The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitors kicked off a three-day test session Saturday in preparation for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250, which will be held under the lights for the first time in event history on Friday night, Feb. 13. Fastest on the day: #99-Carl Edwards, the 2003 Raybestos Rookie of the Year, was the fastest after the first day of testing with a lap of 181.218mph. Rounding out the top five on the speed chart were Edwards’ Roush Racing teammate #50-Jon Wood (180.292), #8-Chase Montgomery (180.166), #4-Bobby Hamilton (180.054) and #18-Chad Chaffin (179.451).
Here comes Toyota: Toyota, making its debut in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2004, had its fleet of seven Tundras testing with drivers Shelby Howard and Bill Lester (Bill Davis Racing), Robert Huffman and Hank Parker Jr. (Innovative Motorsports), Travis Kvapil and Mike Skinner (Bang Racing) and David Reutimann (Darrell Waltrip Motorsports). Reutimann had the best Toyota lap of the test session at 176.672. “It was a great day,” Skinner said. “We get a tiny bit better every time we get on the race track with our new Tundra. Obviously on the average, I think we’re a second slow. A second wouldn’t make us the fastest by any means but it would at least make us competitive. Right now, I don’t think we’re competitive but Toyota is new coming into this. The Tundra is coming. It’s just going to be a little bit of time.”(DIS PR)(1-10-2004)
