Homestead, Florida, November 19, 2004 — Kasey Kahne took his second straight NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, winning the season-ending Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway tonight. He won the Darlington 200 last week in the first truck start of his career. Kahne, a top rookie in the Nextel Cup Series, started in 13th place and didn’t move into the lead on the 1.5-mile track until lap 79 of the 134-lap race. He led the next 12 laps, was interrupted by teammate Ted Musgrave and Dennis Setzer taking a lap each in front, and then held the point the rest of the way to finish a comfortable 1.016 seconds ahead of Musgrave. Kahne led a race-high total of 54 laps and collected $48,825 in Victory Lane. A total of nine drivers took turns trading the lead 13 times, while nine caution flags slowed the race for 30 laps. As Kahne was heading for victory, Bobby Hamilton was clinching the first truck championship of his career. The 47-year-old driver — the oldest ever to win the title — needed to finish 14th or better and the honor would be his no matter what any other driver did. He came in 16th and didn’t lead a lap, but his closest points competitor, Dennis Setzer, ended up 10th, too low to affect the outcome and clearing the way for Hamilton to win the championship even with his mid-field finish. Hamilton took the title by 46 points, the second year in a row Setzer has come in second. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, finished fifth after starting in second. Crafton led 23 laps, second highest in the race, and held on to fifth place in the final standings. Crafton has had 17 top-10 and six top-five finishes in 25 starts this season. The race was the last of the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series. A report of the year’s highlights will soon be posted here, and of course, in February 2005 we’ll be back with another full season of truck racing. Join us!

Darlington, South Carolina, November 13, 2004 — Kasey Kahne won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Darlington 200 at Darlington Raceway tonight. It was his first start ever in a truck race and the first time a race had been run under the lights at the legendary track. Kahne, a rookie driver on the Nextel Cup circuit, started in fourth and led four times for a race-high 95 laps. He led the final 39 laps, and it was toward the end that things got interesting — and crazy. With 10 laps left in the 147-lap event, Dennis Setzer was turned around by Josh Richeson, bringing out a caution — there were 10 in all that took up 39 laps — that closed up the field. The restart went off smoothly with Kahne comfortably in front, but on lap 144 Carl Edwards smacked Todd Bodine’s truck, bringing out another yellow flag and setting up a green-white-checkered flag finish (and extending the race to 150 laps). On the next restart, points leader Bobby Hamilton ran into and spun out his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., forcing him into David Reutimann, bringing out yet another caution flag and ending the race. Kahne went on to Victory Lane for the first time since last season when he won a Busch Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kahne collected $40,375. He averaged 104.927 mph on the 1.366-mile oval. The race had 13 lead changes between six drivers. Kahne also raced in the Busch Series event Saturday and in Sunday’s Nextel Cup race here, giving him a three-race weekend. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, finished eighth and solidified his hold on fifth place in the standings. Bobby Hamilton came into the race with a very narrow seven-point lead over Setzer. However, Hamilton second-place finish coupled with Setzer’s 17th-place finish increased the gap to 70 points. Third-place Ted Musgrave is 121 points behind. One race remains on the 2004 schedule. Hamilton needs only a 12th-place finish or better to take the series championship.

Phoenix, Arizona, November 5, 2004 — David Starr chalked up his second win of the season and third of his career by taking the checkered flag in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chevy Silverado 150 this afternoon at Phoenix International Raceway. Starr reached the checkers 0.297 seconds ahead of runner-up Jack Sprague. He averaged 90.756 mph and picked up $49,690. Starr had to hold off the hard-charging Sprague in a late-race sprint in order to ensure his victory. With 15 laps to go in the 150-lap race, a caution flag came out when Chad Chaffin wrecked. Five laps later the race was restarted and Starr tore out in the lead. Sprague gave chase but couldn’t get close enough to pass. He had to settle for his fourth consecutive second-place finish. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, finished third and collected $19,675. Ron Hornaday, sponsored by ACDelco in the Busch Series, made his first truck race appearance of the year. He started in sixth and finished 13th. There were six cautions for 36 laps, and four drivers traded the lead four times. In the championship pursuit, Dennis Setzer had a one-point lead in the standings on second-place Bobby Hamilton coming into this event. But Setzer finished ninth and Hamilton ended up seventh, so they swapped positions. Hamilton now leads Setzer by the slight margin of seven points with only two races remaining. Ted Musgrave dominated much of the day, leading a race-high 73 laps on the one-mile track. He was third in the standings coming in, and it appeared he would tighten up the points race, but a flat tire on lap 123 gave him a 19th-place finish and dropped him 120 points behind the leader, dimming his chances for the championship. At this point, only five drivers are mathematically eligible to win the title — Hamilton, Setzer, Musgrave, Carl Edwards and Crafton. It’s the tightest race ever in the truck series. Make sure to join us next week as we move closer to the season finale.

