Ted Musgrave No. 59 Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota Tundra AAA Insurance 200

Ted Musgrave is happy to leave the tight confines of Mansfield and return to the comparatively wide-open Dover International Speedway. Musgrave is a former winner at Dover, going to victory lane in 2002. 

 Are you looking forward to getting back onto a high speed track after the race last week in Mansfield?  “In a word - yes. I like the fans and the area there in Ohio, but that is such a tough track for us to race on. This week we get to go to Dover and it’s going to be pretty wide open. Track position isn’t the name of the game there. You have a couple of grooves so you can go and race and pass some people. You’ll see some drivers set up the passes coming off the corners and they make their move down the straightaways and you’ll see some drivers use the horsepower to make passes going into the turns. It should be a pretty decent show.”  

You’ve run a lot of 400-mile and even 500-mile races at Dover. Is a 200-mile race there like a sprint race? “You definitely need some patience and you need to use some strategy too. But you need to stay up on the wheel the whole time because if you don’t you can get lapped in a hurry. There’s always someone who hits the setup early on and if you aren’t careful he’ll be up on you before you know it.”  

The Dover concrete was treacherous the first few years it was in place. Has it become a good racing surface now? “It has because the concrete in the low groove has worn enough that there is now more grip up in the top groove. The tires we use now allow you to get up and race in the top more too. The coil binding setups help too. It really allows you to move around more, and with the tires that don’t give up like they used to it opens the track up for us more than it was in the past.”

Is Dover still “the Monster Mile”? “Definitely. When you talk about the speeds we run there and the banking there, it can jump up and bite you in a heartbeat. It’s a lot like Bristol that way. You have to pay attention every second, because the instant you slip just the slightest little bit it jumps up and gets you and you’re going for a wild ride.”

Ted Musgrave’s Dover Stats: 

In seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Dover, Ted has one win (2002), two top-five finishes, and two top-ten finishes. He has led 187 laps, including 135 during his 2002 win. His average start is 13.1 and his average finish is 13.3.

Musgrave has 19 Sprint Cup starts at Dover, with a best finish of third in 1995.  

Introducing the 2008 No. 59 Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota Tundra:

Led by Crew Chief Danny Rollins:

 About Team ASE: 

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has been involved in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 1995, with a mission to salute the technicians and other automotive professionals who demonstrate high performance every day.

ASE, a national non-profit organization, was founded in 1972 to help improve the quality of automotive service and repair through the voluntary testing and certification of automotive service professionals.  More than 400,000 ASE-Certified professionals work in dealerships, independent shops, service stations, auto parts stores, fleets, schools and colleges across the nation.