S.M.'s Craftsman Update, Issue No. 6
Rumors
To update Chad McCumbee going to Sprint Cup. While it's not official yet that he's taking over driving the No. 45 car in 2009. He is one of the leading candidates to drive the car. Probably in the near future Petty Enterprises will have a major announcement to make concerning Kyle Petty.
Sean Murphy, will be back driving the No. 07 truck for SS-Greenlight Racing and making his first Bristol race in a truck.
Russ Dugger, will be making his CTS debut at the Kroger 200 in Martinsville in October. Lafferty Motorsports, signed him a year ago as a development driver. No number or manufacture has been announced yet.
Camping World has been named as presenting sponsor of the O'Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway. It's now called the O'Reilly 200 presented by Camping World RV Sales.
To update the Atlanta Fall race and were it's going. It's official Chicagoland will get a truck race in 2009 and a night race.
Looks like the Atlanta Spring race will be moved to Saturday and since no Nationwide race that weekend.
It appears Bill Davis Racing has been looking and talked to several potential investors to help his racing team. One has been Danny Sullivan the 1985 Indianapolis 500 winner. Should he get the right offer, Davis and his wife would sell the team outright.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
While they are looking, no schedule has been set. Anything they look at has to be the right fit for them and the team. BDR fields a Sprint Cup car for Dave Blaney, in the truck series Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner, Scott Speed and Michael Annett drive for the team.
Taylor Malsam, who I reported about in a previous issue. Will be making his debut in the No. 41 Dodge truck, for Cunningham Motorsports at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Title Sponsor Update
Kobalt opted out of the title sponsor race, keep their initial investments in NASCAR and not take on additional ones. Old Spice was another potential title sponsor that took a hard look, but decided to stay with Tony Stewart and the Stewart-Haas Racing team.
UPS, a current Sprint Cup sponsor for Michael Waltrip Racing. Who market themselves as the "Big Brown Truck" in Sprint Cup. Maybe intrigued and taking a look at becoming the title sponsor. It's still developing, just how serious they really are about making the commitment and have to wait to see if it develops into a negotiation with NASCAR.
While nothing new about either Stanley Tools or NAPA. But should a certain company decide to take over the truck series maybe one of these two would be good candidates to take over the East & West Series.
Another candidate is Camping World. Looks like the company maybe interested in becoming the title sponsor of the series. They are enjoying their first year of being a official NASCAR sponsor.
Kurt Hunt, their Director of Motorsports has said, "it wouldn't be, outside the realm of possibility" his company would replace Craftsman as a sponsor of NASCAR's truck series beginning in 2009. (Bob Pockrass/scenedaily.com)
It appears marketing wise the Truck Series would be a perfect fit. Since in some markets they have a large base of fans and customers residing where the series has races. While it's not in the negotiation phase yet, it could be a possibility and I think it's a great fit. It's a win win situation for the fans, teams, drivers, NASCAR and Camping World.
But the catch would be that they more than likely wouldn't continue on as title sponsor of the East and West Series. If Camping World is really interested, with the current economy. It might be easy for NASCAR toĀ find a title sponsorĀ for the Ā this talent heavy series and hammer out a deal with Camping World to take over the trucks.
Lastly here's the figure they want. It appears the asking price is in the 5 to 7 million range for entitlement. (figures from ESPN.com)
Let me mention according to Speedtv, several weeks ago Krista Voda mentioned on their pre-race show. That household viewing of the series was 23%this year and a increase of 53% over the last five years.
With the 25 race schedule, the series races the majority of the time with Sprint Cup. While it does have a few stand alone races, it's also races with the Nationwide and Indy Racing League.
With the series being a round for thirteen years, with only Craftsman as title sponsor and the changes NASCAR made to the Series. It's a great marketing platform for any company looking to take over as title sponsor.
2009 Team Updates
Taylor Malson will be running full-time in the truck series in 2009 and competing for rookie of the Year. He'll be driving for Cunningham Motorsports in the No. 41 Dodge truck with Fire-Down Graphics sponsorship and Bob Owens as crew chief.
TRG Motorsports has signed Ben Stancill to a driver development contract. Which will prepare him to drive for the team full-time in 2009. Stancill will have to drive two test sessions and two races in the ARCA Re/Max series for TRG .Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā To get his clearance from NASCAR to race in the truck series. Test sessions will be at Chicagoland and Talladega and both races at those tracks still to come on the ARCA schedule.
Driver Profile
This week going to talk about Rick Crawford. He's a great talent in the series, a racer's racer and the native Alabamian has a huge following in his home state.
Crawford, drives the No.14 F-150 truck, for Circle Bar Racing with sponsorship from Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford. He's quite the jester, proves some great entertainment for his team. Either in the race shop or at the track. Another likable is he's laid back, easy going nature and you can't help but root for a guy like him.
The relationship between Crawford and Circle Bar, when he drove in the Slim-Jim All-Pro Series. Continued onto the the truck series in 1997 and they are still running strong. Like any happy family would. They are a model of consistency and longevity in the truck series.