Martinsville, Virginia, October 23, 2004 — Jamie McMurray took the checkers today in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. With the victory, he became only the eighth driver to win a race in all three NASCAR series — the Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck. McMurray started mid-pack in 18th place and didn’t move into the lead until lap 174 of the 200-lap event. That was when McMurray played the role of opportunist. Travis Kvapil and Jack Sprague were dueling each other, racing 1-2, when Sprague, with 27 laps remaining, made a move on Kvapil. Bad move. He went low but hit Kvapil’s rear and took both trucks into the wall. That was all McMurray needed. He roared into the lead and stayed there the rest of the way, even beating second-place Dennis Setzer on a restart with 12 laps to go. He sailed to the checkered flag and took the win by a comfortable 0.852 seconds while averaging 60.819 mph on the 0.526-mile track. He won $37,535. It was only his third truck start of the year. Ted Musgrave led 101 laps, the most of any driver. McMurray’s victory didn’t figure in the driver standings, but Setzer’s second-place finish combined with Bobby Hamilton’s low 26th-place wind-up changed the championship landscape. Coming into the race, Hamilton was the points-leader, 79 ahead of Setzer. But Setzer overcame that spread and jumped into first to lead Hamilton by a slim single-point margin with just three races left on the season. Musgrave and Carl Edwards are third and fourth in the standings, 91 and 122 points back respectively, still within striking distance. GM Goodwrench-sponsored Matt Crafton started in fifth and finished sixth, solidifying his hold on fifth in the standings, 277 points behind.

Fort Worth, Texas, October 16, 2004 — Todd Bodine was the winner of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Silverado 350K this afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway. It was his second victory of the season and second in a row. Bodine won two weeks ago at Fontana, California. A former Nextel Cup driver, Bodine has five top-five finishes in seven starts this season. Bodine led twice for 71 of the race’s 146 laps — the most of any of the drivers. He took his final lead on lap 109 after a major crash and stayed in front until the end when he took the checkers 1.008 seconds ahead of runner-up Johnny Benson. Bodine collected $58,530 after averaging 115.169 mph for the day on the 1.5-mile track. There were nine caution flags for 35 laps, and six drivers traded the lead nine times. A multicar wreck on lap 104 brought out a red flag. Bill Lester lost control and went into David Reutimann, carrying both trucks hard into the wall. Three other trucks — driven by Robert Huffman, J.R. Patton and Chad Chaffin — got tangled up in the wreckage. The race was delayed 28 minutes as a result. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, came in 21st. Despite the mid-pack finish, Crafton held on to fifth place in the driver standings. The top two drivers — Bobby Hamilton and Dennis Setzer — finished third and eighth respectively. Hamilton now leads Setzer by 79 points with four races to go.

Fontana, California, October 2, 2004 —Todd Bodine won his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday night, taking the checkered flag in the American Racing Wheels 200 at California Speedway. It was the former Nextel Cup driver’s sixth truck series start. He has finished in the top five three times. Tonight, Bodine started the race in the ninth position and took his first lead on lap eight. In all he led five times for 28 laps. Ted Musgrave led 36 of the race’s 100 laps, the most of any driver. It was Bodine and Musgrave who dominated the race on the two-mile track and dueled right down to the end. Musgrave took the lead from Bodine on lap 59. Bodine challenged him late in the race and took over with just seven laps to go. It got very close at the finish with Musgrave charging hard on the last lap. As they were roaring toward the checkered flag, Kelly Sutton’s car spun in the middle of the track. Bodine and Musgrave went high to avoid a crash. The move broke Musgrave’s momentum and Bodine surged ahead to take the checkered flag by a margin of 0.049 seconds. Bodine also took $42,785 as his share of the prize money. He averaged 127.141 mph. The race saw just four cautions that took up 21laps. There were 12 lead changes between six drivers. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, started 17th and came in 24th. Only the seventh time in 20 starts he has failed to finish in the top 10. Shane Hmiel won the pole in qualifying trials, but crashed his truck in a final practice session and had to start in last place with his replacement truck. However, he moved up quickly and took the lead on lap 16. He led a total of 23 laps before crashing into the wall on lap 56 and bowing out of the race. The top five drivers retained their positions in the standings. Points-leader Bobby Hamilton finished fifth and increased his lead to 56 points over his closest competitor, Dennis Setzer, who ended up ninth. Crafton remains in fifth place with just five races to go.

