fulltime in the series since 1998 and has one victory with Terry Cook. The Ohio-based team also fields a second truck for Shelby Howard (#13 ThorSport Racing). With all-time series winning crew chief Dennis Connor having returned as competition director, Crafton believes anything is possible - wins and a championship.

Sunflower State Winners: Eight Are In At Kansas Speedway:

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has staged 12 events in the state of Kansas beginning in 1995 with five road races at Heartland Park Topeka. Kansas Speedway joined the schedule in 2001. Eight of 11 Kansas winners are expected to compete in the April 26 O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 including all of the competitors who visited Victory Lane at HPT.

Interestingly, no driver has been able to double up even though three of those winners - Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 VFW Chevy), Jack Sprague (#2 American Commercial Lines Chevy) and Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) - are ranked one, two and three in series victories.

Hornaday is the only double Kansas winner, scoring victories at HPT in the track's 1995 inaugural and its 1999 finale.

Performance By NCTS Winners In Kansas: (Active Drivers)

Driver	Races	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
Ron Hornaday	8	2	4	6
J. Sprague	10	1	4	6
T. Cook	10	1	2	6
M. Skinner	7	1	6	6
T. Bodine	5	1	2	4
J. Wood	4	1	2	4
S. Compton	3	1	1	1
E. Darnell	2	1	1	2

Etc:

Speed Doing Double Duty In Kansas … The April 25-26 weekend will be a busy one for Scott Speed, who joins Bill Davis Racing for a partial schedule in the #24 Toyota. The match reinforces the "loan" of Skinner to Team Red Bull's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series #84 car. "He knows what it takes to run well and win races," said Speed, who also will compete in Kansas Speedway's ARCA RE/MAX Series race. "The more I can learn from him, the quicker my learning process will be."

Wyler Racing Names New Crew Chief … John Quinn has assumed the role of crew chief at Wyler Racing and driver Terry Cook. George Church had started the season as crew chief of the #60 Wyler.com Toyota, but left the team following the Martinsville race to pursue other opportunities. Quinn has two victories, both with Roush Fenway Racing. He won with Ricky Craven in 2005 and Darnell a year ago at Kansas.

NCTS Point Leader Still Hot Commodity … Kyle Busch (#51 Toyota) has won in all three of NASCAR's national series for a record third year with his April 5 NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Billy Ballew Racing announced that Marc Mitchell henceforth will compete in a Toyota. The #15 truck made its debut at Martinsville Speedway where Denny Hamlin finished 21st.

Rookie Braun Busy During Off Weeks … Colin Braun (#6 Con-way Freight Ford) is in Arizona Saturday to cheer for his uncle Cole, who is competing an Ironman competition - a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. Then it's off to Kansas Speedway for a media event and the April 20 Nationwide Series Corona Mexico 200 presented by Banamex.

Key Motorsports Signs Apparel Sponsor … Keep'n It Reel, manufacturer of outdoors apparel, becomes the official apparel provider of Key Motorsports, which fields the #40 Chevy of driver Chad Chaffin.

In The Loop:

Five drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series have competed in all seven races at Kansas Speedway - and only one of them has visited Victory Lane. Terry Cook, Ted Musgrave, Matt Crafton, Rick Crawford and Martinsville winner Dennis Setzer have seven Kansas starts but only Cook has a victory.

One of the remaining four could join Cook - Crawford. Crawford has two consecutive runner-up finishes at Kansas, and has tremendous statistics at the 1.5-mile track since 2005. Crawford has a Driver Rating of 105.4 (fourth best), an Average Running Position of 8.3 (third) and he's run 82.1percent of laps inside the top 15 (fourth). The other three drivers need to improve upon past Kansas performances if they want to end their 0-for-7 droughts.

Musgrave notched top fives in 2001 and 2002 but since then has failed to crack the top 10. Over the past three races, he has a Driver Rating of 79.4 (13th) and an Average Running Position of 16.4 (14th).

Crafton scored a 10th-place finish last season, but prior to that finished 27th and 20th in 2005 and 2006, respectively. He has a Driver Rating of 76.2 (16th) and an Average Running Position of 14.2 (11th) over the last three races. On the bright side, Crafton is second in Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green) with 86.

