Kevin Harvicks NASCAR Craftsman Truck team tested Tuesday evening with driver Matt Crafton, getting a jump on testing for next Marchs inaugural truck race, and the Toyota development team of Bill Davis Racing joined the test Wednesday night. The 200-mile event is scheduled for Saturday, March 13, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. During the four-hour evening test, Crafton and his #6 GM Goodwrench Chevy truck reached a top speed of 177.408mph around the 1.54-mile high-banked track. Crafton was joined during Wednesday nights test by Shelby Howard, who will pilot the Bill Davis Racing/Toyota development truck. Crafton has driven the #88 Menards/Enzyme Majic ThorSport Chevy in the truck series for the past four seasons, this year earning 18 top-15 finishes in 24 races. However, Crafton announced in September that he would not return to Dick Thorsons team next year and was quickly named the driver of Kevin Harvicks full-time truck series entry. Howard, a three-time ARCA Re/Max Series winner, recently signed with BDR to drive the Toyota Tundra next season. Tickets are already on sale for the truck race and the rest of the March 12-14 Golden Corral 500 weekend. For more information, call the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, or call Ticketmaster.(Atlanta Motor Speedway PR)(11-13-2003)
UPDATE: Already a veteran of Atlanta Motor Speedway at the ripe old age of 18, Shelby Howard toured the high-banked speedway in a different vehicle Tuesday: a Toyota Tundra. Howard, the development driver for Toyota and Bill Davis Racing, is helping the team gather information for its truck program next year, which will race for the first time at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck race on Saturday, March 13. Howard hopes to be the driver in those events, but so far no official announcement has been made. Either way, Howard is trying to learn as much as he can for Toyota and BDR, and also trying to acclimate himself to a completely new vehicle. Its a lot different than what I drove here in the past, Howard said. It has a lot more drag overall and a smaller motor, so we shouldnt have to lift but so far we are. The team wasnt looking for speed during Tuesdays test, when Howard had a fast lap at 32.23 seconds (172.014 mph). Also testing was Matt Crafton, who turned the fast lap of the day in 31.44 seconds (176.336mph). Crew chief Dave Fuge Jr., recently added to the BDR operation, said Tuesday s test was mostly a fact-finding mission. This is our first time all working together, so were just starting at ground zero and trying to learn everything we can to make this Toyota program top-notch, Fuge said. Its just like starting over. Were trying to learn everything we can on the basics of this truck so we can start climbing the mountain.(Atlanta Motor Speedway PR)(11-13-2003)
