Memphis Motorsports Park has proven time and again that the .75-mile short track in Millington, Tenn., rewards the most elite drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Four of six previous winners of Saturdays OReilly 200 Ron Hornaday Jr., Greg Biffle, Jack Sprague (No. 16 Chevy Trucks Chevrolet) and Travis Kvapil (No. 24 Line-X Toyota) have won a combined seven series championships. The other two Dennis Setzer (No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado Chevrolet) and defending winner Ted Musgrave (No. 1 Mopar Dodge) list runnerup points finishes on their resumes. Together, the six competitors have won 94 series races. The Memphis oval hasnt come close to producing a first-time winner and only one Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Carl Edwards (No. 99 Superchips Ford), fifth in 2003 has a top-five finish. Most believe there are three keys to success at Memphis: experience, experience and experience. Its slippery and both ends are different, said Sprague, the 2000 OReilly 200 winner. You have to compromise on your [trucks] setup. When we first started, we were terrible. And then we won. Kvapil, who finished second to Musgrave last year after his 2002 victory, agrees. Its just a flat-out, challenging race track, said Kvapil. Its got its own quirks and bumps. Having laps there is a big plus. The 2003 champion adds: The one thing I learned is that you have to come to the track with a good mindset. Otherwise, you wont run well there at all. Setzer, however, isnt ready to call Memphis the toughest track on the schedule. Its not, in my opinion. We hope that everyone else thinks its a tough track, said the winner of last weeks OReilly 400K at Texas Motor Speedway and series championship leader.
Setzer, though, does admit that Memphis can be difficult for drivers who are not familiar with the track. It takes a lot of braking getting into the corners but then your truck must rotate just right in the middle and get the forward bite coming off. “That can be a hard setup for a [less experienced] driver to relay to his crew chief. Ultra Motorsports crew chief Gene Nead, who shared Musgraves milestone victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 200th race, calls Memphis Motorsports Park a venue that defines a teams mechanical abilities. If you can make a truck work there, you can make it work anywhere, Nead said. Nead, a winner already in 2004 with Rick Crawford (No. 14 Sears Ford) at Martinsville Speedway before reuniting with Musgrave and owner Jimmy Smith several weeks ago, sees little coincidence that championship contenders taste success at Memphis. Its a pivotal point in the year, said Nead, whose team won the Bud Pole at Texas and finished second after leading 101 of 167 laps. It helps you pick up the momentum you need for the rest of the season. Setzer, the 44-year-old resident of Newton, N.C., whose average finish at Memphis is 3.4, puts it this way: I guess the best way to describe how Memphis Motorsports Park plays into the championship is that it is a short track and the series typically has one-third or more races on short tracks. If you cant perform on a short track, you probably dont have a shot at the championship.
NEWS & NOTES, PART II
Setzer reaches milestone, Crafton is next The $67,600 won by Dennis Setzer at Texas Motor Speedway pushed the veteran past the $3 million mark (exact total $3,020,033) in career winnings. Setzer is the first of four drivers who have competed or are currently competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to reach the $3-million milestone with every dollar coming from a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team. The others are Jack Sprague, Ron Hornaday and Joe Ruttman, whose career winnings include monies while racing in NASCARs premier series. Matt Crafton (No. 6 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet) would become the series 25th million-dollar winner by finishing second in the OReilly 200. Crafton enters this weeks race having won $976,549.
Etc. Setzer leads the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship standings after the series fourth consecutive race of 2004. His advantage is 50 points over Carl Edwards. All six winners this year are ranked among the top 10 in points with Dover winner Chad Chaffin (No. 18 Dickies Dodge) moving into the elite by finishing fifth at Texas, marking the first time in 39 career starts that the Smyrna, Tenn., competitor has fashioned back-to-back top-five finishes on the series. The halfway race leader has yet to win in 2004, the latest being Musgrave who lost his hold on the No. 1 spot with just five laps of the OReilly 400K remaining. The leader of the most laps has won just two of seven races. Terry Cook (No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford) and Crawford are the only drivers to have competed in all six series races at Memphis Motorsports Park. Cook finished second in 2002. Cook and Crafton have winning connections at this weeks venue: Cooks ppc Racing won the 1999 NASCAR Busch Series Sams Town 250 with Jeff Green at the wheel while Craftons owner, Kevin Harvick, captured the event a year later. Last years OReilly 200 featured the closest finish in the event. Musgrave edged Kvapil by just .115 second. Five of the six races have been decided by less than one second. Charlie Wilson has been named crew chief of Steve Parks No. 62 Orleans Racing Dodge. Wilson was named interim crew chief in mid-May at Lowes Motor Speedway. The team also promoted Danny Stockman to truck chief. Many series drivers will visit St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital on Friday.
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Trio looks to extend hot streak in Memphis Three competitors Setzer, Kvapil and Musgrave hope to extend their streaks of top-five finishes at Memphis Motorsports Park. Setzers string is the longest, five races beginning in 1999, while Kvapil and Musgrave are working on two straight appearances among the top five. Crawford, on the other hand, has failed to complete just three laps 2.25 of 1,200 miles at Memphis Motorsports Park.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Memphis Motorsports Park hosts the first of three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events to be held in 2004 in the Volunteer State. August races at Nashville Superspeedway and Bristol Motor Speedway follow. No driver has captured all three races although Ron Hornaday came close in 1998. Hornaday won at Memphis and Bristol but wound up seventh in Nashville, a race held at the Music City Motorplex at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds.
Fast Facts
What: OReilly 200 (Race No. 8 of 25).
Where: Memphis Motorsports Park, Millington, Tenn.
When: 3 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 19.
Track layout: .75-Mile paved speedway.
Race length: 200 laps/150 miles.
Posted awards: $513,834.
TV: SPEED Channel, 3 p.m. ET.
Radio: MRN, XM Satellite.
2003 winner: Jon Wood.
2003 polesitter: Ted Musgrave.
Pre-race schedule (all times local): Friday Practice 11:45 a.m. 1:45 p.m. Qualifying 3:00 p.m. Final practice 4:30 5:30 p.m., time permitting.(NASCAR PR)(6-17-2004)
