Father’s Day is doubly special for many NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitors. Without racing fathers, nearly half the starting field in Saturday’s Con-way Freight 200 might be doing something other than competing in a race. At least 15 competitors taking the green flag at Michigan International Speedway have fathers who drove racecars. Some of those fathers have left the driver’s seat; others continue to compete – often against their sons.
Johnny Benson (#23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota), who grew up in Grand Rapids, Mich. not far from MIS, was seven when he began working in his father Johnny Benson Sr.’s race shop. The elder Benson won seven championships at Berlin (Mich.) Speedway and more than 200 races. He currently owns a race equipment business. David Reutimann (#17 Team Tundra Toyota) and Kraig Kinser (#46 Centrix Auto Finance Chevy) grew up idolizing their fathers – then racing against them. Both still do on occasion.
Kinser not only raced with his father but beat the legendary Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, in sprint car racing’s equivalent to the Daytona 500 – the Knoxville Nationals. Between father and his racing grandfather, Bob Kinser, the now 21-year-old received what amounted to racing’s version of a Harvard doctorate. The Kinser clan – grandfather, father, uncle, Randy Kinser and now Kraig – pretty much epitomize racing as a family sport. All pitched in toward a common goal.
There’s another rookie in the truck field at Michigan with links to racing fathers. Boston Reid’s father was a chief mechanic on Indy cars during the late 60’s and 70’s. He had the first racing car to put 4 wheels on the track. During the Goodyear tire test they averaged .7 mpg with the turbo off. Big trouble.(Boston Reid)(6-14-2006)
News & Notes, Part II:
Todd Bodine’s (#30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) June 9 victory at Texas Motor Speedway put the series point leader in elite company. His Sam’s Town 400 win was Bodine’s 10th in 49 Truck races ranking the New Yorker fourth all-time in fewest starts to reach double figures.
Fewest Starts to 10 Victories
1) Mike Skinner; 26, 1995-96
2) Ron Hornaday Jr.; 38, 1995-96
3) Ted Musgrave; 47,1995-02
4) Todd Bodine, 49, 1996-06
5) Greg Biffle; 61,1998-00
Truck Series Leaders — through nine races of the 25-race season:
Points leader – Todd Bodine (1,490)
Money won – Todd Bodine ($370,380)
Laps led – Mark Martin (288)
Miles led – Mark Martin (466.460)
Victories – Todd Bodine, Mark Martin (3)
Budweiser Poles – David Reutimann, Mike Skinner (2)
Top-five finishes – Todd Bodine (7)
Top-10 finishes -David Reutimann (8)
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Erik Darnell (14 over Aric Almirola)
Races led – Todd Bodine (6)
Weeks in Top 10 – 4 (9)drivers
Etc:
David Starr (#11 Red Horse Racing Toyota) is set to make his 150th start at Michigan, the 10th driver to reach the numberCook will reach $3 million in series winning with a top-20 finish in the Con-way Freight 200Ted Musgrave (#9 Team ASE) can become the series’ third $4 million winner with a third-place finish. He would join Jack Sprague (#60 Con-way Freight Toyota) and Dennis Setzer (#85 E85 FlexFuel Chevy)Cook and Setzer are the only drivers to complete all 600 laps and 1,200 miles at MichiganSprague, still seeking win # 1 for Wyler Racing’s Con-way team, recalls that Travis Kvapil’s Line-X Toyota was the winner of the 2004 race that was sponsored by – Line-XTwenty-three different drivers have led a lap through the season’s first nine racesChad McCumbee (#08 Death Toll The Movie Chevrolet) was the fourth different Raybestos Rookie of the race with a ninth-place finish at TMS. It was McCumbee’s first top 10Michel Jourdain Jr. (#50 Roush Racing Ford) made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck debut with a solid, 13th-place effort on the lead lap. Jourdain becomes the 17th member of this year’s huge Raybestos Rookie class
On the right track:
Musgrave, Sprague solid on MIS-style tracks While neither driver has won a series race at Michigan, there’s no arguing with the record of Musgrave and Sprague on 2-mile speedways. Combining their records at Michigan and sibling California Speedway, the pair counts five wins, 13 top fives and 16 top-10 finishes. At Michigan, Musgrave twice has finished second (2003-04) while last year’s fourth place stands as the best by Sprague.
In the loop:
Although winner Dennis Setzer posted the top Driver Rating of 129.8, three competitors in last year’s race finished high on the statistical charts. Kevin Harvick was second at 122.7 while Mike Skinner scored a 122.4. Setzer recorded only the fourth-fastest lap of the race at 180.550 mph. Rick Crawford led all drivers at 181.202. Where is the “passing zone” at Michigan International Speedway? Ask Setzer and he’ll probably say Turn 3. He executed more than one-third (22) of his 61 passes en route to Victory Lane.
From the archives:
The 1999 inaugural running of the Con-way 200 saw family history made on the Truck Series as a father and son led a series race for the first time. Jay Sauter finished second while his father Jim Sauter came home in 10th-place. The elder Sauter, at age 56, is the oldest driver to compete in a Truck event at Michigan International Speedway.
Fast Facts:
What: Con-way Freight 200 (Race 10 of 25)
Where: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich
When: 3:15 p.m. ET, June 17
Track layout: 2-mile paved oval
Race length: 200 miles/100 laps
Posted awards: $595,299
TV: SPEED Channel, 3 pm/et
Radio: MRN, XM Satellite
2005 winner: Dennis Setzer
2005 polesitter: Kyle Busch
Pre-race schedule (all times local): Thursday -Practice 10:15 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. Rookie Practice 1:10 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. Final Practice 1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Friday – Qualifying 11:40 a.m. Trucks impounded after qualifying.z(NASCAR PR)(6-12-2006)
