Press Snoop: Truex wins first Mexican Busch race.

The latest news from around the world courtesy of Press Snoop Lynne Huntting...

MARTIN TRUEX Jr/#8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet won the Inaugural telcel MOTOROLA Mexico 200 presented by Banamex NASCAR Busch Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with a 6.256 second margin of victory over runner-up KEVIN HARVICK/#21 Pelon Pelo Rico Chevrolet.

This was the seventh Busch victory in 52 starts for Truex, the 2004 Busch Champion. He led three times for 45 laps, the most laps of the 80-lap race.

Harvick now leads the Busch Series points' standings.

Rookie CARL EDWARDS/#60 Charter Communications Ford finished third, followed by SHANE HMIEL/#32 WIN Fuel Chevrolet and BORIS SAID/#1 Yellow Transportation Dodge.

Fifth through tenth were CLINT BOWYER/#2 AC Delco Chevrolet, KENNY WALLACE/#22 Stacker 2 Ford, ASHTON LEWIS J/#25 Team Marines Ford and ADRIAN FERNANDEZ/#5 Lowes/Hatachi Chevrolet who was the top Mexican driver of the nine in the race.

The weather was alternately overcast or sunny, but always warm. OCESA, the promoter announced Sunday's attendance at 94,229, which exceeded the hoped-for 80,000 figure. Saturday's number was 38,319, for a two-day total of 132,548. Friday's Practice Day was not a real day for the crowds, and wasn't promoted as such. Not often does one get the attendance figures in writing, much less printed on the results sheet. Refreshing. Of course, OCESA and NASCAR had a lot about which to brag.

The large Mexican crowd was enthusiastic, animated and highly partial to its home town drivers. They cheered every effort and success of their drivers.

There were seven lead changes among six drivers. Polesitter JORGE GOETERS/#66 Canels Ford for the first 24 laps in his first-ever Busch race. Fernandez led for four laps, and when he was charging Truex for the lead, one didn't have to look at the big screen to know when he made the pass. The cheering crowd was on its feet and could be heard over the noise of the cars, all around the circuit. Fernandez had started the race at the back of the field, due to switching to a back-up car after he crashed during qualifying.

Harvick led for two laps, Lewis, Jr. for a lap, and STANTON BARRETT/#36 Tucson Chevrolet for four laps. Most lead changes were during pit stops.

Goeters was impressive but his lack of Busch experience showed in his pit stops. He overcame and charged back after mishaps in pit lane, but his engine blew and he finished thirty-eighth with 65 laps. He did impress the Brewco team and there's already talk of Goeters doing more Busch races.

Thirty-three of the 37 finishers were on the lead lap. Four of the five DNF's were due to engine failures. RON FELLOWS/#87 Cellular One/AER Chevrolet got caught out in an accident. He is all right but he retired.

Eight cautions accounted for 22 of the 80-laps; it just seemed like more. Four cautions were for track conditions, and four were for cars stalled or crashed. No one was hurt. I'm not sure into which category fell the loose dog on track. It had slipped through a hole in the retaining wall fence. Just such an incident cost the Formula One race to this track back in the sixties, and it took 17 years before FIA let Mexico City have another F1 race.

The Autodromo runs clockwise, like Infineon Raceway, one of the two regular road courses on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. The ten turn, 2.2-mile Mexican street/road course has almost no elevation, which makes it unlike the other road courses on which NASCAR runs such as Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen. To test for the race, some of the teams went to Virginia International Raceway.

The drivers were all counselled in their Drivers' Meeting to exercise patience and caution, especially on the first lap in the first corner. MIKE HELTON, NASCAR President/CEO, told them this is a unique course with a unique driver line-up. This was an opportunity to showcase the Busch Series. They evidently listened, at least for a while. The field made it through the first turn and all around the course without an incident.

