Todd Bodine (#30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) and David Reutimann (#17 Team Tundra Toyota) will be racing this week – but not in the traditional sense. Both will suit up Saturday in the 30th anniversary running of the Toyota/Pro Celebrity Race over the 1.97-mile, 11-turn Long Beach Grand Prix course in Long Beach, Calif. The field of 20 includes a number of well-know figures from the entertainment and sports world including X-Games gold medalist and professional skateboarder Bucky Lasek, FOX TV’s Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz, tennis legend Martina Navratilova, actor William Shatner and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. Qualifying will be held Friday with PEOPLE magazine donating $15,000 to the pole winner’s charity. Toyota will donate $5,000 in the name of each celebrity racer to a non-profit program benefiting children’s hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County, Calif. Another $5,000 will be donated to the race winner’s charity of choice. For the first time ever, the 10-lap sprint race will feature celebrities competing against professional drives in identically prepared, race-ready Scion models. “The Scions are fun to drive,” said Bodine, who along with Reutimann recently tested the cars at a southern California road course. “The front wheel drive on those cars is a lot different from what I am used to. It took me a couple of runs to get used to the car but I finally got the hang of it.” Reutimann is looking forward to “hanging out” with some celebrities. “Being that I am a Star Trek fan from way back, meeting William Shatner (the show’s Capt. James T. Kirk) was huge for me,” he said. “Racing in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity event is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Guys like me don’t get to hang out with people like that.”
Etc:
Mark Martin (#6 Scotts Ford) continues to lead the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings following his fourth-place finish in the Kroger 250. He leads runner-up finisher Musgrave by 55 points. Roush Racing announced last week that Martin would compete in an additional seven races, bringing his total for the season to 14. Dennis Setzer (# 85 GM FlexFuel E85 Chevrolet) posted his 125th top-10 finish at Martinsville Speedway where he is the only two-time race winner. Setzer’s ninth-place finish leaves him 36 top 10s short of Sprague’s series record. Bobby Hamilton Jr., who won the Kroger 250 Budweiser Pole, became the 14th # 1 starter failing to win at Martinsville. Hamilton is the fourth different pole winner of 2006. His only previous pole was recorded in 2004 at his hometown track, Nashville Superspeedway. Craftsman Motorsports in conjunction with Bobby Hamilton Racing will host the May 23 “Craftsman For A Cure” charity event which will support the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and the Victory Junction Gang Camp. The event will be held at the NASCAR Speedpark at Concord Mills near Lowe’s Motor Speedway and will enable fans to race go-kart race against drivers, obtain autographs and even spend quality time with select drivers at a private dinner. Tickets for the “Craftsman For a Cure” will go on sale Monday, April 17 at 9 a.m. ET. For tickets, call 866-227-3264.
In the loop:
Martinsville winner Starr ran among the top 15 on 248 of 250 laps. He recorded the top seven fastest laps, topping the charts at 93.323 mph. Terry Cook (# 10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford) was the Kroger 250’s top closer, moving up six positions (25th to 19th) over the final 25 laps. Although a mid-race spin cost him a possible shot at victory in his first series race, Clint Bowyer (# 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet) recorded the second-best driver rating of the event at 123.4. Bowyer, who finished seventh, trailed only Starr at 141.7.(NASCAR PR)(4-3-2006)
