Thursday, August 18th
10:30 AM 11:30 AM Michigan International Speedway Pace Car Rides
2:00 PM NCWTS HAULERS ENTER (TRUCK PARKING ONLY)
3:00 PM NCWTS REGISTRATION OPENS
3:00 PM NCWTS GARAGE OPENS
7:00 PM NCWTS GARAGE & REGISTRATION CLOSES

Friday, August 19th
8:00 AM NCWTS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
9:30 AM NCWTS ROOKIE & SPOTTER MEETINGS & RANDOM DRAWING
11:00 AM 11:50 AM NCWTS PRACTICE
1:40 PM 2:50 PM NCWTS FINAL PRACTICE
4:00 PM NCWTS REGISTRATION CLOSES
5:00 PM NCWTS GARAGE CLOSES

Saturday, August 20th
6:00 AM NCWTS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
9:10 AM NCWTS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
10:30 AM NCWTS DRIVER/CREW CHIEF MEETING (MICHIGAN ROOM)
12:00 PM NCWTS DRIVER INTRODUCTION-SECURITY–CLEAR PIT ROAD
12:30 PM NCWTS RACE (100 LAPS, 200 MILES)
1:00 PM NCWTS REGISTRATION CLOSES

NOTE: All times are listed in Eastern Time Zone and are tentative, subject to change.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series -- Race No. 15 – VFW 200
Michigan International Speedway (2.0-mile oval) – Brooklyn, Mich.
Fast Facts for August 19-21, 2011

Tire:
Goodyear Wrangler Speedway Radials

Number of Tires:
Left-side -- 325
Right-side -- 325

Set limits:
4 sets for the weekend

Tire Codes:
Left-side -- D-4396
Right-side -- D-4444

Tire Circumference:
Left-side -- 87.2 in.
Right-side -- 88.3 in.

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi
Right Front -- 48 psi; Right Rear -- 45 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 22 psi; Left Rear – 20 psi;
Right Front -- 45 psi; Right Rear -- 42 psi

Estimated Pit Window:
Every 36-40 laps, based on fuel mileage.

Notes:
Teams in the both NASCAR series in action at Michigan this weekend will run the same Goodyear tire codes, though the Sprint Cup tires will be branded "Goodyear Eagle," while the Camping World Truck tires will be branded "Goodyear Wrangler" . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that Sprint Cup teams ran at Michigan in June . . . in the Cup Series, teams have also run this left-side tire code (D-4396) at Kentucky and this right-side code (D-4444) at Dover earlier this season . . . for the trucks, this is their first time on this left-side code, but also ran this right-side at Dover in May . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Michigan . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.(Goodyear PR)(8-18-2011)

Truck Series News & Notes - Michigan International Speedway

Michigan Track Perfect Fit For NASCAR Camping World Truck Racing
Eleven seasons of racing at Michigan International Speedway have produced some of the fastest and most competitive moments in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history.   The 2-mile superspeedway, which hosts Saturday's 12th Annual VFW 200, accounts for the series' fastest race, its third-closest finish and the second greatest number of different race leaders.

"There's always a battle going on, not one truck enters in the same line and they all end up in a straight line coming off. I love it," said Brendan Gaughan, who won in 2003 at a series-record average speed of 154.044 mph.

Side-by-side finishes have been common in Michigan's Irish Hills region but none were more thrilling than in 2008. Erik Darnell side-drafted past 2006 VFW 200 winner and Michigan native Johnny Benson to claim victory literally by the leading edge of his Ford's splitter -- a margin of 0.005 seconds.

Michigan International Speedway's most competitive race was in 2005 when 13 different drivers held point before Dennis Setzer prevailed.   Gaughan and Colin Braun are the only previous winners expected to compete this week although Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin have NASCAR national series victories at the track. Bodine finished second in last year's race en route to his second series title.

Kligerman Hopes To Find Michigan Victory Lane For Keselowski
Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Parker Kligerman calls Connecticut home but he'll be a Michigan home state favorite at least on Saturday as the driver of Brad Keselowski's Dodge.   Kligerman, who celebrated his 21st birthday last week, is no stranger to the track having won an ARCA race there in 2009. He enters the season's 15th race ranked third in rookie points and eighth in overall NASCAR Camping World Truck standings. After scoring back-to-back second place finishes earlier this season, Kligerman definitely is a candidate to become the series' next first-time winner -- and, in Michigan, a popular one.

Keselowski, a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series winner at MIS, is just the latest member of the Rochester Hills, Mich. family to be embraced by Michigan fans.   His father, Bob, is a former ARCA champion and a winner in that series at Michigan in 1992. While the Keselowski family's K Automotive truck team never was able to win on home turf, drivers Setzer and Terry Cook raced at the front of the field posting top-10 finishes in four consecutive races.

Brad Keselowski, who traveled with, worked on and drove for his family's NASCAR Camping World Truck team before he was a teen, said fielding a truck "has a natural feel. It would seem weird to have a family in the series since the beginning and not having a (Keselowski) truck in it."   And that's fine with Kligerman. "Monday through Friday, Brad's there at the shop helping us make our trucks faster," he said.

Series Youth Being Served At Unprecedented Pace In 2011
Once described as a "second chance" opportunity for the sport's veterans, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011 is likewise spotlighting stock car racing's future.   When Austin Dillon took over the championship lead following the Aug. 6 race at Pocono Raceway, it marked the first time two competitors 21 years of age or younger have topped the points in the same season.In fact, Dillon, 21 and Cole Whitt, then 19, are the youngest ever to show as series points leaders. Both displaced Kyle Busch, age 22 when he was No. 1 in 2008. Five of the current top 10 in points -- including three of the top five - have yet to celebrate their 22nd birthdays.

