Crawford wins MBNA 200 Bud Pole

DOVER, Del. -- Rick Crawford won his first career Bud Pole Award in his 132nd attempt Thursday at Dover International Speedway for Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series MBNA America 200.

Crawford bettered his 2001 starting position by one spot and backed-up his fastest time from the practice before qualifying when he ran a lap of the one-mile high-banked concrete oval in 23.934 seconds, an average speed of 150.414 mph in the No. 14 Circle Bar Motel & RV Park Ford.

Crawford was the only driver into the 23-second bracket in either practice or qualifying.

"The Ernie Elliott engine under the hood has been fast since we unloaded and that's the sign of a championship-caliber team," Crawford said. "To bring a truck here that is fast and you don't have to work on it all day -- that shows the strength of the Circle Bar team and I'm proud of them.

"It makes it easy for me to do my job. All I have to do is mash the gas because I realize what's under me."

Despite not winning in his last 103 races, Crawford -- who is having a career year while third in points though only five races into the 22-race campaign -- waited out two delays for accidents and several challenges after he went out seventh of 40 trucks on hand.

"I just like this place," Crawford said. "It's like Darlington -- they say that's the toughest track on the Winston Cup circuit and this is the second. Those are the places I want to race. I only want to race where it's the toughest -- I want the biggest challenge -- that's what makes a race car driver." After a delay of more than 15 minutes due to Carlos Contreras' crash on his second qualifying lap, Ted Musgrave came closest to bumping Crawford off the pole, but he fell .149 seconds short after running 149.483 mph in his No. 1 Mopar Dodge.

"The truck's been decent and I've had a lot of laps here," Musgrave said. "I got loose on my qualifying effort but ever y race we've been in (this season) we've been in the top-three in qualifying. You need to get track position (so) it's a pretty good deal." Musgrave's Ultra Motorsports teammate and fellow two-time 2002 pole winner Jason Leffler's s No. 2 Team ASE Dodge (149.099 mph); Terry Cook in the No. 29 Power Stroke Diesel Ford (148.687 mph); and Travis Kvapil in the No. 60 CAT Rental Store Chevrolet rounded out the top five qualifiers.

David Starr, Ken Schrader and Coy Gibbs in Chevrolets; Robert Pressley in a Dodge; and series point leader Mike Bliss in a Chevrolet will start 6th-10th.

Multi-talented driver Carl Long proved he could drive a race truck as well as a tractor trailer when he put owner Thee Dixon's No. 85 NOOPCO Paint Removers Dodge into the lineup in 16th spot in their first appearance this season.

Long, who won the Lowe's Motor Speedway round of the International Truck Challenge for Winston Cup transporter drivers, often drives Dixon's hauler to the track. The team decided to come to Dover when it failed to make the Lowe's Winston Cup race and it had tires left over that could be used in Delaware.

Carlos Contreras was 20th on his first lap but crashed into the frontstretch wall after losing control of his No. 43 Hot Wheels Dodge on the second. He will start 24th in his back-up truck after he was uninjured.

For the second straight year Jerry "Magee" Miller of Allentown, Pa., crashed his No. 32 Auto Trim Design Dodge, but Thursday it was in Turn 2 on his second qualifying lap. He was uninjured and ended up 30th in the results.

Jason Small, who qualified his Sunbelt Rentals Chevrolet 19th, crashed midway through the day's final Happy Hour practice and his truck erupted in flames. After being treated at the track's infield care center Small was released without injury.

He, along with Contreras, Miller and Rodney Sawyers who crashed in the first practice will have to start the race in back-up trucks.