Las Vegas, Nevada, September 25, 2004 — Shane Hmiel took the first checkered flag of his career Saturday, winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hmiel started in 21st and led only the last two laps of the 146-lap race, beating veteran Todd Bodine to the finish by a margin of 1.009 seconds, the equivalent of about three trucklengths. Hmiel averaged 123.865 mph on the 1.5 -mile oval track. His trip to Victory Lane gave him $50,525. He was so excited by the win that he threw his very expensive driving helmet to the crowd, much to the delight of one lucky fan. The race saw five caution flags that ate up 22 laps. There were six lead changes between six drivers. Third-place finisher Steve Park was the high-lap driver with 60. He appeared to be a top contender but fell from the lead on lap 117 and did not pose a serious challenge after that. Bodine took over at that point, leading the next 28 laps before Hmiel caught him with two laps to go. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, came in 22nd, only the sixth time in 19 starts that he’s failed to finish in the top 10. He did lead eight laps, however, in the first half of the race. Points leader Bobby Hamilton finished fifth. His closest competitor, Dennis Setzer, ended up seventh, and the points gap between them expanded from 30 to 39. Carl Edwards, third in the standings, came in 33rd when engine trouble took him out of the race after 101 laps. He fell from 39 points behind to 125. With six races remaining, the run for the championship appears to be narrowing down to two drivers.

Loudon, New Hampshire, September 18, 2004 — Travis Kvapil displayed patience and daring today in winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Sylvania 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Patience because he didn’t let a five-hour rain delay get to him and daring because he took a chance and raced the final 97 laps of the 200-lap event without a fuel stop (Jamie McMurray and Shane Hmiel ran dry in the last 10 laps). It was Kvapil’s second trip of the season to Victory Lane and the fifth of his career. With much of the East Coast soaked, drivers had to wait out heavy rain and then drive the race’s first 36 laps under caution to help dry the track. Polesitter Jack Sprague led the first 57 laps before giving way to Hmiel. A total of eight drivers traded the lead 13 times. Kvapil started in third but didn’t move to the front until late in the race, taking over the point on lap 178. He held it for only that lap as McMurray took command on lap 179. McMurray stayed there until his fuel gauge read empty 10 laps later. That’s when Kvapil surged ahead with just 12 laps remaining. He was holding the lead when Sprague started a late charge. Fortunately for Kvapil — and unfortunately for Sprague — the charge fell a few trucklengths short as the 10th caution flag of the day waved and darkness set in with two laps to go. The field was frozen, giving Kvapil the victory as the race ended under the yellow. Kvapil collected $53,695 and averaged 89.482 mph on the 1.058-mile track. He led just 13 laps. High-lap driver was Sprague with 58. Hmiel and McMurray led 50 laps each. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, led three laps and finished 13th after starting 25th. He remained fourth in the standings. Kvapil’s win boosted him one notch in the driver standings to sixth, 188 points off the pace. The top five places were unchanged, but things got tighter in the points gap. Leader Bobby Hamilton finished 15th, while second-place Dennis Setzer came in sixth to cut the margin from 57 to 30 points. The top five drivers are separated by 162 points with seven races to go in the season.

Richmond, Virginia, September 9, 2004 — Ted Musgrave completely dominated the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 Thursday night at Richmond International Raceway. The veteran driver led 199 laps — all but 10 — to win the race and rack up his second victory of the year and 15th of his career. However, despite his overwhelming control of the race, Musgrave came close to losing the lead in the final laps. Teammate Jamie McMurray was coming on strong and it appeared he might be able to move in front. However, Jimmy Spencer’s truck blew an engine bringing out a caution flag on lap 180 and allowing Musgrave to save his lead. The race was scheduled for 200 laps, but another late caution with two laps to go invoked the series rule requiring that one attempt be made to end the event with two laps of green-flag racing. That set up a potential sprint to the finish when the race restarted. The race was, in fact, restarted with Musgrave in the lead and McMurray second. On the first lap of the restart, with Musgrave pulling away from McMurray, Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Performance Parts, spun his truck, bringing out another yellow flag and ending the race under caution. At the time, Musgrave had a one-trucklength lead. The victory on the short, ¾-mile “D”-shaped track gave him $44,675. It also bumped him up in the standings two spots to fifth and put him within 185 points of leader Bobby Hamilton with eight races remaining. Hamilton finished 26th. Dennis Setzer, second in the standings, finished 13th and Carl Edwards, third in points, came in sixth. Setzer is now just 57 points behind Hamilton. Crafton retained his fourth-place points standing even though his late spin-out gave him a 21st-place finish. There were 10 cautions for 55 laps and three lead changes between three drivers. The series moves on to New Hampshire next week as the championship race tightens.

