When Stacy Compton isn’t racing the No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he’s talking about it on ESPN. As he heads to the New Hampshire International Speedway for Saturday’s New Hampshire 200, he’d like to create his own Sportscenter highlight.
Compton, who shares the driving duties at Wood Brothers/JTG Racing with Joey Clanton, can offer insight from a driver’s perspective. He’s been a driver in all three of NASCAR’s premier national circuits – if fact Saturday’s race is his 99th career truck series start – so he can speak with authority.

But given the opportunity, he’d rather do his talking from the driver’s seat.

Compton’s greatest success in the sport has come in a truck. He’s got two wins and 26 Top-Five finishes in the Craftsman Truck Series, including a second-place finish in the No. 09 Ford F-150 at Dover, Del., in June.

Pole qualifying for the New Hampshire is Saturday morning at 10. The main event follows that afternoon at 3 on Speed.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY

Stacy Compton, Driver No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford F-150:
“I’ve been doing a lot of things with ESPN,” he said. “They’re keeping us pretty busy on the NASCAR Now shows and I’m enjoying it. I’m certainly hoping that the ESPN contacts will assist me to get something worked out with a full-time ride for next year. I’d love to run in the truck series or Busch series or even some Cup races again. That has kept me pretty busy. We do a lot of shows with them and it’s been fun; I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve been spending a lot of time home with my little girls, too. The time off has been good, but as a racer I’ve been going stir crazy. I’m ready to go racing again.

“We’re looking forward to New Hampshire. It’s one of the racetracks on our calendar that we’re pretty excited about. We’ve always run really well there in the Cup car, Busch car or a truck, whatever we’ve ever taken there. We’ve had a lot of success. It’s one on the calendar that we mark and say we’re looking forward to it. We’re taking a good truck up there this weekend. I feel like our short-track program has struggled just a little bit this year, but I feel like Gary (Cosgwell, crew chief) has found some things that are going to help. We’re pretty excited about it. Like I said, we’ve had some success up there, so that always makes us feel a little bit better about going back.”

Gary Cogswell, Crew Chief No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford F-150:
“The last seven truck winners at New Hampshire all qualified in the top five,” he said. “I still don’t think you have to qualify up front to win. You go out every week and try to qualify well simply because track position is so important. I think we’ll have a good truck for the race, regardless. But if we don’t qualify in the top-five, hopefully we’ll make the records wrong.”