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RACE REPORT
WILD ONE!
McDowell makes his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut
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"I had a great time in my first NASCAR Craftsman Truck race. This has been a great experience for me." -Michael McDowell |
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MARTINSVILLE, VA (October 22, 2007) – Michael McDowell beat half the battle Saturday afternoon as he had to qualify his No. 17 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Tundra into the show at Martinsville Speedway. Doing just that, McDowell made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the Kroger 200.
The weekend started on Friday for McDowell and the Darrell Waltrip Motorsports team. Rain in the area prompted NASCAR to cancel the first practice and delay the second. The NAPA AUTO PARTS team took the track in the afternoon and was marked as 32nd in the only NCTS practice session. Saturday morning, McDowell returned to the half-mile track and posted a time of 20.350 sec in NCTS qualifying, earning a starting spot of 29th.
When the green flag waved at 3:15 p.m., the 22-year-old held his starting position for the first 50 laps. Throughout the race, McDowell and the Darrell Waltrip Motorsports team made several adjustments on the handling of the truck.
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"The NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Tundra was good early on, but we started to get tight off the corners," said McDowell. "During our pit stop, the guys made minor adjustments to improve the truck. I wish we would have had more practice time. With practice cancelled due to rain, I had to learn the truck early on in the race."
Throughout a series of cautions, the Arizona native kept his nose clean and managed to stay on the lead lap. During a restart on Lap 181, the trucks in front of McDowell checked up, leaving McDowell no room to move. McDowell made contact with the truck in front of him, forcing him to retire from the race. McDowell would be marked as 30th when the checkered flag flew.
"It is unfortunate the way we ended, but overall we had a good run for our first time out," said McDowell. "I had a great time in my first NASCAR Craftsman Truck race. This has been a great experience for me."
RACE RESULTS
Kroger 200 | Martinsville Speedway
October 20, 2007 | Unofficial Results |
| RANK |
CAR |
DRIVER |
MAKE |
SPONSOR |
PTS |
LAPS |
STATUS |
| 30 |
17 |
Michael McDowell |
Toyota |
NAPA Auto Parts |
73 |
181 |
Out |
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QUALIFYING UPDATE
MICHAEL AND DARIO TO START ON ROW 15
Rookies debut in truck series at Martinsville |
MARTINSVILLE, VA (October 20, 2007) - Michael McDowell continued to run strong in qualifying for his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event -just half a second off the leader's pace. While that may not seem like much, in a world of 20 second lap times and nearly the entire field within 0.66 of a second, that solid result puts McD on row 15 beside Dario Franchitti, who is also making his NCTS debut. |
QUALIFYING SPEEDS
Kroger 200 | Martinsville Speedway
October 20, 2007 | Qualifying |
| RANK |
CAR |
DRIVER |
MAKE |
SPONSOR |
SPEED |
TIME |
BEHIND |
| 29 |
17 |
Michael McDowell |
Toyota |
NAPA Auto Parts |
93.052 |
20.350 |
-0.554 |
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PRACTICE UPDATE
McDOWELL SOLID IN FIRST PRACTICE
How tough is the competition in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series? |
MARTINSVILLE, VA (October 19, 2007) - Question: How tough is the competition in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series? Rookie Michael McDowell was a mere 0.512 of a second off the laptime of leader Jack Sprague in his first practice in the No. 17 NAPA Toyota Tundra at Martinsville today -and that was only good for 32nd place!
Answer: Very tough! |
PRACTICE SPEEDS
Kroger 200 | Martinsville Speedway
October 19, 2007 | Practice 1 |
| RANK |
CAR |
DRIVER |
MAKE |
SPONSOR |
SPEED |
TIME |
BEHIND |
| 32 |
17 |
Michael McDowell |
Toyota |
NAPA Auto Parts |
92.497 |
20.472 |
-0.512 |
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RACE PREVIEW
McDOWELL TO MAKE NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES DEBUT
McD to run NCTS and Busch Series races in preparation for 2008 |
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"This is my first NASCAR race, so I just want to get out there and learn. " -Michael McDowell |
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CORNELIUS, NC (October 18, 2007) - Michael McDowell will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the No. 17 NAPA Toyota Tundra fielded by Darrell Waltrip Motorsports at Martinsville this Saturday.
Fresh off his fourth ARCA RE/MAX victory for Eddie Sharp Racing this past weekend at Toledo Speedway, McDowell now dives into NASCAR racing for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports. The 22-year-old is scheduled to run several NCTS and NASCAR Busch Series events for Michael Waltrip Racing in order to prepare for next season.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to drive for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing," said McDowell. "Many drivers strive to be in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. I have waited and worked hard to get into one of NASCAR’s top levels. This is an outstanding opportunity for me and a big step in my career thanks to the support of the Waltrips and Eddie Sharp.
RACE: |
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| Kroger 200 |
| Date: |
Saturday, October 20, 2007 |
| Track: |
Martinsville Speedway (Martinsville, VA) |
| Race Distance: |
200 Laps (100 miles) |
| Team: |
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Racing |
| Car: |
No 17 NAPA Toyota Tundra |
| Live coverage of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kroger 200 begins on Saturday, October 20th at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time on SPEED and MRN Radio. |
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Michael McDowell Notes and Quotes
How do you feel about your plans with Michael Waltrip Racing:
"I am very excited to start this new relationship with Michael Waltrip Racing. I’m looking forward to the next phase of my motorsports career and hope to build off the momentum I have from this past ARCA season."
What is your goal for this weekend?
"I am heading into Martinsville with excitement and nervousness. This is my first NASCAR race, so I just want to get out there and learn. I would like to finish in the top-15, but realistically being my first Truck race, I just need to race clean and finish."
Having never raced Martinsville, how are you going to learn the track?
"I have raced many short tracks in the ARCA RE/MAX series this season. I have five poles and a recent win on short tracks. I know the trucks are a different animal, so I plan to use as much practice time as possible to get a feel for the equipment and track."
Victory at Toledo Speedway:
The Phoenix, Arizona rookie, on his way to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2008, won the SIM Factory Pole, led the most laps and passed James Buescher with two laps to go to win the Hantz Group 200 at Toledo Speedway this past Sunday.
ARCA RE/MAX Notes:
McDowell has four victories, nine poles, 15 top-10’s and was honored as ARCA RE/MAX 2007 Rookie of the Year. |
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