Catchfence

Well, round two of NASCAR Preseason Thunder for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway was a lot calmer than yesterday’s fiasco which saw a host of damaged trucks and sent one of the pre-race favorite team of Roush Fenway Racing pulling two of its trucks from the test after a heavy incident with drivers Colin Braun and Joey Clanton.

With Friday’s accidents in the rear-view mirror, drivers were in cautious mode during the morning and afternoon sessions. For the second straight day, some new faces hovered in the spotlight with veterans also making their own noise.

For the second straight day, Roush Fenway Racing led the single-truck runs with Erik Darnell, the lone Roush Fenway team left at Daytona keeping the team in the headlines after turning the fastest lap of the morning. Scott Lynch, who’s stormed into the spotlight with superb runs thus far, claimed the runner-up position in his No. 29 Dodge.

Mike Skinner was the first of several TOYOTA’s to break into the top-10 on Saturday leading the way in his Bill Davis Racing Tundra. Newcomer and Germain Racing rookie Justin Marks delivered a stout fourth fastest lap in the No. 9 Tundra. Stacy Compton, driving the BHR Dodge rounded out the top-five.

Shelby Howard continues to shine in his return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series behind the wheel of the ThorSport Racing entry. 2006 champion Todd Bodine put two Germain Racing entries into the top-10 after posting the seventh fastest time. Terry Cook in his new stint with Wyler Racing found some much needed horsepower after maneuvering the eighth fastest lap. Howard’s ThorSport teammate Matt Crafton put his No. 88 Chevrolet ninth on the board with newly married Chad McCumbee rounding out the top-10 in his MRD Motorsports Silverado.

Other notables included KHI (Kevin Harvick, Inc’s) teammates Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday collecting the 12th and 13th positions respectively. Rick Crawford led the Circle Bar Racing duo bringing in the 14th fastest effort with Andy Lally who shocked his fellow colleagues with superb times on Friday rounded out the top-16.

Former Baker-Curb Racing development driver Phillip McGilton looks solid in his transition to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after negotiating the 18th fastest time. Morgan-Dollar Motorsports who officially announced Saturday, female sensation Erin Crocker would drive the team’s No. 46 Chevrolet in the first two events of the season rounded out the top-20.

Drivers Shane Sieg and Brian Scott found additional speed on Saturday morning after nailing 22nd and 23rd on the board. Drivers Kyle Busch, David Starr, Scott Lagasse, Jr, Brendan Gaughan, Wayne Edwards and Justin Hobgood all continued to struggle to find speed in the single-truck runs.

With an incident free-morning, trucks headed out onto the 2.5-mile speedway on Saturday afternoon looking for some relief from a waive of caution flags on Friday. It paid off as the afternoon session was incident-free.

Jon Wood put his Wood Brothers-JTG Racing team into the spotlight Saturday afternoon after taking the top spot after drafting a lap of 48.825 seconds or 184.332 MPH. Todd Bodine, the latest restrictor plate winner on the NCTS tour continued to show Germain Racing strength after posting the second fastest lap.

Rick Crawford put Tom Mitchell’s Ford third on the charts with rookie and former ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Justin Marks fourth on the board. Impressive run for Marks, a driver who has no prior restrictor plate experience in a truck.

2007 champion Ron Hornaday rounded out the top-five.

Veterans Stacy Compton and Johnny Benson controlled the seventh and eight positions with a great ninth place effort by Shane Sieg in the SS Racing-Green Light Racing entry. Hornaday’s second truck closed out the top-10.

Terry Cook, who moved to Wyler Racing’s primary entry after the sponsorship fell through for Richard Johns, bolted in the 12th fastest lap with fellow TOYOTA runner Ted Musgrave in Jim Harris’s No. 59 in-toe. Shelby Howard and Erik Darnell rounded out the top-15.

Sprague continuing his transition to KHI delivered the 16th fastest lap with drivers Scott Lynch (17th) and Jason White (19th) posting noteworthy drafting times. Crawford’s backup truck rounded out the top-20.

Brendan Gaughan who was fastest in Friday’s drafting session could only maneuver the 21st fastest lap on Saturday afternoon. He however wasn’t the only veteran driver who lacked in drafting as Kyle Busch (24th), Wayne Edwards (28th), Andy Lally (29th) and David Starr (31st) all found themselves near the bottom of the charts after turning laps in the top-10 on Friday afternoon.

Dennis Setzer who missed Friday’s activities due to a family emergency was 25th overall in Saturday’s afternoon parade.

Birthday boy Brian Scott, who turned 20 on Saturday claimed the 34th fastest time on Saturday afternoon but no worries for his Xpress Motorsports team as the team is excited about their chances as Scott will make his restrictor plate debut in the Chevy Silverado 250 season opener next month. Scott, well known for his dedication to racing made his first restrictor plate start in the ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway last October.

Aiding Scott through his first testing experience at Daytona is 1990 Daytona 500 champion Derrike Cope. Cope, no stranger to the Xpress Motorsports team and a mentor to the former USAR Hooter’s Pro Cup star will run a second entry in the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado next month as a teammate to Scott. With Scott having a drafting partner in Cope, many expect to see the Xpress Motorsports combination team in contention in a race sponsored by their new manufacturer, Chevrolet. Scott is Catchfence.com’s pick for 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie-of-the-Year.

Drivers Brian Scott and Justin Marks will get their feet wet at Daytona and will both compete in the ARCA 200 at Daytona, the season opener for the ARCA RE/MAX Series on Saturday, February 9. Scott will drive for legendary owner Bob Schacht while Germain Racing has elected to field an entry for Marks, hoping to award the former road-racing ace with his second ARCA start at the Central Florida track. Scott made his restrictor plate debut at Talladega Superspeedway last October for the newly renamed WinTron Performance (formerly Country Joe Racing).

With the opener just a little more than a month away; two locked in truck numbers remain unknown for the 2008 season. The No. 77 from South Point Racing and the No. 75 from Spears Racing have yet been claimed by anyone. Gaughan, the former driver of the No. 77 has moved over to the No. 10 vacated by David Starr. And after more than a decade of competing on the tour, Spears Motorsports will be missing from the lineup after truck owners Wayne and Connie Spears elected to hang up the helmet at the conclusion of the ’07 season. Both numbers are guaranteed a starting spot thanks to staying in the top-30 in owner’s points last season.

Sunday marks the final day of NASCAR Preseason Thunder for the Truck Series before turning it back to the second group of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitors for a three-day session beginning on Monday.

- NCTS Saturday PM Speeds

- NCTS Saturday AM Speeds