Saturday, March 29 Martinsville Speedway Martinsville, Virginia

Dennis Setzer celebrates the win with team owner Lori Hamilton.

Setzer Takes Hamilton Racing Back To Victory Lane
By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 29, 2008) -- For the first time since the late Bobby Hamilton won at Mansfield, Ohio, in 2005, Dennis Setzer took Bobby Hamilton Racing back to victory lane.

"This win right here is for Bobby Hamilton only -- he is the man!" shouted crew chief Marcus Richmond after Setzer, who had run 173 laps since his final pit stop, crossed the finish line with trucks wrecking in his wake.
Setzer's victory in the Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday at Martinsville Speedway was his third at the .526-mile short track and the 18th of his career. Setzer won for the first time since taking the checkered flag at Mansfield on May 26, 2007.

Hamilton, who posted 10 wins in the truck series before his death from cancer on Jan. 7, 2007, claimed his last victory at that same track on May 15, 2005.

"I ran second to Bobby Hamilton the year he won the championship (2004)," Setzer said. "We raced really hard against each other, but off the track, we were the best of friends. I don't think we ever had a harsh word for one another. I respected him a lot."

The 15th and final caution of the race on Lap 248 necessitated a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took Saturday's race three laps beyond its scheduled distance. As Setzer rounded Turn 3 on the final circuit, Kyle Busch powered his No. 51 Toyota beneath the second-place No. 23 Toyota of Johnny Benson as the trucks entered the corner.


Johnny Benson (23) and Kyle Busch (51) spun while running second and third after Busch got into Benson on the last lap - finishing 25th and 26th, respectively. See post-race notes below..

Busch's truck clipped Benson's and both spun out of control. Matt Crafton dodged the wreck to finish second, and Rick Crawford came home third. Ken Schrader inherited fourth place and Erik Darnell fifth, as Benson and Busch dropped to 25th and 26th at the finish, respectively.

"Kyle drove in underneath that 23 and wheel-hopped it and opened the door for me," said Crafton, who had an up-close view of the accident. I kind of shut my eyes and went through the middle. In Kyle's defense, he wheel-hopped and got sideways, and that's why he wrecked the 23."


Dennis Setzer (18) leads en route to the win.

Setzer took the lead on Lap 128 when Brent Raymer spun in Turn 4 in front of Busch, who had surged past teammate Denny Hamlin on Lap 97 and stayed in front until the mishap with Raymer. Setzer remained in the lead the rest of the way, through nine more cautions that helped him stretch his fuel mileage.

Notes: Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell is part of the ownership group for Bobby Hamilton Racing, which relocated from Nashville, Tenn., to Martinsville after Hamilton's death. . . Busch retained the series points lead by 35 over Todd Bodine, who finished 12th Saturday.

Complete Race Results click here

Post-Race Driver Point Standings click here

Post-Race Quotes

JOHNNY BENSON
What happened on the last lap? “I just got spun out. I went into the corner as hard as I’d been all day and doing everything we needed to do. The 51 (Kyle Busch) -- you know I don’t know. It’s just a shame that it had to happen. It happens a lot within this series. It’s just a shame that nothing ever gets done about it.”

What do you think NASCAR should do about people causing accidents? “You have got to penalize people for wrecking people. That is what needs to be done.”

KYLE BUSCH
What happened between you and Johnny Benson at the end of the race? “I had a couple good runs on some guys and you just can’t get alongside them enough getting in the corner. I thought I could get on the inside of Johnny (Benson) far enough, before he came down, but it wasn’t to be. I had a little wheel hop and it got loose and we slid up the track a little and made contact. But, you’ll have that sometimes in auto racing. I’m not happy with third. I want to go up there to the top. That’s what I’m here to do. To try to get the best possible finish I can for my guys and my team.”


Chrissy Wallace, Mike Wallace's daughter and Rusty's and Kenny's niece, made her NASCAR debut in the Kroger 250, finishing 18th.

