Throw a Blanket Over the Top 3

Not near as many people follow the Craftsmen Truck Series as do the Busch or NEXTEL Cup series, and that's too bad. Some of the best racing you'll ever see is in the Truck Series. Last night's season opening race at Daytona was no exception.

The Daytona race is known for three wide finishes, and it happened again. Travis Kvapil had a comfortable lead coming off of turn 4 on the final lap. The rest of the field was 2x2 behind him and as he entered the tri-oval near the finish, the TV announcer stated that he would win. With just a couple of hundred yards to the finish, it sure looked that way.

Kvapil finished 3rd.

How'd that happen? It's called bump drafting, baby, and coming off of turn 4 Johnny Benson, who was running fourth or fifth at the time, got a great run and hit Jack Sprague with a bump draft shot that propelled both trucks forward. Sprague went to Kvapil's right and Benson to his left and within the last 100 yards or so both passed him. You could have thrown a blanket over all three trucks. Thanks to the bump, Sprague had a little more momentum than Benson and won the race. Exciting stuff!

The Busch series runs today and the Cup tomorrow. Given all the juking around the cars are doing this year (thanks in part to the harder, slicker tires that Goodyear brought), it's going to get exciting. Running nose-to-tail three wide and 14 rows deep at 185 mph is way too cool!