D.W., Petree raring to go in Truck Series

MARTINSVILLE, N.C. -- The brash talk and posturing is over, and Kevin Harvick, Andy Petree and Darrell Waltrip are in the show.

When NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Bud Pole Qualifying for the Advance Auto Parts 250 at Martinsville Speedway ended Friday, Petree was a surprising third with Harvick 12th and Waltrip starting in the 18th spot.

“The Craftsman Truck Series is a great series and I’ve owned a truck a few years ago,” Waltrip said. “Rich Bickle won here in 1997 for me in my truck. I’ve always found them to be real driver friendly. There’s something about the wheel base, size and engine combination that makes it a real fun vehicle to race with.

“One of the other reasons I wanted to do this was because I’ve never driven with a HANS device. I’m wearing a Hutchen’s Device and found that more to my liking when we tested the Truck at Caraway Speedway in Asheville (N.C.) this past week.

“The hard thing about qualifying here is that you have to do it on sticker (new) tires. That’s the most difficult part to get a real fast lap in.”

So, is Waltrip going to be making more appearances in the Craftsman Truck Series, or maybe even Winston Cup?

“No sir, that’s something I don’t think the redhead (Stevie, his wife) will go for that,” Waltrip said emphatically. “I got into a truck race, and here at Martinsville that’s a pretty good selling job in itself.

Waltrip is second on the all-time win list for Winston Cup Series competitors with 11 trips to Victory Lane. The three-time Winston Cup champion also had his best NCTS finish of fifth here in 1996.

Waltrip and Harvick have been exchanging is some friendly, competitive banter leading up to Saturday’s race. For those that may have taken any of it seriously, Waltrip put that to rest.

“Hey, I’m a big Kevin Harvick fan,” Waltrip said. “Why, just look at this.” He then unzipped his driver’s suit to reveal a Kevin Harvick T-shirt underneath.

Harvick also has previous experience behind the wheel of a Craftsman Truck, whereas Petree doesn't. The last time Petree raced at Martinsville was during a Busch Series race in 1994.

“Dale Earnhardt was kind enough to let us use one of his Busch cars,” said Petree, a former crew chief for Earnhardt’s No. 3 Winston Cup car before he became a team owner.

“That was the last Busch race they ran here and I was pretty worn out afterwards. But, I’ve been keeping in pretty good shape through the years so I’m hoping it will help during the race.”