MUSGRAVE MUSCLES WAY TO WIN AT FONTANA

Source: NASCAR Public Relations
Date: 11/02/2002

Ted Musgrave gave up 19 positions at the start of Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series American Racing Wheels 200 but wound up leading 51 of 100 laps en route to his second consecutive victory at California Speedway. Musgrave, who qualified the No. 1 Mopar Performance Dodge 11th in the 36-truck lineup, fell to 30th after a pre-race engine change. He raced into the top 10 by lap 14 around the 2.0-mile speedway and - after a 21st lap pit call under caution - was among the leaders for the remainder of the 200-mile race. Musgrave took the lead for the final time on lap 71, when Brendan Gaughan pitted, and held off Ultra Motorsports teammate Jason Leffler to win by 1.603 seconds. The victory was Musgrave's third of the year but first since May 31 when the veteran driver won at Dover International Speedway. He averaged 140.296 mph for the second fastest event at the track and fifth-fastest in series history. Musgrave won $51,835. Leffler, meanwhile, finished second for the sixth time in 2003. The afternoon marked the first time this season that the Ultra duo has swept the top two positions. Raybestos Rookie leader Gaughan slashed through the field over the final 15 laps to take third, followed by Travis Kvapol and Rick Crawford. Coy Gibbs, Robert Pressley, Dennis Setzer, Mike Bliss and Terry Cook completed the top 10 finishers with Bud Pole starter David Starr taking 11th. There were 14 lead changes -- second most of the season -- among eight drivers. Crawford, meanwhile, narrowed Bliss's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points lead to 68 -- 3,065 to 2,997 with Crawford 107 back at 2,958. Two races remain on the schedule, the next on Nov. 8 at Phoenix International Raceway. The results:

1. (11) Ted Musgrave, Dodge, 100, $51,835

2. (8) Jason Leffler, Dodge, 100, $36,175

3. (9) Brendan Gaughan, Dodge, 100, $28,015

4. (7) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 100, $18,125

5. (10) Rick Crawford, Ford, 100, $17,125

6. (2) Coy Gibbs, Chevrolet, 100, $14,525

7. (5) Robert Pressley, Dodge, 100, $14,450

8. (14) Dennis Setzer, Chevrolet, 100, $14,150

9. (4) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet, 100, $13,700

10. (13) Terry Cook, Ford, 100, $14,800

11. (1) David Starr, Chevrolet, 100, $14,500

12. (12) Andy Houston, Ford, 100, $13,015

13. (15) Jon Wood, Ford, 100, $12,965

14. (3) Bill Lester, Dodge, 100, $12,715

15. (25) Bobby Dotter, Chevrolet, 99, $12,865

16. (21) Lance Norick, Chevrolet, 99, $12,340

17. (17) Matt Crafton, Chevrolet, 99, $12,215

18. (20) Carlos Contreras, Dodge, 99, $12,190

19. (30) Jerry Hill, Dodge, 98, $10,915

20. (35) Randy MacDonald, Chevrolet, 97, $12,615

21. (29) Ricky Sanders, Ford, 95, $9,865

22. (23) Eric Jones, Chevrolet, 84, vibration, $9,840

23. (26) Stan Boyd, Chevrolet, 80, suspension, $9,815

24. (24) Jason Small, Chevrolet, 65, engine, $9,790

25. (16) Chris Horn, Chevrolet, 62, vibration, $9,765

26. (19) Steve Portenga, Chevrolet, 53, engine, $9,740

27. (32) Brian Rose, Dodge, 36, brakes, $9,715

28. (18) Morgan Shepherd, Ford, 23, handling, $9,690

29. (28) Aaron Daniel, Chevrolet, 17, vibration, $9,665

30. (36) David Hall, Chevrolet, 9, vibration, $9,645

31. (34) Phil Bonifield, Chevrolet, 8, brakes, $9,635

32. (33) Wayne Edwards, Chevrolet, 8, vibration, $9,625

33. (31) Lonnie Cox, Ford, 6, valve, $9,615

34. (27) Lance Hooper, Chevrolet, 5, engine, $9,605

35. (22) Michael Dokken, Chevrolet, 3, vibration, $9,570

36. (6) Rick Bogart, Dodge, 2, ignition, $9,535

Race statistics

Time of race: 1 hour 25 minutes 32 seconds

Average speed: 140.296 mph

Margin of victory: 1.603 seconds

Caution flags: 2 for 12 laps (21-23, 75-83)

Lead changes: 14 among 8 drivers

Lap leaders: Starr 1-12, Leffler 13-21, Bliss 22-23, Crawford 24-25, Musgrave 26-36, Pressley 37, Musgrave 38-42, Pressley 43, Musgrave 44-47, Pressley 48, Musgrave 49, Pressley 50-63, Kvapil 64-65, Gaughan 66-70, Musgrave 71-100.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings (unofficial): 1. Bliss 3,065; 2. Crawford 2,997; 3. Musgrave 2,958; 4. Starr 2,888; 5. Leffler 2,876; 6. Setzer 2,840; 7. Pressley 2,811; 8. Cook 2,781; 9. Kvapil 2,756; 10. Gibbs 2,733.

See Also .:

News Index | E-mail to a Friend