Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle are among the young drivers who have used the Craftsman Truck Series as a springboard to Winston Cup.

But racing trucks is not just for neophytes. The truck series also is populated by 40- and 50-something drivers eager to prolong their careers.

* Dennis Setzer, 43, a winner of several track championships in his native North Carolina, won two races during a limited run in the Busch Series. In trucks, he has blossomed. In his first full year on the circuit, Setzer finished third in the 1999 points race. He has won a race every year since--including last month at Mesa Marin--and never has finished worse than ninth in points.

"It's a good and growing series still, where sponsors get a good bang for the buck," says Setzer, who has raced the No. 46 Chevrolet for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports since 2001. "Unlike Busch and Cup, you don't get overwhelmed if you're not with an ultracompetitive team and the best you can expect to run is 25th.

"We're all used to coming from series where you're expected to win every weekend. The Craftsman Truck Series gives you the opportunity to race up front again. You know you can go out and win races."

* Rick Crawford, 44, knows how Setzer feels. For a decade, he was a fixture on the All Pro Touring Late Model Series but always wanted the challenge of racing at a higher level. In 1997, Crawford found himself racing for rookie honors in trucks.

"I felt like I was ready to move on," Crawford says. "In All Pro, I was learning how to race. There's more to racing than just going fast. You have to know how to maintain a rhythm and take care of your equipment. That's why the veterans tend to be successful in this series."

Crawford enjoys his position as a mentor and role model to the younger drivers.

With solid backing from longtime supporter Tom Mitchell, Crawford steadily has moved to the top of the standings over the last five seasons. Crawford finished a career-best second in points last year, 46 behind champion Mike Bliss. His win at Daytona in February broke a 120-race winless streak and gave the No. 14 Ford team a solid foundation to run for the title this year.

* Ted Musgrave and Bobby Hamilton each posted top 10 points finishes during their Winston Cup careers, and both could get back to the top level if an owner opts for a change.

After piloting Roush Racing's research and development ride for five years, Musgrave received his pink slip 20 events into the 1998 season. Although he raced the entire Cup schedule for Butch Mock in 1999, he was considered NASCAR's super sub in 2000. Looking for something more stable, Musgrave signed on with Jimmy Smith's Dodge trucks team in 2001.

That year, Musgrave, now 47, won seven races and lost the title to Jack Sprague by 73 points. In 2002, Musgrave started on the front row eight times, won three races and finished third in the points race. With the same team in place, expect Musgrave to be in the title mix again this season.

Musgrave expects the series to get stronger and says several Cup drivers have told him they plan on driving trucks at the end of their careers.

"The competition is not as stout as Cup, but it does keep you on your toes," Musgrave says.

Of the four veterans, Hamilton was the visionary. He saw the trend in Cup favoring the young guns and decided to become an owner. Although he has four Cup wins, Hamilton knew as an owner in trucks he always would have a safety net.

"The caliber of the teams are not equal to Cup," Hamilton says. "But you're not out there just riding around, either. You've got a lot of hungry drivers trying to prove themselves, and that's why you have to stay up front."

Hamilton, 45, started his first of three truck teams in 1997 and scored two wins before taking over the driving duties in the No. 4 Dodge this season. Hamilton is favored to win the title.

"We have a lot of confidence," he says. "We feel like we're a top five team wherever we go."

TSN's TRUCK POLL

Rank   Driver            TSN pts.   Truck pts.

 1.    Bobby Hamilton      428      670       (1)
 2.    Dennis Setzer       392      590       (5)
 3.    Rick Crawford       389      631       (2)
 4.    Ted Musgrave        347      591       (4)
 5.    Brendan Gaughan     299      594       (3)
 6.    Travis Kvapil       282      569       (6)
 7.    Terry Cook          261      557       (7)
 8.    Robert Pressley     252      551       (8)
 9.    Jason Leffler       239      514       (10)
10.    Jon Wood            197      520       (9)

Through race No. 4, at Martinsville, Va. For a complete TSN
Power Poll rundown and an explanation of the points breakdown,
go to www.sportingnews.com/nascar/poll/trucks/index.html.

E-mail contributing writer Lee Spencer at lspencer@sportingnews.com.

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COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group