Regan Smith's Truck Series Debut
Shortened, But Impressive and Fun
Regan Smith’s debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the MB Motorsports
#63 Ford Truck sponsored by Diamond Cut Jeans, was impressive and fun, but shorter
than planned at Big Daddy’s South Boston Speedway Saturday afternoon. Everyone
going into the track Saturday morning knew it was going to be a busy day, after
all this was a one-day show.
In just 7 short laps of practice, the engine shut off and Regan coasted the
#63 Ford to the pits. A broken timing belt was diagnosed and the truck pushed
behind the wall for an engine change. The crew immediately went into action
and 42 minutes later the replacement engine was running and Regan was headed
back onto the track. Only 20 minutes of practice remained, but Regan used the
time wisely and ran 21 laps to help him adjust to the truck setup. Fortunately,
Regan had run at South Boston Speedway several times in the USAR ProCup Series,
so he was able to concentrate on the truck rather than both the truck and track.
"Mike Mittler and the #63 crew are incredible," commented Regan Smith. "It
was amazing how well they worked together and changed the engine so fast. I
thought our practice was over and we would just have to do the best we could
in qualifying. We didn't get very much practice, but the laps we got before
practice ended were very helpful."
When qualifying time came, Regan did his job by qualifying 28th
of the 42 trucks entered. He drove the #63 Diamond Cut Jeans Ford 3/10ths second
faster than he practiced and qualified at 16.129 second, 89.280 mph. However,
he was forced to start the race at the rear of the field because of the engine
change, mandated by NASCAR rules.
Although a rookie in his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck race, Regan didn’t show
it. He quickly gained several positions in the field in only a few laps, avoided
all the early accidents, and was able to run lap times with the leaders when
he had the chance. On lap 105, he got together with another truck in turn one
and slid onto the apron striking the inside wall with the left side. After getting
4 tires and fuel, he ran 20 additional laps before the engine lost a valve and
shortened the busy day with a 29th finishing position.
"This was fun. I like driving the trucks with the higher horsepower and radial
tires," stated Regan. "We had at least a 10th place truck today.
Considering the little practice we got with the engine set back and that this
was my first day with the team, we had a descent, but too short a day. Hopefully
we can work a deal so I can drive for this team again soon.”
The #63 MB Motorsports Ford Truck will race next at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
on Sunday October 13, 2002.
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