Musgrave's counting on Martinsville experience

Brendan Gaughan seems to have a pretty good grip on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings. He's been out front for six straight races now, winning twice and finishing 15th or better every time.

But there are some guys lurking behind him, ready to move to the front. One of those guys is Ted Musgrave, whose experience in points races could serve him well down the stretch.

	Ted Musgrave

Heading to the Advance Auto Parts 300 at Martinsville Speedway, Musgrave is in third place, 73 points behind Gaughan and 42 behind second-place Travis Kvapil. Musgrave has been close before, falling 51 points short of Mike Bliss last year and 73 short of Jack Sprague in 2001.

Musgrave and Martinsville has been a good match over the years, too. He's finished second twice in two Winston Cup events, and was second in a NCTS race this April.

"I think my experience at Martinsville will help," Musgrave said. "We ran second there this spring, and we are going to do some testing and change some things, make some improvements, and hopefully we can run well there again. Martinsville is a place where I hope I can pick up points on the 16 and the 62.

"Dennis Setzer won here earlier this year but maybe bad things will happen for someone and we will have good things happen for us. I don't want to wish bad luck on anyone; I like hard racing but I do want this points race to close up a little tighter."

ALSO  •  Craftsman Tools of the Trade

Setzer isn't out the picture yet, either. He's 117 points behind, meaning there are four drivers in the hunt with three races remaining, Martinsville, Phoenix and Homestead.

"There are four teams still with a good shot to win it, and I am glad we are one of them," Musgrave said. "As long as we keep in check and stay in striking distance of those guys we will be OK. As a team we are doing all we can do, and we will keep fighting. It is not like we are not trying. Everybody is working hard. We have gotten some luck. Hopefully it will come down to where somebody else has some trouble and really makes it tighter. I am just thankful that we are where we are in the points."

	Brendan Gaughan is the hottest driver on the circuit. Credit: Nate Mecha/HSP

Bobby Hamilton, another Winston Cup veteran who excels at Martinsville, said Musgrave might sneak up and win the title this year.

"When you look at a driver such as Ted Musgrave, you have to step back and see what he has done in his career before you even count him out of the championship battle," Hamilton said. "He's been pretty dominant in this series, either leading races or winning them. He has several top-five finishes this year. The next two races that we go to he is very strong at also. Then we go to Homestead where everyone is going to have a disadvantage because none of us have been on the new track surface. I wouldn't count him out yet."

Musgrave said the secret to doing well at the flat half-mile at Martinsville is being smooth and saving the tires and the truck. Because it's a short track, Martinsville lends itself to a lot of contact.

If you can survive to the latter stages, that's when you drop the hammer and hope your truck is good enough to get to Victory Lane. Three-time Winston Cup Darrell Waltrip, who is entered this weekend, knows how to get there.

"You listen to a lot of the drivers and they tell you it's one of the toughest tracks they go to as far as getting around and the finesse it requires. I've found it to be the same way," said Waltrip, an 11-time winner at Martinsville. "You see rookies really struggle. You'd think a little half-mile track would be easy to get around. People are shocked at how hard it is to get around.

	Darrell Waltrip

"But I've always done well there and that makes it fun. It's the short-track atmosphere I love. I'm a finesse driver, not the kind of guy that stomps it and spins the rear tires. I keep it smooth. I have a knack for the short tracks. That's what I know."

Unlike Musgrave, Waltrip doesn't care about points this weekend. But Musgrave knows Martinsville will be crucial in determining the champion.

"The way it is looking, every race is going to be a critical race," Musgrave stated. "It could come right down to the final race in Homestead and depend on who leads the most laps in that race. The race track in Homestead is brand new for everybody. There is no advantage for anyone. No one has done any testing and I think that is a pretty good deal because everybody is coming in blind, and that will be the real test of who is going to be the champion.

"Martinsville is going to have a little bit more excitement because of the short track ambiance. You have your beating and banging and a lot of things can happen there, whereas at a big track like Homestead, it will be wide and it will be big and you can make your destiny. At Martinsville you are not sure exactly what you got."