Crawford gets the most out of the truck, his Circle Bar crew give him. If he's got a winning, top five or top ten truck, that's usually where you will find him in the final position rundown. He doesn't DNFĀ much or get caught up in many wrecks.
Crawford has made 287 starts in the series, resulting in 144-Top Ten finishes and a whopping 50% percentage of the time he finishes in that bracket. (figures from scenedaily.com)
Crawford since 1997, has logged over 48,000 miles in the series. More impressive is that he's been racing at the end of 259 races and giving him a series best 90% finishing percentage. (figures from scenedaily.com)
Here's his stats in 2008, after fourteen starts, has four-Top Fives, seven-Top Tens and no DNF's, poles or wins. While he's been consistent this year, he would love to get some wins and get back in the points race.
Crawford would love to win a Championship for his Circle Bar Team and it's Owner Tom Mitchell. With only ten races left after Bristol and with a tight points race. You never know, Crawford could still pull it off.
Shrub sighting a expanded version
It's a triple duty weekend for Kyle Busch at Bristol Motor Speedway and the third year in a row he's running in all three NASCAR events. LJ, if your keeping track, he's racing 950 laps over four days and with all the practice probably more like 1200+ laps.
Here's his schedule:
1. O'Reilly 200 presented by Camping World RV Sales on the 20th, Wednesday night.Ā Ā Ā
2. The Food City 250 on the 22nd, Friday night.
3. Sharpie 500 on the 23rd, Saturday night.
Here's some drivers pulling double duty:
Mike Skinner, will be racing in his BDR, No. 5 Toyota Tundra truck in the truck race and also will be in the MWR, No. 00 Sprint Cup car on Saturday Night.
Jimmy Johnson, will be making his CTS debut in the RMM, No. 81 Kobalt Chevrolet truck.
David Stremme, will be back driving the No. 15 Hyprene Toyota Tundra in the truck race and also will driving the No. 64, Atreus Chevrolet in the Nationwide race on Friday night.
Jeff Green will be racing in both the truck race and Nationwide Race for Key Motorsports.
Patrick Carpentier, will be driving in the Bobby Hamilton Racing, No.Ā 4 Tow Truck In A Box/SMS Equipment/Komatsu Dodge truck at Bristol Truck race and his Gillett/Evernham Sprint Cup pit-crew will also pit the truck in tonights race.
For all the Speed fans:
Lastly Scott Speed will be back driving the BDR, No. 22 Red Bull Toyota Tundra Truck at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will mark his first race at Bristol and on a half-mile track. It will be interesting to see what this phenom can do.
Con-grats are in order also for Speed. Who got a eighth place finish, in his very first dirt track race at ARCA's last race Sunday at the Illinois State Fair.
Hornaday's Corner
Hornaday, will be making his ninth career start at Bristol in the truck series. In the previous eight starts he compiled: two-poles, two-wins, two-Top Fives and five-Top Tens. With that said, Hornaday's my pick at Bristol and he also got eighteen short-track victories.
Now should Hornaday win tonight, get his third career win at the famed track. He would be the first driver to win one both the old and new surface in trucks.
He'll be racing in his lucky Chassis No. 018 in Bristol. It's his primary short-track truck in '08 and he's been a rocket ship in it. In five races, he's got one-win, two-Top Fives and three-Top Ten Finishes.
Hornaday's also leading the truck series in ten statistical categories and with ten races left. He could easily lead in other stats before the last race at Homestead.
Here's the stats he leads:
1. Average Starting PositionsĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 5.0
2. Average Mid-Race PositionĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 7.5
3. Average Running PositionĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 7.5
4. Times He's Been Passed Under GreenĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 265
5. Percentage of Quality PassesĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 85.5
6. Fastest LapsĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 318
7. Laps in Top FifteenĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 2,126
8. Laps LedĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 717
9. Percentage of Laps LedĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 28.5
10. Driver RatingĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā - 114.5
(Stats from kevinharvickinc.com)
Upcoming Races
Aug. 20th - O'Reilly 200 presented by Camping World Rv Sales at Bristol Motor Speedway, on Speed at 7:30PM (Wednesday)
Sept. 6th - The Camping World 200, presented by Honda Power Equipment at Gateway International Raceway, on Speed at PM (Saturday)
Sept. 13th - New Hampshire 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, on Speed at 2:30PM (Saturday)
Penalties
After the Nashville Truck race, Todd Bodine and Germaine Racing were penalized for a post race inspection infraction. Bodine's trucks right-side bed panel height exceeded the specified 39 1/2 inches. Bodine lost 25 Championship Driver Points, his owner Stephen Germain lost 25 owner points and his crew chief Mike Hillman, Jr was fined $2500.00.
With the result of the penalty, Bodine dropped from fourth to sixth in the driver point standing.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Point Standings
1. Johnny BensonĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 2261
2. Ron HornadayĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā -45
3. Matt CraftonĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā -91
4. Mike SkinnerĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā -235
5. Erik DarnellĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā -240
6. Todd BodineĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā -244
7. Rick CrawfordĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā -251
8. Jack SpragueĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā -309
9. Terry CookĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā -309
10. David StarrĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā -374
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