Bristol, Tennessee, August 25, 2004 — Carl Edwards came from far behind to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series O’Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday night. Even though he qualified fifth, Edwards started the race at the back of the field, after his crew made unapproved changes to his truck. No matter. He just had to work a little harder for the victory. Edwards methodically moved through the field finally taking the lead from Mike Skinner on lap 180 of the scheduled 200-lap race. He then simply held on and finished the race 0.306 seconds ahead of runner-up Shane Hmiel. The win was Edwards’ third of the season and sixth of his series career. The race had eight caution periods that ate up a significant 50 laps. The eighth yellow flag came late and — because Craftsman Truck Series races cannot end during a caution period — extended the race to 206 laps. Edwards averaged just 74.496 mph on the short, .533-mile oval track. He led 27 laps and picked up $43,310. Hmiel led 52 laps and Skinner, who got into a collision with Dennis Setzer on lap 198, was the high-lap driver with 127. Edwards, Skinner and Hmiel were the only drivers to lead the race. They traded first place a total of four times. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service had his best finish ever, coming in third after starting 10th. It was his 13th top-10 finish in 16 starts. Kevin Harvick, a regular Nextel Cup driver sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service in that series, ended up fifth. It was only his second truck race of the season. He has finished in the top-five both times. In the driver standings, points-leader Bobby Hamilton came in 12th; today, however, second-place Dennis Setzer finished lower at 16th and lost ground in the points race. Hamilton’s margin over Setzer jumped 22 points to 96. Edwards and Crafton moved up a spot each to third and fourth respectively. With nine races remaining on the calendar, only 235 points separate the first-place and fifth-place drivers.

Lebanon, Tennessee, August 14, 2004 — Bobby Hamilton won his series-leading fourth victory of the season Saturday by taking the checkered flag in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway. Hamilton, the series points leader, started in 15th and never fell below fifth after the 40th lap. He led three times overall and took the lead permanently on a restart with eight laps to go in the 150-lap event. David Starr was in front at the time when the caution flag was lifted and the field went to green-flag racing. But Hamilton, running second, got right on him and passed Starr high to quickly move into first. He led the rest of the way reaching the finish about three truck lengths — 0.795 seconds — ahead of Starr. Hamilton picked up $49,485. He averaged 124.068 mph on the 1.33-mile oval track. Hamilton’s son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., a regular in the NASCAR Busch Series circuit, started on the pole and led four times for the most laps — 89. He came in fourth. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, started fourth and ended up seventh. It was Crafton’s 12th top-10 finish in 15 starts, the most of any driver. Dennis Setzer, second in the driver standings, placed 19th. His low finish and Hamilton’s victory combined to extend Hamilton’s point lead from five to 84. Chad Chaffin and Carl Edwards came in 12th and 20th respectively. Chaffin moved up a spot in the standings to third while Edwards dropped one to fourth. Five drivers traded the lead nine times and there were five cautions for 20 laps. Thirty-six trucks started the race, 30 finished and of those, 27 completed all 150 laps. The drivers now stay in Tennessee, moving on to Bristol for next week’s O’Reilly 200.

Indianapolis, Indiana, August 6, 2004 — Chad Chaffin picked up his second victory of the year taking the checkers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Power Stroke Diesel 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park Friday night. Chaffin led only one lap of the 200-lap event, but it was the one that mattered: the last lap. Entering that 200th lap, Chaffin was third, trailing leader Johnny Sauter and Travis Kvapil. Sauter had led the race since lap 97. In fact, he led twice for a total of 139 laps and was the high-lap and dominant driver of the night. At times, he had leads of almost 10 seconds. However, a couple of late race caution periods tightened up the field and on the last circuit Sauter and Kvapil were extremely close, battling each other for position, focusing only on the immediate challenge the other driver posed. Just as the two leaders made minor contact, Chaffin, with fresh tires on his truck, made his move, passed both of them on the high side and sped on to the checkers. He finished 0.348 seconds in front of Sauter. Kvapil came in third. Chaffin collected $48,985 while averaging 77.007 mph on the short .686-mile track. It was the 10th time in 14 starts that Chaffin has finished in the top-10. Only four drivers — Chaffin, Sauter, Kvapil and Jack Sprague — held the lead and they swapped it four times. There were eight yellow flags for 48 laps. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, was 18th at the start and worked his way up to a solid seventh-place finish. Polesitter Jack Sprague ended up 18th and points leader — coming into the race — Dennis Setzer wound up 12th. With Setzer finishing relatively low, he dropped out of the lead in the driver standings. Bobby Hamilton, the third-place finisher, took over the top spot by five points. Crafton, with 11 top-10 finishes retained his fifth-place slot.

