NCTS qualifying rained out; Hamilton gets pole

For the second consecutive weekend, Bobby Hamilton got the pole for a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race after rain forced the cancellation of qualifying.

	Bobby Hamilton

Hamilton will lead the field to the green flag for the start of the O'Reilly 400k on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. Rick Crawford, who trails Hamilton in the series standings by 43 points, will start second.

Hamilton has led at least one lap in all six NCTS races so far this season. He says his mindset has helped.

"It's not that we are out there racing every weekend for the points championship but we are trying to race smart," Hamilton said.

Travis Kvapil, Ted Musgrave and Brendan Gaughan round out the top five starters Friday.

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Gaughan has won the previous two NCTS races held at TMS, a track that seems to favor rookies. Rookie competitors have won four races at Texas Motor Speedway. Kenny Irwin started the trend by beating fellow rookies Boris Said and Crawford in 1997. Kvapil won in 2001 before Gaughan swept both Texas races in 2002.

Not surprisingly, all won rookie of the year honors. No other track on the current schedule has more than a single rookie winner.

Shawna Robinson, who will field the first all-female pit crew for a NASCAR touring series event, will start 32nd.