SPARTA, Ky. – Three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Jack Sprague and his No. 60 Con-way Freight Toyota rolled out the fastest lap among 35 competitors this afternoon at Kentucky Speedway during the first of three scheduled practice sessions for tomorrow night’s “Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers.”

 

Sprague, who owns two second-place finishes and one third-place finish through five career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Kentucky Speedway, turned his top lap at 172.750 mph (31.259 seconds).

 

The Spring Lake, Mich., driver who is second behind defending Kentucky Speedway race champ Ron Hornaday, Jr., on the all-time series wins list was followed by Ted Musgrave and his No. 9 Team ASE Toyota with a 172.040-mph (31.388 seconds), Brendan Gaughan and his No. 77 South Point Hotel Chevrolet with a 171.597-mph (31.469 seconds) lap, series standings leader Mike Skinner and his No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota with a 171.581-mph (31.472 seconds) lap as well as Johnny Benson and his No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota with a 171.114-mph (31.558 seconds).

 

Joey Clanton led the all-rookie NCTS practice session with a 171.942-mph (31.406 seconds) lap in his No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford. Clanton will start tomorrow’s “Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers” fifth in the series rookie standings and 27^th in the overall standings after registering two top-10 finishes in seven events this season. He was eighth in the opening practice session with a 170.605-mph (31.652 seconds) lap.

ARCA RE/MAX Series “Channel 5 150” qualifying is up next at the speedway and NASCAR Craftsman Series final practice follows at 6:30 p.m. 

 

Tickets for tonight’s ARCA RE/MAX Series “Channel 5 150” and tomorrow night’s “Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers” are still available and can be reserved by phone at 888-652-RACE, online at http://www.kentuckyspeedway.com, through Tickets.com and Tickets.com outlets including Meijer stores and at the speedway main entrance.

 

The July 14 race ticket includes a prerace concert with American Idol champ Taylor Hicks. Speedway gates open at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow, “Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers” qualifying begins at 4:00 p.m., Hicks takes the Turn 1 Concert Stage at 6:30 p.m., and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers take the green flag for the “Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers” at 8:00 p.m.

 

Story by Mike Schmaltz