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TruckSeries.com
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06/26/2008 - 01:41 PM
Millington, Tenn.
Article written by veteran motorsports Author and Journalist Tom Jensen - Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com
This weekend, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads back to one of its favorite haunts, Tennessee’s Memphis Motorsports Park for Saturday’s O’Reilly 200, race No. 12 of 25 on the 2008 schedule.
The ¾-mile track is an oddity in NASCAR in that it’s the biggest short track on the circuit, but with different front and backstretch layouts and tight turns, it’s a tricky place to negotiate, and that tends to play into the hands of the more experienced racers.
Hello, Kevin Harvick Inc. teammates Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday, Jr.
Sprague, driver of the American Commercial Lines Chevrolet Silverado, has led 288 laps at Memphis, more than any other driver in the field for Saturday’s race. And given that he won here in 2000 and 2006 and finished second last year, he has to be considered the favorite this time around. Sprague also has three poles here, though he admitted he doesn’t enjoying putting down a single fast lap. “The funny thing is I really hate qualifying,” said Sprague. “It is one of the most nerve-racking things we do as race car drivers.”
If Sprague is the favorite, his pal Hornaday isn’t far behind, either, having
led a second best 183 laps here, winning the inaugural Memphis Truck race in 1998 and posting top-five runs in each of the last two seasons. His Camping World Chevrolet figures to be strong here again. “This will be a good opportunity for us to gain some points back that we’ve lost this year,” said Hornaday, the defending Truck Series champion. “We just need to take one race at a time and keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Another driver to keep an eye out for here is Dennis Setzer, driver of the Journey-Melling Dodge Ram out of the Bobby Hamilton Racing VA stable. Setzer already has won on the short track at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this season, and he loves Memphis. In nine starts here, Setzer has one victory, seven top fives and eight top 10s. Ignore him at your own peril.
Also worthy of mention is the suddenly red-hot Erik Darnell, driver of the No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford F-150, whose finishes of first and fourth have boosted him from 12th to eighth in the championship in the last two races. Darnell was runner-up here in 2006 and earned a top 10 last year, so he figures to be tough again this time around. “This short track is a lot of fun to race on but can get pretty intense out there trying to get up front,” Darnell said. “This team has really kicked it into another gear the last two weeks and I hope it continues.”
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion drivers and Kevin Harvick, Inc. teammates Ron Hornaday Jr., No. 33 Chevrolet (L) and Jack Sprague, No. 2 Chevrolet (Photo by Nick Laham and John Sommers II/Getty Images) ยป More Photos
This weekend, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads back to one of its favorite haunts, Tennessee’s Memphis Motorsports Park for Saturday’s O’Reilly 200, race No. 12 of 25 on the 2008 schedule.
The ¾-mile track is an oddity in NASCAR in that it’s the biggest short track on the circuit, but with different front and backstretch layouts and tight turns, it’s a tricky place to negotiate, and that tends to play into the hands of the more experienced racers.
Hello, Kevin Harvick Inc. teammates Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday, Jr.
Sprague, driver of the American Commercial Lines Chevrolet Silverado, has led 288 laps at Memphis, more than any other driver in the field for Saturday’s race. And given that he won here in 2000 and 2006 and finished second last year, he has to be considered the favorite this time around. Sprague also has three poles here, though he admitted he doesn’t enjoying putting down a single fast lap. “The funny thing is I really hate qualifying,” said Sprague. “It is one of the most nerve-racking things we do as race car drivers.”
If Sprague is the favorite, his pal Hornaday isn’t far behind, either, having
Another driver to keep an eye out for here is Dennis Setzer, driver of the Journey-Melling Dodge Ram out of the Bobby Hamilton Racing VA stable. Setzer already has won on the short track at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this season, and he loves Memphis. In nine starts here, Setzer has one victory, seven top fives and eight top 10s. Ignore him at your own peril.
Also worthy of mention is the suddenly red-hot Erik Darnell, driver of the No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford F-150, whose finishes of first and fourth have boosted him from 12th to eighth in the championship in the last two races. Darnell was runner-up here in 2006 and earned a top 10 last year, so he figures to be tough again this time around. “This short track is a lot of fun to race on but can get pretty intense out there trying to get up front,” Darnell said. “This team has really kicked it into another gear the last two weeks and I hope it continues.”
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