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Travis Kvapil and Todd Bodine battled for the lead in the closing laps at Texas.By the Numbers: Michigan
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Two times this season, Travis Kvapil could taste victory. Both times, he's come up short. His return to the Truck Series and debut with Roush Fenway Racing has not gone the way it was supposed to.
It all started in the season-opener at Daytona when Kvapil led the most laps and had the lead heading for the checkers when a couple of Toyotas piloted by Jack Sprague and Johnny Benson teamed up to challenge Kvapil and give the Truck Series one of its most-dramatic three-wide finishes in history. Kvapil ended up on the short end finishing third (watch video).
Then last week at Texas, Kvapil again held the lead in the closing laps only to see another Toyota, this time Todd Bodine, bump Kvapil from the front with three laps left forcing his No. 6 Ford into the infield and to a sixth-place finish (watch video).
Now the Series visits Michigan for the Michigan 200 on Saturday (2:30 p.m. ET, SPEED) and Kvapil will battle for that elusive first win of the season at a track where he visited Victory Lane back in 2004, ironically in a Toyota.
"Michigan is a great racetrack. It's a wide two-mile track with sweeping corners," Kvapil said. "It's always a great race. I've found Victory Lane there in the past. You've got to have a handling truck with great horsepower under the hood to have you in contention for the win."
Interesting Fact
286Michigan will mark the 286th consecutive Truck Series start for Roush Fenway Racing, a Truck Series record. Also a record for Roush Fenway Racing is their 44 wins in the Craftsman Truck Series, their latest coming in April at Kansas Speedway when Erik Darnell won his first race.
Fun Fact
1Number of Truck Series team owners who are running for political office. Gene Christensen, the president of Green Light Racing which fields the No. 7 Chevrolet driven by Tim Sauter and No. 8 Chevrolet driven by Chad McCumbee, announced his Republican candidacy for Texas' fourth congressional district. Christensen is the first NASCAR team owner to ever run for congressional office.
All the Facts
0No winner in the seven races at Michigan has started from the pole position. In fact only once has the race been won from the first two rows -- Greg Biffle started second and won in 2000.
1Johnny Benson is the only driver to win his first Truck Series race at Michigan.
2Number of drivers who have driven all 702 laps in the seven races at Michigan: Terry Cook and Dennis Setzer.
3.7Average finish of Travis Kvapil in three races at Michigan. He finished third in '02, seventh in '03 and won in 2004.
4Number of former winners at Michigan who are entered in this year's race: Brendan Gaughan, Travis Kvapil, Dennis Setzer and Johnny Benson.
5Number of Nextel Cup drivers who will pull double-duty at Michigan and race in the truck race: A.J. Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. Labonte and Martin finished 2-3 in this race last year.
6Number of top-10 finishes for Dennis Setzer at Michigan, tops among all drivers. He has an average finish of 7.7 at the track.
8.026Average running position of points leader Mike Skinner in the last two races at Michigan, tops among drivers who competed in both events. Skinner has yet to win at Michigan though.
25.04Percent of passes made in Turn 3 in the last two races at Michigan, the most on any part of the track. Turn 4 saw the least amount of passes at just 9.14 percent.
29Number of caution laps in last year's Truck Series race at Michigan, the most of any race at the track. The eight cautions in last year's race also tied a track record.
33Number of laps Mark Martin had the fastest truck in last year's race at Michigan, tops among the drivers.
34Number of trucks running at the end of last year's Truck Series race at Michigan, a track record. The 30 trucks finishing on the lead lap last year was also a Truck Series track record.
97.34Percent of laps Mike Skinner has been on the lead lap this season, tops among all drivers (1465 of the 1505 total laps run).
132Number of green flag passes by Ted Musgrave in the last two races at Michigan which leads all drivers. His average finish though in the last two races is 25.5.
154.044Average speed of Brendan Gaughan when he won at Michigan in 2003. That's the fastest race in Craftsman Truck Series history.
187Number of laps Dennis Setzer has been in the top 15 in the last two races at Michigan, tops among all drivers (202 total laps).
250Michigan will be the 250th Truck Series start for Terry Cook. Interestingly, the Ohio native who considers Michigan to be his home track also made his 200th start at MIS back in 2005.
Also
- Sound & Speed festival to feature events on Jan. 8-9
- Busch, Hornaday honored as 2009 series champions
- Busch, Hornaday honored at year-end ceremony
- Hornaday, Busch looking at different sides of defense
- Edwards crash at MIS gave Busch insurmountable lead
- Milwaukee win propelled Hornaday to fourth title
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NCTS Winners
Michigan International Speedway
| Year | Winner | Make | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 121.889 |
| 2000 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 138.408 |
| 2002 | Robert Pressley | Dodge | 142.208 |
| 2003 | Brendan Gaughan | Dodge | 154.044 |
| 2004 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | 125.479 |
| 2005 | Dennis Setzer | Chevrolet | 122.387 |
| 2006 | Johnny Benson | Toyota | 116.534 |
Official Standings
Craftsman Truck Series
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Mike Skinner | 1543 | Leader |
| 2. | -- | Ron Hornaday | 1461 | -82 |
| 3. | -- | Todd Bodine | 1362 | -181 |
| 4. | +1 | Rick Crawford | 1274 | -269 |
| 5. | -1 | Ted Musgrave | 1265 | -278 |
| 6. | -- | Travis Kvapil | 1253 | -290 |
| 7. | +1 | Jack Sprague | 1129 | -414 |
| 8. | -1 | Johnny Benson | 1126 | -417 |
| 9. | +1 | Matt Crafton | 1123 | -420 |
| 10. | -1 | Aaron Fike | 1120 | -423 |
• Complete Standings click here
Truck Series News
- Milwaukee win propelled Hornaday to fourth title
- Harvick wins the race, celebrates owners' title
- Almirola hoping to shine at Homestead-Miami finale
- Hornaday clinches fourth title; Harvick claims the win
- Harvick has a lot on the line when the green falls at PIR
- Carmichael signs to drive for Turner Motorsports
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