Setzer, who has the hot hand after his win at Martinsville, scored top-three runs from 2001-03, but hasn't finished in the top 10 since. His worst Kansas finish (26th) came last season. Since 2005, Setzer has a Driver Rating of 82.8 (12th) and an Average Running Position of 15.4 (13th).

This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders: (through four races of the 25-race season)
Points leader - Kyle Busch (645)
Driver Rating - Kyle Busch (122.0)
Winnings - Kyle Busch ($183,935)
Laps led - Dennis Setzer (130)
Victories - Kyle Busch (2)
Keystone Light Poles - three drivers with three
Top-five finishes - Kyle Busch (3)
Top-10 finishes - three drivers with three
Raybestos Rookie Leader - Justin Marks (0 points/best finish over Phillip McGilton)
Races led - Ron Hornaday Jr. (4)
Weeks in Top 10 - Seven drivers with four

Rookies:

If this year's Raybestos Rookie of the Year class is looking for a level playing field, Kansas Speedway fills the bill. None of the seven candidates has competed in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the 1.5-mile speedway.

Still, Justin Marks (#9 Construct Corps/Crocs Toyota) won the pole for last year's ARCA RE/MAX Series event. Phillip McGilton (#22 Toyota) was ninth in ARCA's 2006 event. Marc Mitchell also has ARCA experience there.

Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings after four races of the 2008 season:
1. Justin Marks, 38
2. Phillip McGilton, 38
3. Brian Scott, 36
4. Colin Braun, 34
5. Donny Lia, 28
6. Andy Lally, 28
7. Marc Mitchell, 22

2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings:
Toyota, 30
Chevy, 21
Dodge, 19
Ford, 18

Up Next:

The April 26 O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 marks the first time in 2008 the series has not run in combination with the NASCAR Sprint Cup or Nationwide series.

This year's schedule features eight such "stand-alone" races.
(NASCAR MEDIA)(4-7-2008)

Truck Series News & Notes - Off-week; March 31, 2008

BHR VA Wins Kroger 250: Redemption At Martinsville Speedway:

The late Bobby Hamilton, the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, took pride in the fact his team - no matter the odds - never gave up. The 14 months since his January 2007 death provided challenges that well would have sunk lesser groups. Driver changes, lost sponsorship and a move from the Nashville area to Martinsville, Va., proved daunting, but ultimately led to redemption. Dennis Setzer drove the team's #18 Duck Head/Aquaduck Dodge to a convincing win in Saturday's Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Setzer's third Martinsville victory came in the team's 73rd start since Hamilton's last win at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park in May 2005.

Hamilton's widow, Lori Hamilton, stated the obvious. "Obviously, the emotions are running high right now.," she said. "We all said after Bobby passed away if we couldn't do it with him, then we would do it in honor of him." "So to win at Martinsville, which is now our new home track, in the fashion that Dennis did today, is an amazing accomplishment for us and our new-found partners and family." She added, "This win is about all those race fans, Bobby's friends and the employees that not only stood behind us last year and worked through a lot of hardships, but those who continued to stick behind us this year and our new-found employees doing it for one man - Bobby Hamilton." Setzer, who joined the team last September, said "Lori brought this team through some really hard times last season and did a tremendous job of holding everyone together. This year, she partnered with another group of smart businessmen and racers to help her and it's working."

Dodge Snaps Series' Longest Manufacturers' Winless Streak:

Dodge's record-NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winless streak reached 72 races in early March at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Thanks to Martinsville master Setzer, the drought is over.

Kyle Busch's (#51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota) victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 20, 2005 signaled the beginning of the streak for - ironically - the previous season's manufacturer champion. Busch's March 7 Atlanta win proved to be Dodge's final loss.

Ford's 27-race non-winning streak between September 2004 and September 2005 stands as the second-longest in NASCAR Craftsman Truck history. The truck maker's 10-race drought, dating to Talladega last October, is the series' current longest.

Toyota, which entered the series in 2004, required just 13 races to capture its first win but in October of the same season, ran into a 15-race dry spell that lasted until Todd Bodine's (#30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) July 2 victory at Kansas Speedway. Chevy, winner of six Manufacturers' championships, has the fewest consecutive losses between wins - 12 - in 2000.

