Ford Mansfield Truck Race

FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES                   City of Mansfield 250, Page 1                   


May 27, 2006                        Mansfield Motorsports Speedway        


 

AUGGIE VIDOVICH-6-Scotts Ford F-150 (Finished 19th) - ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH TODAY'S RESULT?  "You can always be happier unless you're winning.  I did what I had to do.  I came here and got a top-20 and kept the truck in one piece.  It was tough to pass out there today, but I drove a clean race and hopefully I earned some respect out there today."  IS IT TOUGH TO EARN RESPECT ON A SHORT TRACK LIKE THIS?  "It is, especially when there was one groove out there and you don't want to move people to get in front them.  It was about track position today and the guys that pitted early seemed to be the ones that finished up front.  It was a great learning experience and I have to thank Jack Roush and the people at Scotts for letting me drive this truck."  ARE YOUR FUTURE RACING PLANS TO COMPETE IN THE NO. 4 BUSCH SERIES ENTRY?  "That's what I've got next."

 

TERRY COOK-10-Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford F-150 (Finished 22nd) - "We just struggled all weekend long.  By race time we got it a lot better, and on that first run we were turning some of the quickest laps of the race.  We just started falling off and then we had brake problems.  We had only front brakes for about three-quarters of the race.  We finally got the brake pedal back - we had a master cylinder rod hanging up or something - but by that point the brakes were adjusted wrong.  I adjusted for front brakes and I was trying to find the center back where it needed to be, but I could never get the brakes back to where they needed to be.  We kept wearing out the outside of the left-front tire after about 50 laps and the truck was not good.  It wasn't from a lack of effort, but we won't bring this truck back to the race track, I can guarantee you that."

 

RICK CRAWFORD-14-Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford F-150 (Finished 12th) - WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE RECORD NUMBER OF CAUTION FLAGS TODAY?  "That's typical short-track racing for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.  You saw a lot of one-groove racing for a long time and the only time the Circle Bar Truck Corral F-150 could pass, it caught people by mistake.  We were best in class with a 12th-place finish, but it wasn't what we were looking for.  All of the guys did a good job today Cowboy (Kevin Starland, crew chief) made a good call in the pits.  You hate to take 12th, but you have to be OK with it today, and now we'll go to Dover, which is a race track we can race at."

 

MARCOS AMBROSE-20-Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards Ford F-150 (Finished 23rd) - DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GOT YOUR FIRST FULL RACE UNDER YOUR BELT TODAY?  "Yeah, but we had no drink and no water for the whole race.  It's been a great day.  We brought her home and we finished every lap, and that was our goal.  Forget about the result, it was just about getting all of the laps.  With about 60 laps to go I wasn't going to knock off Terry Cook, and I was going to sit behind, and we just brought her home and it was a great day."  WAS THIS THE LONGEST RACE IN THAT YOU'VE COMPETED?  "Yeah, and it's really hot, but I just think that's because we had no air and no water at all.  I'm wore out."


 

 

 

 


FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES                   City of Mansfield 250, Page 2                   


May 27, 2006                        Mansfield Motorsports Speedway        


 

ERIK DARNELL-99-Roush Racing Ford F-150 (Finished 13th) - "It was definitely a tough race.  With this hard tire they put us on, you couldn't pass anybody out there.  It was all about track position.  The couple of guys that pitted real early, we didn't know if they were going to be able to make it to the end or not, but the yellow-flag laps out there, they were able to make it.  It was all about track position.  I don't think the top seven or eight positions changes over the final 100 laps.  It sure wasn't an exciting race to drive."  THE TOP 15 DRIVERS USED RESTRAINT BY NOT MOVING TRUCKS OUT OF THE WAY.  HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO NOT MOVE SOMEONE WHEN THERE IS ONLY ONE RACING GROOVE?  "You get behind some of those guys that you know you're just a little bit better, but you don't want to just root them out of the way.  You want to run them clean.  The problem is that there's no real inside groove down there today. You'd get down there slide up into a guy, have to back off of it and he'd get back around you again.  With this hard tire we were just slipping and sliding all over the place and it was all about track position." 

 

BOBBY EAST-21-State Fair Corn Dogs Ford F-150 (Finished 34th) - YOU WENT BEHIND THE WALL FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.  WHAT PUT YOU BEHIND THE WALL?  "We were just racing real hard with Mike Skinner there.  I was on the outside of him for a couple of laps - like on lap 10 or 15 in the race - and he stuck me in the fence, so I just remembered that once we got back towards the front.  I didn't take him out, I just moved him out of the way.  But, what are you going to do?  I'm just real proud of these guys on the State Fair Corn Dogs team.  Everybody had done and a really good and we were starting to move up there, but I guess it's just one of those racing deals."