Bleacher Report - Articles by S M Napier

Ron Hornaday: Looking Back at His Amazing Season Statistically

S M Napier — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:22:53 -0500

It was a dream season for Kevin Harvick Inc.'s Ron Hornaday, chocked full of series firsts, career achieving milestones, and he's forever sealed his name in NASCAR history.

Really, Hornaday's season started last year after the 2008 Awards Banquet.

You see Horn, his crew chief Rick Ren, team manager and spotter Rick Carelli, co-owner Kevin Harvick and other teammates sat down held a meeting about how they would get on stage for the 2009 Banquet.

They put together a game plan, shared their thoughts on areas they could improve on, be more consistent, what needed to be eliminated and no mistakes.

More importantly through dedication, hard-work and teamwork they could achieve their goal.

Horn started the season by finishing no worse than seventh in the first six races, and even picked up his first win of the season at Charlotte.

In 23 races of 25, he qualified sixth or better, picked up four pole awards and started seven times from the front row.

Even more impressive was 22 of those 23 races he qualified in the top five.

Horn, in a five-race stretch from mid-June at Milwaukee till early August at Nashville, won five consecutive races.

He equaled a mark NASCAR hasn't seen happen in 38 years, putting his name with Richard Petty and Bobby Allison, who did it in 1971.

Picking up his first wins at Kentucky and Nashville, repeating at Memphis and broke in brand-new chassis twice during the streak.

Point wise over that stretch, Horn went from a 27-point deficit to a 216 point advantage and it was just "take care of business" over the remaining races.

Horn also would be named the Third Quarter Driver of the Year, something no one in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has ever done before.

In the 11 races after his winning streak, Horn didn't win another race, but he did pick up six top fives, eight top-10 finishes, and out-pointed Matt Crafton for the title.

Horn went into Phoenix with a 197 points lead, for the Lucas Oil 150 and just needed to finish ahead of Crafton for the title.

He finished fourth to clinch his fourth title, becoming only the second driver in the history of the Trucks to clinch the driver's title prior to Homestead.

Greg Biffle did it in 2000, also at Phoenix.

In winning his fourth title, not only did he become NASCAR's oldest champion at 51, but he breaks the tie with good friend Jack Sprague for the most title wins in the series.

Horn added his name with two Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt along with Jeff Gordon becoming the fourth driver to win four titles.

One of my favorite highlights of the season, happened at Phoenix just after Horn clinched the driver's championship.

Believe it was Speed TV's Ray Dunlap asking him how it felt. "It's not over by far," Hornaday said.

Horn was refering that he was still racing hard for the owner's title, to win it for Delana and Kevin and that was the important title.

Of course a ailing Horn battling the flu, took care of business and won the owner's championship for the Harvick's.

He'd compiled over the 25-race season six wins, 15 top fives, 20 top-10 finishes, four poles and led 1,091 laps en route to his fourth title.

In all, 2009 was a amazing season for Horn, but it also was redemption for him being more consistent, and eliminated the mistakes that cost him in 2008.

And being a fan of the wily veteran, it was just awesome to see him put his name with legends not once but three times.

About the only thing left for him in Trucks to do is to become the first to repeat as champion.

More amazing was he accomplished it, with his boss selling his old trucks as fast, as he built him new ones to race in.

FYI, don't count him out, Harvick won twice in Horn's 2010 Chevys in the final two races.

The off-season will be a painfully slow one, as I can't wait to see him defending his title.

Kyle Busch: Will He, Won't He Become a Truck Series Owner

S M Napier — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:24:27 -0500

For just about the entire 2009 season, you've had the rumor being whispered about Kyle Busch bring Kyle Busch Motorsports coming to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010.

It goes without saying that many thought it would have happened this year, and it didn't happen.

Speed, Jayski.com, and various other media outlets have added their speculation to Kyle Busch being an owner in the Truck Series and feed us rumors all season.

Now I'm going to beat them to the punch by saying yes, we'll see KBM in the Truck Series in 2010, and what follows is why.

The most obvious reason is that he's left Billy Ballew Motorsports, and the Ford 200 was his finale for the team.

Why make this move if he's not starting his team?

Why would he take a season off without running in a Series he loves tailgating in?

With the season just concluded, scenedaily.com had a article were his agent, Jeff Dickerson, says it will happen, but don't jump to believe it because Kyle says he's still on the fence.

Busch's team KBM currently fields Late Model cars, and since 2007 he has been working on completing a new race shop that could house his potential Truck team.

So here's four reasons why we'll see Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series in 2010, and yes it's 100% speculation on my part.

1.) At Homestead Speed's Ray Dunlap during practice, he talked to Brian Scott, and it seems that it's basically a done deal with Busch buying Xpress entirely.

Busch basically is buying the entire assets of the team. If that's the case, why won't he just run out of the Xpress shop till his new place is done?

2.) Johnny Benson Jr. was rumored to be signed with Busch and even had Con-Way Freight as sponsor.

Nothing is mentioned about JB these days regarding the Truck Series, other than that he'll be a spotter for Tom Thomas in the Snowball Derby Late Model race.

You're a brand new team, so why won't you want a wily veteran driving a truck full-time for you, one that can be a mentor for the team.

3.) Busch is going to be driving a partial schedule again, just racing in companion races up to the Chase, and will need a part-time driver.

Who better than his good friend Brian Ickler. Makes sense you can put him in the Late Model car, with a combination of the truck events Busch misses and the NASCAR Camping World East Series.

Ickler's a great driver and just needs more seat-time, plus JB would make a great mentor for him.

4.) Of course someone will comment regarding engines and help. But he'll have help from Toyota's TRD and get his engines from Joe Gibbs Racing.

J.D. already said they'd give him a deal on engines, plus it would benefit JGR to have Busch oweing his own team and allow them to run some of their development drivers in a third truck.

So yes, I think we'll see Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series next season, and no doubt it'll be a success endeavor.

But the big question is who's going with him from Billy Ballew Motorsports?

Kevin Harvick Dominates For The Win; Hornaday Clinches The Owners Title

S M Napier — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:18:50 -0500

It's deja vu all over again, as Kevin Harvick wins another exciting green/white/checkers finish in the season finale for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Harvick with four laps to go under caution, came to pit road for four fresh Goodyear's and on the ensuing restart he'd cruise by Timothy Peters for the race win.

While Ron Hornday Jr. would clinch the owner's championship, after Kyle Busch suffered a cut tire, and went two laps down because of it.

For the second week in a row, the dueling burnout was exciting to see, and this time Harvick held his own with Hornaday.

Colin Braun in the No. 6 Con-Way Freight Ford starts on the pole, and it was his fifth pole of the season.

Chad McCumbee in the No. 07 Valvoline Fuel Proof/tiwi Chevrolet starts from the outside pole position.

Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Georgia Boot Chevrolet starts third, Ron Hornaday Jr. in the No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet starts fourth and Mike Skinner in the No. 5 Exide Batteries Toyota starts fifth.

Tonight's race brings the end to Roush-Fenway Racing in the Trucks, Xpress Motorsports final race, as Brian Scott heads onto the Nationwide Series next season and Kyle Busch's final race for Billy Ballew Motorsports.

Kyle Busch in the No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts/Graceway Toyota started shotgun to the field after making a engine change.

At race time, it was 72 degrees, and a beautiful clear night. 36 trucks started the race and the pit window is 55 to 60 laps.

Braun took the green gets a great jump on McCumbee, Harvick takes second and starts to reel in the leader.

Busch by Lap Three, had picked up 17 positions currently running in 19th. Meanwhile the leader, Braun has Harvick in second and Skinner in third hot on his heels.

By Lap Five, Busch was running in 15th, Braun still leads but has Harvick on the low-side challenging him for the position.

Harvick would take the lead on Lap Six, passing Braun on the low-side and pull away by several truck length.