Brooklyn, Michigan, July 31, 2004 — In a season that has seen nine different drivers win in 13 races, today was Travis Kvapil’s turn to take the checkered flag. Kvapil won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Line-X Spray-On Truck Bedliners 200 at Michigan International Speedway this afternoon. It was his first win of the year and the fourth series victory of his career. Qualifying trials were rained out so the field was set on the basis of driver standings. Dennis Setzer was on the pole with Kvapil positioned in the eighth spot for the 100-lap race. Kvapil contended all day, but didn’t take the lead until lap 84. Once there, he stayed in front all the way to the finish. The victory came under a caution when David Reutimann wrecked at the beginning of the last lap. Kvapil averaged 125.479 mph on the 2.5-mile track and claimed $49,100. Seven drivers traded the lead 18 times and 22 laps were slowed down by a total of seven caution periods. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, started in fourth and fell back to finish 12th. He led one lap and collected $12,365. Bobby Hamilton led eight times for 50 laps — the most of any driver. He came in fifth. Points-leader Setzer ended up 10th. Combine that with Hamilton’s top-five finish and Setzer’s point lead was reduced from 64 to 33. Carl Edwards finished sixth and held on to third place in the driver standings. Ted Musgrave jumped up two spots and Crafton dropped back one. With the drivers entering the second half of the season, the action is really heating up.

Madison, Illinois, July 17, 2004 — David Starr led only one lap Saturday night in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway. However, in this case, it was the right lap — the final one, the one that gets a checkered flag waved at you. It was also the only lap Starr has led all year and it brought him a trip to Victory Lane, a place he hadn’t been since October 2000 — a dry spell of 35 races. Starr’s win came about in a wild finish. The race was scheduled for 160 laps, but since Craftsman Truck Series races must end with at least two laps of green flag racing, a record four cautions extended the race for 14 laps with three crashes over the last five laps. (In all, there were nine caution periods that took up 36 laps.) Chad Chaffin was in the lead and Starr in second on what turned out to be the final restart of the night. He got there following a crash that took out Shane Hmiel and Bobby Hamilton, two of the night’s top contenders. On the restart, Starr bumped Chaffin and moved past him to claim the point. He then outran Dennis Setzer to the finish by about two truck lengths — a margin of 0.444 seconds. Starr picked up $54,210 while averaging 93.694 mph on the 1¼-mile oval track. Hmiel and Hamilton led the most laps, 75 and 43 respectively, but finished in midfield in 16th and 17th because of their wreck. Polesitter Jack Sprague ended up 29th after a tire went flat and he smacked the wall on lap 155. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, brought his Chevy truck in sixth, collecting $15,625 in the process. It was his 10th top-10 finish in 12 starts this season. The most of any driver in the series. Crafton’s finish nudged him up a spot to fourth in the standings. Coming in as the runner-up, Dennis Setzer extended his lead in the driver standings from a tight six points to a more comfortable 64 ahead of second-place Hamilton. Over the course of the race, nine drivers exchanged the lead 15 times.

Sparta, Kentucky, July 10, 2004 — Bobby Hamilton took the win in the rain-delayed NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Built Ford Tough 225 tonight at Kentucky Speedway. The race start was held back for almost an hour because of the rain and the first 11 laps were run under caution as the trucks helped dry the track. When racing went green on lap 12, it took Hamilton, who started in third, just three laps to move into the lead. From then on he dominated the race, at one point holding a lead of over eight seconds. He also led 91straight laps and overall a race-high of 133 laps. It appeared he would sail to the checkers, but this is racing and nothing is predictable. With five laps to go, Jack Sprague passed him and it looked like Hamilton might be done. As it turned out, not so. Two laps later, Rick Crawford spun out, bringing out the sixth and last caution flag of the night. Truck Series rules say that the race must end with at least two laps of green-lap racing, which meant this event would be extended from 150 to 153 laps. On the restart Sprague led, but Hamilton, a former Nextel Cup driver, made his move, ducking low to recapture the point. He held off Sprague the rest of the way and grabbed the checkers by a margin of 0.179 seconds along with an $80,125 reward. He averaged 122.600 mph on the 1.5-mile oval. Hamilton’s win was the seventh of his Craftsman Truck Series career and third this season. The victory also pushed him up a spot to second in the driver standings, just six points behind Dennis Setzer. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, came in fourth — his ninth top-10 finish in 11 starts — and held on to his fifth-place spot in the standings.

