Willie Allen: “Just being there and being able to run with the big stars of NASCAR was an honor”

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One visit to Martinsville Speedway – a traditional starting point for drivers new to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – was enough to tab Nashville’s Willie Allen (No. 13 ThorSport Chevrolet) as a star of the future.

Allen, driving a second Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Chevrolet, debuted with a sixth-place finish in the 2005 Kroger 200.

“Just being there and being able to run with the big stars of NASCAR was an honor,” said Allen, who finished ahead of series champions Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Mike Skinner.

Allen returns to Martinsville as the leader in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, a spot he took for the first time earlier this month at Talladega Superspeedway.

“It’s been a tough struggle all year. We had a lot of good runs that were ruined by mechanical failure,” said Allen, who finished sixth at Talladega to match his career-best performance.

Allen credits teammate Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) for flattening the learning curve.

“Most of the tracks I had never run prior to this season and Matt has really helped me along the way,” said Allen.