Travis Kvapil, age 27 in 2003, remains the series' youngest champion and only competitor to win a NASCAR Camping World Truck title in his 20s.

Dillon also is just the fourth Sunoco Rookie of the Year to lead series standings in his sophomore season. He joins Biffle (1998-99), Gaughan (2002-03) and Carl Edwards (2003-04).

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.
Three familiar figures return to series competition this week in Michigan led by 2009 VFW 200 winner Colin Braun. Braun will drive for 20-time series winner Billy Ballew, whose No. 51 Ford will be overseen by Richie Wauters. Wauters' 17 wins rank sixth all time by crew chiefs. Aric Almirola won last year's Michigan race in a truck owned by Ballew. ... Busch and Harvick renew their owners' championship rivalry this week. Busch leads by 27 points after finishing second to Harvick at Pocono. ... Butch Miller of Coopersville is the only entered Michigan driver. Miller has one series victory in 1995 at Colorado National Speedway.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(8-16-2011)

Truck Series News & Notes -- Open week beginning August 8, 2011

Dillon Grabs First Points Lead, But It's Crowded At The Top
A half--season's worth of races usually winnows the field down to two or three championship contenders at best. Not this year.
After 14 races, less than a single race worth of points -- 37 -- spans first and sixth places. With a potential net gain of 39 points, sixth--place Matt Crafton could be the leader after the August 20 VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedway.

Austin Dillon took over the No. 1 spot for the first time in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career after a six--point penalty was levied on Johnny Sauter Tuesday for failing post--race inspection. Dillon, 21, is the fifth different leader this season, and now leads Sauter by a single point.

James Buescher, Timothy Peters and Cole Whitt, ranked third through fifth, also could grab the No. 1 position in Michigan. Sauter, Dillon and Peters each have a victory, as do Crafton and four--time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., ranked ninth.

A look back at 16 years of series competition finds just two instances in which so many drivers were this closely bunched at this point of the season. Under the previous points system in which a driver could gain or lose 140 points per race, the top five contenders were separated by 73 in 2001. Two years later the margin between first and fifth was 137.

Jack Sprague ultimately separated himself from his rivals in 2001, winning his third title by 73 points over Ted Musgrave.
The 2003 finish, however, became the gold standard among multiple title contenders entering the season's final race. Four contenders -- Travis Kvapil, Dennis Setzer, Musgrave and Brendan Gaughan -- literally had their hands on the trophy during the Homestead--Miami finale before Kvapil prevailed.

Paludo Vs. Piquet: Long Journey For Brazilian Bragging Rights
Two countrymen, Brazilians Miguel Paludo and Nelson Piquet Jr., could have settled their scores on home turf but instead traveled 5,000 miles and a hemisphere to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Their decision has been mutually beneficial to drivers and the series, which gained a significant international flavor -- spiced by the addition of Italian veteran Max Papis.   Piquet's previous racing career -- Formula 1 -- was the more prominent but Paludo, Brazil's youngest GT3 Cup champion, has pretty much matched his Sunoco Rookie of the Year rival in truck competition. Both have a pair of top--five finishes; each ranks among the top 15 in overall points and stand a position apart in the Sunoco standings.   "Miguel and I have a great relationship. We talk a lot and it's quite nice to have a fellow Brazilian at the track," said Piquet, who finished second to Kyle Busch at Nashville in April. "Even though we are friends off the track, we are competitors on track and of course I want to beat him ... then again when I go out there to race, I want to beat everyone."Said Paludo, "It's nice to compete with Nelson. We are friends and hope to see more Brazilians coming here. My goal is still to win a race this season and I hope it happens soon."

Whitt, Coulter Trade Ups, Downs In Matching Sunoco Rookie Points
Cole Whitt and Joey Coulter have matched Sunoco Rookie of the Year points through the schedule's first 14 races. The pair left Pocono Raceway each having scored 160 points toward the prestigious award.  Call it a tale of two seasons within a season.

Whitt, who led the overall standings after finishing third at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, was a whopping 44 points ahead of Coulter seven races into the schedule.   Whitt, a 20--year--old USAC midget champion from Alpine, Calif., seemingly could do no wrong finishing outside the top 10 -- 12th and 14th -- just twice in the season's first seven races. Coulter, on the other hand, looked more like the rookie driver he was: three finishes of 24th or worse and just three top--10 performances over the same period. Then, the tables literally turned.

Coulter, who finished sixth last weekend at Pocono, has finished seven consecutive races among the top 10. The 21--year--old from Miami Springs, Fla., has gone from 16th in overall points to seventh.

Whitt's fortunes have turned 180 degrees. His most recent seven races have produced just two top 10s, a pair of finishes of 26th or worse and completed only two of his last six starts on the lead lap. Whitt has managed to retain fifth overall in points but Coulter's gaining there as well. The two freshmen are separated by 12 points.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.
Buescher won't be taking this weekend off. He'll be competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Zippo 200 at The Glen and making his NASCAR national series road--course debut. ... Hornaday became the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' first driver to record 200 top--10 finishes with his ninth--place performance at Pocono Raceway. ... Kevin Harvick Inc. recorded its 36th series victory at Pocono, matching Ultra Motorsports for No. 2 all--time in the series. Roush Fenway Racing is the overall leader with 50 wins. KHI is the only team to have won three or more times in the five most recent seasons.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(8-9-2011)