Kansas City, Kansas, July 3, 2004 — From the way the race started, you would have thought Carl Edwards’ day was over minutes after it began. Edwards started in the second position. On the very first lap of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway today, polesitter Dennis Setzer’s truck got loose, went too wide and bumped Edwards into the wall. And just like that Edwards was on his way to the pits for repairs under caution. When he came back on track, he was 33rd and had a lot of ground to make up — which is exactly what he did. Edwards worked his way through the field and on lap 146 of the 167-lap race, took the lead away from Matt Crafton and held on all the way to the checkered flag. He beat second-place Bobby Hamilton to the finish by 1.769 seconds, averaged 105.994 mph on the 1.5-mile track and collected $48,225. Edwards also celebrated his win with a signature back-flip off his truck’s bed. It was his second victory of the season and fifth of his career. Setzer did not do as well. On the second lap he got tangled up again — this time in a seven-car crash that damaged his radiator and oil cooler. He was off the track for 31 laps and ended up 25th. There were 10 cautions which took up 44 laps and the lead changed 14 times between nine drivers. Hamilton led the most laps — 47. Edwards moved within 34 points of leader Setzer in the race for the series championship. Hamilton and Rick Crawford held on to their respective third- and fourth-place positions. GM Goodwrench Service-sponsored Matt Crafton moved up two spots in the standings to fifth after coming in fifth in the race. Crafton led six laps and won $14,500 in his eighth top-10 finish of the season.

West Allis, Wisconsin, June 25, 2004 — Ted Musgrave got his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win of the year tonight by taking the checkered flag in the Black Cat Fireworks 200 at the legendary Milwaukee Mile. It was the 14th win in his Craftsman Truck Series career. Musgrave started on the pole and led the first 21 laps of the scheduled 200-lap event before giving up the point to Bobby Hamilton. He then led four more times for a total of 109 laps — the most of any driver. He was in the lead again when he took a pit stop on lap 129 during a caution period. When green-flag racing resumed, Musgrave was in 18th and with 82 laps to go, seemingly far away from any chance of overtaking the leaders. But Musgrave fought his way through the pack and retook the lead on lap 197 by passing points-leader Dennis Setzer. However, the race finish was not a seeming three laps away: the race was extended to 205 laps due to a late caution (Craftsman Truck Series races cannot end on a caution). He, and the other contenders, still had nine laps to go. But Musgrave managed to surge ahead and break out to a 12-truck length lead capturing the victory by beating Chad Chaffin to the finish with 1.479 seconds to spare. Musgrave averaged 82.230 mph on the 1.032-mile track and earned $53,885, plus an $18,000 bonus for winning from the pole. GM Goodwrench-sponsored Matt Crafton brought his Chevy in 10th, giving him his seventh top-10 finish of the season. In the points race, the top-four drivers held their positions, however, Musgrave’s victory gave him a four-spot bump up to fifth. Points-leader Setzer’s third-place finish, combined with Carl Edwards coming in 23rd, widened the gap between the two drivers to 131 points. Six drivers changed lead nine times and eight cautions flags slowed the race for 45 laps.

Fort Worth, Texas, June 11, 2004 — Dennis Setzer extended his lead in the driver standings to 50 points over second-place Carl Edwards tonight by winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O’Reilly 400K at Texas Motor Speedway. It was Setzer’s second win of the season and the fifth time in seven starts he has finished in the top-10. Setzer was running in second place far behind Ted Musgrave late in the 167-lap race. Musgrave was cruising along with a seven-second lead. But Setzer had put on four fresh tires in his last pit stop while Musgrave had mounted only two. And then something went wrong with Musgrave’s truck — a wheel was loose. Setzer started to eat into the lead, cutting it down with every lap. With five laps to go, he made his move under Musgrave to zip in front and then pull away to a big lead. When the checkers flew a few laps later, they flew for Setzer as he sped across the finish line with a huge 11.817-second margin of victory over Musgrave. Setzer led only 13 laps while Musgrave, the polesitter, was high with 101. Setzer averaged a remarkable 148.946 mph — a record for the Craftsman Truck Series — on the 1.5-mile track. He also won $67,600. GM Goodwrench-sponsored Matt Crafton came in eighth and moved up two notches in the standings to ninth. He collected $15,400 for his efforts. The race saw only three caution flags for 12 laps and five drivers swap the lead nine times.