Friday First Practice Speed Chart click here

Friday Final Practice Speed Chart click here

Broadcast Times

• Practice: Friday, March 28 (SPEED at Noon/AT)
• Final Practice: Friday, March 28 (SPEED at 6 p.m./AT)
• Qualifying: Saturday, March 29 (SPEED at 11 a.m./AT
• Race: Saturday, March 29 (FOX at 4 p.m./AT)

Green Flag Fast Facts
The Race: Kroger 250
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
Race Distance: 250 laps/131.5 miles
TV: FOX, 4 p.m./AT, 3 p.m./ET
Track Layout: .526-mile paved
2007 Winner: Mike Skinner
2007 Pole: Mike Skinner
Schedule (local track time/ET): Friday: Practice, 11 - 11:50 a.m. and 1:45 - 3:30 p.m., Saturday: Qualifying, 10:10 a.m.
Year-To-Date Standings: click here

Track Map



Pre-Race Pit Stops

• First Female Driver From Wallace Clan Debuts At Martinsville...Chrissy Wallace (No. 03 Toyota) hopes to follow her father Mike’s footsteps into NASCAR national series competition. If she’s successful in qualifying for Saturday’s Kroger 250, both father and 19-year-old daughter will have made their debuts at Martinsville Speedway. Mike Wallace, a four-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck winner, finished second in his maiden NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Martinsville on Oct. 28, 1990. He’ll also spot for his daughter, who in 2007 became the first female driver to win a late model stock car race at historic Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The younger Wallace would become the ninth female to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Rookies don’t always benefit from having top equipment. Not Chrissy, whose team has 14 wins and the 2006 championship with Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota). “Obviously, this is a big opportunity for me. I have to thank the Germains, Mike Hillman and Toyota for putting this deal together,” she said. “Our goal is to go out there and run a smart race and finish.” Her father is happy to be going along for the ride. “When I got the call from Chrissy after the test, It was very nice. She just wanted to tell me ‘thank you,’” said Wallace. “She said everything I told her on the radio made her run faster and she said she realized I really did know what I was talking about. “She asked me to spot for her. I don’t even need to say it, I’m sure, but yes, I’m very proud.”
• Skinner Looks For Yet Another Record...Three have tried; none succeeded. This week, Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) looks for a way to win an elusive, third consecutive short track race at the same track. Dennis Setzer (No. 18 Dodge) was the last before Skinner to score back-to-back victories at a short track. Setzer won at Martinsville in 2002-03 and came tantalizingly close to a third victory the following April, finishing second to Rick Crawford (No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford). Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 VFW Chevrolet) had two shots at win No. 3 in 1998 and 1999, but failed both times to even crack the top 10. Skinner has been in this position once before at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis in 1997. A broken oil line at mid-race ended the streak. Martinsville’s only three-time series winner, Skinner, isn’t getting ahead of himself. “Well, the first thing we have to do is win,” said Skinner, who’ll be aboard the BDR Chassis 5-76 that carried him to both Martinsville wins in 2007. “Our goal this weekend is to definitely win, but we will take what we can get,” he said. Skinner, ranked seventh in points following top 10s in California and Atlanta, adds it’s too early for an “all in” strategy. “We’ve got to catch back up in the points and this would be a good weekend to do it,” Skinner said.
• Six Winners In Kroger 250 Field...Six drivers with a combined nine of the track’s 18 wins will compete in Saturday’s race. They include Skinner, Setzer, Sprague, Crawford, David Starr (No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota) and Jon Wood (No. 21 Barnhill Ford).
• ACS Relay Noted...Wood’s truck will carry the logo of the American Cancer Society on behalf of his mother, Carol Wood, participating in the May 17 Relay for Life being held in Stuart, Va.
• VFW To Ride With Hornaday...The Kroger 250 marks the first of four races the No. 33 VFW Chevrolet of Ron Hornaday Jr. will honor the Veterans of Foreign Wars. His crew has been wearing “Support Our Troops” wristbands. “You have to be tough. You can’t let guys punt you around because if you do that, they will take advantage of you all day long.” – Brian Scott, No. 16 Shark Energy Drink/Albertsons Chevrolet, 16th in his 2007 Martinsville Speedway debut. “Martinsville is just one of those old-school places. It is good, old hard-nosed short track racing. Martinsville is a place where you can beat, bang, root and gouge and it is acceptable.” – Jack Sprague, who has a win among seven finishes of third or better and third-best Driver Rating of 107.7.
• Schrader Returns...Ken Schrader will run his own No. 52 for the first time since 2005. The Federated Auto Parts Toyota finished second at Texas Motor Speedway in June 2007 driven by Skinner.

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