Sprague a true believer in Toyota now

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Jack Sprague had driven Chevrolets throughout his racing career, so when he faced the decision of moving to a Toyota in NASCAR's Truck Series last year there was some hesitation.

"When you think about driving a Toyota, the first thing you think about is it being a foreign car," Sprague said. "That's not totally true, since the Toyota trucks are built in Texas. But you are thinking the whole apple pie and Chevrolet thing."

Sprague moved into Toyotas owned by Jeff Wyler for last season's final five races, however, and said he went through a quick awakening.

"The first thing we did was to go Martinsville and test," he said. "I couldn't believe all of the people who worked for Toyota. I don't know where they got them all. They are not playing. They're here for a reason.

"I don't think I am going out on a limb to say Toyota is going to win this (Truck) championship. That's how I feel. I'm not saying I'm going to win it necessarily, but Toyota is strong."

Three former Truck champions, Sprague, Mike Skinner and 2005 titlist Ted Musgrave, will all drive Toyotas this year. And Todd Bodine won the final three races and four of the final six last year in a Toyota.

Toyota is expected to announce its timetable for expanding its NASCAR program into the Busch and/or Cup series during the annual Nextel Media Tour hosted by Lowe's Motor Speedway later this month.

Sprague said he'd have simple advice for anybody in either of those series.

"I'd say they'd better get a Toyota deal," he said.



Trucks test spacer to restrict speed

Trucks testing this weekend used a .990-inch spacer between the intake manifold and carburetors, designed to limit air flow into their engines as a way to reduce speeds.

Mark Martin, driving a Roush Racing Ford, had the weekend's top lap at 180.610 mph. Last year's pole-winning speed for the Daytona truck race was 182.478 mph.

Instead of a plate bolted onto carburetors that restricts the flow of both air and fuel into the engine, spacer limits only the air.

"It has a small hole in the bottom and it's beveled at the top," Bobby Hamilton said. "It gives the driver throttle response. With a restrictor plate, you can't ever afford to let off the gas."

Hamilton said the result feels more like how Nextel Cup cars ran when they had plates with larger openings and employed aerodynamic wickers. Some drivers said the closing rate on another car in the draft was too great in that package.

"You make millions of dollars driving a race car," Hamilton said. "Just let off the gas. You don't have to run over people on the straightaways."

Hamilton said he believes NASCAR will play close attention to how the spacers work in the Truck Series, considering how they could be employed on Busch and Cup cars, too. - D.P.



Truck ride gives K. Earnhardt another shot

Kerry Earnhardt said that less than a month ago he thought he was giving up making it as a race car driver.

"I'd been working with Dale Earnhardt Inc. trying to work something out with them and get more involved on the business side, especially the family business side," Earnhardt said.

But after a meeting with Duke Thorson, the owner of the ThorSport Racing Truck team, that changed. Earnhardt was at Daytona over the weekend testing a truck and plans to run the full Truck Series schedule this year.

"I have really lost interest in the Busch and Cup series to compete over there full-time," Earnhardt said. "The Truck Series is where I have seen that the racing is at. It is a good opportunity to get back in something to just race."

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