Stage Is Set for a Hot Tripleheader at California Speedway

The goal for every stock car driver in NASCAR is to drive a Winston Cup car.

The way to Winston Cup has been the Busch Grand National series since before 1982, when it was the Late Model Sportsman division. Three years ago, a new series, Craftsman Truck, was introduced and now it is trying to elbow its more famous kin out of the spotlight.

Although the Busch cars look more like Winston Cup cars, in performance the Craftsman Trucks may be closer.

If you took a saw and cut off the top of a race truck, what would be left from the top of the door down would be identical to a Cup car. The trucks have the same engine, carburetor and weight, and a slightly longer wheelbase. The Busch cars are 100 pounds lighter and use a smaller carburetor.

The difference, of course, is the cab sticking up in the air, making the trucks an aerodynamic mess and more difficult to handle.

Both were showcased Friday on California Speedway’s two-mile, D-shaped oval during a hot day of qualifying for this weekend’s NASCAR Tripleheader.

Chevrolets carried the day as Robert Pressley won the pole for Sunday’s Kenwood Home & Car Audio 300 in a Monte Carlo at 174.073 mph and rookie Andy Houston did likewise for today’s No Fear Challenge 200 with a lap of 172.022 mph in a Chevy pickup.

Pressley, a former Winston Cup regular, edged Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the race for the Busch pole. Earnhardt, a three-time winner with two poles in his first full season, ran 173.993 in the No. 3 Chevrolet owned by his mother, Teresa.

“I really thought Dale Jr. or Matt [Kenseth] would have the pole today,” said Pressley, 39, from Asheville, N.C. “I didn’t think we had a shot at it. We only ran three laps all day--two in the morning and one in the afternoon.

“The only time I remember it being this hot was in St. Louis last year.”

Track thermometers registered 109 degrees early in the afternoon.

“This car must like Fontana, it’s the same one that Steve Park put on the pole last year,” Earnhardt said. “It ran real good. I just hope it runs the same way in the race.”

Park was Teresa Earnhardt’s driver last year before earning a position on Dale Earnhardt’s Winston Cup team. Park won the pole last year at 175.157 mph on Oct. 18 when the weather was little more favorable.

Houston, a 27-year-old rookie driver from Hickory, N.C., won his first pole in his first trip to California.

“I really looked forward to coming out here,” he said after his surprise performance in the Addington race team’s pickup. “It looked like a beautiful facility on television. It looks good to me now.

“This was my first pole and it feels pretty good. Our qualifying on super speedways hasn’t been too bad and to come here and sit on the pole first time being here is just great. Winning the pole is special but we look at it as hopefully another step toward winning a race.

“We’re in the same truck that ran strong at Texas, so we have high hopes for a good finish [today].”

Houston qualified sixth at Texas Motor Speedway last June 5 and finished second.

“I led some laps at Texas so I got a feel for running up front with these guys. Since then, though, things haven’t gone so good, so maybe getting back on a big track will help me.”

Randy Tolsma, who switched from Indy cars to trucks when the series began, will start alongside Houston after lapping at 171.376 in a Chevrolet. Lonnie Rush, who is both driver and crew chief for his Monte Carlo, made it Chevrolets in the top three spots.

Randy Renfrow, in a Dodge, and rookie Greg Biffle, in a Ford, were the next two qualifiers.

“I think it says a lot for the growing quality of this series when you see the No. 16 truck [four-time winner Ron Hornaday] back in seventh and the No. 24 truck [series leader Jack Sprague] in 12th,” said Tolsma. Sprague ran with ribs bruised from a crash during practice. After qualifying at 169.531, the series champion was taken to Loma Linda Hospital, where he was checked and released. He expects to drive in today’s 100-mile race.

The Craftsman Truck race is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. Following it will be the California 200 for Winston West cars, with Kevin Harvick starting on the pole after winning the spot when he ran 173.779 in yet another Chevrolet.

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Fontana Races

* Today: Busch Grand National practice, 8:30 a.m.; No Fear Challenge 200 (100 laps) for Craftsman Trucks, followed by Winston West race.

* Sunday: Kenwood Home and Car Audio 300 (150 laps) for Busch Grand National cars, 1 p.m.

* Radio: Today--KMKC (1350) and KMSL (1510) 1 p.m.; Sunday--KMKC (1350) and KMSL (1510) 1 p.m.

* TV: Today, ESPN, 1 p.m.; Sunday, ESPN, 1 p.m.

* Tickets: (800) 944-RACE.