Roush Racing records milestone  40th series victory with Mark Martin's win at 
Dover
 
NEWS AND NOTES
 
Mark Martin (No. 6 Scotts Ford) became the season's first three-time winner
when he beat Roush Racing teammate Carl Edwards (No. 50 Scotts/Ortho Ford) by
just under four seconds at Dover International Speedway on June 2. The
one-two finish was the organization's first since last October when Ricky
Craven beat teammate Todd Kluever at Martinsville Speedway.
 
Martin's victory was No. 40 for team owner Jack Roush, whose first start as a
series owner came at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sept. 29, 1996. One of
eight Roush winners, Martin has won four of his nine series starts -- a
record of seven top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
 
Roush's victory total is four more than that of now inactive Ultra
Motorsports owner Jim Smith and 21 greater than the total of the next active
team. Bobby Hamilton Racing, winless in 2006, has won 19 times.
 
Edwards' return boosts No. 50 team ... Roush Racing put its third truck on
the track in March at Atlanta and hadn't enjoyed much success --until
bringing NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series star and 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck
Raybestos Rookie of the Year Carl Edwards out of "retirement."
Edwards' last
series start was in November 2004. This week, Michel Jourdain Jr. is due to
make his debut. David Ragan also is set for duty after taking over Martin's
seat in the No. 6 Ford at Texas Motor Speedway. "If it works out we have a
seat for him he's always there and ready to drive anything that anyone would
give him," said Roush of Edwards.
 
Texans ready for Lone Star action ... Three Texas competitors will see action
in Friday's Sam's Town 400. Leading the charge is David Starr (No. 11 Red
Horse Racing Toyota), a winner earlier this season at Martinsville was fifth
in the point standings. Starr has done everything except win at his home
track. The Houston native was fourth in both races a year ago and counts six
top-five finishes overall. Also entered are Robert Richardson (No. 1
winyourmortgage.com Chevrolet) of nearby McKinney and Blake Mallory (No. 76
Automotive Fabrication Chevrolet) of Joshua.
 
Dialing for dollars ... Ted Musgrave (No. 9 Team ASE/Germain Toyota) would
become the third series driver to reach $4 million in career money with a
payday of at least $31,971 in Texas. Terry Cook (No. 10 Ford Power Stroke
Diesel by International Ford) is $22,751 shy of the $3 million mark that only
six previous drivers have reached.
 
ETC. ... Chevrolet has the most wins at Texas Motor Speedway (six); however,
Toyota has won two of the last three races. All four series manufacturers
have won at the 1.5-mile layout. ... Two drivers have won races at TMS and
championships in the same season. Sprague posted the first of two wins in
2001, the season in which he claimed his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck title.
Greg Biffle won the 2000 Sam's Town 400 while leading a track-high 120 laps.
... The Dover race saw 35 of 36 starters take the checkered flag, three more
than the previous series record for finishers. The single DNF matched the
record set April 22, 1995 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. ...
... Dennis Setzer (No. 85 FlexFuel E85 Chevrolet) won't carry fond memories
of career start No. 200. In fact, he's likely already forgotten his
20th-place finish at Dover. ... David Reutimann (No. 17 Team Tundra Toyota)
will fly to Nashville Superspeedway following Friday night's Sam's Town 400
to compete in the NASCAR Busch Series Federated Auto Parts 300 event. ... To
date, the recent Craftsman for a Cure event at Concord, N.C. has raised more
than $50,000 for various charities including American Cancer Society and
Victory Junction Gang. "It is truly amazing when you call on your friends to
help that everyone is eager to jump on board," said 2004 series champion and
cancer patient Bobby Hamilton, one of the event's organizers.
 
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
 
Texas good place for Setzer to kick-start season ... Dennis Setzer won four
times in 2005 and has yet to do so this year, but the three-time series
runnerup isn't completely off schedule. His first win came a year ago next
week at Michigan International Speedway. And Texas is one of Setzer's best
tracks. He is one of four multiple race winners there -- most recently in
2004 -- and counts 11 top-10 finishes, most by any competitor at the Ft.
Worth facility.
 
QUOTEBOOK
 
"I think that it definitely gives you confidence to go into a track knowing
that you were the guy celebrating in Victory Lane last year. It makes you the
guy to beat." -- Jack Sprague, the 2005 Sam's Town 400 winner.
 
"Texas is a real forgiving racetrack. You can get two or three wide there --
at least the last time I was there you could." -- Bobby Hamilton Jr., No. 18
Fastenal Dodge, who'll be competing for the first time in a truck after
competing at TMS in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series. His best finish
in the latter is fifth in 2004.
 
"If I could ever win at Texas it would be really special and really big for
 
my career." -- David Starr. "I'm just looking forward to this stretch of
races. I feel like I'm getting better as a driver in the trucks because of
all the extra seat time. It's easier for me to get acclimated when I'm in the
seat every weekend." -- Boston Reid, No. 25 Red Rocks Cafe Dodge.
 
IN THE LOOP
 
Picking a favorite who hasn't won at Texas Motor Speedway? Loop Data
statistics point to Johnny Benson, who just might collect his first NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series victory Friday night. Last year's Sam's Town 400 found
Benson with a Driver Rating of 123.6, tying for second with Jack Sprague.
Overall in 2005, Benson posted the second highest Speed in Traffic (174.098
mph), fourth in Quality Passes (tie-42) and third in Average Running Position
(6.038).
 
Mike Skinner led all drivers at Texas Motor Speedway in 2005 with a combined
Driver Rating of 141.000.
 
FROM THE ARCHIVES
 
Only two drivers have scored their first series wins at Texas Motor Speedway.
Bryan Reffner posted his first -- and only -- victory in the fall's Silverado
350 on Oct. 13, 2001. Brendan Gaughan's Sam's Town 400 victory on June 7,
2002 was the first of four consecutive victories at TMS and eight overall.
Ironically, Gaughan's last win -- 33 races ago -- came in Ft. Worth on Oct.
11, 2003. Jack Sprague is the series' only other active driver to count TMS
on his "last" list. The defending winner of the Sam's Town 400 has gone
winless in 23 subsequent starts.
 
FAST FACTS
 
What: Sam's Town 400 (Race 9 of 25).
Where: Texas Motor Speedway, Ft. Worth, Texas.
When: 9:15 p.m. ET, June 9.
 
Track layout: 1.5-mile paved speedway.
Race length: 400 kilometers/250.5 miles/167 laps.
 
Posted awards: $668,182.
 
TV: SPEED Channel, 9 p.m. (ET),
Radio: MRN, XM Satellite.
 
2005 winner: Dennis Setzer
2005 polesitter: Mike Skinner
 
Top 10 drivers: 1.Todd Bodine 1,305. 2. Ted Musgrave 1,229. 3. David
Reutimann 1,194. 4. Johnny Benson 1,098. 5. David Starr 1,078. 6. Jack
Sprague 1,073. 7. Mike Bliss 1,053. 8. Mark Martin 1,034. 9. Matt Crafton
1,028. 10. Dennis Setzer 1,025.
 
Pre-race schedule (all times local): Thursday --Practice 11 a.m. --12:00
noon. Rookie Practice 12:15 p.m. -- 12:45 p.m. Final Practice 1:00 p.m. --
2:30 p.m. Qualifying 6:00 p.m. Trucks impounded after qualifying.
 
##MMR 2.61(beta).  (copied MP MMR 2.61(beta), was  6-07-06 (0xae)AS:E01/027
NASCAR - All Levels(0xaf)) 


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