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Photos: Craftsman Truck Testing at Daytona International Speedway

 

-- Craftsman Truck Testing at Daytona Day 1 AM Speeds
-- Craftsman Truck Testing at Daytona Day 1 PM Speeds

 

-- Craftsman Truck Testing at Daytona Day 2 AM Speeds
-- Craftsman Truck Testing at Daytona Day 2 PM Speeds

 

--* Craftsman Truck Testing at Daytona Day 3 Speeds(*Only One Session)

 

 Late start, early finish:  Sunday’s final session got underway late due to a wet track.  The scheduled 9 a.m. start commenced almost two hours behind schedule with the first truck hitting the high banks at 10:54 a.m.  Rain hit again in the afternoon, causing officials to end the session around 2 p.m.

 

Darnell Keeps the Bar High

Saturday p.m. report

Erik Darnell, driver of the No. 99 Ford F-150 for Roush Racing, has been testing his truck at Daytona International Speedway this weekend along with the other teams of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Just finishing his second full year in the series, Erik has been around racing all his life…literally. At 8 weeks of age, he was propped up in a box in the back of a truck at DIS while his grandfather and the team were getting ready to race.  Erik is the grandson of former USAC and NASCAR driver Bay Darnell, who had a career-best thirteen place finish in one of his three NASCAR starts.

With 51 NCTS races under his belt, Erik has managed to win one, rack up 20 top ten’s and secure 1 pole. Impressive? It seems to be something Erik expects of himself, and shows he won championships and broke records as he worked his way through the basics of racing beginning at the age of 12.

Finishing the 2007 season in 12th place was not where Erik and the team thought they’d end up, Erik said:

“We’re looking forward to putting last year behind us. We struggled quite a bit last year, didn’t really end the season on the note we wanted to… I’m looking forward to putting that behind us and getting off to a good start here at Daytona.”

Testing is looking good for the No. 99 team, as Erik reflected:

“If the first two days (of testing) are any indication, we’ve got a really good truck. Not only in single cup runs, but in the draft it’s really strong as well.”

Friday and Saturday morning testing sessions saw Erik secure the top speed positions, with an increase in speed on Saturday by 1.127 mph.

With Erik expecting to run better this year, is he feeling more than the pressure he’s put on himself to accomplish his goals?

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel some pressure to go out there and win races and run for the championship. Last year we didn’t quite live up to our expectations, our teammate Travis Kvapil (finished in 5th place) was contending for the championship and I honestly think we should be in that position this year. Jack’s (Roush) kind of looking for that and I think everybody in the organization is looking for it and I am as well. We’ve got the equipment and we’ve got the team in place to do so.”

This 2006 NCTS Rookie of the Year has his head on straight and his focus on taking the top position.  Look for this fellow to demand that of himself as the season goes by…and to achieve it.

 

 

Hornaday and Sprague, a Match Made….Somewhere

 

Sunday a.m. report:

 

Ron Hornaday, Jr, driver of the No. 33 Chevy Silverado and defending champion of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, wondered if the fellows testing with him at Daytona International Speedway were just over zealous or trying to take him out early in the game.

“I think two times yesterday (Friday), just trying to get up to speed, people pulled in front of me,” said Hornaday. “I don’t know if they are doing that on purpose so I don’t get a good clean run or what, or just holding me back.  I don’t know, but we will figure it out by a couple of races in to the season.”

Hornaday has a new teammate this year. It just happens to be one of his rivals, Jack Sprague. Jack will be driving the No. 2 Chevy for Kevin Harvick, Inc. Sprague’s no slouch in the series, he finished 9th in the rankings in 2007, and just happened to win the first race of the season in Daytona last year. 

For years Sprague and Hornaday have raced each other about as hard as you can. Pushing each other to the limits is a regular event between the two.  Reflecting on the past, Hornaday said:

“Every time I got a chance to do it, I just ran in to the side of him. Finally Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (Hornaday’s truck owner) and Mr. Hendrick (Sprague’s truck owner” said enough is enough guys, we have to work on these trucks.”

Chevrolet expects these two to run the trucks hard and put on a show for the fans, all the while knowing they are two of the best drivers on the circuit.

“Jack and I had a rivalry on the track but a bigger rivalry existed between our team owners and Richard Childress that Mike (Skinner) drove for. Jack and I just kept ours going.  It made good TV and it made good media.”

Sprague concurred and added:

“Hornaday and I have had three or four incidents that we didn’t’ talk for a month or so but that has been in a span of 12 years, so that isn’t bad.”

