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MARCH 19, 2007 - ATLANTA…RACE # 3 OF 25
WEEK IN…AND WEEK OUT…YOU HEAR US PRAISE THE LEVEL OF RACING IN THE NASCAR TRUCK SERIES AS THE MOST COMPETITIVE DIVISION IN ALL OF NASCAR…AND FRIDAY’S 135 LAPPER…AT ATLANTA…FURTHER SERVED TO UNDERSCORE THAT CONTENTION…
THE SERIES…WHICH HAS BECOME A MAGNET FOR DRIVERS…CALLED …TOO OLD…OR MORE ACCURATELY…NOT…"COOKIE CUTTER…POSTER BOYS"…FOR THE POLITICALLY CORRECT…MAINSTREAM…LIKING…IS THE ONLY PLACE IN NASCAR RACING…WHERE RACING IS STILL THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR…IN…THE RACE…
AS USUAL…THE TRUCK EVENT CAME DOWN TO A LATE RACE RESTART… THIS WEEK JUST 11 LAPS FROM THE END…WHEN…AT THE RE-START …MIKE SKINNER…"BUMPED"…AND THEN DROVE BY…RACE LEADER …AND…RR-AZ ALUM…CLINT BOWYER…DRAGGING…TODD BAL-DEEN …WITH HIM…AND FROM THAT POINT ON IT WAS…SKINNER …FLEEING …BAL-DEEN…MATT CRAFTON…RICK CRAWFORD…AND THE "BUMPED" BOWYER…TO PICK UP HIS 2ND CONSECUTIVE WIN…IN THE SERIES…THIS SEASON…
A GOOD FINISH TO A DAMN FINE RACE…
FEBRUARY 27, 2007 - TRUCKIN’…ON A FRIDAY NIGHT…IN
FON-TUCKY, CALIFORNIA
"RACE #2 OF 25
IT WAS ALMOST…"DÉJÀ VU…ALL OVER AGAIN"…FOR THE CRAFTSMAN TRUCKERS…AND SPECIFICALLY…MARK MARTIN…WHO WON THIS RACE LAST YEAR…DRIVING FOR…ROUSH RACING…AND JUST LIKE LAST YEAR…THE RACE CAME DOWN TO A…GREEN-WHITE-CHECKER… FINISH…BUT THE BIG DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR WAS THAT INSTEAD OF…TODD BAL-DEEN…LINING UP BEHIND HIM FOR THE RACE’S FINAL RESTART…IT WAS…RON HORNADAY…THE…ACKNOWLEDGED…BEST RE-STARTER IN NASCAR…AND THAT WOULD BE…MARTIN’S…UNDOING…
WHEN THE FINAL GREEN FLAG WAVED…MARTIN…"BLINKED"…WHILE… FELLOW…RR-AZ ALUM…HORNADAY…WAS ALREADY 6 INCHES INTO… MARTIN’S…REAR BUMPER…AND WELL ON…HIS WAY…TO…A DRIVE IN THE GRASS…AND THE ONLY PERSON AT FONTUCKY…TRYING TO FIGURE OUT…"WHAT HAPPENED"…WAS…MARTIN…WHO WENT FROM LEADING…TO A 23RD PLACE FINISH…WITH ONLY HIMSELF…AND HIS
SO-NAM-BU-LANT WAYS…TO BLAME…
WITH…MARTIN’S FORD…SPINNING AWAY…AND...HORNADAY’S CHEVY… SLOWED BY MARTIN’S…REAR BUMPER…MIKE SKINNER…MOVED TO THE FRONT…TO LEAD THE REMAINDER OF THE WAY…AND COLLECT THE WIN FOR TOYOTA…
FOLLOWING…SKINNER…ACROSS THE FINISH LINE IN 2ND… WAS… HORNADAY…FOLLOWED BY…DAYTONA WINNER…JACK SPRAGUE…ALSO IN A TOYOYTA…
THE TOP FINISHING FORD…THIS WEEK…BELONGED TO…CARL EDWARDS …WHO BROUGHT IT HOME IN THE 4TH SPOT…WHILE THE BEST DODGE… WAS THAT OF…CHASE MILLER…IN…14TH…
FEBRUARY 19, 2007 - TRUCKIN’…ON A "COLD" FRIDAY NIGHT…IN DAYTONA
SEASON OPENER…(#1 OF 25)
FORMER SERIES CHAMP…AND…RR-AZ ALUM…TRAVIS KVAPIL… WHO WON THE 1ST SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP…FOR A TOYOTA…RETURNED TO THE TRUCK SERIES…AND IN HIS 1ST RACE WAS REMINDED JUST HOW "TOUGH" THOSE TOYOTA’S ARE…AS HE WAS UNABLE TO MAKE HIS… FORD…WIDE ENOUGH…TO HOLD BACK THE…PAIR OF TOYOTA’S…DRIVEN BY…JACK SPRAGUE...AND…JOHNNY BENSON…
WHILE IT APPEARED…KVAPIL…COULD…"WHIP"…ANY OF THE TOYOTA’S ONE ON ONE BEATING A PAIR OF THEM…DRAFTING TOGETHER WAS A TOUGHER DEAL…AND ULTIMATELY IT RELEGATED…KVAPIL…FROM A WIN…TO A 3RD PLACE FINISH…IN LESS THAN 100 YARDS…BUT THEN… "THEM’S THE BREAKS"…
KVAPIL…HAD MANAGED TO STAY OUT FRONT FOR A LONG TIME…THANKS TO HELP FROM ROUSH TEAMMATE…CARL EDWARDS…BUT WHEN THE FINAL CAUTION WAVED…AND MOVED EDWARDS…LAPPED TRUCK…TO THE BACK OF THE PACK…KAVPIL…WAS ALL ALONE IN A SEA OF TOYOTAS…AND IT WAS A TRIBUTE TO HIS TALENT THAT HE WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN A TOP 5 FINISH…AS…TOYOTA…SWEPT…4 OF THE FRONT 5 POSITIONS…
THE 1ST CHEVY "BOWTIE" TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE WAS…THAT OF…RR-AZ ALUM…RON HORNADAY…IN 7TH…WHILE…THE TOP FINISHING DODGE OF…CHASE MILLER…WAS SHOWN 22ND…AND LIKELY UNDERSCORES… JUST WHY…CHRYSLER…IS CLOSING A PLANT…AND LAYING OFF…13,000 PEOPLE…