Travis Kvapil leads Kyle Busch en route to the win. More pix at the end of this page...

Kvapil Wins Michigan 200
By Matt Crossman, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 16, 2007) -- Travis Kvapil won the pole in the morning and the Craftsman Trucks Series race in the afternoon Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. But it was nowhere near as easy as it sounds. In between, he had to outlast a stronger truck and outdrive four others every bit as fast as he was.

Mark Martin, who started next to Kvapil on the front two, dominated the first half of the race, leading 36 of the first 48 laps before the engine in his Wood Brothers Racing truck quit. “Martin was the class of the field today. He was gone,” Kyle Busch said. “Nobody could touch him.”

Martin’s departure set up a spirited battle over the last 80 miles, and the winner wasn’t decided until the last three. With 40 laps to go, Mike Skinner, Busch and Kvapil dodged, weaved and traded the lead, each taking a different route around the track. They entered the corners up near the wall but spread out to manage the turns.

As those three drivers battled for the lead, Brendan Gaughan – who later said he had a winning truck but lost the event because of one bad move -- caught them with 30 laps to go and joined the fun. Ted Musgrave joined the party with 28 laps to go. Lap times suggested the trucks were evenly matched.

But over the last 10 laps, it was a battle between Busch and Kvapil. Busch’s truck was fish-tailing so badly he could hardly keep it on the track. Kvapil had several chances to take the lead, but he bided his time -- he certainly didn’t want to get too close to Busch because the closer he got the more Busch’s truck would wiggle, which at some point would take them both out of the race. Busch acknowledged he wasn’t as aggressive as he otherwise would have been because the truck was so tough to control.

Kvapil waited until the end of the next to last lap before passing Busch. Kvapil didn’t want to make the pass too early because that would give Busch a chance to collect himself and go back after him.

Kvapil might have been overly cautious; Busch had nothing left over the last lap, and Kvapil won by several truck lengths. Gaughan finished third, Skinner fourth and Musgrave fifth. Kvapil’s win, his first of the season, was the 15th at Michigan for team owner Jack Roush.

Series points leader Mike Skinner extended his streak of leading a lap and finishing in the top 10 to 10 -- every race this season.

Complete race results and point standings in the Related News section below...

Checkerd Flag Fast Facts

• Travis Kvapil won the Michigan 200, his sixth victory in 106 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.
• This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in 10 races in 2007, including each of the past four races.
• This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in as many races at Michigan. He started eighth in his other victory here (2004).
• This is truck owner Jack Roush’s 45th series victory.
• Kyle Busch (second) replicated his only other Michigan performance. He also finished second here in 2005.
• Brendan Gaughan (third) posted his season-best finish.
• Mike Skinner retained the lead in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship points and now leads Ron Hornaday Jr. by 113 points.

Schedule - Broadcast Times

• Pre-Race: Saturday, June 16 (SPEED at 3:30 a.m./AT, 2:30 a.m./ET)
• Race: Saturday, June 16 (SPEED at 4 p.m. AT, 3 p.m. ET)

Related News

Entry List (PDF)

Friday First Practice (PDF)

Friday Rookie Practice (PDF)

Friday Final Practice (PDF)

Qualifying Order (PDF)

Qualifying Results (PDF)

Starting Lineup (PDF)

Race Results (PDF)

Point Standings (PDF)

Green Flag Fast Facts
The Race: Michigan 200
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: June 16
The Time: 4 p.m./AT, 3 p.m./ET
TV: SPEED, 3:30 p.m./AT, 2:30 p.m./ET
Track Layout: 2-mile oval
Race Purse: $617,811
2006 Winner: Johnny Benson
2006 Pole: Mike Skinner
Schedule (local track time/ET): Friday – Practice 10 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.; 1:10 p.m.. – 1:40 p.m. (rookies) and 1:50 p.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday - Qualifying 11:05 a.m.
Year-To-Date Standings: click here

Green Flag Tidbits

The Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway holds a special meaning for several competitors in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, including drivers Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota) and Terry Cook (No. 59 Harris Trucking Toyota) and longtime team owners Wayne and Connie Spears.

• Benson, a Grand Rapids, Mich. native, is the defending race winner. Benson’s win last year was the first of his career, and propelled him up the standings. He finished the year second in the standings with five wins.
• Wayne and Connie Spears, who own the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet driven by Dennis Setzer, will participate in their 300th series race, making them the first owners to hit the milestone. The husband-wife duo missed two races in 1998 while attending NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series races of their driver Kevin Harvick as he locked up that series championship.
• Cook will become the third driver to compete in 250 series races this Saturday. The veteran has driven in 231 consecutive races, a series record. Cook hails from Sylvania, Ohio, approximately 50 miles from the track.

More...

• Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) saw his streak of consecutive Budweiser Poles end at six last Friday, two short of the series record he set in 1995. Skinner was knocked off the pole by Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) by 0.081 of-a-second. Skinner is the most proficient qualifier in series history. He has 38 career poles in 138 starts, leading 2nd place Jack Sprague by eight poles. Skinner set the series record with eight consecutive poles in 1995, the series’ inaugural season. He went on to win four of those races. Skinner won two of the six races he started on the pole this season. He has won seven races from the pole in his career, one short of Sprague’s series record.
• Team Owner Hits Political Road … Gene Christensen, owner of Green Light Racing, announced his candidacy to run for U.S. Congress on Friday. The Colin County resident is seeking to represent Texas’ 4th Congressional District. Green Light Racing fields two trucks in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – the No. 07 Lester Buildings Chevrolet driven by Tim Sauter and the No. 08 GPSStore.com Chevrolet driven by Chad McCumbee. In addition to his duties as owner and president of Green Light Racing, Christensen is a businessman and philanthropist. He is the Executive Director of People Against Drugs and the Affordable Public Housing Agency.
• NEXTEL Cup Stars Go Truckin’ … At least six NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series stars will trade in their cars for trucks this weekend to compete in the Michigan 200. AJ Allmendinger (No. 00 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota), Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte (No. 4 Open Joist Dodge), Ken Schrader (No. 18 Fastenal Dodge), Mark Martin (No. 21 Ford), and Kyle Busch (No. 51 Chevrolet) are all expected to compete in Saturday’s race. Martin and Labonte finished two-three to Johnny Benson at Michigan last year.

Photo Gallery - Saturday, June 16


Travis Kvapil leads the field to the green flag to start the race...


And led them to the checkered flag to celebrate in Victory Lane...

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