TV / Radio

Weekend Schedule

Saturday, August 11, 2007      

 9 a.m.		Parking Lots Open
10:30 a.m.	Gates and Fan Walk Open
12:30 p.m.	NCTS Qualifying 
 2:30 p.m.	Toyota 150 ARCA Series Race
 5:00 p.m.	Driver Introductions
 5:30 p.m.	Toyota Tundra 200 NCTS TV Race Setup
 6:00 p.m.      Toyota Tundra 200 NCTS Start Time
Post Race	Josh Turner Concert 

NCTS=  NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
  
All Times Local (Central) * Schedule is tentative and subject to change. 

Goodyear Tire Notes
This is the first time Goodyear has brought this specific combination to the track -- Nashville is the only track at which teams are scheduled to run this combination this season -- Busch Series teams have run two successful races at Nashville on this tire setup already this season -- as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one-mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Nashville -- air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

Kvapil's Trophy * VPS MotorImages

Kvapil Wins At Nashville
Starting in the eleventh spot on the grid, it took Travis Kvapil 103 laps to get to the front and once there, he wasn't pressured much for position. Only after the final caution and restart with 26 to go did Kvapil get pushed from behind. Ron Hornaday was doing the pushing but Kvapil quickly pulled away. "I didn't have a chance of catching Travis unless there had been a green-white checkers," said Hornaday. "Then maybe then we could have done something with him."

Mike Skinner had dominate car, leading for 102 laps, but once Kvapil picked up the lead, Skinner couldn't do anything with the No. 6 truck. "It took us half the race to get track position and get the truck adjusted," Kvapil said. "We made a big adjustment on the first pit stop and it really woke the truck up. After the pit stop, we got to racing on longer runs and I knew we were where we needed to be. We didn't slow down and were really consistent."

"Clean air meant everything tonight," said Skinner. "We need to get a handle on this coil-binding thing, we're rookies at this but it's what everyone is using, so we need to learn how to adjust on it." Hornaday finished second and Skinner third. In an effort to get track position, David Starr took two tires on the final pit stop and finished fourth followed by Todd Bodine, Rick Crawford, Jon Wood, Ted Musgrave, Erik Darnell and rookie Joey Clanton to round out the top ten. Last year's winner Johnny Benson blew a right front tire on lap 109 and hit the turn two wall, damaging his truck beyond repair. The race was slowed by five cautions for a total of 27 laps. The Craftsman Truck Series moves to Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007.

Skinner Takes 8th Pole Of The Year
Mike Skinner, driving a Bill Davis Racing entry in the Craftsman Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway, put his Toyota Tundra on the pole for Saturday's Toyota's Tundra 200. It was the eighth truck pole this season for Skinner. This was Skinner's 37th career pole in the Truck Series. Skinner was leading this race, on the last lap, in 2006, when he and second place Todd Bodine tangled in turn one. The two drivers continued on but third place driver, Johnny Benson slipped by both of them and drove to victory.

Jack Sprague, also driving a Toyota, will start on the outside of Skinner. Todd Bodine rolls off in the third spot followed by Joey Clanton, Josh Wise, Bill Lester, Ted Musgrave, Erik Darnell, Willie Allen and Johnny Benson. The race is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Saturday

Mike Skinner Leads First Truck Practice
Bill Davis Racing's Mike Skinner paced the opening Craftsman Truck Series practice at Nashville Superspeedway Friday afternoon. Skinner led the field with a lap of 157.070 mph. Germain Racing's Todd Bodine followed with a lap of 157.008. Bobby Hamilton Racing's Mike Bliss, Kevin Harvick Inc.'s Ron Hornaday Jr. and BDR's Johnny Benson rounded out the top five in the session. The truck teams practice again at 5:15 p.m. EDT today. Qualifying for Saturday's Toyota Tundra 200 is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EDT Saturday with the race slated for 6:30 p.m.(scenedaily.com)

Key Motorsports Partners With Chrome Shop Mafia
The cast of one of television’s most popular reality shows is going NASCAR racing! Bryan “Bossman” Martin from the Chrome Shop Mafia and members of his crew has established a marketing partnership with the Mooresville, North Carolina-based Key Motorsports NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race team. The Chrome Shop Mafia is featured on national cable television as the group of seven unique personalities and talents that “makeover” big rigs for lucky truckers in need.

