Sunday, April 09, 2000
AUTO RACING INSIDER
Gearing up for Kentucky Speedway opener
BY TOM GROESCHEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The new Kentucky Speedway opens the weekend of June 16-17 featuring a NASCAR Craftsman Truck race, which brings up questions such as:
1. What is a Craftsman Truck?
The series, sponsored by the Sears Craftsman tool brand, is for American-made, full-size pickup trucks modified for racing purposes. Eligible models include Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram 1500.
Trucks weigh 3,400 pounds (same as a Winston Cup car) and are powered by 358 cubic inch, limited compression V8 engines of approximately 675 horsepower. (A Winston car has 720 horsepower). The trucks' chassis construction is identical to Winston Cup cars.
2. Who drives these trucks? (As in, anybody we've heard of?)
Mike Wallace, brother of Winston Cup drivers Rusty and Kenny, is the 2000 Truck series points leader and also a former Winston driver. Former Winston driver Steve Grissom also drives a truck now. Jack Sprague, a two-time Truck season champion, is another familiar name to race fans.
Craftsman Truck graduates in clude current Winston drivers Mike Skinner (inaugural Truck series champion in 1995), Kenny Irwin, Stacey Compton and Mike Bliss.
Side note: Craftsman Truck owners include Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Jack Roush, Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress.
3. Any local drivers?
None from the local area. There are three Ohioans (Terry Cook of Sylvania, Kenny Martin of Broadview Heights, Lonnie Rush of Pickerington) and one Kentuckian (Wayne Edwards of Louisville) listed as series regulars. No Indiana natives are series regulars.
4. How fast do the trucks go?
Top speed is about 185 mph. (A Winston Cup car's top speed is about 200 mph).
5. Will it be on TV?
Yes. The inaugural Kroger 225 will be carried live from the Sparta, Ky., track on ESPN on Saturday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m.
According to one local race historian, the last “major” televised auto race from the Cincinnati area was in 1986 on TNN — a 200-mile event at the old Queen City Speedway.
At last report, Kentucky Speedway had sold nearly 30,000 tickets for the truck race. Capacity will be 66,000 at the speedway, which is located 35 miles southwest of Cincinnati.
FAST TRACK: Kentucky Speedway announced it will host a Fast Track Driving School program on June 23 and 24. The program provides an opportunity for fans to get behind the wheel of a Winston Cup-style race car, with speeds potentially 160 mph. For info, call Fast Track at (704) 455-1700 or go online at www.fasttrackracing.com.
PIT TALK: Dave Renner, host of the weekly Pit Talk motorsports show on WMOH-AM (1450) in Hamilton, will also attempt to qualify for the inaugural ARCA stock car race at Kentucky Speedway on July 2.
Renner's call-in show runs every Thursday from 7-9 p.m., and is in its eighth year.
“We get the serious race fans,” Renner said. “We talk about all forms of motorsports. Race fans follow their sport and their drivers like a religion. It gets in your blood.”
F-1 FRENZY: Formula One returns to the United States this year for the first time since 1991, and has already answered questions about its drawing power.
The U.S. Grand Prix will run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 24, and major downtown Indy hotels such as the Hyatt and Westin have been sold out for months for that weekend.
Demand is so strong that many hotels are requiring minimum stays of three and four days, which is how it once was for the Indianapolis 500.
Corporations are responsible for many of the mass F-1 bookings, but the race itself won't draw the 300,000-plus crowds of the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400. A good portion of the infield will be used for the race — reducing sight lines from some seats — so the speedway will try to accommodate 200,000 for the F-1 event.
ALL'S WELL: Winston Cup is rebounding from its slow start this year. CBS' 6.0 rating for last week's DirecTV 500 was up 11 percent from last year's 5.4.
Tom Groeschen welcomes your e-mail at tgroeschen@enquirer.com
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