Kansas
July 2, 2005
BDR Post Race Report
The Toyota Certified Used Vehicles team needed a strong
run at Kansas Speedway to keep its championship hopes
alive. The team has had three weeks of horrible luck,
which relegated it to the 14th position in the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series Championship standings. A strong
run on Independence Day weekend could turn the team’s
fortune around.
The No.
23 TCUV team fought both loose and tight handling
conditions during the first of two pre-race practice
sessions. Benson could not get back to the gas because
the truck would not turn early in the session, then he
had to catch the rear of the truck from coming around on
him later in the session. The team made some helpful
changes, but Benson did not feel that the truck was
strong enough to be a contender.
During
the second practice session, the TCUV team found a setup
that had both speed and handling. Benson said the truck
was good on long runs, and the tire sheet proved him
true. The team was concerned about qualifying but
believed the truck could be among the lead pack during
the race.
Before
the qualifying session, Benson told his crew chief, Greg
Ely, that he would qualify his Toyota Certified Used
Vehicles Tundra in the 15th position. Benson gained .4
seconds on his practice time and—as he
predicted—qualified 15th.
When
the green flag waved over Saturday’s event, Benson
started to fall through the field. He told his crew the
truck would not go on new tires, but it was good after
30 laps. Like the trucks of his Bill Davis Racing
teammates, Benson’s truck was tight off the corner. The
team pitted under caution at lap 30 for four tires, fuel
and adjustments to the TCUV Tundra.
The
changes seemed to help as Benson quickly began moving up
through the field. By lap 50, Benson was in the top 15
and catching the lead pack. When the caution flag waved
on lap 66, the No. 23 team pitted for tires, fuel and a
track bar adjustment to help Benson on entry of the
corners.
Benson
restarted 18th on lap 73. Nine laps, Benson reported
that he had a vibration somewhere in the truck, and the
push he was experiencing earlier was getting worse.
Benson
headed behind the wall on lap 122 so the TCUV crew could
repair the right-front hub, which was stripped due to
lug nuts not being tightened. This put the team
multiple laps down and out of contention for the win.
Benson returned to the track to finish the race in the
28th position.
The
team will be back in action Saturday night at Kentucky
Speedway.
Bodine Wins in Kansas
Toyota earned its first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
(NCTS) victory of the 2005 season -- and fifth overall
in the series -- Saturday afternoon when Todd Bodine
guided his No. 30 Toyota Tundra to ‘Victory Lane’ at
Kansas Speedway.
Bodine, who recorded his third career NCTS win, was one
of four Tundra drivers to post a top-five finish at the
1.5-mile Kansas oval. Following Bodine to the checkered
flag at Kansas were David Reutimann (third), Mike
Skinner (fourth) and Bill Lester (fifth).
Bodine, who started 10th in the No. 30 Allman Brothers
Band Tundra, ran among the leaders throughout the race
and led the field three times for a total of 81 laps en
route to the win. It marked Bodine’s second race since
he returned to the No. 30 Tundra -- a ride he won two
races with in only eight starts last season.
“We struggled in practice yesterday,” said Bodine,
following the race. “But, before qualifying we made a
shock change and it turned out to be just what we needed
because my Tundra was perfect all day today. My truck
was a little ‘free’ handling -- but that’s what you need
for these trucks to go fast. The Toyota horsepower was
incredible today and my Tundra was just awesome.”
“Last race in Milwaukee was my first one back in the No.
30 -- and I’m really glad to be back with this team.
The guys that put these trucks together are really good
guys and we have some great leaders here in Mike
(Hillman, team manager) and Junior (Mike Hillman, Jr.,
crew chief). It’s good to be back home.”
In 10 starts driving the No. 30 Tundra (eight in 2004
and two in 2005), Bodine has won three races and
registered five top-fives and six top-ten finishes.