By Lap Eight, Busch has made it up to 11th and Harvick leads by 0.650 seconds on Braun in second.

On Lap 12, Hornaday running in fifth, would have Matt Crafton in the No. 88 Australian Gold Chevrolet in sixth make slight contact with him and neither was effected by it.

They have been racing together trying to work their way around McCumbee in fourth, who's been blocking Horn both high and low.

By Lap 18, Harvick is leading Skinner in second by 3.100 seconds and Busch is running 10th.

On Lap 20, Harvick leads continues to pull away from Skinner and Busch has made it up to eighth.

The best racing is Hornaday in fourth and Crafton in fifth, battling it out for those respective positions and have swapped the positions repeatedly over the last several laps.

On Lap 25, Harvick leads by five seconds over Skinner in second and Busch takes fourth, passing Hornaday on the high-side.

On Lap 27, Harvick leads but Skinner (second), Crafton (third) and Busch (fourth) are three wide battling over those positions.

Coming into turn three, Crafton on the high-side, Busch on the low-side split Skinner running in the middle and both pass him. Crafton takes second and Busch would get third.

On Lap 30, Harvick would lead by 6.532 seconds, while Busch would take second by passing Crafton on the high-side.

Hornaday would pass Skinner on the high-side for fourth and Timothy Peters in the No. 17 Strutmasters.com Toyota would also take fifth from Skinner.

The first caution comes out on Lap 33, for Shane Sieg in the No. 93 S&W Services Chevrolet who tagged the wall and pancaked the right side of his truck.

Everyone pits on Lap 34, when pit road opened everyone pits making the first of two stops for tires and then fuel.

Ryan Sieg in the No. 39 S&W Services Chevrolet was the Aaron's Lucky Dog Award winner under this caution.

Coming onto pit road, Almirola makes contact with Sauter and damages his front end and his team would make an extra stop to make repairs.

After pit stops on Lap 36, the top five was; Harvick leads, Busch second, Skinner third, Crafton fourth, and Johnny Sauter in the No. 13 FunSand/Rodney Atkins/Curb Records Chevrolet in fifth.

On the Lap 37 restart, Harvick took the green with Busch on his bumper but two laps later the race would be slowed by caution again.

The second caution came out on Lap 39, for Dan Brode in the No. 41 Mike Berg TruckingDodge losing it and spins exiting turn two.

Ricky Carmichael in the No. 31 Monster Energy Drink Chevrolet was the Aaron's Lucky Dog winner under this caution.

On the Lap 41 restart, Harvick takes the green with Busch on his bumper and couldn't make a pass work for the lead on the low-side.

On Lap 42, Mike Bliss in the No. 25 Harris Trucking Toyota spins coming out of turn four onto pit road and results in no caution.

By Lap 44, Harvick had opened up a six truck length lead on Kyle Busch in second.

On Lap 46, the best racing was Braun sixth, Hornaday seventh and Peters eighth all racing together and fighting for those positions.

They would get to three wide racing with, Hornaday picking up sixth and Peters seventh passing Braun dropping him to eighth.

Harvick leads by 0.784 seconds on Busch in second and Crafton in third is 1.5 seconds back of the leader.

After 52 Laps, the top five was; Harvick leading, Busch second, Crafton third, Skinner fourth, and Peters fifth.

Harvick was leading by 0.650 seconds, when the third caution came out on Lap 59, for Lance Hooper in the No. 73 County Building Center lost a right front tire in turn one and got into the wall.

The pits opened on Lap 60, everyone pits making the first of two stops, and a few would use pit strategy taking just fuel. Of the leaders Busch was the only one to take fuel only.

Marc Davis in the No. 19 Howard University Radio/WHUR Chevrolet was the Aaron's Lucky Dog winner under the caution.

After pit stops on Lap 61, the top five was; Busch leading, David Starr in the No. 24 Zachry Toyota was second, Sauter third, Harvick fourth and Tayler Malsam in the No. 81 One-Eighty Toyota was fifth.

On the Lap 63 restart, Busch took the green gets a great start on Starr and pulls away by four truck lengths.

Back through the field the trucks are three and four wide battling for position.

On Lap 66, Busch leads by 0.698 seconds but Harvick in second is the fast truck on the track right now and he's coming in a hurry.

On Lap 69, Busch and Harvick are side by side battling for the lead, coming out of turn four to the stripe Harvick makes his pass on the low side stick and takes the lead.

After 73 Laps, the top five was; Harvicl leading by 0.236 seconds, Busch second, Peters third, Skinner fourth and Almirola fifth.

By Lap 78, Harvick leads by 1.648 seconds on Busch in second and Peters in third is 2.3 seconds back of the leader.

On Lap 83, Busch would come to pit road under green due to a cut right rear tire and would go a lap down because of it. His tires on the right side had the cores showing and a cut on the inside right rear.

Unfortunately, he also would be penalized for having a tire roll outside of his pit box and get black-flagged by NASCAR. Once he serviced the penalty he was two laps down.

On Lap 91, Harvick leads by 2.178 seconds over Peters in second and Busch serves his pass through penalty. He's now two laps down.

After 93 Laps, the top five was; Harvick leads, Peters second, Crafton third, Skinner fourth, and Aric Almirola in the No. 15 Graceway Pharmacueticals Toyota was fifth.

On Lap 99, Harvick would stretch his lead out to 3.565 seconds on Peters in second.

Scott pits due to a right front flat, comes to pit road for right side tires, and loses a lap to the leader.

On Lap 101, Harvick leads by 4.777 seconds now over Peters in second. Busch two laps down is trying to catch Harvick to get a lap back by racing for it.

After 106 Laps, the top five was; Harvick leads by 5.8 seconds, Peters second, Crafton third, Almirola fourth, and Skinner fifth.

On Lap 111, Harvick leads by 6.3 seconds on Peters in second, and Crafton in third is 8.893 seconds back of the leader.

From Laps 114 to 122, green flag pit stops happen with everyone coming for fuel stops to make it to the finish.

Peters took over the lead for two laps, when Harvick pitted for fuel. Then Almirola took over, leading for six laps before pitting and turning the lead back over to Harvick on Lap 123.

Speed TV would play audio from when Busch pitted for fuel, and wanted to park the Truck since his day was over.

Crew chief Richie Wauters told him, "No you're not. Get back out there and finish the race."

On his fuel stop, Almirola would get caught for speeding coming to pit road, serves a pass through and eliminates him from a chance to win the race.

After 126 Laps, the top five was; Harvick leading by 4.282 seconds, Peters second, Crafton third, Skinner fourth and Braun fifth.

The fourth caution flag came out on Lap 129, for Ryan Sieg in the No. 39 S&W Services Chevrolet gets into the wall after contact with James Buescher in the No. 10 Maxx Force International Diesel Ford.

When pit road opened on Lap 131, Peters would stay out, while the leader Harvick and the other 10 lead lap trucks also pit taking tires.

Which was a bad move by Peters, on the restart he'll be a sitting duck with everyone behind him having four fresh tires.

It'll be another exciting green/white/checkers finish, the eighth of the season, and 82nd in the Truck Series history.

On the Lap 134 restart, Peters took the green but going into turn one Harvick already passed Peters for the lead and he'd just pull away.

Harvick takes the white flag, keeps pulling away as Crafton, Peters and Braun are three wide battling for second and Crafton takes second on the low side.

Coming back out of turn four, Braun would get third from Peters drooping him to fourth.

Harvick would take the checkers, getting his second consecutive win in a row, and picked up his third win of the season.

Hornaday would win the owners championship, doing what he needed to do by finishing eighth, and just never had a decent enough truck to challenge for a better finish.

For the second week in a row we'd see the dueling burnouts by Harvick and Hornaday, pretty cool to see and it was the Harvick's second owners championship they've won.

Hornaday would officially receive the title, first from NASCAR's Mike Helton and then from Camping World's CEO Marcus Lemonis.