NCTS Manufacturer Winless Streaks: (Between Wins)
Dodge [72], 5/20/05-3/7/08
Ford [27], 9/9/04-9/8/05
Toyota [15], 10/23/04-6/24/05
Chevy [12], 6/3/00-9/22/00

Etc: Great Day For Speed, Wallace:

Formula One Veteran Likes Short-Tracking. … Once he concluded that fenders can be an offensive weapon, Scott Speed (#46 Red Bull Chevy) quickly moved through the Kroger 250 field and finished 10th in his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck start. "In the beginning I was getting abused (and) it was hard t get my brain around the fact that I can touch something and not rip the corner of the (truck) off," Speed said. "It took me awhile to realize, 'you know what?' I can get in there on the inside and if I touch them, it is okay - there is a bit of a cushion."

Wallace Matches Best Female Debut In Series. … Chrissy Wallace guided her #03 GEICO/Mobil Delvac Toyota to a hard-fought 18th-place finish and in doing so joined Shawna Robinson as the best finishing female competitors in their first NASCAR Craftsman Truck start. Wallace stands alone with the best finish in the series by a female making her NASCAR national debut. "They put the belief in me that I could get a top-20 finish and that is exactly what we did," said Wallace of Germain Racing, her father and spotter Mike Wallace and coach Tony Stewart.

Busch Holds Points Lead Despite Last Lap Incident. … Standings leader Kyle Busch saw a 72-point edge over Todd Bodine cut to 36 after a final turn collision with Johnny Benson (#23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota). Behind Busch, however, there's a big logjam. The difference between Bodine and fifth-place Rick Crawford (#14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford) is just 62 points.

On To 2008 Owner Points. … The Kroger 250 was the final race in which the top 30 starting positions were set by 2007 owner points. Owners gaining top-30 status are Delana Harvick (#2 RVs.com Chevy), Billy Ballew (#15 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota) and Kevin Buckler (#71 TRG Chevy).

In The Loop:

Dennis Setzer proclaimed "Hello, world!" after his impressive victory at Martinsville Speedway. Setzer, an 18-time winner on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, dominated the field Saturday, posting a near-perfect Driver Rating of 143.4 (150.0 is the maximum rating), an Average Running Position of 3.9, 40 Fastest Laps Run and spending all but one lap in the top 15. Prior to the win, Setzer's best finish in the first three races this season was a 10th. The victory improved his standing and his statistics among the NASCAR Craftsman Truck stars. Setzer catapulted into fourth place in the series standings, up from his previous ninth-place spot. His season Driver Rating is now 86.1, up from 67.0 prior to Martinsville.

The series lead still belongs to Kyle Busch, despite his 26th-place finish at Martinsville. He also holds the series lead in many of the season-to-date Loop Data stats: Average Running Position (5.1), Driver Rating (122.1), Fastest Laps Run (107 - Busch is the only driver with triple digits in the category) and Laps in the Top 15 (551).

Erik Darnell continues to shine in this young season. He scored his best finish of the year last Saturday with a solid fifth-place run. The finish vaulted Darnell from 13th in the standings to eighth. His Driver Rating is now a sixth-best 91.8 and his Average Running Position of 9.8 ranks fourth in the series.

Rookies:

Donny Lia (#71 Autism Speaks/TRG Chevy) put his Martinsville modified experience to good use as he finished ninth in Saturday's Kroger 250. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion was the highest finishing Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate. Lia won last September's modified tour race at the .526-mile oval.

The Kroger 250 marked the third time in four races that at least one rookie candidate has finished among the top 10.

Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings after four races of the 2008 season:
1. Justin Marks, 38
2. Phillip McGilton, 38
3. Brian Scott, 36
4. Colin Braun, 34
5. Donny Lia, 28
6. Andy Lally, 28
7. Marc Mitchell, 22

2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings:
Toyota, 30
Chevy, 21
Dodge, 19
Ford, 18

Up Next:

Erik Darnell (#99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford) will defend his 2007 Kansas Speedway victory on April 26 .

The O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 will be the eighth race held at the 1.5-mile facility in Kansas City, Kansas.
(NASCAR Media)(3-31-2008)

Additional Kansas Truck Series Race Info at:
kansasspeedway.com
espn.go.com
NASCAR.com
truckseries.com

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