Notes: Road racers among Truck rookie contenders

Fabricator still going strong for Ballew's team at age 69

By Official Release
January 12, 2008
06:00 PM EST

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- While road racers have been part of the Craftsman Truck Series since its inception, none have won rookie of the year honors.

Boris Said came close in 1997, finishing third to the late Kenny Irwin.

This, however, may be the season that breaks the string.

Three top road-racing veterans will be among the 2008 rookie class -- each in equipment capable of winning both races and the rookie award.

Colin Braun, a 19-year-old Texan, will drive the No. 6 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, a team that has produced five previous rookies of the year.

Rolex Grand Am champion Andy Lally will be behind the wheel of the No. 7 TRG Chevrolet. The Racer's Group is one of the most successful contemporary professional sports-car organizations.

Justin Marks, who has a half decade of experience racing BMWs and Porsches, takes the seat in Germain Racing's No. 9 Toyota. He'll partner with 2006 Craftsman Truck champion Todd Bodine No. 30 Toyota.

All figure to be quick learners. But the challenges are obvious.

"Everything is so completely different," said Lally, a Daytona International Speedway veteran on the track's 3.56-mile combination infield and banking road course. "You really do have to kind of separate one from the other. This well may be a different property in a different state."

The Dacula, Ga., driver's move from one course to the other appeared seamless on Day 1 of the Craftsman Truck Series' Preseason Thunder test. Lally ranked second in Friday's drafting speeds with a lap of 184.604 mph, second only to the 184.638 of veteran Brendan Gaughan.

Braun got off to a good start as well before a Friday afternoon incident involving contact with teammate Joey Clanton cut short his test. He'd earlier ranked second in single-truck runs at 176.790 mph.

"Everybody at Roush Fenway Racing has been so helpful," Braun said. "From the truck drivers and crew chiefs all the way up to the Sprint Cup drivers and crew chiefs, they have all taken time to help me."

Braun admits that NASCAR racing is a world apart from his previous experience.

"In road racing, you race two or three other cars," he said. "In NASCAR you might be racing 10 to 15 cars at the same time. It makes it a lot more fun for me since I get to race a lot more."

Marks will rely on Bodine to accelerate his learning curve along with Nationwide Series teammate and Daytona Chevrolet Silverado 250 winner Mike Wallace.

"That gives me two teammates I can really feed off of," said the Rocklin, Calif., native, who recorded Saturday's fourth fastest single-truck lap of 177.134 mph. "I'm in about as good a position as any rookie in the series this year."

For Bodine, the 2008 season represents a 180-degree turn from 2006-07 when his teammate was 2005 series champion Ted Musgrave.

"I've always been one of the guys that rookies seem to gravitate to when they needed help," Bodine said. "I was always there and they knew I would shoot them straight. [Marks] has shown that he has talent enough to drive so now he just has to learn the trucks and learn the tracks.

"We expect good things from Justin."

Jim Murray no NASCAR rookie

At age 69, Jim Murray, a member of the Billy Ballew Motorsports team, has as much or more experience as anyone in the Craftsman Truck Series garage. This week, Murray, a fabricator and "untitled" engineer, is working with Kyle Busch on the No. 51 Toyota.

Busch, 22, is young enough to be Murray's grandson.

Murray, who occasionally still goes over the wall to change tires, has been in the sport for 53 years working with -- among others -- Cale Yarborough, Benny Parsons, David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Rusty Wallace and Dick Brooks.

"There are so many moments that stick out but winning the Daytona 500 three years in a row really sticks out and working with [team owner] M.C. Anderson and Buddy Baker," he said.

Murray, who celebrated his 69th birthday earlier this month, isn't contemplating retirement any time soon.

"I told Billy that I'd like to cut out the travel to all the tracks so I'm going to enjoy it this year," he said.

Pit Stops

• Erik Darnell remained atop the single-truck speed charts for the second session on Saturday morning, boosting his fast lap to 178.547 mph. Darnell's top speed on Friday was 177.420. Former NASCAR Camping World Series, West champion Scott Lynch advanced from seventh to second at 178.827 mph, while Mike Skinner was third with a lap of 177.792 mph. Skinner, who resides in Daytona Beach, was 10th on Friday.

• Each of the series' four manufacturers placed a truck among the six fastest speeds with Shelby Howard's No. 13 ThorSport Chevrolet ranking sixth at 176.039 mph.

• Scott Lagasse, who placed ninth in the 1995 championship standings driving a Chevrolet jointly owned by Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, is returning to the series full time -- just not in the cockpit. Lagasse will spot for his son, Scott Jr., who will drive the No. 20 JTG Racing Ford in 2008.

• Ted Musgrave has driven the No. 59 HT Motorsports Toyota during this week's test while continuing to search for a full-time ride this season.