Kerry Earnhardt enters the Racetickets.com 200 at California Speedway on Friday night looking to establish momentum following an 18th place finish in last week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series opener at Daytona.

The ’06 Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate makes his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at California, but Earnhardt isn’t unfamiliar with the 2-mile oval. He has started a pair of Busch Series races at California, finishing 21st in ’02 and 40th in ’03, when he departed early due to an accident.

Earnhardt hopes to reverse his fortune at California and begin a string of strong, consistent finishes. “This is a big ‘motor’ track, and you’ve got to have a strong motor to get the truck around the track here,” Earnhardt said. “We’ve got our best ‘downforce’ truck with us. We’re looking to keep the truck in one piece, finish strong and hopefully come out of here with something special.”