Ted Musgrave (#9 ASE/Germain Toyota) has figured out how to top his first NASCAR championship. Win another one. Musgrave now rides with Germain Racing, a five-time winner a year ago with Todd Bodine (#30 Germain Motors Toyota). Bodine, last years third-place finisher behind Musgrave and Dennis Setzer(#85 FlexFuel E85 Silverado Chevrolet), is gunning for an unprecedented fourth consecutive series victory this week. Bodines last loss was a second-place finish in October in Atlanta. He wrapped up the season with victories at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. Both drivers claim solid Daytona performances. Bodine was third in 2005 with the now-defunct Fiddle Back Racing team. Musgrave sat on the pole and finished fifth in 2002.
NEWS & NOTES, PART II:
Six of eight series champions headed for Daytona Musgrave heads a solid list of veteran competitors who count nine titles won over the series first 11 seasons. Thats the greatest number of NASCAR Craftsman Truck champions to enter a season-opening event. Also in the field are Mike Bliss (#16 Xpress Motorsports Chevrolet), 2002; Bobby Hamilton (#18 Fastenal Dodge), 2004; Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 KHI Chevrolet), 1996, 1998; Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota), 1995 and Jack Sprague (#60 Con-Way Toyota), 1997, 1998 and 2001. The six have won a combined 108 races, only one of which by defending winner Hamilton, making his 100th start this week came at Daytona.
Huge Raybestos Rookie class anticipates season kick-off Thirteen competitors have applied for Raybestos Rookie of the Year status, making the 2006 freshman class one of the largest in the 11 seasons the award has been contested. The accent definitely is on youth:11 of the candidates are ages 19 through 25; only two drivers have celebrated their 30th birthdays. Last years Daytona pole winner Kerry Earnhardt (#13 ThorSport Chevrolet) is the senior member of the class at age 34.
Homecoming for Compton and Wood A pair of former series stars, Stacy Compton (#21 State Fair Corndogs/Edys Ice Cream Ford) and Jon Wood (#20 U.S. Air Force Ford), return at Daytona after absences of three and one seasons, respectively. The NASCAR Busch Series veterans are part of the Wood Brothers/JTG Motorsports team jointly owned by Eddie Wood and Tad Geschickter. Compton is doing stand-in duty for Bobby East, Wood for Marcos Ambrose the teams pair of first-year drivers wholl take over later this spring.
Mark Martin is busiest of Roush drivers at Daytona Mark Martin (#6 Scotts Ford) will make the GM FlexFuel 250 one of five Daytona races in which he competes. On Friday, Martin competes in IROC before joining Roush teammate Erik Darnell (#99 Roush Racing Ford) in the 250-mile truck event. Darnell won Roushs Driver X competition that recently completed its television run on the Discovery Channel.
ETC. Four competitors Setzer, Terry Cook (#10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International), Rick Crawford (#14 Circle Bar Racing Ford), and David Starr (#11 Red Horse Racing Toyota) have competed in all six Daytona events. Former Daytona winners expected to compete are Mike Wallace (#59 Melling Engine Parts Dodge), 2000; Crawford, 2003 and Hamilton, 2005. This years total posted awards of $835,651 makes the GM FlexFuel 250 the richest race in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history. This years winning purse could surpass 2004 Daytona winner Carl Edwards series record payoff of $85,760. Five competitors have entered both GM FlexFuel 250 and Daytona 500. They are Martin, Skinner, Wallace, Chad Chaffin (# 40 Russell E. Garwood Electrical Contractors Chevrolet) and Carl Long (#28 Adult Oncology Hematology Chevrolet) Skinner was one of five NASCAR competitors to tape a segment of The Golf Channels Big Break All-Star Challenge. The show was taped Monday at Spruce Creek Fly-In Community Golf & Country Club in Port Orange, just south of Daytona Beach. SPEED begins its fourth season as the exclusive television home of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. All of the weeks practice and qualifying events will be broadcast live. Last years race drew a 2.1 average rating the highest for a racing event on SPEED. Last years overall ratings grew 14 percent over those of 2004.
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
2004 Bud Pole winner Cook top Daytona finisher In six races, Terry Cook has compiled an average finish of 8.3. Cook, whose best Daytona finish is fourth in 2000, has taken the checkered flag 6.5 positions higher than his average start of 14.8. Hes also the only driver to have led a lap in each Daytona race. Bobby Hamilton Racing team to beat BHR has a .500 batting average at Daytona, winning with Joe Ruttman in 2001, Robert Pressley in 2002 and owner Hamilton a year ago. Ruttman also won back-to-back Budweiser Poles and holds the series all-time qualifying record at 187.563 mph set in 2000.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Amazingly, the widest finish in six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at Daytona is .318 second. The total margin of victory is .836 second. Winning has required a last-lap pass on three occasions: Wallace over Andy Houston in 2000, Crawford over Travis Kvapil in 2003 and Hamilton over Jimmy Spencer a year ago. Hamilton edged the nose of his Dodge past Spencers front bumper a split second before the caution light flashed. That was the only time Hamilton led after starting 36th and last in the field on a past champions provisional.
FAST FACTS
What: GM FlexFuel 250 (Race 1 of 25)
Where: Daytona International Speedway
When: 8:15 p.m. ET, Friday, Feb. 17
Track layout: 2.5-mile high-banked paved
Race length: 250 miles/100 laps
Posted awards: $835,651
TV: SPEED Channel, 8:15 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, XM Satellite
2005 winner: Bobby Hamilton
2005 polesitter: Kerry Earnhardt
Pre-race schedule (all times local): Wednesday Practice 4:05 p.m. 5:30 p.m. Thursday Rookie practice 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Final practice 9:30 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.) Qualifying 6:30 p.m. Trucks impounded after qualifying.(NASCAR PR)(2-13-2006)