Matt Crafton finish second, ran a really good race and finished second for the fifth time in 2009. He's also excited that next season it'll be just one pit stop, felt the two stop rule hurt them costing them a couple wins.

Colin Braun finished third, started on the pole, led five laps, and ran a great race in his final Truck Series start—or at least while he's with Roush.

Timothy Peters finished fourth, lead six laps, tried pit strategy for the win but came up short and ran a really great race building momentum for the coming season.

Todd Bodine finished fifth, his team battled all day making adjustments to the Truck, he lead a lap and earned a hard fought top five finish today.

Six through 10th were; Mike Skinner, David Starr, Ron Hornaday Jr., Johnny Sauter, and T.J. Bell.

The points after the Ford 200 were;

1.) Ron Hornaday Jr.        3,959
2.) Matt Crafton              -187
3.) Mike Skinner               -357
4.) Todd Bodine               -527
5.) Colin Braun                 -621
6.) Johnny Sauter            -628
7.) Brian Scott                -652
8.) Timothy Peters           -670
9.) David Starr                -688
10.) Rick Crawford           -798

See you in 84 days, when the Trucks 2010 season starts at Daytona and be exciting to see what Horn does in those new Silverado's.

Author's note: Sorry this one got posted a little late, was distracted Saturday by College Football and spent Sunday following games online while finishing this up.

This race recap of the Ford 200, is based on my race notes and any mistakes are my own.

Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com

Ron Hornaday Jr. Needs To Finish Ninth or Better in the Ford 200

S M Napier — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:04:22 -0500

Kevin Harvick Inc.'s Ron Hornaday Jr. will have the Longhorn brand back on his No. 33 Chevrolet Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Ford 200.

Horn made life easy for himself by clinching the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Phoenix.

He leads the owners points by 60 points, over Kyle Busch, and just needs to finish ninth or better.

By clinching the driver title, it gives him the best chance to clinch the owners title for Delana and Kevin Harvick by just having to race Busch and not Matt Crafton, too.

Horn will be making his 250th career start in the Truck Series and what a storied career it's been; four championships, 45 wins, 122 top fives, 177 top-10 finishes, 23 poles won and 8853 laps led.

Homestead has been one of his better tracks. He always been consistent compiling one win, has three top fives, and eight top-10 finishes.

The multi-grooved tracks seem to fit Horn's style, were he can work the outside or inside groove to perfection, but it's also a track were Ren and the No. 33 play a role in were he'll finish.

"Every time I go to the track, I go with the frame of mind to win the race. It is very important to finish well during the last race of the year. It helps carry momentum throughout the entire off season and helps with the confidence and team morale as you prepare for a new year."

Horn will be racing chassis No. 29 at Homestead, it won at Kentucky, Nashville, and finished fourth at Iowa.

He'll have a fast truck, this weekend, he'll be fast, qualify front row, and lead a bunch of laps. But have him finishing second, securing and winning the owner's title.

Unfortunately, that Scott Kid will beat him off pit road to get the lead and leave Horn trying to catch him and pass him for the win.

It's been an exciting year, if your a Ron Hornaday fan or just a fan of Kevin Harvick Inc. your probably like me enjoying the championship a lot and still on cloud nine.

Watching Kevin Harvick, in the 2010 equipment can't wait till Feburary to see Horn in the new truck and the ECR engines. Be exciting to see if he'll be the first to repeat as champion.

As a team in 2009 to date, combining the stats from the Nos. 2, 4, & 33 trucks, they picked up eight wins, five poles, 22 top fives, 28 top-10 finishes, one championship and soon they'll add No. 2 with the owner's title.

Source for quote and photo credit: kevinharvickinc.com.

Top Picks for NASCAR Truck Series' Ford 200 Race With Bonus Pick

S M Napier — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:03:37 -0500

This week, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be racing Friday night under the lights at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

It's race No. 25 of 25 and the trucks are always exciting to watch on the very fast multi-grooved 1.5 mile oval.

Here are my top six picks for the race along with a sleeper pick and my Raybestos Rookie of the Race.

1.) Brian Scott

In two races at the track, Scott has compiled one top-five, one top-10 and led four laps.

Scott will have the best truck of his fleet, be fast and qualify top-three. His Hensley-led crew will be an asset this week. He should be leading after the final pit stops and be the truck everyone is chasing to catch for the win.

2.) Ron Hornaday Jr.

In nine races at the track, Horn gas compiled one win, three top-fives, eight top-10s and led 110 laps.

Horn will have another stout truck, be fast, qualify front row and run top-five the entire race. In the closing laps he'll settle for second and win the owner's title for Delana.

3.) Todd Bodine

In four races at the track, Bodine has compiled two wins, two top-fives, two top-10s and led 82 laps.

Bodine will be another one with a decent truck. He'll qualify well and could use pit strategy for track position or the win. He will be their in the end vying for the win or another top-five finish.

4.) Rick Crawford

In 12 races at the track, Crawford has compiled one win, three top-fives, seven top-10s and led 90 laps.

Crawford should have a decent truck, but he'll need to use the practices to make his truck better. He needs to qualify well. He and crew chief Cowboy Starland could use pit strategy to get the lead or end the season with another top-five finish.

5.) Kevin Harvick

In four races at the track, Harvick has compiled two top-fives, two top-10s and led 17 laps.

Harvick will have another stout, brand-new 2010 Silverado that should be fast. He'll qualify well. He'll take two tires, using pit strategy only to fall back but finish top five.

6.) Kyle Busch

In three races at the track, Busch has compiled two top-fives, three top-10s and led 133 laps.

Busch will have another stout truck that will be fast and should qualify well. He'll be tough most of the race, but will take on four fresh tires late and only make it back to sixth.

My Raybestos Rookie of the Race: Johnny Sauter

On tracks of one to two miles in length, Sauter's compiled one win, six top-fives, 10 top-10s, two poles and led 115 laps in 18 races.

He'll have another decent truck that will qualify well. He could be vying for the best possible finish in the closing laps and finish in the top 10.

My Sleeper Pick: Mike Skinner

In seven races at the track, Skinner has compiled one top-five, two top-10s, two poles and led 125 laps.

He should be another one with a decent truck. He needs to qualify well and be tough all race. He'll be vying for the win or the best possible finish.

Aric Almirola, Matt Crafton, and Colin Braun just missed the cut.

Timothy Peters, David Starr, Mike Bliss, Chad McCumbee, James Buescher and Tayler Malsam could all factor in, as well.

I've always liked Homestead. The champion gets crowned every year at the track, but what I like the most is it's a track were the pit crew plays a role in who wins.

With the two-stop rule, though, the crew probably won't play as big a role as in past years.

Brian Scott's Looking To Win the Ford 200 and Be Top Five in Points

S M Napier — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:31:59 -0500

Xpress Motorsports' Brian Scott has two goals in mind heading into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and a shot at redemption.

Those would be to win Friday night's Ford 200 and to finish the season fifth in driver points.

Both are achievable by Scott. As a rookie he nearly won the race, and he's just 13 points off fifth place, sitting in sixth.

In last year's race, Scott and his Xpress team worked all race to get in position for a shot at the win. They got it, and, if not for a late caution restart, the win wouldn't have gotten away.

Homestead will be the cornerstone to complete a very productive season for Scott and his XMS team, during which they compiled one win, seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, led 81 laps, and now rank sixth in driver points.

He nearly won at Memphis and Nashville, but Ron Hornaday won both races. But just following the wily veteran surely enabled him to learn a few tricks.

Scott, Hensley, and his crew are determined to have No. 16 running perfect, fast, maybe even notch that first pole, and go out with a win.

"Xpress Motorsports has proven to be a great organization," Scott said. "This team has accomplished a lot. We are always working on ways to get better and improve our performance.

