Notebook: New Hampshire 250

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- New Hampshire International Speedway has produced competition similar to the current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship chase -- wide-open.

Consider this: in seven series events, no driver has won twice.

The Bud Pole winner has gone to Victory Lane just once.

In 1997, Jay Sauter won from the 26th starting spot -- fourth-deepest in the field that any series winner has started.

And every race has seen a margin of victory of less than one second -- including last year's New Hampshire 200 where Terry Cook (No. 29 Power Stroke Diesel Ford) edged Dennis Setzer (No. 46 ACXIOM/Computer Associates Chevrolet) by a track record .189-second.

Nobody's expecting anything different on Saturday, when the series returns to the 1.058-mile, low-banked oval for the eighth time.

Mastering NHIS -- at least on a consistent basis -- has been a difficult proposition. Only one team -- K Automotive Performance -- has won twice at the venue.

Setzer drove for Kay Keselowski in 2000; Cook, the team's current driver, hopes to defend last year's narrow victory.

Team manager (and former K Automotive driver/crew chief) Bob Keselowski believes flat tracks such as New Hampshire are a good fit for his team.

"They both (Cook and Setzer) seem to excel on flat tracks," said Keselowski. "If you put all the races in a hat and pulled (one) out, this is the one that complements both the drivers and the team."

The K Automotive team, which still is looking for win No. 1 in 2003 after four victories one year ago, is a top-tier competitor. But that wasn't always the case -- especially when Keselowski drove.

But the odds evened up for Keselowski at NHIS, a fact that continues to pay dividends.

"[Back then] our engines were down (on horsepower) to everybody but that didn't hurt you so bad because of the difficulty of the corners," said Keselowski. "I don't care if you have 900 horsepower, it won't help you if you can't get around the corners."

"It's all about brakes and chassis. You don't have to focus so much on aero here. It's all mechanical."

Cook agrees -- noting that he and the team also have won at The Milwaukee Mile, another flat layout. Cook's first victory (1998) came at the old Flemington (N.J.) Speedway, a difficult .625-mile track with very little banking. Setzer and K Automotive have also won at Nazareth Speedway (1999).

"A lot of drivers don't care for racing on flat tracks," said Cook. "The key is feeling where the edges are. It's a fine line that's very narrow. I like racing on tracks that require drivers to have more input. Banked tracks are more forgiving."

Cook, whose luck has been nothing short of disappointing of late -- finishes of 14th, 24th and 16th in successive starts -- figures he at least has a fighting chance this week.

"The Keselowskis just have a knack for preparing flat track vehicles," said Cook.

NEWS & NOTES, PART II

TV Timeout: SPEED boosts viewership at Richmond ... This year's Virginia is for Lovers 200 on SPEED Channel rated 100% higher than the 2002 event, broadcast on ESPN2. In addition, households tuned in increased 26% and viewership was up 21% over last year's numbers, according to Nielsen Media Research. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series continues as the third most-watched motorsports series on cable, behind only the NASCAR Winston Cup and NASCAR Bush Series.

See-saw championship battle continues ... Brendan Gaughan (No. 62 Orleans Hotel Dodge) is the points leader this week, by five over previous leader Travis Kvapil (No. 16 IWX Motor Freight Chevrolet), who entered the Sept. 4 event at Richmond International Raceway with an eight-point advantage. That marks the fifth time in as many races the No. 1 spot has changed hands, matching a record set in 2001.

... but veteran Ted Musgrave keeps 'hanging around' ... Gaughan and Kvapil hardly are in a match-play situation with eight races to go. Veteran Ted Musgrave (No. 1 Mopar Performance Dodge), closed to within 39 points of the lead with a third-place finish at Richmond. Musgrave held the same spot in the final 2002 standings -- 54 points behind champion Mike Bliss. Food for thought: With eight races left in 2001, eventual champion Jack Sprague also was third, facing a 33-point deficit.

ETC.

Richmond winner Tony Stewart (No. 33 Monaco Coach/Diamond Rio Chevrolet) is the season's 10th different winner and, at age 32, the first "thirty-something" competitor to visit Victory Lane in 2003. ... Kip McCord, Bobby Hamilton Racing's team manager, takes over this week as crew chief of Bill Lester's No. 8 Strauss Automotive/The Club Dodge. Former crew chief Randy Seals moves to a crew assignment with Bobby Hamilton's No. 4 Square D Dodge. ... This year's competition has produced 154 lead changes over the first 17 races, compared with 150 in 2002. ... Stewart and Jimmy Spencer (No. 2 Team ASE Racing/Carquest Dodge) are the 21st and 22nd different drivers to lead a lap this season.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Setzer among most consistent at NHIS ... Setzer's four appearances at New Hampshire International Speedway have netted first-, second- and third-place finishes. Currently fourth in the series standings, Setzer is the only active series competitor with three top-five finishes at the track.

Title contenders run well in New Hampshire ... Each of the top four title contenders has scored a top-five finish at New Hampshire International Speedway. Gaughan finished fifth last year as a Raybestos Rookie contender. Kvapil placed second, also as a rookie, in 2001 and added a seventh place last year. Musgrave is 2-for-2 in top fives with a best finish of fourth in 2002.

QUOTEBOOK

"If you've got a truck that can turn well in the center of the corners, you'll have a good race. If our truck doesn't handle well in the corners, it's going to be a long day for us." -- David Starr (No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet) last year's third-place finisher in the New Hampshire 200.

"I figure the best resource I have is Jeff Burton. He has such an outstanding record there. He obviously knows how to get around that place." -- Carl Edwards (No. 99 Superchips Ford) a first-time starter, who will rely on advice from his Roush Racing teammate who has four NASCAR Winston Cup Series wins at NHIS.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regulars have won all seven events at New Hampshire International Speedway. The only active NASCAR Winston Cup Series competitor to post a top-five finish was Ernie Irvan, fifth in the 1996 inaugural race. Ken Schrader (No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet) and Spencer will try to improve upon that finish this week. Schrader twice has finished in the top 10 at NHIS (and won two NASCAR Winston Cup Bud Poles in 1997) while Spencer will be making his first series start at the track driving last year's Bud Pole winning truck.