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Craftsman Truck Series Notebook
Lowes Motor Speedway, Charlotte, NC (1.5-mile oval)

  • Qualifying: Friday, May 19 (SPEED at 5:00 p.m. AT, 4:00 p.m. ET)
  • Quaker Steak & Lube 200: Friday, May 19 (SPEED at 9:30 p.m. AT, 8:30 p.m. ET)

    Pre-Race Fast Facts
    • Length: 134 laps, 201 miles
    • Purse: $524,098(event record)
    • 2005 Winner: Kyle Busch, ditech.com Chevrolet
    • Time of Race: 1 hour, 57 minutes and 3 seconds
    • Average Speed: 104.571 mph
    • Margin of Victory: 0.149 seconds over Terry Cook
    • 2005 Pole Sitter: Mike Skinner, Toyota Tundra Toyota, 29.500 seconds, 183.051 mph (event record)
    • Qualifying: Qualifying is scheduled for Friday, May 19, at 4:15 p.m. (EDT) and will be televised by SPEED Channel. The better of two laps will determine a driver's official qualifying speed for the Quaker Steak & Lube 200. Starting positions 1-35 will be determined by qualifying speeds with the top 30 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner standings guaranteed a starting position. The remainder of the 36-truck field will be set as outlined by the event's official entry blank.
  • 1st Practice Results - click here
  • 2nd Practice Results - click here
  • 3rd Practice Results - click here
  • Qualifying Order - click here
  • Qualifying Results -click here
  • Starting Lineup- click here
  • Race Results (unofficial) - click here
  • Point Standings (post-race, unofficial) - click here

    Kyle Busch Defends NCTS Victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway

    CONCORD, NC (2006 May 19) - NASCAR NEXTEL Cup veteran Kyle Busch, making his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck start of the 2006 season, successfully defended his Quaker Steak & Lube 200 victory with a crushing, 3.154-second triumph Friday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

    Busch, who came from a 20th-place start, passed Budweiser Pole winner Mike Skinner on the 37th of 134 laps around the 1.5-mile superspeedway. Skinner took the lead twice more on pit road under caution but Busch quickly regained the advantage each time then drove away from Terry Cook in a 16-lap sprint following the race’s sixth and final caution. Click here for the rest of the story.

    Post-Race Notes
    • Kyle Busch's victory comes in his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start of the season. It is his fourth career series win.
    • This is Busch's second consecutive series win at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He won last year's race after starting third; Busch started 20th in tonight's race.
    • Busch competed in 11 races last season, compiling seven top 5s and nine top 10s.
    • Terry Cook finished second in the race for the second consecutive year. It was Cook's third top-10 finish of the season and first top five.
    • Todd Bodine finished third, his fifth top-five finish in six races this season. Bodine extended his lead in the point standings to 17 over Ted Musgrave, who finished fourth.
    • Aric Almirola finished ninth, the top finish among Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates. This is the second time this season that Almirola was the top rookie - he finished 10th at Daytona International Speedway.


    Pre-Race Notes & Quotes

    Todd Bodine, No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota Todd will be making his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Lowe's Motor Speedway this weekend. His first race at Lowe's in the NCTS came in 2004, driving the No. 67 Fiddle Back Racing Ford. He started in the 16th spot and finished 20th. This weekend's race will mark Todd's 46th career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Todd's best NCTS career start was ninth in 2005, driving the No. 66 Fiddle Back Racing Toyota Tundra to a ninth place starting spot.

    Ted Musgrave, No. 9 Team ASE/Germain Toyota Ted has 19 Nextel Cup Career starts at Lowe's Motor Speedway. His best start in a Cup car came in 1997 while driving the No. 16 Family Channel/Primestar Ford. Ted's best Cup finish was 12th which came in 1998 while driving the 16 Primestar Ford. " Charlotte is not going to be easy with Mark Martin coming back and Kyle Busch running with us," said Musgrave. "All in all - I think it's great. When the Cup guys run against us, it just brings our level of competition up a notch. The fans are going to get another great show and that's what they come out to see. The Cup guys realize that the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is pretty tough and it's good racing. Todd and I are just going to go in and run like we have been all season and at the end we hope to be one and two again."

    Joey Miller, No. 12 Curb Records Toyota Tundra Joey Miller makes his first attempt at Lowe’s Motor Speedway as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to action in preparation for a nine week stretch. “This will be my first time racing there,” said Miller. “I attended the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series test there a few weeks ago and watched Michael (Waltrip) test the 55 NAPA car and Bill (Elliott) test the 00 Burger King car. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to talk to Bill about the track and talk a little with Michael. It was a neat experience and really cool to be able to ask them questions.”

    David Reutimann, No. 17 Team Tundra Racing “We had a gradual start to the season, but now we are going to be racing every week for nine weeks,” said Reutimann. “For us to continue our stride, we’ve got to concentrate on what we’ve been doing and not try to change anything. We need to keep making great pit stops and finish the best we can. We’ve got some tracks coming up for us that we’re good at and a couple that are challenging, but we are well prepared for everything we have ahead of us. We’re going to go into each race and make sure we get the most out of what we have.” Last season, Reutimann finished 17th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He finished 36th (engine) in his rookie year.

