Florida native Aric Almirola (#75 Spears Manufacturing Chevy) has his eye on an eventual seat in the NEXTEL Cup Series. Almirola, 22, believes his time in the Truck Series will help him reach that goal – as it did for Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick. Almirola, part of Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver development program, hopes to better last year’s eighth-place finish – his best in the series – when he visits New Hampshire International Speedway on Sept. 16. He’s logged a pair of top 10s in the season’s first 17 races, ranks third in Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings and 18th in overall points. The Gibbs team has entered Almirola in five NASCAR Busch Series races. He finished 11th at Dover International Raceway in June.
News & Notes Part II:
Mark Martin’s (#6 Scotts Ford) Aug. 23 victory at Bristol Motor Speedway marked the 41st time a Roush Racing truck has gone to Victory Lane in a Truck Series race. Martin, one of eight drivers to win in a Roush Ford F-150, captured the team’s first trophy in September 1996 during the final weekend of competition at North Wilkesboro (NC) Speedway. Roush Racing continues to add to its lead in all-time truck owner victories and is four clear of its closest rival, Ultra Motorsports. Bobby Hamilton Racing, with 19 wins, is closest among active owners in the series. The Jack Roush-owned team accounts for 54 percent of Ford’s 76 Truck Series victories and has competed in 266 consecutive races, seven short of Jim Smith’s series record. Ford’s sixth win of the season moves the truck maker to within five points of series manufacturer leader Toyota. Martin’s victory ended Toyota’s Tennessee win streak at five races.
This Week’s Truck Series Leaders…Through 17 races of the 25-race season:
Points leader – Todd Bodine (2,624)
Winnings – Todd Bodine ($492,260)
Laps led – Mark Martin (485)
Miles led – Mark Martin (619.872)
Victories -Mark Martin (4)
Budweiser Poles -Mike Skinner (4)
Top-five finishes – Todd Bodine, David Reutimann (9)
Top-10 finishes – Todd Bodine, David Reutimann (13)
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Erik Darnell (32 over Chad McCumbee)
Races led – Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner (9)
Weeks in Top 10 – 3 drivers (17)
Etc:
Martin’s fifth career victory – and fourth of 2006 – moved the 47-year-old veteran to 14th on the series career win listMartin is the series’ fifth different short track winner in as many races in 2006 and seventh in succession dating to Richmond International Raceway’s event in September of last season. One short track race, the Oct. 21 Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway, remains on the scheduleDavid Starr (#11 Red Horse Racing Toyota) has been the season’s most consistent short track driver with four of five finishes among the top five. Starr, who finished fifth at Bristol, was one-for-43 in top fives prior to his victory in April at Martinsville. Former ppc Racing crew chief Rick Gay joined Ted Musgrave’s #9 Team ASE/Germain Toyota team in the same role prior to Bristol’s O’Reilly 200 and backed the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion’s run to a third-place finish – Musgrave’s best since April 2 when he was runner-up to teammate Todd Bodine (#30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) at Gateway International RacewayBodine’s second-place finish, his sixth of first or second, increased his championship lead to 154 points over Johnny Benson (#23 Exide Toyota), who was fourthBristol Motor Speedway continues to be inhospitable to rookie drivers. Raybestos Rookie of the Year leader Erik Darnell (#99 Roush Racing Ford) was the highest finishing freshman in 18th-placeRon Hornaday Jr. (#33 AES Chevy) and David Reutimann (#17 Team Tundra Toyota) scored top-10 finishes in Saturday’s night’s Busch Series Food City 250. Hornaday’s third-place finish was his best in the series since his 2004 victory at The Milwaukee Mile.
In the loop:
For Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota), the season-to-date Scoring Loop Data provides ample of evidence of what might have been. Skinner is 15th in current point standings despite being the #2 miles and lap leader in a season sabotaged by four DNFs. Skinner, however, is second to championship leader Bodine in Driver Rating – 102.5 vs. 108.2. He ranks Fastest Early in a Run, second in Laps in the Top 15 (2,371 of 2,877), third in number of Fastest Laps and third in Speed in the Turns. One additional clue to the 1995 champion’s 2006 woes: Skinner ranks #8 in Speed on Restarts and Speed Late in the Race.(8-24-2006)