The formation of this unique relationship was announced at a press conference at the Nashville Superspeedway here this morning prior to practice for Saturday afternoon’s Toyota Tundra 200. The plan currently being developed by the Key Motorsports sales team would feature the #40 Chrome Shop Mafia Chevrolet Silverado competing in up to five races over the remainder of the 2007 season in specially selected markets conducive to the CSM marketing strategy. Under consideration are the races scheduled for the Gateway International raceway outside of St. Louis on September 1, Las Vegas on September 22, Talladega, AL on October 6, Atlanta on October 27 and the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on November 2. The race at Gateway International is the venue closest to the Joplin, MO home of the CSM organization and where the TV series is shot.

The Chrome Shop Mafia and the group’s supporting sponsors will kick off the relationship with Key Motorsports this weekend at the Nashville Superspeedway as the CSM logo will appear on the #40 Key Motorsports entry that will be sponsored by the Westerman Companies and driven for the third consecutive race by rookie Brandon Moore.

Gaughan Looking to turn Luck Around
Brendan Gaughan has never finished lower than sixth-place at Nashville Superspeedway, and he wants to keep it that way. Gaughan believes he has the truck, the team and the overall program to keep that streak alive. He just needs a little luck. Gaughan and his South Point Racing team have been solid all season – running in the top 10 in nearly every race. But the finishes haven’t been what the team has wanted or expected (Gaughan has four top-10s in 14 starts). The team has had a blown engine, been a victim of several untimely wrecks and while running third with only a handful of laps remaining at Kentucky Speedway just a few weeks ago, Gaughan cut a tire and fell to 22nd. Call it racing luck. Call it bad luck. Call it no luck. Gaughan just wants to go out on the race track and prove how good he knows that his South Point Racing team is.

Crew chief Bryan Berry knows that one way to change the bad luck is to put in even more effort to make good luck for the team. Berry, along with shock specialist Mike Roos and mechanic Harley Rauch spent five days in Warren, MI, at the GM Test Lab working with Chevrolet engineers to come up with the best setup for Nashville. Gaughan calls Nashville his kind of race track. It’s big and wide, which is perfect for Gaughan, who likes to run the high line. Just look at his record on the 1.33-mile, concrete oval – Gaughan has two fifth-place finishes (2003, 2006) and two sixth-place finishes (2002, 2005). But Gaughan wants more than that, especially since Nashville gives the winner a Sam Bass-designed Gibson guitar.

The guitar isn’t the only reason Gaughan wants to win at Nashville. For the second time this year, the No. 77 South Point Silverado will be carrying a special decal honoring his dad and team owner, Michael Gaughan, who was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in the “notables” category in Colorado Springs, Co., on July 14.

Bobby Hamilton Day At Nashville Superspeedway

Bobby Hamilton

The late Bobby Hamilton will be remembered during the pre race show before the Toyota Tundra 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday, August 11. Race fans are encouraged to wear their Bobby Hamilton paraphernalia. Bobby Hamilton played a major role at the Nashville Superspeedway, having participated in the groundbreaking ceremonies in 1999, being honored with a street named after him at the inaugural race in 2001, and winning the coveted Sam Bass designed trophy guitar in August 2004.

For more than six years, Bobby Hamilton opened up his race shop in Mt. Juliet, TN for Nashville Superspeedway season ticket holders.

Bobby Hamilton Racing will continue that tradition on Thursday evening, August 9 from 5 to 8 p.m. The event is free to Nashville Superspeedway season ticket holders. A $5 donation to the American Cancer Society will be accepted. Parking will be available at the Mt. Juliet Church of Christ (1940 North Mt. Juliet Road). Shuttles will be provided.

Tickets are on sale now for the Toyota Tundra 200 by calling toll-free 1-866-RACE-TIX or online at www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com. The race ticket includes a post race concert by Josh Turner.

Hornaday Needs Win To Sweep Concrete Speedways
A victory in Saturday’s Toyota Tundra 200 will make Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) the only competitor to sweep all three concrete-surfaced tracks on the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule. Hornaday won June’s AAA Insurance 200 at Dover International Speedway and counts a pair of victories at Bristol Motor Speedway.

To complete the sweep, the 49-year-old Californian will have to rebound from last year’s 33rd-place finish. Hornaday was knocked out of the Toyota Tundra 200 by accident after leading 27 laps.

Jack Sprague (No. 60 Con-way Freight Toyota) can complete a sweep of all four Tennessee tracks on which the series has competed – Nashville Superspeedway, Music City Motorplex, Memphis Motorsports Park and Bristol.