Along with his win at Kansas Speedway today, the
Chemung, N.Y.-native won races with the team last year
at California Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
Reutimann, driver of the No. 17 Darrell Waltrip
Motorsports NTN Bearings Tundra, equaled his best career
finish with his third-place at Kansas. The 2004 NCTS
Rookie-of-the-Year had to overcome some adversity to
record his best result of the season.
“When we started off the race, everything was good,”
said Reutimann, after the race. “We were running a
little ‘loose,’ but I really wasn’t worried. Then,
things turned bad quickly. I lost my power steering and
was just trying to hang on. We had to come into the
pits several times, but my guys at Darrell Waltrip
Motorsports kept at it and they were able to get it
fixed. After that, my Tundra was just flawless.”
Skinner, driver of the No. 5 Bill Davis Racing Tundra,
earned his fourth top-five finish of the season with his
fourth-place finish, including his third top-five in the
last four races. Lester, driver of the No. 22 U.S. Army
Tundra and Skinner’s teammate at Bill Davis Racing,
recorded his career-best NCTS finish with his
fifth-place result. Lester was also the fastest driver
in qualifying Friday afternoon to earn his second career
NCTS pole position.
In the NCTS championship point standings following the
first 12 races of the 2005 campaign, four Toyota drivers
are among the top-15 in the standings. Mike Skinner is
ninth in the standings with 1,479 points, 265 points
behind leader Dennis Setzer. Following Skinner in the
standings are Tundra racers David Reutimann (1,454
points) in 12th-place, Todd Bodine (1,409 points) in
14th-place.
and Johnny Benson (1,361 points) in 15th-place.
The next race on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
schedule is at Kentucky Speedway, July 9.
Toyota Finishing Positions @ Kansas Speedway
1st, TODD BODINE, No. 30 Allman Brothers Band
Tundra
3rd, DAVID REUTIMANN, Darrell Waltrip
Motorsports, No. 17 NTN Bearings Tundra
4th, MIKE SKINNER, Bill Davis Racing, No. 5
Toyota Tundra
5th, BILL LESTER, Bill Davis Racing, No. 22 U.S.
Army Tundra
15th, CHAD CHAFFIN, Wyler Racing, No. 60 Weyler
Automotive Famil Tundra
16th, BRANDON WHITT, Red Horse Racing, No. 38
McMillin Homes/Cure Autism Now Tundra
18th, ROBERT HUFFMAN, Darrell Waltrip
Motorsports, No. 12 Toyota Tundra
28th, JOHNNY BENSON, Bill Davis Racing, No. 23
Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra
Toyota Drivers in the NCTS Point Standings --
following Kansas Speedway**
9th, MIKE SKINNER 1,479 points
12th, DAVID REUTIMANN 1,454 points
14th, TODD BODINE 1,409 points
15th, JOHNNY BENSON 1,361 points
17th, BILL LESTER 1,325 points
19th, CHAD CHAFFIN 1,225 points
23rd, ROBERT HUFFMAN 1,128 points
25th, BRANDON WHITT 1,083 points
31st, SHIGE HATTORI 554 points
** Unofficial Point Standings
Kansas Preview
-
This
week’s race truck for Kansas Speedway is Chassis No.
23-60. Johnny Benson drove this truck to a
fourth-place finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May.
-
Rookie
Stripe… Benson will make his first start in a NASCAR
Craftsman Truck at Kansas Speedway on Saturday.
Benson has made three starts in the NASCAR Nextel Cup
Series at the 1.5-mile race track. His best starting
position at Kansas was sixth (2001), and he brought
home his best finish of a 23rd in 2002, despite
failing to finish all three events.
-
Along for
the ride… Benson will carry an American flag in his
TCUV Tundra this weekend in honor of David Bradley who
retired from the U.S. Navy. Bradley, who served as an
aviation electronics technician, retired in May.
-
Tested
and Approved… The No. 23 Toyota Certified Used
Vehicles team tested at Chicagoland Speedway in May in
preparation for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250.
-
Just for
fun… Benson will join his teammate Bill Lester
Thursday night for a night of racing at Sadler’s
Indoor Karting. This will be the second time this
year that Benson has taken on his No. 23 Toyota
Certified Used Vehicles
team in go-karts.
