Edwards’ Truck Outlasts Pack

Second-year driver Carl Edwards and his Jack Roush-built Ford F-150 proved to be the strongest and fastest truck Friday night in the Florida Dodge Dealers 250, the opening race of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series.

Under the lights at Daytona International Speedway, in a race that at times seemed more for surviving than for winning, Edwards held off what was left of the 36 starters for the final 21 laps. Because of an engine change, he had to start at the rear of the field.

“I used to sit in a friend’s basement and look at all the trophies that he won with Kenny Schrader ...and I can’t even describe it,” Edwards said. “We are here, we are at Daytona and I’m standing in Victory Lane. I’m living the dream of every racer on the planet.

“All the people back home in Columbia, Missouri, are probably screaming and jumping up and down in their living rooms. It’s just amazing.”

Travis Kvapil finished 0.141 of a second behind Edwards in a Toyota Tundra. It was the first major NASCAR race for the Japanese manufacturer. Mike Wallace, in a Chevrolet, was third.

“We definitely had a truck that was capable of winning,” said Kvapil, who won the series championship last year in a Chevrolet. “I came out the box second last year too, and things worked out for the rest of the year. I know we have a manufacturer and a sponsor that can do it.”

Kvapil said neither he nor Wallace made a serious move on Edwards because they believed no other driver would move with them.

“I figured I’d stay in line back on the bottom and get one truck out of Turn 4,” Kvapil said.

That was where he passed Wallace, but Edwards was winging his way to the finish line.

“If you had told me six weeks ago that we would come down here and qualify two trucks in the top 10, lead the race and finish second, I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Jim Aust, Toyota vice president of motor sports. “This is a great start and we can’t wait to go to Atlanta [for the next race].”

A 14-car pileup, in which trucks were spinning, crashing and sliding across the track and infield grass and even through the pit lane, severely cut the field on Lap 52 of the 100-lap race. Nine cars didn’t return, and some returned with badly crumpled equipment.

“I guess Friday the 13th brought out all the idiots,” said Ted Musgrave, perhaps the most experienced driver in the race.

“I saw a lot of things tonight that I wish I hadn’t seen. There were about six trucks involved, and they were just running crazy out there. It was a little bit of everybody, veterans and rookies. I saw a lot of stuff I’d never seen before and I’m not sure why.”

Steve Park, a former Winston Cup driver like Musgrave, was equally unimpressed with some of his fellow drivers, saying about Ken Weaver’s 08 truck, “We got alongside on the frontstretch and he decided, I guess, that he’d just knock me into the wall on the backstretch. Maybe he was watching Dale Jr. bump-draft and he figured he could do it too. Maybe he needs a little more experience.”

Of rookie David Reutimann, he said: “I think he drives Darrell Waltrip’s truck. Maybe Darrell needs to give him a driving lesson because he is probably not too impressed with what he did there.”

Reutimann, a rookie, finished ninth in a Toyota and admitted he made some mistakes.

“I did a lot of stupid stuff that they would call rookie mistakes. I made plenty of them, but then, I’m happy with the effort.”

Between seven caution flags for 42 laps, nearly half the race, there was some exciting racing. The lead changed 22 times among 11 drivers. Edwards led 28 laps, including the final 21. Dennis Setzer, who finished sixth, led 19 laps, and Kvapil led 15.

Edwards’ last victory was Aug. 8 at Nashville, which helped him win Raybestos rookie-of-the-year honors last year. It was the 34th victory in a row for a Roush Racing Ford.