Hometown Hopeful… Each race at Martinsville Speedway has added significance to HT Motorsports, which is based in Martinsville, Va. The team is the only full-time team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series that calls Vierginia home.
The team has been successful in its six years in the series, finishing in the top 10 in 40 percent of its races, but has yet to post a victory. The team added veteran Terry Cook (No. 59 Harris Trucking Toyota) in the offseason.
“The key is – you have to have a good manufacturer, a good crew chief and that third part is a good driver, and I think we went out and got the best one available, ” said team owner Jim Harris.
Cook has six career wins and has started a series-record 225 consecutive races. He has had mixed results at Martinsville, compiling two top fives and five top 10s in 13 starts. His best finish was third in 2001.
This and That… No driver has competed in all 16 races at Martinsville. Rick Crawford and Dennis Setzer lead all drivers with 14 starts…. The winner of the Kroger 250 has never won that season’s championship…. A record-matching seven former series champions boasting 10 titles and 122 victories will compete in this week’s race. They are Mike Skinner (1995), Ron Hornaday Jr. (1996, 98), Jack Sprague (1997, 99, 01), Mike Bliss (2002), Travis Kvapil (2003), Ted Musgrave (2005) and Todd Bodine (2006).
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