Both fellows have tested hard while at Daytona this week, and are looking forward to a season of pushing each other’s buttons. It sure seems to get the best results out of them, that’s for sure.

 

Andy Lally Loves a Challenge

Saturday p.m. report:

Remember last week when we were here at Daytona International Speedway for Rolex 24 testing? Well…I thought I forgot to turn the page when I was in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage area on Saturday morning and I saw Andy Lally…

Andy Lally is the 2006, 2004 and 2001 Rolex Grand Am Champion. In 2001, he was a 24 Hours of Daytona class winner. Lally currently holds the record for most podium (top 3) finishes in Grand American Rolex Series history, and he holds the record for most podium finishes in a single season. He’s third on the all time win list and has won more races than any other series driver in the last three years. Lally is the first and only three time Rolex Series Champion.

So what’s he doing hanging out in the garages of the NCTS at Daytona? His experience behind the wheel isn’t limited to the Gand-Am series. He’s had his foot on the pedal in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, ARCA, Goodies Dash, Legends, Formula 2000, and the Barber Dodge Pro Series.

Some racers grow up racing dirt and ovals; make a career of ovals and pretty much like it that way. But on occasion you run into a fellow that can wheel just about anything he puts his mind to it. What’s the difference between driving a Rolex car compared to the Chevy Silverado he’s running around the track during this session?

“It’s a completely different feeling but I’m actually kind of happy with that. The biggest difference between the Rolex and the truck is the rigidity. We run a very stiff car. It’s such a different feel and such a different viewpoint from the cockpit and it’s such a different sound. Everything is so completely different. It’s not too hard to transition from one to the other. It’s great being here either way, because I love Daytona. Either we’re on the road course or the oval, they’re both incredible.”

Andy’s times in Friday’s afternoon session saw him 2nd quickest with a speed of 184.604.

 

A Pair of Truck Drivers…Ready to Win

Saturday a.m. report

While half of the talked about NASCAR Cup Series fellows have left Daytona International Speedway after having completed their round of testing, a new group of NASCAR teams have pulled into the garage and settled in for their three days of testing. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series boys have unloaded their trucks and taken to the track, hoping to secure speed, confidence and maybe a little bit of an edge over the other teams.

On Friday, Rick Crawford, driver of the No. 14 and new teammate Brendan Gaughan, driver of the No. 10, shared thoughts on their hopes for the 2008 season. Just as in the Cup series, these fellows know the importance of a good working relationship with your crew, owner and teammates. Gaughan said:

“…You really have to have crew chiefs work with each other…that’s the biggest thing, its’ a bunch of people that work well together, not people coming in and they don’t like this or that. Everybody works well together, likes each other…”

Crawford, a driver in the NCTS for the past 11 years, has accumulated 18 top ten finishes during that time, with 11 of them being in the top 5. He finished 5th in the overall standings for the 2007 season, and that has left him hungry for an even higher placement this year. Rick drives a Ford truck, but it seems the Chevy and Toyota trucks have dominated the last couple of years. What does he think it will take to change that?

“Work hard…I learned a long time ago that races are won and lost in the shop – not here at Daytona, not here at testing, not here at the race, not at Talladega, not at Loudon, not at Las Vegas, not at Homestead,” Crawford said. “We’ve got good chassis, good equipment, good inventory and we’ve got great teams. That’s what we’ve got to do, just keep working hard.”

Brendan Gaughan, new to the No. 10 team, but not new to NCTS, will be starting his 11th year as a driver in the NCTS. He has a year in the Nationwide (Busch) Series – 2001, and a year in the Nextel Cup Series – 2004.

He’s got goals set for this testing session at Daytona, no doubt about it. What does he want to accomplish while he’s here?

“Go fast…we’re not forgetting the performance factor,” Gaughan said. “We’re trying to get the chemistry and make sure everybody knows who is on the right-front, who is on the left-front, who is on the rear, who is doing tire temps, who is doing tire pressures. It’s a comfort zone thing for our race team. With a little bit of performance mixed in. We’ thing that’s the purpose of being teammates and it’ll work out.”

Rick Crawford perhaps said it best when he commented on their goals when they come back to run the Chevy Silverado 250 on February 15, 2008:”

“We’re gonna come back to win this Daytona 250 and we’re gonna race the two best trucks.”

Testing on Monday saw Gaughan’s afternoon time being posted at 184.638, the top speed of the afternoon. Looks like he’s on his way to achieving one of his goals while he’s here at Daytona.