Monday, Aug. 2, 2004 | 9:29 a.m.
Casey Kingsland is confident that his second attempt at making his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut will go better than his first.
Kingsland, a 19-year-old Las Vegas native, will attempt to qualify for Friday's Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in the No. 55 DCCS Motorsports Dodge with primary sponsorship from Langer Juices. DCCS Motorsports is a new team co-owned by David Cushner and former Truck Series driver Tommy Powers.
Kingsland's second attempt at qualifying for his first NCTS race will come exactly one year after he made an ill-fated attempt with an underfunded team at last year's truck race at IRP. Despite getting only 14 laps of practice prior to qualifying, Kingsland just missed making the 36-truck field.
"(Cushner) has assured me we will have as much practice time as possible," Kingsland said. "I'm eager to get there ... and I'm confident in the team."
Although DCCS Motorsports plans to enter 10 of the remaining 12 truck races, Cushner said that Kingsland would run no more than seven races so that he can preserve his rookie status and contend for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in 2005.
"Personally, I would like to be in the truck for the rest of the season," Kingsland said. "But, thinking ahead, it could help me having a (Rookie of the Year) title. I think I should sit some races out so next year we have a goal of running for Rookie of the Year."
Cushner said he plans to make Kingsland the centerpiece of the team and promote the fact that he will be the youngest competitor in the series.
"I am very excited to have been able to join with Tom Powers and bring back the number 55 Dodge race team," Cushner said. "With Casey coming on board, we should have an excellent chance to be winners at this level of racing.
"We will use the balance of this season to build and complete the number 55 team so we will have a great opportunity to be successful in 2005."
Kingsland said the tentative plan is to attempt to qualify for races at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 25. If he fares well in those races and gets clearance from NASCAR to race on the bigger tracks, Kingsland said he would attempt to qualify for the Sept. 25 Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
If Kingsland were to qualify for the race, there could be two Las Vegas natives competing in Friday's truck race at IRP. Kyle Busch, who is driving fulltime in the NASCAR Busch Series with Hendrick Motorsports, will return to the Truck Series for one race and drive the No. 47 Axiom Chevrolet for Morgan Dollar Motorsports.
Busch made his Truck Series debut at IRP in 2001 at the age of 16 and finished ninth. He competed in five other truck races that year before NASCAR raised to 18 the minimum age requirement for drivers in all of its touring series.
"This should be a lot of fun," Busch said when the one-off deal was announced Saturday. "My very first race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was at IRP back in 2001, so it's pretty cool that I get to make my return to the series at the track where I made my first NASCAR start.
"What makes it even more special is that this time I get to do it in a Chevrolet."
Busch, 19, began his NASCAR career driving Ford trucks for Roush Racing, but moved to Hendrick Motorsports last year after sitting out the 2002 season because of NASCAR's age requirement.
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