Jon Wood was second-fastest in Sunday's afternoon session. Credit: Don Bok/Motorsports Images and Archives

For Woods, Daytona seems like old times

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The three-day Preseason Thunder Craftsman Truck Series test that ended Sunday at Daytona International Speedway made Jon Wood and Stacy Compton realize at least one thing.

That was that the Truck Series was so much fun, they wonder how they got away from it. And the fact that their Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Fords were fast in both drafting and solo runs was a bonus.

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"No lying about it -- I was actually pretty excited," Wood said of his time in a No. 20 Ford F-150. "I almost wish I was driving them all year.

"This was fun -- not that the Busch cars aren't fun to drive, but the Truck Series is more laid back and it was fun being down here in the truck."

Wood's last full year in the Truck Series was 2004. He was fifth in the championship in 2003, when he won his two career victories.

Compton's time in trucks never fully overlapped with Wood's, whose first race in the series was in 2001. Compton's best year was his last full season, fourth in the 1999 championship after he won twice and was seventh in 1998.

The pair has raced in the Cup and Busch Series since they left trucks -- and teamed in 2005 with ST Motorsports, which merged with Wood Brothers Racing at the end of 2005 to form the new entity.

They'll start 2006 as teammates in both Busch and Craftsman Trucks, as Wood/JTG's rookie lineup of Bobby East and Marcos Ambrose have yet to be approved to race superspeedways.

Team co-owner Eddie Wood said that Jon Wood, his son, would race the first three events of the season, at Daytona, California and Atlanta before Ambrose took over in the No. 20 at Martinsville.

Wood said the team hoped that East, whose lone Truck Series start came last fall at Phoenix, would be approved in time for the Atlanta race, but that Compton would drive the No. 21 F-150 until East was able.

That was fine with him, Compton said when asked to analyze any changes in the trucks since he last drove one in 2002, when he made three starts.

"I don't know if they've changed that much -- they're still a blast to drive," Compton said. "It's just pretty cool to unload a good truck and run good, straight through from the time we unloaded.

"They're still real racy. They've gotten a lot more aerodynamic, but not as bad as the Cup cars and Busch cars, so they're still a lot of fun to drive -- I'm having a blast."

Sunday's testing was devoted fully to drafting practice, though many teams staged single-truck runs.

Terry Cook, who has consistently had one of the best Fords throughout the three-day weekend, was fastest in the morning session in his No. 10 ppc Racing truck, at 48.783 seconds, 184.490 mph.

In the afternoon session, debuting Toyota driver David Starr posted the best lap of the weekend in a draft, 48.494 / 185.590 in the No. 38 Red Horse Racing Tundra.

Wood, who was fastest in Saturday's single drafting session, was second best in the afternoon (185.120), followed by Bobby Hamilton Jr. in the No. 08 Green Light Racing Dodge (184.729), Mike Wallace in the HT Motorsports Dodge (184.570) and Kyle Krisiloff in Billy Ballew Motorsports' No. 15 Chevrolet (184.445).

The morning session was the first of the weekend in which all four manufacturers were represented in the top five -- and the afternoon session repeated that.

Behind Cook in the morning was Matt Crafton in the No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevy (184.215 mph), Johnny Benson in the No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota (183.857), Ron Hornaday in the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevy (183.363) and Wallace, who spent his first day in Jim Harris' truck (183.251).

Despite the talk of the low-key atmosphere in the truck garage, that's not exactly the case for Wood/JTG. Since their two teams are new, they are going to be competing for two of only six spots that will be available in the first five races of the season.

Stacy Compton

That wasn't lost on Compton.

"There's actually probably a little more pressure because we don't have any points," Compton said. "We're trying to get the team established and get some points to where after that fourth race they'll be in good enough position that points doesn't make any difference because they're locked in (the top 30 in points).

"It's a pretty high-pressure deal when you come to a track knowing that only five or six spots are available for 15 to 20 trucks.

"We've worked really hard this week on single-truck runs, and I think we've got a pretty good truck. Hopefully we make the field, and we know it drafts really good. We've been in the top 10 ever since we unloaded, in drafting practice and qualifying practice."

Only two minor incidents marred the weekend. Hamilton Jr.'s truck apparently dropped some oil that caused a harmless spin for Erin Crocker's No. 98 Evernham Motorsports Dodge on Sunday.

David Ragan also executed a harmless spin on Saturday off Turn 4 in his No. 6 Roush Racing Ford.

Session 2 of Preseason Thunder for the Nextel Cup Series is Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, with a section of the Oldfield Grandstand open with access through the lobby of Daytona USA.