Dover, Delaware, June 4, 2004 — Chad Chaffin took the checkers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series MBNA America 200 at Dover International Speedway today. He was the sixth different winner in the season’s first six races. Chaffin had an early problem which turned out to be a plus. Tire trouble forced him to pit before he wanted to, but that gave him enough fuel to avoid a stop later in the race when other contenders had to pit. The win was Chaffin’s first in 38 career starts. He took the lead during a caution period when Kevin Lowe spun out with 52 laps to go. Chaffin stayed in front the rest of the way in a race that saw four drivers trade leads four times. It appeared Chaffin would have an easy victory, but with just 10 laps remaining, Kevin Weaver slammed into the wall and brought out another yellow flag. That tightened up the field and on the restart with four laps left, Chaffin found himself fighting off a very determined Rick Crawford. Chaffin held on to cross the start-finish line 0.382 seconds — about three truck-lengths — ahead of Crawford. Chaffin averaged 98.996 mph on the one-mile track known as “The Monster Mile” and collected $55,260. Former series champion Mike Skinner led the most laps — 85 — but fell out of the lead during another caution period — there were six for 42 laps — and finished fourth. Polesitter Carl Edwards finished 14th. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, started 17th but his truck suffered engine failure and he pulled out of the race after 76 laps and came in 29th. The low finish took him down six pegs to 11th in the driver standings. Dennis Setzer retained his lead in the standings in spite of finishing 18th. He leads Edwards by 20 points with Crawford in third, 56 behind. Skinner popped up two spots to fourth. Chaffin’s win brings him to 13th — a bump of two spots.

Concord, North Carolina, May 21, 2004 — Toward the end of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Infineon 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway tonight, Carl Edwards thought he saw a caution flag so he slowed down. Ordinarily, that would have been the right thing to do. In fact, there was no flag, and Edwards’ surprising mistake cost him the race. The error allowed Dennis Setzer to shoot past and snatch the victory. Setzer had been leading the 134-lap race when Edwards passed him on lap 128. All indications were that Edwards would cruise on to his second victory of the season. But then Edwards apparently got confused. With three laps to go, Edwards was running down the backstretch when he saw Chad Chaffin’s damaged truck moving slowly across the bottom of the track and thought he saw a yellow flag. He slowed down, just enough to allow Setzer to zoom by, and then realized there was no caution flag. Although he tried to get back up to speed and catch Setzer, it was too late. Setzer was long gone and Edwards barely held off a hard-charging David Starr to hang on to the runner-up spot. Setzer sailed on to seal the victory, taking the checkers 0.869 seconds in front of Edwards. It was Setzer’s first win of the year and his 11th career trip to Victory Lane. He now has won at least one race in seven consecutive seasons. He led twice for 10 laps while Edwards led five times for a race-high 54 laps. Setzer picked up $53,325 and averaged 106.631 mph on the 1.5 -mile track. Nextel Cup regulars Kevin Harvick — sponsored in that series by GM Goodwrench Service — and Michael Waltrip finished fourth and fifth. Waltrip led three times for 49 laps, but lost an opportunity to win when he got the worst of a tangle with Edwards’ truck on lap 121. Waltrip fell back and wasn’t a factor after that. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, drove his Chevy truck to a ninth-place finish. Setzer’s win kept him in first place in the driver standings, 37 points in front of second-place Edwards. Rick Crawford finished seventh and jumped three spots to third in the standings. Crafton, with four top-ten finishes in five races, also shot up three spots to fifth.

Mansfield, Ohio, May 16, 2004 — Three-time champion Jack Sprague returned to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series this season after spending 2002 in the Busch Series and 2003 racing a part-time Nextel Cup schedule. Today he was back in the groove as he powered through the inaugural UAW/GM Ohio 250 and took his first win of the year and the 24th series victory of his career. Sprague started on the pole and stayed in front for the first 83 laps before Ted Musgrave took over. Bobby Hamilton, Terry Cook and Dennis Setzer then took their turns in the lead until Sprague passed Setzer on lap 197. He stayed in front the rest of the way in spite of four caution flags and restarts. The event had been scheduled for 250 laps, but Hank Parker Jr. spun late in the race, bringing out the 13th caution flag of the day (the caution periods took up a record 94 laps). Since Craftsman Series races must end with green flag racing, the race was restarted and extended to 252 laps. That didn’t bother Sprague. He just stayed in the lead for an extra two laps. In the end, he crossed the finish line 0.394 seconds ahead of Setzer. In four starts this season, he has had three top-10 and two top-five finishes. Sprague averaged 54.706 mph (all those caution laps slowed everyone down) on the .5-mile track and picked up $44,350. He also picked up 200 points which moved him up five spots in the standings to seventh, 86 points behind new leader Setzer. Carl Edwards, the points leader coming in, finished 17th and fell to second in the standings. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, started 24th and finished 10th. He has had three top-10 finishes in four races and is eighth in the standings.