After the Driver's Meeting, there was an altercation between ROBBY GORDON/#83 Red Bull Chevrolet and BRAD PARROTT, crew chief for Carl Edwards. Asked about it in the post-race conference, Edwards said he came upon it, didn't know what it was about but broke it up. "Robby was roughing up my crew chief a bit. I don't know exactly what happened. "NASCAR is investigating and took names of witnesses."

Gordon was one of five drivers who had to drop to the back of the field before the green flag. He changed an engine after qualifying. Edwards changed his engine before qualifying. Others at the back were CHRIS COOK/#7 l Alsace A Paris Chevrolet, TIM FEDEWA/#12 Goulds Pumps Dodge, Fernandez, and JIMMY MORALES/#52 Telmex Ford.

Morales, of Mexico City, failed to qualify on Saturday but ended up racing anyhow. At the very last minute, a deal was struck between Morales and JIMMY MEANS, owner of #52 Chevrolet. I know it was last minute because I chatted up Morales about 90 minutes before the start of the race, regarding his Scuderia Telmex team, and he was relaxed, in civilian clothes. Not less than 30 minutes later Morales and Means were at the Busch trailer feverishly working out something with NASCAR officials. That meant a new black Telmex hood on the Means car, and SCOTT GAYLORD of Colorado was left sitting on the pit wall in his driver's suit when the Driver's Command was given.

After the race, Morales told me he got a last minute call from JOSE SABATES, brother of NASCAR team owner, FELIX SABATES. Somehow Sabates brokered a deal for Morales to race in Means' car, which had been qualified twenty-fifth by Gaylord. The whole thing came together very quickly.

Morales had a hiccup with fourth gear early on in the race putting him two laps down. But he overcame and steadily worked his way through the pack, getting as high as seventeenth before finishing twentieth on the lead lap.

And harking back to that Command given by the Grand Marshal, Mexican TV actor EUGENIO DERBEZ, I wonder how it sounded to the two female drivers in the race, MARA REYES/#49 AMD/Sun/Advil Ford and SHAWNA ROBINSON/#23 Vassarette Chevrolet to hear, "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines."

Reyes, one of the four drivers on the Morales Scuderia Telmex team, started thirty-ninth and finished thirty-fifth. Robinson started forty-first and finished thirtieth. Both women had Owner's Provisionals.

There was such an overall positive response to the inaugural Busch race in Mexico City that NASCAR is looking favourably on holding more such events.

JIM HUNTER, NASCAR vice president corporate communications, said the NASCAR contract to have the Busch Series race in Mexico City was a one year contract - a year at a time. Among other reasons for yearly contracts is the purse consideration.

It was announced at an OCESA conference Friday that the Mexico City purse is second only to Daytona Speedweeks purse, the highest in the series. Mexico City's purse wouldn't exceed Daytona because "it wouldn't look right."

Hunter said it is "pretty certain we'll be negotiating for next year. It has been a very pleasant experience."

Negotiations for next year's race and schedule will begin next month, and by summer's end, NASCAR hopes to have the 2006 schedule finalised.

Three reasons why Hunter thinks this Mexico City Busch Series event will probably be extended: 1. The reception NASCAR received in Mexico. 2. The interest of the Mexican people in the NASCAR event. 3. The gracious hospitality of the Mexican people.

Hunter was impressed with the festive atmosphere, how the Mexicans promoted and appreciated the race, and it all had the aura of a big event. He was very enthused about the weekend. Hunter said he "can't remember when there's been a better group of international drivers. And having a Mexican driver on pole hasn't hurt. As an aside," Hunter said Goeter's car was inspected as hard as anyone's car could be.

Sunday night all Busch Series cars cleared Scrutineering.

Once the cars were released, there was pizza and showers for the NASCAR hauler drivers, who then had a mandatory Logistics meeting before they left for the USA on their 18-hour nonstop drive to Laredo TX. The next Busch race is next weekend in Las Vegas NV, and the teams run different cars on the LVMS oval than they did in Mexico.