"You can't ask for anything more than that. We have a great group of truly talented individuals on this team that have all pulled together and worked as a unit," Scott continued.

"It is going to be bittersweet going to Homestead and knowing that this is going to be the last time that this same group is going to be together," he said. "I feel like our paths will cross again, and it won't be my last truck race or my last race with Jeff. It will just be tough for it all to come to an end at Homestead."

Scott has always run well on the multi-grooved track, so textured because the South Florida sun bakes the track surface each year causing less and less grip.

It's a track were a driver depends on his team. Who better than the Hensley lead the XMS team?

Adjustments are a must to help navigate your driver and his truck through the entire 134 laps across ever-changing tracks to get to the front and compete for the win.

Scott's team proved itself last year; now the mission is to win the race they left on the table last year.

This week, he's racing chassis No. 52 at Homestead, and it's the same one he raced to second in 2008.

This year, No. 52 finished third at Kansas, sixth at Kentucky while needing minor repair, and was rebuilt after Chicagoland.

Scott's No. 16 will have a special paint scheme that honors every Xpress Motorsports employee at Homestead with their names and the the team logo on the hood.

I'm picking Scott to win the Ford 200 Friday, and this time Ron Hornaday will be the one chasing him in the closing laps.

Source for quotes and photo credit: xms16.com.

Ron Hornaday vs. Kyle Busch for the Owners' Championship at Homestead

S M Napier — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:15:32 -0500

Ron Hornaday won the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Phoenix, becoming only the second driver to clinch before Homestead.

However, he still has unfinished business to take care of at Homestead which is winning the owners' championship for Delana Harvick.

Horn heading into the race holds a 60 point lead, just basically has to finish ninth or better to win it.

In the Series' 15 year history, it marks the first-time the owners' championship remains undecided heading into Homestead.

"It's not over by far because we are racing Kyle Busch for the owner points and that is the true goal," Hornaday said.

"So we're going to do what we can to hold them off down there but we are going to go down there and have a little fun and race a little different."

While Horn has run a full schedule, Busch has run 14 races this season and is helped by seven wins and 13 top-10 Finishes.

"They've got the drivers' championship locked up, so if they go out there and try to win the race and are successful at that then we can't catch them," Busch said.

Really the only way Busch can win it for owner Billy Ballew is for Horn to have a problem, wreck, engine failure, parts failure or a tire problem.

But should Horn, just run like at Phoenix, take care of business, do what you need to do, and just point race him. Then it's basically over.

If Busch pulls it off, it's Ballew's first championship in NASCAR and he'd become the 11th different owner to win.

With Horn winning it will be the second owners' title for Delana as they won it in 2007.

It would mark the first time in the NCWTS history that the driver and owner titles were won by the same team.

I'm picking Horn to win this battle, since he has the advantage having the 60 point lead and just can't see Busch making up that many points.

Source: racingone.com

Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com

Kevin Harvick Won the Race; Ron Hornaday Wins His Fourth Championship

S M Napier — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:14:00 -0500

Kevin Harvick held off Kyle Busch to win the Lucas Oil 150, under a green/white/checkers finish that ended under caution Friday night at Phoenix International Raceway.

But it was overshadowed by his teammate Ron Hornaday clinching his record fourth championship by finishing fourth and ahead of Matt Crafton in eighth.

What a sweet deal for the Truck fans to see the dueling burnout, one were Hornaday just lit them up to the cheer of the fans and laid down a signature burnout.

Harvick in the brand new 2010 Silverado, with a new EGR engine just babied it, not to damage the new truck or the engine.

Harvick overcame a misque on Lap six to battle his way back for the win and had the truck to beat.

It was Harvick's fourth win at Phoenix, it came on his 100th career start and he successfully defended his race win from 2008.

Johnny Sauter in the No. 13 Fun Sand/Rodney Adkins/Curb Records Chevrolet starts on the pole and it was his second pole of the season.

Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Longhorn Chevrolet starts from the outside pole position.

Ron Hornaday in the No. 33 VFW Chevrolet starts third, Kyle Busch in the No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts/Graceway Toyota starts fourth and Aric Almirola in the No. 15 GracewayPharmacueticals/AKawareness.com Toyota was fifth.

At race time, it was 65 degrees, and partly cloudy. 36 trucks started the race and the pit window is 80-90 laps.

Kudos to SpeedTV's Krista Voda for a very entertaining and wacky Set-Up Show on top of Monument Hill.

From the drop of green, it was a very entertaining race, with Harvick leading the first lap by a nose over Sauter.

But Sauter would battle his way back to the lead, which saw Harvick fall back to third on Lap Four as Busch would pass him for second on the high-side.

Harvick was already fighting a loose condition, while battling Almirola to hang onto third and would get side by side with Almirola.

Coming out of turn four on Lap Eight, Harvick spun after getting into oil and bouncing off of Almirola.

It would bring out the first caution, while Harvick thought Busch was leaking oil on the track. Harvick came to pit road, took a splash of fuel and to pull the sheet metal out.

SpeedTV showed it may have come from Jamie Dick in the No. 08 VIVA Auto Group/Inventory Sales Co. Chevrolet, who had smoke coming out of his truck.

Sauter took the green on the restart on Lap 13, but Busch made quick work passing him for the lead.

NASCAR would warn Busch to stay off the bumpers, as he used his to get Sauter loose for the lead.

By Lap 23, Busch held a half-second lead on Sauter in second and Hornaday in third was 1.5 seconds back.

After 27 Laps, the top five was; Busch leading by 0.686 seconds, Sauter is second, Hornaday is third, Crafton is fourth and Almirola fifth.

The second caution came out on Lap 34, for Brad Sweet in the No. 90 Great Clips Toyota getting loose in turn three and spinning down into the infield.

Once pit road opened on Lap 35, everyone came down pit road making the first of two stops. While the majority made two stops, for tires and fuel, a few took just made one stop for fuel.

Points leader Hornaday would be penalized by NASCAR as they started fueling without the catch can in place and would restart at the tailend of the lead lap.

They had pitted for just fuel, but due to the penalty they would make a second for tires and would restart 21st.

On the Lap 39 restart, Busch took the green with Braun in second pressuring him for the lead. But with Almirola in third, side by side with Braun coming into turn three, Busch was able to get away.

On Lap 44, Almirola, running in second, blew by Busch for the lead and pulled away from him. While Busch took just fuel, Almirola took tires and fuel on the first pit stop.

By Lap 47, Almirola held a 1.783 second lead on Busch in second. Harvick has recovered from his early miscue and is running seventh and Hornaday was running in 17th.

On Lap 48, Harvick made it to fourth, as he passed both Sauter and Crafton coming out of turn two and he just blew by the two on the low-side.

After 52 Laps, the top five was; Almirola leading, Busch second, Harvick third, Sauter fourth and Braun fifth. Hornaday was 16th at the time.

On Lap 59, T.J. Bell in the No. 11 Fueled by Fans Toyota in 14th, and David Starr in the No. 24 Zachry Toyota made slight contact.

With Starr getting loose right in front of Hornaday in 16th, and the wily veteran just passed him on the bottom.

By Lap 63, Almirola would lead by 3.3 seconds on Busch in second, and Harvick in third is four seconds back.

On Lap 68, while Almirola lead, Busch in second had Harvick in third are racing side by side for the position.

Harvick would get second on Lap 70 as he pass Busch with Sauter on his bumper took third from Busch and dropped him to fourth.

At the halfway point on Lap 75, Almirola had a 3.952-second lead on Harvick in second.

Meanwhile, the championship contenders were Crafton running in fifth, while Hornaday was 14th and picking off positions pretty fast.

After 81 Laps, the top five was; Almirola leads, Harvick second, Sauters third, Busch fourth, and Crafton fifth.

By Lap 88, Almirola lead Harvick in second by three seconds but a hard-charging Hornaday made his way into the top 10 by passing Stacy Compton in the No. 60 SafeAuto Insurance Toyota for 10th.

