Five Craftsman Truck teams began a two-day test Tuesday at newly repaved Darlington Raceway, according to track officials, even though the series hasn’t raced there since 2004 and is not on the schedule this season. Could the test mean trucks are returning to “The Lady In Black?” “I sure hope so,” said Johnny Benson, whose Bill Davis #23 Toyota Tundra took part in the test Tuesday. Darlington held truck events from 2001 to 2004. The last one, won by Kasey Kahne, was the track’s first race to finish at night after lights were added to the facility. Browning, who became president in the middle of 2004, said a scheduling conflict with Darlington’s Mother’s Day weekend slot prevented the trucks from coming back. Also participating Tuesday were Benson’s Bill Davis teammates, Mike Skinner and Phillip McGilton, and the Roush Fenway Racing teams of Joey Clanton and Erik Darnell. The trucks debuted in Darlington in 2001 with the late Bobby Hamilton winning the rain-shortened race. Benson remembers those past races at Darlington, and how challenging it can be. “It’s always a great race because this is such a unique place,” Benson said.(ESPN/AP)(4-8-2008)
