| Racing events send nerve-racking action and | | | | was going to be tough to get around him - but with |
| excitement. This is why NASCAR Craftsman Truck | | | | two to go, you never know,” said Allmendinger. |
| Series manufacturers’ championship is keeping | | | | “I think that last green-white-checker was bad |
| racers and aficionados agitated at the same time | | | | for us because with that last yellow, we had broken |
| excited. The emotions build up and it is expected to | | | | away from the other guys and I was going to use |
| heighten in the afternoon of May 26 at the Mansfield | | | | that cushion to try to work on him. But it took my |
| Motorsports Park, where the momentous event will | | | | truck a few laps to really get going and with that last |
| be held. | | | | restart, I was really concerned with Todd (Bodine) |
| On the lead is Toyota with 48 points followed by | | | | and the veteran, Mark Martin back there,” |
| Chevrolet and Ford, both with 33. On the fourth | | | | Allmendinger added. “This gives me a lot of |
| place is Dodge with 18 points. Last Saturday, Tundras | | | | confidence for tomorrow night. After the year |
| led a total of 29 laps with lap leaders including Mike | | | | we’ve had, being close and making mistakes - |
| Skinner (21), Todd Bodine (one), and Allmendinger | | | | this had shown probably a lot of people including |
| (seven). Allmendinger earned his career-best NCTS | | | | myself that in a good truck, we can be |
| finished second, driving the No. 00 Aaron’s Lucky | | | | competitive.” |
| Dog Tundra for Darrell Waltrip Racing. | | | | Todd Bodine, the driver for No. 30 Lumber Liquidators |
| Skinner retained the NCTS points lead with his eighth | | | | Toyota Tundra, who finished third, has this to say: |
| place finish. He leads fellow Tundra driver, Bodine, by | | | | “We had a good run. We were a little too |
| 81 points. “Under the circumstances, it was a | | | | aero-tight there at the end and we’ve been |
| pretty good finish for our team. We hurt ourselves a | | | | trying some different things on our set-up and trying |
| little bit in the pits, but we were able to salvage a | | | | to learn from those things. I think we’ll be alright |
| top-10 run. With about 40 laps to go, we came out | | | | with them over time. The team gave me some great |
| of the pits with a bad vibration, and were lucky to | | | | pit stops tonight and they’ve all had a long day, |
| catch another caution because those tires weren't | | | | but to come out of here with a third place finish - |
| going to make it the rest of the way,” said | | | | we’ve had a good day. We had the white |
| Skinner, the driver of No. 5 Toyota Tundra, Bill Davis | | | | helmet on in the truck tonight and we got a good |
| Racing. | | | | finish so we might have to try the white helmet |
| Skinner added, “It's hard to points-race knowing | | | | again and see how things work out.” |
| we had a truck that could've competed for the win, | | | | “The truck came around there toward the end, |
| but that's the breaks sometimes. We were on a roll | | | | but the track position meant so much because when |
| early in the season and have showed a lot of speed | | | | you’re back in the pack with these hard tires |
| throughout the year, so this finish isn't too bad. But, | | | | it’s really hard to pass. We tried to make the |
| as a team, we're better than this. We know we | | | | best of it and it kind of got down to desperate |
| have a chance to win every week.” | | | | times there at the end. We got a top-five for Team |
| “This is all a credit to the Darrell Waltrip | | | | ASE and we’ll move on from here and learn |
| Motorsports team because they had a lot of work | | | | from this one,” intimated Musgrave, No. 9 Team |
| to do after the spin in practice this morning. The | | | | ASE Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing. |
| truck was awesome tonight, but Ron (Hornaday) | | | | After three years in the race, Toyota is ready to |
| was just a tick better. If he would have made a | | | | chase the crown. This is why the Japanese |
| mistake there at the end, I was going to be all over | | | | automaker is sending its powerful Tundra with high |
| him. His truck was so good getting into the corners | | | | hopes to accomplish said milestone. The pickup may |
| and mine was so good getting off the corners, | | | | not have the Toyota Celica lowering kit to boost |
| basically he would stretch it out going into the | | | | maximum street performance but Tundra is powered |
| corners and then I would match it coming off. I knew | | | | by its superb “race-truck" attitude to dominate |
| by ourselves, without him making any mistakes, it | | | | the track. |