The third caution came out on Lap 91, for Wheeler Boys in the No. 50 USANA Health Sciences Dodge slowed stalling on the track.

Bell was the Aaron's Lucky Dog winner under this caution.

Everyone came to pit road when the pits open on Lap 92, making the first of two stops, first for tires and then for fuel.

While Almirola held the lead through two stops, the big winner was Hornaday who's pit crew made two flawless stops and got him out ahead of Crafton after pit stops in seventh.

While Crafton had the misfortune of losing a lug nut on his second stop for tires and fell back to eighth.

On Lap 96 restart, Almirola takes the green with Harvick hot on his heels and going into turn three Harvick would pass him for the lead on the low-side.

On Lap 98, Harvick would lead, but Busch in third would pass teammate Almirola for second on the high-side.

But on Lap 101, Almirola would re-pass Busch for second, with the two battling Harvick has over a second lead on the teammates.

Meanwhile, Hornaday would pass Starr for fifth place, while Crafton was running in ninth.

On Lap 113, Harvick leads, but Colin Braun slows with a ignition problem and even switching ignition boxes didn't help the problem.

On Lap 116, Harvick would lead by 1.190 seconds on Almirola in second and Hornaday picks up fourth by passing Bliss.

By Lap 119, Harvick leads by 2.011 seconds, while the championship contenders Hornaday was fourth and Crafton was eighth.

The fourth caution comes out on Lap 123, for Tim George Jr. in the No. 22 RCR 40th Anniversary Chevrolet spins out and has contact with the wall.

Timothy Peters in the No. 17 Strutmasters.com Toyota was the Aaron's Lucky Dog award winner under this caution.

When pit road opened on Lap 124, Todd Bodine in the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota and Rick Crawford in the No. 14 Circle Bar/International Ford were the only takers on pit road.

On the Lap 127 restart, Harvick takes the green gets a great start on Almirola and coming out of turn two he had a half second lead.

On Lap 128, Harvick continues to pull away, while Busch passes Almirola for second.

After 131 Laps, the top five was; Harvick leads, Busch second, Almirola third, Hornaday fourth and Sauter fifth.

The fifth caution comes out on Lap 136, for Kevin Conway in the No. 71 Extenze Racing Chevrolet got into the wall after contact with Crafton.

Speed TV would let us know that the top five, under caution on Lap 138 was; Harvick leading, Busch second, Almirola third, Hornaday fourth and Sautter fifth all started the race as the top five.

On the Lap 140 restart, Harvick would take the green with Busch hot on his heels and try first low then high to get past the leader.

But a lap later, Harvick had pulled out on Busch in second by six truck length and was running faster than Busch.

On Lap 143, Harvick continues to lead by 0.525 seconds on Busch in second.

The sixth caution comes out on Lap 145, for James Buescher in the No. 10 Maxx Force International Diesel Ford gets loose passing a truck and crashes into the wall between turns three and four.

This sets up the sixth green/white/checkers of the season and the 81st in the Truck Series history.

On the 149 restart, Harvick took the green perfectly gets a good start on Busch by a couple of truck length and Busch can't catch back up.

On Lap 150, Harvick takes the white flag he continues to pull away with Busch second on the high-side trying to catch him.

But as they came out of turn two, the seventh caution comes out for Tayler Malsam in the No. 81 One-Eighty Toyota spinning out and wrecking into the wall.

Harvick would win the Lucas Oil 150 under caution, picking up his second win of the season and in five races, he's finished in the top five.

Ron Hornaday would take care of business finishing ahead of Matt Crafton to pick up his fourth Championship and its oldest champion at 51 years young.

Hornaday for the second time in the 2009 season puts his name with NASCAR's elite as he joins Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon as the only drivers with fourth titles.

It's been an amazing season for Hornaday, who has been Mr. Consistency racing who he needs to, has run no worse than 26th, won five races in a row, and picked up the Third Quarter Driver of the Year.

It's just awesome to see the wily veteran pick up his fourth title, especially with the amazing season Horn, Ren, and the No. 33 team put together and it makes it all extra special that the VFW was on-board at Phoenix as sponsor.

Both Hornaday and Ren dedicated it to the veterans, those fallen at Fort Hood and those currently servicing in the armed forces.

And oh I can't forget Delana and Kevin Harvick.

Like any true champion, Hornaday has unfinished business heading into Homestead as he still will be vying for the owners championship with Busch.

All he needs to is run like he did at Phoenix; it doesn't matter if Busch wins, with Hornaday in second. Also, let's not forget he shown something this season that cost him in 2008 and that's being consistent.

Kyle Busch finished second, he led 30 laps tonight and picked up 15 points in the owner championship.

Aric Almirola finished third, led 52 laps, ran a excellent race and was so close to his first win.

Johnny Sauter finished fifth, led 11 laps, ran a really good race and picked up two positions in the points.

Sixth through 10th were; Mike Skinner, Mike Bliss, Matt Crafton, David Starr, and Stacy Compton.

The season finale is on Nov. 20: Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Speed at 7:30PM the Set-Up Show and 8:00PM Race Time (Friday).

Ron Hornaday, while he won the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Phoenix, he will officially receive the trophy at Homestead.

In the owner points championship, Horn leads Busch by 60 points. One thing in Horn's favor is in the 14 year history of the Truck Series, the driver and owners titles have always been won by whoever won the driver's title.

Author's note: This race recap was solely based on my race notes and any mistakes are my own.

Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com

TRG Signs Bobby Labonte and Sponsor Tayslayer.com For 2010

S M Napier — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:32:48 -0500

TRG Motorsports Kevin Butler has announced that his team, has signed Bobby Labonte to drive the No. 71 in 2010.

But they also have signed TaySlayer.com to be his primary sponsor for at least half of the coming season, and they may add more races.

They also according to Butler do have several other companies to pick up races as sponsor for Labonte.

Labonte is excited with his decision to stay with TRG, likes what he see's when he has raced in the No. 71 and is looking forward to building on what they have started this season.

He spent most of the year with Hall of Fame Racing before getting shuffled out so rookie Erik Darnell could get some seat-time in 2009.

Labonte would land the TRG No. 71 ride for the seven races, he wasn't in the No. 96 and he's already looks more racy back in a Chevrolet.

I like the move by Labonte, back to a Chevrolet with TRG and being paired with veteran crew chief Slugger Labbe means the two will be making magic in 2010.

While I figured he'd end up at EGR or RCR, just glad he didn't stay with HOF and Ford.

Ron Hornaday Jr. Tops His Amazing Season With His Fourth Championship

S M Napier — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:33:12 -0500

Coming into Phoenix International Raceway, for the Lucas Oil 150 all Ron Hornaday Jr. needed to do was finish ahead of Matt Crafton to win the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivers Championship.

And that's just what Horn did tonight finishing fourth, while Crafton finished eighth.

Horn had the luxury of a 197 point lead, but in also trying to clinch on one of his better tracks being PIR, and man, did he deliver.

He pitted on Lap 33, taking fuel only, but would be penalized by NASCAR due to the catch can that wasn't in place when fueling started.

No problem, since crew chief Rick Ren brings him back in for tires and they'd restart tail end of the lead lap back in 21st.

By Lap 88, Horn was running in 10th; he did have one close call working his way to the front. T.J. Bell and David Starr had contact in front of him, but the wily veteran raced his way by on the bottom.

Then on Horn's second pit stop on Lap 91, his No. 33 pit crew pulled off a picture perfect two stop pit stop and helped him pick-up positions on pit road to seventh.

More importantly, they got their driver out ahead of Crafton who was eighth after a lug nut problem.

Horn would work his way up to fourth by Lap 127; he just took care of business, and brought it home ahead of Crafton to win his fourth championship in the Trucks.

Horn would become the oldest champion in NASCAR at 51 years old and becomes the fourth driver with four titles.

