NASCAR Trucks: Advance Auto Parts 250 Milestone Craftsman Truck Race
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
April 2, 2001
MARTINSVILLE, VA. – The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will celebrate a milestone when it rumbles into Martinsville Speedway for the Advance Auto Parts 250 and there will be quite a party to celebrate the event.
The Advance Auto Parts 250 will be the 150th NASCAR Craftsman Truck race since the series began seven years ago. To mark the occasion, Craftsman, NASCAR and Martinsville Speedway will invite 150 fans to participate in a special ceremony prior to the running of the Advance Auto Parts 250 on April 7.
“We’ve been hosting the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 1995 and we’re pleased that we’re able to be part of such a milestone,” said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell.
During ceremonies prior to the Advance Auto Parts 250, Craftsman will honor Jack Sprague, the only driver who has competed in every Craftsman Truck Series race.
In addition, 150 race fans representing the 150 races will be invited to gather on the front stretch. They each will receive a commemorative Craftsman Truck Series 150th race hat and a placard representing one race. Nineteen of those fans also will receive a Craftsman tool box, in honor of Sprague’s 19 victories in the Series.
Drivers who have won races in the Craftsman Truck Series, including those who are now regular competitors in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, will be invited to autograph race placards for the lucky celebrants.
“To reach 150 races is quite a milestone, but it seems like yesterday that Craftsman began sponsorship of the Series at the inaugural race at Phoenix International Raceway in February, 1995,” said John Lebbad, Sears director of event marketing and sales promotion. “The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has grown and changed over its short lifetime, but we’re pleased that this celebration is coming at Martinsville, a track the Series visited in 1995 and every year since.”
Tickets for the Advance Auto Parts 250 Craftsman Truck race are $30 for adults and $5 for children ages 6-12. All seats are unreserved.
The Virginia 500/Advance Auto Parts 250 weekend kicks off with Bud Pole qualifying for the Craftsman Truck Series at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 6 followed by time trials for the Winston Cup Series at 3 p.m. Tickets for qualifying are $15 for adults and children under 12 get in free.
There still are great seats available for the Virginia 500 NASCAR Winston Cup race for $40-$70 each. To purchase tickets call the speedway ticket office toll free at 877-722-3849 or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.
Text Provided By Mike Smith
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