-
Welcome
Home… Springfield, Mo., native Chris Hall will be at
his home track this weekend at Kansas. Hall is the
front tire carrier on the No. 23 TCUV Tundra, and he
serves as the tire and interior specialist for the
team. This is Hall’s first full season at Bill Davis
Racing.
-
Listen
and Watch … The O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 is scheduled
to start at 3 p.m. ET Saturday, July 2. It will
broadcast live on Speed (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Radio
channel 144.
Bill
Davis Racing Quotes:
Johnny
Benson on racing at Kansas Speedway:
“I am
excited about going to Kansas. I have not raced there
before in a truck,
but my Toyota Certified Used Vehicles team has done a
tremendous job at the mile-and-a-half tracks this year.
We really need some luck on our side. Last week, we
struggled from the time we unloaded but really ran well
during the race. Greg Ely and the guys at Bill Davis
Racing have given me top-notch equipment each week, and
we need to get our Tundra some strong finishes to help
get us back into the top 10 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Series points.”
Crew
chief Greg Ely on racing at Kansas Speedway:
“This is
the No. 23 TCUV team’s first visit to Kansas Speedway,
but we feel confident that we have a good
mile-and-a-half package. We had a really good test at
Chicagoland Speedway, and we applied what we learned at
Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. We had
a tough couple of practices last weekend, but everyone
kept their head down and focused on the task at hand and
gave Benson a truck that we could adjust on during the
race.”
Toyota Race Preview
THIS RACE: The O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 will be the fifth
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Kansas
Speedway. There will be eight Toyota Tundras in the
field at the 1.5-mile Kansas oval -- the 12th NCTS race
of the 2005 season.
LAST RACE:
In the most recent NCTS race -- the Toyota Tundra
Milwaukee 200 -- at the Milwaukee Mile, Brandon Whitt
was the top-finishing Toyota with a 13th-place. It was
the best result of the 2005 season for the driver of the
No. 38 McMillan Homes/Cure Autism Now Tundra.
POINTS PACE:
After the first 11 races of the 2005 season, several
Toyota drivers are among the top-15 in the NCTS
championship point standings. Mike Skinner is 11th in
the standings with 1,314 points, 300 points behind
leader Dennis Setzer. Following Skinner in the standings
are Tundra racers David Reutimann (1,284 points) in
12th-place and Johnny Benson
(1,282 points) in 14th-place.
LAST YEAR
HERE: A year ago, Travis Kvapil was the only Toyota
driver to finish among the top-10 at the Kansas-oval
when he crossed the finish line seventh.
BACK IN TIME
FOR BODINE: At the Milwaukee Mile, Todd Bodine returned
to the driver’s seat of the No. 30 Germain/Arnold Racing
Tundra, a seat he will occupy for the remainder of the
2005 season. The Chemung, N.Y.-native qualified the No.
30 Germain Toyota/Arnold Development Tundra on the
outside of row one and was running among the leaders
through the first 60 laps (of 200), before being
sidelined on lap 141 with an ignition problem. Last
year, Bodine recorded two NCTS wins in eight starts
driving the No. 30 Germain/Arnold entry. This season,
Bodine ran the first 10 races of the year with the No.
66 Fiddle Back Racing team.
TODD TALKS:
“Last year, before I got into the Germain/Arnold Tundra,
it had been a pretty rough season for me with lots of
ups and downs,” says Bodine. “Then, when I came to the
Craftsman Truck Series and got two wins with Germain/Arnold
it showed everyone I could still get the job done. Now
that I’m back with the Germain/Arnold team, I think we
can regain the momentum we had last year and produce
some wins.”
CHAD CHARTS
NEW COURSE: Chad Chaffin made his first start behind the
wheel of the No. 60 Wyler Racing Tundra in Milwaukee.
