Hamilton wins pole for Truck series Ford 200

HOMESTEAD, Florida (Ticker) -- Bobby Hamilton won the pole for Friday's Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he is not going to get in the way of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series championship being decided in the final race of the year.

Hamilton, who is sixth in the points standings, averaged 169.252 miles per hour in a Dodge for his third pole this season.

"I'm really surprised it held up for the pole. We've been the quickest truck since we've been here," Hamilton said. "I'm going to show them guys respect. I'm going to try to win the race, but this is not a one-sided deal.

"They're the guys racing for the championship. I'm going to try to win the race and they need the championship. The big picture is more valuable than the small picture, but I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize it."

Chad Chaffin qualified second at 169.215 mph and Andy Houston third at 168.877 for a Dodge sweep of the first three positions.

Brendan Gaughan leads the series with six victories and looks to secure the title with a good showing Friday afternoon. Gaughan qualified 13th but suffered engine failure on his Dodge in a prequalifying practice and will start from the rear of the 36-truck field.

Gaughan overcame a similar penalty last month, coming from the back to win his fourth consecutive race at Texas Motor Speedway. He can capture the title with a finish of fourth or better.

Gaughan has been the points leader since September 4.

"There's only one strategy for us - win," Gaughan said. "I wouldn't call it a free-for-all, but it's going to be one heck of a battle."

He enters the 25th race of the season with a 26-point lead over Ted Musgrave, who will start 10th.

"Put everything on the table, winner take all," said Musgrave, who was runner-up in the championship in 2001 and third last year.

Travis Kvapil is 34 points back in third place. He put himself in a good position by qualifying fourth in a Chevrolet.

Dennis Setzer also is in contention, just 39 points behind Gaughan for the closest four-way title chase in the series' nine-year history. Setzer, who has made the biggest late-season charge, will start 11th. He was 136 points behind Gaughan after the September 27 race in Las Vegas.

"Our strategy is very easy," Setzer said. "Run as close to the front as we can all day and try to lead the race whenever possible."

Setzer and Musgrave each won three races this year, while Kvapil made it to victory lane once.

The Craftsman Truck series championship will be decided in the final race of the year for the eighth time. The closest finish was in 1998 when Ron Hornaday edged Jack Sprague by three points.

Carl Edwards looks to put the finishing touches on his Rookie of the Year campaign. Edwards, winner of three races, qualified 23rd. He owns a 134-point lead over Jody Lavender in the rookie standings and is eighth overall.

The 134-lap race at the 1 1/2-mile oval will be televised live at 3:15 p.m. EST on Speed Channel.

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