He joins three legends: Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon, and for the second-time in 2009 he puts the name Ron Hornaday Jr. in some impressive company.

It was just a sweet deal for Horn to see him top his amazing season with the inaugural Camping World Truck Series Championship.

He's achieved so much this season; winning five races in a row, finishing no worse than 26th this season, and he won the Third Quarter Driver of the Year.

More importantly last year, Horn and Ren sat down at Homestead after losing the title to Johnny Benson, and over cold beer.

They had a private discussion where they wrote down goals for 2009; they achieved all the goals being more consistent through the season and winning the championship.

Horn has now won titles in 1996, 1998, 2007, and 2009 and the entire No. 33 KHI team will be coming back together in 2010 to defend their championship.

Yes, Horn's my pick to win it in 2010 and become the first driver to repeat as champion.

And oh, Horn and Ren's mission is half-way accomplished, since they still have to clinch the owners championship for Delana at Homestead.

Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com

Ron Hornaday's Poised to Top His Amazing Season with a Championship

S M Napier — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:20:08 -0500

Kevin Harvick Inc.'s Ron Hornaday heads back to the track that produced one of the weirdest and wildest races ever in NASCAR.

Well, if your a fan of the Truck Series it's one of your favorite all time races and one we will forever be talking about.

Last year, Horn led both practice sessions, won the pole and had the truck to beat. On the lap one start, he would overdrive it racing Busch, get loose under him and wreck.

While Johnny Benson did get minor damage from Horn's wreck, he would dodge a few disasters but would have multiple problems himself and end up finishing with Horrn 25th and JB 26th.

Coming into the race the points margin was six points separating the two and after the race a mere three points heading into Homestead.

I doubt it will be deja vu all over again, with Horn making a similar mistake—and that's like saying lightning would strikes twice in the same spot.

Heading into Phoenix, Horn holds a 197 points lead, he just needs to finish ahead of Matt Crafton Friday night to win his fourth title.

In the worst case scenario, he just needs to finish 22nd or better and still be the champion and he just needs to point race Rowdy for the owners title.

Horn has always run well at Phoenix, compiling two wins, eight top fives, 11 top-10 finishes, picked up two poles and led 152 laps in 14 previous starts.

I expect Friday to be no different for Horn, he'll take care of business, and add another exciting finish to his impressive race resume at Phoenix. But he'll also top his amazing season with his fourth championship.

"To me right now we are just focused on two more races," Hornaday said. "I don't look at the Championship until Homestead. The No. 33 team is not only racing for the drivers championship, we want to make sure Kevin and Delana Harvick win the owners championship as well. I don't go into it looking at how many points we are ahead. I know that we just need to win the last two races. That's what I want to go do and then the points will take care of themselves."

Horn will be racing chassis No. 037 at Phoenix. In it's debut at New Hampshire he picked up a second place finish.

I've picked him to win at Phoenix this weekend, with my Top Five Picks series article. He should have a stout truck, qualify top three, just dominate the race or be vying for the win in the closing laps.

Plus his spotter Rick Carelli and crew chief Rick Ren will keep him focused on the big picture.

While Horn says, he's racing for the win and getting a good finish rather than just points racing or championship plans.

I bet he doesn't take any risk's, if he is in position to pick-up points on both Rowdy Busch and Matt Crafton.

I'd definitely love to see win the Lucas Oil 150 to clinch the drivers title, but will be happy to see him just finish ahead of Crafton to win the title.

Source for quote and photo credit: kevinharvickinc.com

Brian Scott's Lucas Oil 150 Race Preview

S M Napier — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:19:21 -0500

Xpress Motorsports Brian Scott heads into Phoenix, for Friday night's Lucas Oil 150 with high hopes of another great finish.

As a rookie last year, Scott ran a really impressive race, got as high as second, and was a factor most of the race before finishing fourth.

It was a breakout race for him, where his crew chief Jeff Hensley realized just how talented his new driver was and—used it along with Homestead as a spring board for 2010.

Scott sits sixth in the driver points standings, some 39 points out of the top five. Winning at Phoenix would be a sweet deal, enabling him to climb back into top five.

With the news that Scott is moving onto Braun Racing in the Nationwide next season, He'd like nothing better than to finish the season on a high note and build momentum for next season.

For Scott, he's always excelled on flat tracks—whether they are one of the mile tracks like Phoenix, New Hampshire, or Gateway; or like both Kentucky and Kansas, at one and a half mile tracks.

They fit his driving style, he's picked up some great finishes and has come close to winning a couple of them.

The important thing with PIR is track position. While you can pass, it is better to qualify up front, stay up front, and have good pit strategy.

Both fuel mileage and tire management come into play and you have to have the right game plan.

This is another track where crew chief Jeff Hensley has found success and it will help Scott come race time.

Scott will be racing chassis No. 134 at PIR, which picked up a third place finish at Milwaukee in its only appearance on the track in 2009.

I've picked Scott as one of my dark horses for Friday night, and it all will depend on just how good his truck is late in the race.

While I could see him break through to victory lane, he should have a solid top five and reclaim a top five position in the points.

It's definitely exciting to see him move onto the Nationwide with Braun Racing. It's a great fit for him, and it would be a sweet deal for him if Jeff Hensley and his Xpress crew moved up with him.

The cool thing about watching or following the Truck Series is, you get to see the young talent running in the series and watch them develop, grow, and move onto the next level.

It's extra special when it's a driver like Brian Scott. It's been a blast writing about him in trucks and time permitting I'll continue to writing about him in the Nationwide Series.

Photo credit: sports.yahoo.com

Top Five Picks For Lucas Oil 150 Phoenix Truck Race

S M Napier — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:41:05 -0500

This week the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be racing Friday night under the lights at Phoenix International Raceway.

It's race No. 24 of 25. I have loved the Phoenix races ever since the inaugural event in 1988, won by the late Alan Kulwicki.

Here are my top five picks for the race, along with a sleeper pick, and my Raybestos Rookie of the Race pick.

1.) Ron Hornaday Jr.

In 14 races at the track, Hornaday has compiled two wins, eight top-fives, 11 top-10s, two poles and led 152 laps.

Horn will have another stout truck. He'll be fast, qualify in the top three and stay out of trouble. He should dominate this race.

2.) Mike Skinner

In nine races at the track, Skinner has compiled two wins, six top-fives, eight top-10s, two poles and led 206 laps.

Skinner is always tough at Phoenix and should have a decent truck this week. He needs to qualify well. He will be fast and will be their in the closing laps vying for the win.

3.) Kevin Harvick

In nine races at the track, Harvick has compiled three wins, four top-fives, four top-10s and led 243 laps.

Harvick will also have a stout truck. He'll be fast, qualify in the top five and be tough all race long.

4.) Todd Bodine

In five races at the track, Bodine has compiled one win, three top-fives, four top-10s and led 57 laps.

Bodine will be another one with a decent truck. He'll also be fast, qualify well and be tough.

5.) Kyle Busch

In four races at the track, Busch has compiled one win, two top-fives, three top-10s and led 157 laps.

Busch will be another one with a decent truck. He needs to qualify well. He's going to have tire issues by taking just fuel in his pit-stops but will end up with a top-five finish.

My Raybestos Rookie of the Race Pick: Johnny Sauter

Sauter has found success at Phoenix, picking up four top-10 finishes in the Cup and the Nationwide. He likes the track he dubbed flat, fun and great racing.

He should have another great run and collect another top-five finish. He's picked up 12 top-rookie honors so far in 2009.

My Sleeper Picks Are: Brian Scott and Mike Bliss

Brian Scott has driven in two races at the track. He finished fourth as a rookie.

This will be another track where Jeff Hensley will be an asset. Scott's crew will give him a really good truck. He should qualify well and drive fast. He could use pit strategy for the win.