Chaffin, who ran the first 10 races of the season in the
No. 30 Germain/Arnold Tundra, is scheduled to complete
the season with Wyler Racing. At Milwaukee, in the first
race of the 2005 campaign for the Wyler team, Chaffin
was among the fastest drivers in both practice sessions
and worked his way into the top-15 during the race,
before a pit lane speeding violation set him a lap back
and hindered his efforts to move up the field. Chaffin
eventually finished 17th in the team’s debut.
CHAD CHATS:
“I’m excited about the rest of the season and I think
there are some good things in store for us,” says
Chaffin, talking about the Wyler Racing team. “Although
we may struggle at times because we’re trying to build a
race team and go racing at the same time, I’m impressed
with Tony (Furr, crew chief) and his dedication and
experience.”
FIRST FIRST:
Chad Chaffin holds the NCTS qualifying record at Kansas
Speedway, circling the track in 32.467 seconds (166.323
MPH) in 2003. It was the first pole position of his NCTS
career. “Winning the pole at Kansas was really huge for
me and my team because it was our first significant
accomplishment together. Some people say that winning
the pole really isn’t that big a deal, but for us that
pole at Kansas was a big deal.”
MIKE MAKES
MARK IN MIDWEST: Last year, Mike Skinner, driver of the
No. 5 Bill Davis Racing Tundra, made his first NCTS
start at Kansas Speedway and registered a 12th-place
finish. However, the Daytona Beach, Fla.-driver has
plenty of Craftsman Truck Series experience in the
Kansas City-area, having run at Topeka’s Heartland Park
three times (1995-97) and Missouri’s I-70 Speedway twice
(1995-6). In those five NCTS starts at tracks
surrounding the current Kansas City circuit, Skinner
recorded NCTS wins at Topeka (1996) and I-70 (1995), as
well as a second-place at I-70 and two fifth-place
finishes at Topeka.
TWO AT
TOPEKA: Veterans Todd Bodine and Johnny Benson have also
competed in NCTS races at Topeka’s Heartland Park.
Bodine, who made his first NCTS start at Kansas last
season, finished fourth at Topeka in 1995. Benson,
driver of the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles
Tundra, has never started a NCTS race at Kansas, but he
did finish sixth at Topeka in 1996.
BODINE BUSY
AT KANSAS: Todd Bodine has started races at Kansas
Speedway in all three of NASCAR’s premiere divisions. He
has one NCTS start at the track (2004), as well as two
Busch Series starts (2002-03) and has qualified for four
NASCAR Cup races (2001-04) at the circuit.
COMPETITION
CHAT: “The level of competition in the Craftsman Truck
Series is great,” says Whitt. “There are some past
champions in the series and some former Cup guys in the
series. It’s great for someone like me -- who’s coming
up and trying to make it through the ranks. Running
against guys like Johnny Benson and Mike Skinner every
weekend is only going to make me better. It’s just
really neat to run against guys that you know about and
watched on TV since you were little.”
TRUCK TALK:
“In 1995 and 1996, the Craftsman trucks drove a lot
different than they drive today,” says Mike Skinner, the
inaugural NCTS champion. “Back then, they slid all over
the track, had very little grip, and always looked
loose. Over the years, the trucks have evolved and they
now have a lot of drag and a lot of down force. These
trucks drive much better now than they did 10 years
ago.”
2005
LINE-UP: The Toyota Tundra NCTS line-up at Kansas:
Driver Truck
Team
Johnny Benson No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles
Tundra Bill Davis Racing
Bill Lester No. 22 U.S. Army Tundra Bill Davis Racing
Mike Skinner No. 5 Toyota Tundra Bill Davis Racing
Robert Huffman No. 12 Toyota Tundra Darrell Waltrip
Motorsports
David Reutimann No. 17 NTN Bearings Tundra Darrell
Waltrip Motorsports
Todd Bodine No. 30 Germain Toyota/Arnold Development
Tundra Germain/Arnold Racing
Brandon Whitt No. 38 McMillin Homes/Cure Autism Now
Tundra Red Horse Racing
Chad Chaffin No. 60 Wyler Racing Tundra Wyler Racing