Travis Kvapil (No. 6 K&N Engineering Ford) can complete the sweep of the three currently scheduled tracks in the Volunteer State. He has two wins in Memphis and a victory at Bristol in 2003.

Mom Goes Over The Wall To Aid Son’s Nashville Effort
With regular rear tire carrier Joe Szwaczkowski absent due to emergency surgery – and no other licensed NASCAR crew member available – Patricia “Tree” Stout will join the over-the-wall crew for son J.C. Stout’s (No. 91 Sterling Trucks Chevrolet) race this Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway. Normally, Mrs. Stout is the team’s “mom” away from home who makes sure the team is well-fed and hydrated. She’ll still perform those duties but once racetime comes, Mrs. Stout will don a firesuit.

“I have to do whatever is needed to keep J.C. going,” she said. -- Added Don Stout, her husband and the team’s manager, “In the face of adversity, you have to make lemons into lemonade.”

Driver J.C. Stout said, “She can do whatever she puts her mind to, and I love her for being willing to do this for me and our team.” The mother and son as over-the-wall crew member and driver is believed to be a first in a NASCAR national series.

Wild Nashville Finish In 2006
For Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota), his victory in the 2006 Toyota Tundra 200 was a case of being in the right place at the right time. Benson never held the lead until the final trip around Nashville Superspeedway’s 1.333-mile concrete surface and found third place the place to be in a green-white-checkered shoot-out.

The winner’s success came at the expense of teammate Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) and 2006 series champion Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota), who had traded the lead four times over the race’s final 72 laps before contact left both trucks wedged against the Turn 3 wall. Benson’s success marked the second time in the 2006 season the race winner led only the final lap. Ironically, Bodine measured Skinner in the same manner in June at Texas Motor Speedway.

The outcome of the race didn’t blunt Bodine’s charge to the championship – he still wound up with a finish of eighth while Skinner dropped to 17th. But he and his team still think about the finish.

“We classify it as a ‘laughable memory’ and we put it behind us,” said Bodine. “Mike says we’re both boneheads, but we know better than that! We’ve chalked it up to hard-headed racing.”

And the message to Nashville fans? Don’t leave early.

Manufacturer Leader Two-For-Four In Music City
With more than 8,000 Toyota employees expected to attend Saturday’s Toyota Tundra 200, it would seem important that the product they build winds up in Victory Lane. And two out of three times since Toyota joined the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, it has. David Reutimann scored his first victory at Nashville Superspeedway in 2005 with Johnny Benson following a year ago.

Craftsman Celebrates 80 years ~ Posts Lap 80 Leader Prize
As Craftsman celbrates its 80th anniversary in August, the Official Tools of NASCAR will offer a special bonus for teams competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. For both events run in that month, at Nashville Superspeedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, the team leading the race on Lap 80 will receive an additional $8,000 prize.

“We wanted to do something in the series to mark this important milestone for Craftsman,” said Scott Howard, manager, sponsorships and sales promotion for Sears Holdings. “The competition in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is always intense, but for these two races there is another dimension to deal with. The drivers and crew chiefs will have to manage setups, strategy and pit stops around being in front at Lap 80 as well as the end.”

No doubt the award is particularly appealing to series standings leader Mike Skinner, who has led at least one lap in each of the 14 races in 2007.

“This is a pretty cool deal,” he said. “It’s always neat to win an award. Obviously, I hope the No. 5 truck is leading the race on the 80th lap.”

Nashville Superspeedway Highlights
Bobby Hamilton Racing will hold its 7th Annual Open House on Thursday evening. Tickets are $5 with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. Driver Ken Schrader (No. 18 Fastenal Dodge) will make his first NASCAR start at Nashville Superspeedway – the last track on the 2007 schedule at which he is a “rookie.” “I ran the first event ever held at the Nashville Superspeedway,” said Schrader. “It was an ARCA race and we won. I am not sure why, but they did not present us with the guitar. I guess it was not given to the ARCA winner at that time. I was truly heartbroken. Everyone wants to win that guitar. I don’t think you will meet a driver in the garage area who doesn’t have that trophy on their list.”

Craftsman Truck Series Rookie News

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS BEFORE TOYOTA TUNDRA 200

 
DRIVER                    POINTS
 
Tim Sauter                 119
Willie Allen               112
Blake Bjorklund            103
Joey Clanton                79
Jason White                 69
Kelly Bires                 49
Peter Shepherd              32 
Kevin Hamlin                26  
Casey Kingsland              5
Brian Sockwell               1 

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