Notes: Hornaday, Cook pace speeds at AMS test (cont'd)

This year marks Clanton's first full season in the Truck Series. He finished third in the Raybestos rookie of the year standings in 2007.

Fellow Georgia native Andy Lally will chase rookie of the year honors in 2008. Lally, who hails from Dacula, will head to Daytona Beach, Fla., this weekend to compete in the Rolex 24 at Daytona for The Racer's Group.

Gunning for the repeat

Jack Sprague wants to start this season just as he did the last, and that's in Victory Lane. In a three-wide dash to the checkered flag, Sprague won the 2007 Chevy Silverado 250 by 0.031 seconds in front of Johnny Benson. The veteran driver knows the significance of a win at Daytona.

"To win at Daytona is something that very few people get to do, something that I really thought I never would do," Sprague said. "It was certainly a victory I never thought I would achieve just because it is so difficult to win [at Daytona]. It is one of the hardest I think to win in anybody's career."

Now with a new team, Kevin Harvick Inc., the three-time series champion also would like to find himself atop the championship standings at the conclusion of this season. He finished ninth in 2007.

"This series is getting more competitive and so hard to win," Sprague said. "It seems though at the end of the year the older crowd prevails and wins the championships. We are going to do whatever we have to do to get the best finishes this year and be the ones standing at the top in the end."

Pit Stops

• By late afternoon during Day Two's testing, Bodine had posted the best lap at 31.494 seconds, 171.461 mph. For Bodine to have a good day at Atlanta is no surprise. Bodine has eight wins on mile-and-a-half tracks, including one at Atlanta.

• The announcement came down Wednesday afternoon that former series champion Ted Musgrave would be driving the No. 59 Team ASE Toyota Tundra fielded by HT Motorsports in 2008.

• The series' third test session is scheduled for March 12-13 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.