1/20/05… Last month's article touched on a couple of new drivers who are coming to the Truck Series. Since then there has been an addition to the 2005 Truck Series roster. Jimmy Spencer has gotten himself a ride with Jim Smith's Ultra Motorsports. Spencer will pilot the #1 Mopar Dodge formerly driven by Ted Musgrave for the past four seasons. Smith has moved Musgrave over to the #2 ASE sponsored Ultra Motorsports Dodge for the 2005 season.

Bobby Hamilton has found sponsorship for 2005. He had been sweating the prospect of not having the backing to defend his championship title, but a last minute deal with Bailey's, a small Virginia tobacco company, has saved the day. Bailey's will sponsor his primary entry, the #4 Dodge, and will also sponsor his #04 entry for part of the season. His former sponsor, the Square D Company, is also slated to sponsor some of his entries in select events.

The Truck Series isn't getting left out in NASCAR's qualifying rules changes for 2005. As is the top two series, the third series will also take the same rules format which will remove the old system of earning and using provisional starts to get into a race. With the top 35 positions being set by qualifying speed, the top 30 drivers in championship points will be guaranteed starting positions. The other two higher series have more starters in their fields and use the number of 35 guaranteed starts as opposed to 30 in the truck series. As far as I can see, this is basically the only difference between the Truck, Busch, and Cup Series when it comes to starting positions.

Darrell Waltrip Motorsports has named Robert Huffman to drive his second team in the #12 Toyota factory entry along side of teammate David Reutimann in the NTH Bearings sponsored #17 Toyota. Huffman and Reutimann both worked together last year when they were rookies. So now the two will be sophomore drivers in the series, and will be trying desperately to get D. W. a victory. Anyone want to take bets on whether D. W. will do his little victory jig in victory lane if one of his driver's wins?

Matt Crafton, the former driver of the #6 Kevin Harvick Motorsports Chevy who finished fifth in driver's points in 2004, will be piloting the #88 Menard's Chevy for ThorSport Racing. Crafton, in 97 Truck Series starts, has 46 top ten finishes and boasts a pair of third place finishes as career bests. He will be teaming up with one of last season's rookies in the series, Tracy Hines, who will be driving the #13 entry. Hines finished 18th in points in his rookie season, and has two top ten finishes along with a fifth place finish in 19 starts.