    Scott Lagasse Jr., No. 04 Hemi Dodge Scott Lagasse, Jr. will be making his first-career start at Lowe’s this weekend. Lagasse will be driving the BHR chassis “Angel” this weekend at Charlotte. It will be “Angels’ ” 4th start this season. This particular chassis has visited victory lane several times with past BHR drivers Joe Ruttman and Chad Chaffin. The Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Gateway will mark Lagasse’s 4th NCTS career start.

    Timothy Peters, No. 4 Dodge Motorsports Dodge Timothy Peters will be making his second Lowe’s Motor Speedway start this weekend. In 2005 he started 22nd and finished in the 32nd position. Peters will be driving the BHR chassis “Duster” this weekend at LMS. “Duster” previously ran at California and Atlanta in 2006 with Peters behind the wheel. The Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will mark Peters’ 22nd NCTS career start.

    Bobby Hamilton Jr., No. 18 Fastenal Racing Dodge Bobby Hamilton Jr. will be making his third start in the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge in the Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Hamilton Jr. has 10 NASCAR Busch Series starts at LMS with four top-10 finishes and a best of 7th place on three separate occasions. His average starting position is 11.7 and his average finishing position is 13.5. Hamilton Jr. has five NASCAR Nextel Cup starts at Lowe’s with a best of 15th at the fall race in 2004. The Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will mark Hamilton Jr.’s 11th NCTS career start. Hamilton Jr. is racing a new and yet unnamed BHR chassis at LMS.

    Ted Musgrave No. 9 Team ASE/Germain Toyota This Saturday's, Dodge Ram Tough 200 will be Ted's sixth NCTS career start at Gateway Int'l Raceway. He has earned two Bud Poles at Gateway, which came in 2001 and 2005. His best finishes at Gateway also came in 2001 and 2005, when Ted started from the pole and finished first, driving the No. 1 Mopar Performance Dodge. Ted is looking to be the first driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to earn a second consecutive win at Gateway.

    Todd Bodine No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota Todd will be making his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Gateway Int'l Raceway this weekend. His first race at Gateway in the NCTS came in 2005, driving the No. 66 Fiddle Back Racing Toyota Tundra. He started in the 13th spot and finished seventh. This weekend's race will also mark Todd's 45th career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

    Erin Crocker, No. 98 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Ram “My goal this week is basically the same as it has been the last couple of races. I want to get my best finish of the year, I want to learn and gain as much experience as I possibly can. I am looking forward to going to Gateway this weekend and working with Patrick Donahue and Scott McDougal for the first time. I think the changes we have made are a good thing for this team.” This weekend marks Crocker’s first career start at Gateway International Raceway. This weekend will be the first race with Patrick Donahue, newTeam Director and Scott McDougall, new engineer.

    Bobby Hamilton Jr., No. 18 Fastenal Racing Dodge Bobby Hamilton Jr. will be making his second start in the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway. Hamilton Jr. has 6 NASCAR Busch Series starts at Gateway. His average starting position is 17.3 and his average finishing position is 15.2. His last two starts at Gateway have both resulted in top five finishes (5th on May 10th, 2003 and 4th on May 8th, 2004). The Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway will mark Hamilton Jr.’s 10th NCTS career start. Hamilton Jr. is racing one of his father’s favorite trucks from the 2005 NCTS season, Slim Shady. Slim Shady finished 6th at Gateway in 2005 with Hamilton Sr. behind the wheel and was leading the race late in 2004 until he was taken out by another competitor.

    Timothy Peters, No. 4 Dodge Motorsports Dodge Timothy Peters will be making his second Gateway start this weekend. In 2005 he started 18th and finished in the 16th position in only his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start. Peters will be driving the BHR chassis “Rocket” this weekend at Gateway. It will be “Rocket’s” 12th NCTS start. The chassis ran at Charlotte, Kentucky, Memphis, IRP, Nashville, Bristol, Richmond, Las Vegas, Martinsville and Atlanta in 2005 with Peters behind the wheel. The Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway will mark Peters’ 21st NCTS career start.

    Scott Lagasse, No. 04 Hemi Dodge Scott Lagasse, Jr. will be making his first-career start at Gateway this weekend. Lagasse will be driving the BHR chassis “Angel” this weekend at Gateway. It will be “Angels’ ” 3rd start this season. This particular chassis has visited victory lane several times with past BHR drivers Joe Ruttman and Chad Chaffin. The Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway will mark Lagasse’s 3rd NCTS career start. Lagasse Jr. on Racing at Gateway: “I have never raced at Gateway. I went last year and watched the Busch race so I have seen the track. I have talked to Bobby, Little Bobby and Timothy about the track and its characteristics. I am trying to do everything I can before the race to be prepared. Last weekend I watched the truck race from last year to familiarize myself with the fastest way around the track. It is more like a short track than a big track. Its very unique and almost a weird place to race at. I think that is good for me because usually the more complicated the track is the more I tend to like them. I have been told turns three and four are like Milwaukee and I ran well there in the past. Our goal is to get up in the points this weekend. We are headed for the danger zone and that is one place I do not want to be going into Charlotte.

    IMPORTANT: All information, schedules and/or scheduled events is/are subject to change without notice. Please check with the source to confirm.

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