Open Wheelers Ready to Tame Short Track/ Kroger and P&G Renew/ Chicagoland Images Added
Open Wheelers Ready to Tame Short Track
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Hello from Millington, Tennessee and Memphis Motorsports Park, site of this weekend’s O’Reilly 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Memphis is a short track much like Richmond. It is banked like Richmond and this weekend will have the humidity and heat like Richmond. With a heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service a big key to winning this weekend will be hydration. The track has brought in temporary lighting and the race will be run at night so that should provide some comfort.
Terry Cook, 8th in points, will become the series record-holder for most consecutive races with 211 in a row Saturday night. The husband of Amy East Cook (Open Wheeler by marriage) finished second at Memphis in 2002. He has three top tens at the facility. Mike Bliss is not a fan of the .75 mile oval at Memphis. The Open Wheeler who is 11th in points had a battery come unplugged four times there.
“It is a motor track, more than anything, you need a motor,” said Bliss. “Off Turn 4, you get dogged down, and you need something to accelerate, and if you have a good motor that has good torque, you can pass people there.”
The rest of our Open Wheelers may not be happy with Memphis either. The track has not been kind to rookies. The best finish by a rookie in eight Craftsman Truck Series races at Memphis is fifth by Carl Edwards in 2003. Edwards is the only first-year driver to log a top-five at the track.
Boston Reid will try to better Edward’s record. The Indiana native has a lot of mileage on the .75 mile oval. Reid spent time testing there and racing there in 2004, while driving for Carl Edwards/ R.E. Technologies Racing. Boston Reid estimates that he's made somewhere around 2,000 laps on the track. The team uses the oval as their home test track. Reid led his first laps of the season last weekend at Kentucky. The 24-year old driver tied his season's best finish of 14th at Kentucky.
“I've been to Memphis before in a Silver Crown car in 2004,” said Reid. “I love this track. My Silver Crown car was based in the area, so we tested there all the time. It'll be nice to go to a track that I'm familiar with, even though I've never raced a stock car there. I think that the Silver Crown experience will play to my advantage when it comes time to practice the truck.”
Current Carl Edwards/ R.E. Technologies Racing driver Peter Shepherd will attempt his first Truck Series start this weekend. Like Reid, he has also tested a PRA Big Car Series car at Memphis. Shepherd tested there this spring when he was trying out for Edward’s Silver Crown ride. The Canadian is coming off of a second place finish last weekend at Chicagoland. Vancouver based Griddly Headz Board Games has joined Roush Racing to sponsor the No. 50 that Shepherd will pilot this weekend. Peter Shepherd will have to race his way in due to the team not having enough owner’s points. Thirty six trucks are entered this weekend.
Bobby East also has experience at Memphis in a Silver Crown car. East finished second there in the Big M Motorfest in 2004. He also piloted a Busch Series car there in 2005, finishing 17th.
Fellow rookie Kraig Kinser will see the Memphis track for the first time Friday. He will rely on teammate Dennis Setzer for lessons on how to get around the .75-mile oval. Setzer is the right man to ask. The veteran has a 3.6 average finishing position at the Tennessee track. Being a rookie has become more difficult than past seasons.
“With NASCAR's new testing and tire rules, it is tougher for these young drivers when they are continually going to new tracks and have limited time to get comfortable with the track and get up to speed, said Setzer. “Kraig has been a sponge all season about asking questions and listening to everyone he can to get information about each place, but there is just no replacing laps and experience.”
Unlike Kinser, Erin Crocker also has experience at Memphis. She finished 29th in the Busch Series race at Memphis last fall. The race is scheduled to air on SPEED at 9pm Saturday night. I will be at the track today and tomorrow to bring you all the information on our Open Wheelers. Because I am working for the track this weekend, I will not update until after I leave the track. My good friends at http://www.truckseries.com will have live coverage throughout the weekend. Today’s schedule calls for rig parking at 2pm, Practice 1 at 5:00pm, Rookie Practice at 6:00pm and Final Practice at 7:45pm. Qualifying and the race are set for Saturday. Please check back later tonight for updates.
Kroger and P&G Renew
Kroger and Procter & Gamble will remain on the USAC cars fielded by Hoffman Auto Racing through June of 2007. The companies have been with the USAC championship winning teams for the past eight years. Congratulations to Kroger and P&G on renewing with one of the best teams in the business.
Chicagoland Images Added
After almost a week of being on the road, I have finally had time to add the images from Chicagoland. You can find them in the Open Wheeler photo album or by clicking on this link. http://www.flickr.com/photos/92448439@N00/sets/72057594134006261
Images appearing in this blog courtesy of R.E. Technologies.