Mike Bliss in 14 races at the track has compiled one win, three top-fives, seven top-10s, two poles and led 219 laps.

Bliss has always run well at Phoenix. He needs to qualify well and could be a spoiler, or at least pick up a decent finish.

Aric Almirola, Timothy Peters, Rick Crawford and Colin Braun just missed the cut.

James Buescher, Taylor Malsam, Matt Crafton, David Starr and Chad McCumbee could all factor in, as well.

It's always exciting when the trucks race at Phoenix. You end up with masterpieces like last year's Lucas Oil 150. As it does in my picture, Monument Hill offers the best seat in the house to watch the race action.

Photo Credit: Fan Central a Kevin Harvick Site

S.M.'s Camping World Update, Issue No. 57

S M Napier — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:22:12 -0500

Rumors

Circle Bar Racing is still working on filling the empty No. 10 seat in 2010, and no final decision has been made yet whether, or not they close the team.

Tim George Jr. will be making his debut in the series at Phoenix for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 22.

HT Motorsports and Terry Cook have parted ways effective immediately, and Mike Bliss will be his replacement in the No. 25 Toyota at Phoenix.

While Cook will finish out the season in the No. 91 MSRP team in the Nationwide Series.

Xpress Motorsports with Brian Scott moving onto the Nationwide Series with Braun Racing in 2010. It's rumored that his dad, Joe Scott is close to selling the No. 16's fleet of Trucks to Kyle Busch for his new truck team.

Kevin Conway will be making his series debut at Phoenix, in the No. 71 ExtenZe Chevrolet for Rob Fuller.

Ricky Carmichael may be in the No. 31 Monster Energy Drink Chevrolet at Phoenix for Turner Motorsports.

Kevin Harvick Inc. Update

First, crew chief Rick Ren will be back in 2010 as Horn's crew chief as he's under contract with KHI still.

But it is rumored that he's remaining with the team for however long Horn continues to drive for the team.

Second, Kevin Harvick will be back driving the No. 4 Longhorn Chevrolet at Phoenix, and will be defending his race win.

Third, Ron Hornaday will again have the VFW on board his No. 33 as sponsor.

2010 Team News

Ricky Carmichael has announced that he's leaving KHI at season's end, and will be driving for Turner Motorsports in the coming season.

Carmichael may have Monster Energy Drink as his sponsor, but it's not known yet the number of races, or if the team has lined up any additional sponsors for him.

It's believed that his current crew chief John Monsam will be moving with him, and that he"ll have James Buescher as a teammate.

He'll still have a connection with KHI, as Turner Motorsports will get equipment, and technical support from KHI.

Entries

At Phoenix for the Lucas Oil 150, there are 35 entries on the preliminary entry list. Right now it's one truck shy for a full field, of 36 trucks.

The breakdown is 26 full-time teams, and nine part-time teams.

The Rookie Chase

It's safe to say Johnny Sauter, with a 45 point lead, and two races remaining in the season, has clinched the Raybestos Rookie of the year honors.

Just can't see Tayler Malsam second, or James Buescher third, catching him.

The Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

Johnny Sauter 223

Tayler Malsam 178

James Buescher 164

Ricky Carmichael 133

J.R. Fitzpatrick 97

Brian Ickler 95

Chris Jones 87

Brent Raymer 79

Upcoming Races

Nov. 13: Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway on Speed at 7:30 PM, the Set-Up Show, and 8:00 PM Race Time (Friday).

Nov. 20: Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Speed at 7:30PM, the Set-Up Show, and 8:00PM Race Time (Friday).

Track Facts

This week it's Phoenix International Raceway, where the trucks have run since 1995, and it's one of five original tracks still on the schedule.

Track Info

Track Length: One Mile

Race Length: 150 Laps/150 Miles

Banking: 11 Degrees (Turns One and Two); Nine Degrees (Turns Three and Four); Three Degrees (Frontstretch), and Nine Degrees (Backstretch)

Lengths: 1,179 Feet (Frontstretch); 1,551 Feet (Backstretch)

Seating: 76,812

Race Winners: Kevin Harvick, and Jack Sprague tied with three wins a piece

Weekend Schedule

Thursday, Nov. 12th

3:45PM to 5:00PM [5:45PM to 7:00PM Eastern] First Practice

5:30PM to 6:45PM [7:30PM to 8:45PM Eastern] Final Practice

Friday, Nov. 13th

2:30PM [4:30PM Eastern] Qualifying (Two Laps, All Positions)

6:00PM [8:00PM Eastern] Race Start (150 Laps, 150 Miles)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Leaders

Points Leader: Ron Hornaday

Driver Rating: Ron Hornaday

Laps Led: Ron Hornaday with 1,091

Victories: Rowdy Busch with seven wins

Keystone Light Poles: Hornaday and Colin Braun with four a piece

Top Five Finishes: Hornaday with 14

Top-10 Finishes: Matt Crafton with 19

Raybestos Rookie leader: Johnny Sauter

Races Led: Hornaday with 19 races of 23

Average Start: Hornaday 4.1

Average Finish: Hornaday 6.5

Laps Completed: Crafton 3,720

2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owners Points Standings

1.) Delana Harvick No. 33 3,657

2.) Billy Ballew No. 51 -75

3.) Rhonda Thorson No. 88 -197

4.) David Dollar No. 5 -355

5.) Tom Deloach Nos. 1 and 17 -504

6.) Steve Germain No. 30 -507

7.) Jack Roush No. 6 -568

8.) Joe Scott No. 16 -607

9.) Mike Curb No. 13 -624

10.) Jim Harris Jr. No. 24 -670

2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivers Points Standings

1.) Ron Hornaday Jr. 3,657

2.) Matt Craftonn -197

3.) Mike Skinner -355

4.) Todd Bodine -507

5.) Colin Braun -568

6.) Brian Scott -607

7.) Johnny Sauter -624

8.) Timothy Peters -648

9.) David Starr -670

10.) Rick Crawford -729

Justin Lofton to Drive for Red Horse Racing in 2010

S M Napier — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:30:35 -0500

Red Horse Racing has announced that Justin Lofton will be competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the team in a third truck.

Lofton will drive the No. 7 RHR Toyota, with Lofton Cattle as a associate sponsor for the full 2010 season and they are looking for additional sponsorship for him.

The just crowned ARCA Re/Max Champion, will be bring along crew chief Mark Rette who will call all the shots on the No. 7 team.

Lofton's original plans were to run the Nationwide Series, knowing he had his family's cattle company for funding. But had only backing for 10-15 races in that series or have full-time backing in the Trucks.

Not only is Lofton tremendiously talented, but you know he's going to be quite the racer. He will realize running a full season in trucks will benefit him more than a partial schedule.

It allows him to not only run for the Championship, but also compete for the Rookie of the Year honors and he's ready to further his racing education in the Truck Series.

"I am very excited to be part of Red Horse Racing," Lofton said.

"This is a huge opportunity for me to join an impressive organization. I'm very thankful that I was able to bring Mark Rette with me, and I look forward to carrying the same success we ended this year with onto the Camping World Truck Series next year."

"It's a highly competitive series and I can't wait to start racing with those guys."

I like what I saw in this kid, in the few ARCA races I watched this year, and he's ready to move up but also will make a nice addition to the series.

Source for quotes; speedtv.com

Photo Credit: racingone.com

Ron Hornaday Takes Care of Business, Two-Steps It Closer To the Title

S M Napier — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:02:59 -0500

Ron Hornaday took care of business in the WinStar World Casino 350K on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing third and taking two steps closer to making his fourth title a reality.

And, oh yes, he did a little shouting, but with a title on the line, can you blame him?

With two races to go, Hornaday left Fort Worth with a 197 points lead over Crafton in second and has a one race lead in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

The Series moves onto Phoenix Friday night for the Lucas Oil 150, and we could see Hornaday clinch the title Friday.