Martinsville, Virginia, April 17, 2004 — Rick Crawford refused to let an injury keep him out of Victory Lane. Last month, Crawford was caught in a wreck at Atlanta Motor Speedway and fractured his left foot in two places. Surgery would have sidelined him for too long, so Crawford decided to grin and bear it and let the foot heal on its own. Today, wearing a special plastic brace that let him put pressure on the foot, Crawford took a late-race lead and held on to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. The win gave him $45,710. It was his third career victory and first since last year’s opener at Daytona. Crawford led three times for 82 laps — including the last 53 on the short, .526-mile track. There were a record-tying 12 cautions for 83 laps. It was during a mid-race caution with 104 laps to go that Crawford, then leading, pitted for fuel and tires, giving up his position. The other contenders didn’t pit, taking a chance there would be another caution later that would give them fresh tires for the finish while Crawford’s tired faded. They were right. There were plenty of other cautions, but it didn’t matter. Crawford’s tires were just fine and he stayed near the front the rest of the race after moving back into the lead on lap 202. In the final 34 laps, two cautions slowed the field and his leads were wiped out. However, each time on restart, he pulled away. As the 250-mile race moved toward its end, it looked like he would get the checkers, but with just three laps remaining, Steve Park drove into the wall and it was yellow flag time once again. Craftsman Truck rules require a two-lap, green flag finish, so the drivers had to circle until the track was cleared and ready for the final sprint. The race restarted on lap 253 and Crawford jumped out in front and held on for the checkered flag. Because of the final two-lap, green-flag racing rule, the race ran 254 laps. It was the third time in the series a race has gone into “overtime” at the track. Crawford ended up averaging 61.490 mph and finishing 0.365 seconds ahead of runner-up Dennis Setzer. Polesitter Jack Sprague led a race-high 118 laps and finished third. The win bumped Crawford up eight slots to seventh place in the driver standings. Carl Edwards’ sixth-place finish moved him into the lead, displacing Travis Kvapil who dropped to second after coming in 13th. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, started 23rd (in a 36-truck field) and ended up a respectable seventh, moving up to sixth in the standings.

Hampton, Georgia, March 13, 2004 — Bobby Hamilton got the fifth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win of his career this afternoon when he took the checkers in a tight finish with Mike Skinner in the inaugural EasyCare 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hamilton was a lap down at one point in the 133-lap race, but moved into contention toward the end of the race. With two laps to go, Steve Park and Robert Huffman crashed together to bring out the fourth yellow flag of the day. Craftsman Truck Series races cannot end under caution, so that set up a two-lap, green-flag sprint to the checkers. When the race restarted, it was Skinner in the lead with Hamilton chasing him in second. Hamilton steadily closed in on Skinner, methodically cutting his lead on the 1.54-mile oval. He made his move on the final turn of the final lap. Hamilton went high on Skinner, pulled even and as the two trucks went zooming to the finish side-by-side, they smacked together, bouncing off each other. Hamilton held control, but Skinner plunged through the inside grass before regaining control. That was all Hamilton needed as he went on to claim the win and the trip to Victory Lane. Skinner, a former series champion, finished second 0.330 seconds behind. Hamilton averaged 123.675 mph and had a payday of $50,850. Skinner was the high-lap driver with 68, Hamilton led 56. Third-place finisher David Reutimann and fourth-placer Travis Kvapil — the series’ defending champ — were the only other drivers to lead laps with eight and one respectively. A scary wreck on lap 46 involved three trucks. The crash was triggered when Tina Gordon spun in front of Hank Parker Jr. and Rick Crawford. Both trucks hit her with Parker then careening into the inside wall and Crawford smacking the outside wall. All three drivers were assisted from their trucks and sent to a local hospital for observation. They were conscious and alert when they left the track. Matt Crafton, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, finished fifth. It was his second top-10 finish in the season’s two races. Carl Edwards and Kvapil remain one-two in the driver standings, but just one point apart, and Hamilton is now third, a mere 16 points out.

Daytona Beach, Florida, February 13, 2004 — Carl Edwards took the checkered flag in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2004 season-opening Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway tonight. It was his fourth victory in two years of series competition. Edwards, the Craftsman Truck Rookie-of-the-Year in 2003, beat defending champion Travis Kvapil to the finish by 0.141 seconds and picked up $86,760 for the win. He celebrated the victory by jumping out of his truck onto the track and doing one of his signature backflips (he’d been warned by NASCAR officials not to do a backflip directly off the bed of his truck). Edwards led twice for a race-high 28 of 100 laps including the final 21 laps. He averaged 112.570 mph on the 2.5-mile track. The race saw a rash of crashes including four in the first 40 laps. A major fracas took place on lap 51 when Tracy Hines smacked the rear of Jack Sprague’s truck. Sprague started spinning and hitting other cars setting up plumes of smoke that blocked the view of oncoming drivers and left them clueless as to what, if anything, was in front of them. When the smoke cleared, 15 of the 36 trucks in the field had been damaged. In all, there were seven caution periods for 42 laps and 11 drivers swapped the lead 22 times.

Back to the Craftsman Truck Racing Series Race Report.