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Hello from Millington, Tennessee and Memphis Motorsports Park, site of this weekend’s O’Reilly 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Memphis is a short track much like Richmond. It is banked like Richmond and this weekend will have the humidity and heat like Richmond. With a heat advisory issued by the National Weather Service a big key to winning this weekend will be hydration. The track has brought in temporary lighting and the race will be run at night so that should provide some comfort.
Terry Cook, 8th in points, will become the series record-holder for most consecutive races with 211 in a row Saturday night. The husband of Amy East Cook (Open Wheeler by marriage) finished second at Memphis in 2002. He has three top tens at the facility. Mike Bliss is not a fan of the .75 mile oval at Memphis. The Open Wheeler who is 11th in points had a battery come unplugged four times there.
“It is a motor track, more than anything, you need a motor,” said Bliss. “Off Turn 4, you get dogged down, and you need something to accelerate, and if you have a good motor that has good torque, you can pass people there.”
The rest of our Open Wheelers may not be happy with Memphis either. The track has not been kind to rookies. The best finish by a rookie in eight Craftsman Truck Series races at Memphis is fifth by Carl Edwards in 2003. Edwards is the only first-year driver to log a top-five at the track.
Boston Reid will try to better Edward’s record. The Indiana native has a lot of mileage on the .75 mile oval. Reid spent time testing there and racing there in 2004, while driving for Carl Edwards/ R.E. Technologies Racing. Boston Reid estimates that he's made somewhere around 2,000 laps on the track. The team uses the oval as their home test track. Reid led his first laps of the season last weekend at Kentucky. The 24-year old driver tied his season's best finish of 14th at Kentucky.
“I've been to Memphis before in a Silver Crown car in 2004,” said Reid. “I love this track. My Silver Crown car was based in the area, so we tested there all the time. It'll be nice to go to a track that I'm familiar with, even though I've never raced a stock car there. I think that the Silver Crown experience will play to my advantage when it comes time to practice the truck.”
Current Carl Edwards/ R.E. Technologies Racing driver Peter Shepherd will attempt his first Truck Series start this weekend. Like Reid, he has also tested a PRA Big Car Series car at Memphis. Shepherd tested there this spring when he was trying out for Edward’s Silver Crown ride. The Canadian is coming off of a second place finish last weekend at Chicagoland. Vancouver based Griddly Headz Board Games has joined Roush Racing to sponsor the No. 50 that Shepherd will pilot this weekend. Peter Shepherd will have to race his way in due to the team not having enough owner’s points. Thirty six trucks are entered this weekend.
Bobby East also has experience at Memphis in a Silver Crown car. East finished second there in the Big M Motorfest in 2004. He also piloted a Busch Series car there in 2005, finishing 17th.
Fellow rookie Kraig Kinser will see the Memphis track for the first time Friday. He will rely on teammate Dennis Setzer for lessons on how to get around the .75-mile oval. Setzer is the right man to ask. The veteran has a 3.6 average finishing position at the Tennessee track. Being a rookie has become more difficult than past seasons.
“With NASCAR's new testing and tire rules, it is tougher for these young drivers when they are continually going to new tracks and have limited time to get comfortable with the track and get up to speed, said Setzer. “Kraig has been a sponge all season about asking questions and listening to everyone he can to get information about each place, but there is just no replacing laps and experience.”
Unlike Kinser, Erin Crocker also has experience at Memphis. She finished 29th in the Busch Series race at Memphis last fall. The race is scheduled to air on SPEED at 9pm Saturday night. I will be at the track today and tomorrow to bring you all the information on our Open Wheelers. Because I am working for the track this weekend, I will not update until after I leave the track. My good friends at http://www.truckseries.com will have live coverage throughout the weekend. Today’s schedule calls for rig parking at 2pm, Practice 1 at 5:00pm, Rookie Practice at 6:00pm and Final Practice at 7:45pm. Qualifying and the race are set for Saturday. Please check back later tonight for updates.
Kroger and P&G Renew
Kroger and Procter & Gamble will remain on the USAC cars fielded by Hoffman Auto Racing through June of 2007. The companies have been with the USAC championship winning teams for the past eight years. Congratulations to Kroger and P&G on renewing with one of the best teams in the business.
Chicagoland Images Added
After almost a week of being on the road, I have finally had time to add the images from Chicagoland. You can find them in the Open Wheeler photo album or by clicking on this link. http://www.flickr.com/photos/92448439@N00/sets/72057594134006261
Images appearing in this blog courtesy of R.E. Technologies.
posted by Blake Johnson at 9:47 AM
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