If he finishes ahead of Crafton at Phoenix, Horn will crown his amazing season with a championship and he'll become the Truck Series' first four-time champion.

Of course even if Matt Crafton wins the final two races, and leads the most laps in both, it wouldn't matter since Horn just has to finish 22nd or better in both races.

But I'd rather see it decided at Phoenix, which would allow Horn to just concentrate on the owner's title at Homestead, and race to win it for Delana.

Of course the shouting won't be over, but I wouldn't have it any other way and it makes a guy like Horn human.

And one day, trust me fans, we're going to see Rowdy battling for a title and he'll get messed with and boy will he be crying just like Horn.

James Buescher To Run Both Nationwide and 19 Truck Series Races in 2010

S M Napier — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:09:22 -0500

For James Buescher, the 2010 NASCAR season will be a busy one, as he's going to run full-time in the Nationwide Series with James Finch's Phoenix Racing and also run 19 races for Turner Motorsports, LLC in the Truck Series.

Buescher for Phoenix Racing will be in the No. 1 Miccosukee Resorts and Gaming Chevrolet and with Turner he's in the No. 31 Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet.

He started racing at a young age and has achieved success in every level he's competed in.

Buescher is the youngest winner in ARCA Re/Max history, as a 17 year old in 2007, he won his very first race at USA International Speedway.

In 2008, he got his first taste of NASCAR competing in six Nationwide races, picking up a career best seventh, a pole at Memphis Motorsports Park and ran some ARCA races.

Buescher in 2009, drives the No. 10 Maxx Force International Diesel Ford for Circle Bar Racing, run some good races and sits third in the ROTY standings.

Now I do feel if the team had to get their Ford engines from another source than Jack Roush, this Kid along with mentor Rick Crawford would be having a better season.

He's also run four ARCA races this season, collecting two wins and three top-fives.

Buescher is a 19-year-old kid that's loaded with talent. It's exciting news that he'll be running both series, next season, and let him put all the pieces together look out.

"I would like to thank James Finch, Marc Reno, and Miccosukee from Phoenix Racing and Steve and Sandra Turner from Turner Motorsports for giving me the opportunity to have as much seat-time as possible next year," Buescher said.

He's excited about his busy plans in 2010, feels running in both the Nationwide and Trucks will help further along his career and make him a better driver.

"The Nationwide Series needs more drivers likes James, because these young talents need to have a chance to develop before moving to the next level," Finch said.

"Furthermore, we are looking forward to working with Turner Motorsports next season."

I like the combination of Buescher and Phoenix Racing, no doubt they'll find success together, love the pairing with crew chief Marc Reno, and glad he'll still be running some truck races.

I feel Buescher is just as good or better than Logano, can't wait to see them racing against each other as competitors and glad he's in a Chevrolet.

Buescher will be making his debut with Phoenix Racing in the No. 1 Miccosukee Resorts Chevrolet today at Texas on his home track.

Top Five Picks For the WinStar World Casino 350K Truck Race

S M Napier — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:31:52 -0500

This week the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be racing Friday night under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway.

It's race No. 23 of 25, and the trucks are always exciting on the very fast and multi-grooved oval.

Here are my top five picks for the race, along with a sleeper pick and my Raybestos Rookie of the Race Pick.

1.) Ron Hornady Jr.

In 13 races at the track, Hornaday has compiled two wins, four top fives, eight top-10 finishes, and led 595 laps.

Horn should have a stout truck, as he's driving the truck he dominated the Spring with, a qualify top five, and is expected to be fast all day. Don't be surprised to see him have another dominating performance for the win.

2.) Todd Bodine

In 10 races at the track, Bodine has compiled five wins, seven top fives, seven top-10 finishes, one pole, and led 174 laps.

Bodine should have a decent truck, one of his better tracks, should qualify well, be fast, and should be there in the end vying for the win.

3.) Mike Skinner

In 11 races at the track, Skinner has compiled six top fives, nine top-10 finishes, five poles, and led 458 laps.

Skinner will have one of his older chassis, should also have a decent truck, be fast, win the pole, and be their in the end vying for the win.

4.) Matt Crafton

In 17 races at the track, Crafton has compiled two top fives, eight top-10 finishes and led seven laps.

Crafton will be another one with a decent truck, needs to qualify well, lead laps, and could be there in the end vying for the win and needs to collect bonus points.

5.) Rick Crawford

In 23 races at the track, Crawford has compiled eight top fives, 13 top-10 finishes, one pole, and led 201 laps.

Crawford usually runs well on his team's home track. He needs to qualify well, be fast, and he and crew chief Cowboy Starland could use pit strategy to get the win or have another top five.

My Raybestos Rookie of the Race Pick: Johnny Sauter

On tracks 1.5 miles in length this season, Sauter has compiled one win, two top fives, four top-10 finishes, one pole, and led 104 laps.

Sauter will be another with a decent truck, should qualify well, be fast, and will be vying for the win, or trying to chase down the leaders for the win.

My Sleeper Pick: Brian Scott

In four races at the track, Scott has compiled one top-10 finish.

Scott should have a stout truck, crew chief Jeff Hensley will be a asset this week, he should qualify, use pit strategy on a late caution to steal the win, or get a top five finish.

Kyle Busch, Colin Braun, and Aric Almirola just missed the cut.

James Buescher, Chad McCumbee, Timothy Peters, David Starr, and Taylor Malsam could all factor in as well.

I've always loved the trucks at TMS, it's the fastest 1.5 mile track in Trucks and being a multi-grooved Track, it leads to some very exciting racing.

Brian Scott's WinStar World Casino 350K Race Preview

S M Napier — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:38:58 -0500

Brian Scott is looking to regain his mojo at Texas, in Friday's nights WinStar World Casino 350K truck race.

The last few weeks have not been nice to Scott, it's led to some frustrating finishes and cost him two point positions.

"We've been snakebit these last few weeks," said Scott.

"No matter what we do it hasn't worked in our favor. Whatever we need to do to change our luck I am willing to do. Voodoo, witchcraft, wizardry whatever it takes."

I may have a easy quick fix for him, if the cast on his right wrist has come off due to it be fully healed. He may just want to put one back on his wrist for the final three races.

Scott despite breaking his right wrist in June, he's run a excellent season picking up his first career win, then nine top fives and 12 top-10 finishes.

He'd like nothing more than to collect a good solid finish at Texas, and pick up some points to get back into the top five.

Scott likes racing at TMS, likes the challenges the track offers racing on it, with it being fast and that it's multi-grooved.

It suits his style of driving, he likes to race in the outside groove and hopes to use it to his advantage.

One thing for sure his crew chief Jeff Hensley will be a asset for him, with his experience racing at Texas.

Since with Mike Skinner he's won five poles, four second place finishes and never finished out of the top-10 at Texas.

The only thing Hensley lacks is a black cowboy hat for winning and he might have a ace up his sleeve with pit strategy to propel Scott and Xpress Motorsports to victory lane.

Scott will be racing chassis No. 52 at Texas. In it's last four races, the chassis has collected three top-10 finishes and had to be totally rebuilt after Chicago.

I expect his Xpress team to have another stout truck for him, Scott will qualify well, then use the high groove for another top five finish and with a late caution.

We could see Hensley use pit strategy, by having Scott come to pit road for four fresh tires and chase the leaders down for the win.

Ron Hornaday Jr.'s WinStar World Casino 350K Race Preview

S M Napier — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:41:46 -0500

It's redemption Friday for Kevin Harvick Inc.'s Ron Hornaday Jr and his No. 33 VFW Chevrolet team, under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway for the WinStar World Casino 350K.

You see, Horn swept both races at TMS in 2008. In the Spring race earlier in the season, he led 55 laps, was eight laps away from his third straight win at the track, and suffered oil-pump-belt failure and finished 19th.

This time around they want to finish the race in victory lane and not only pad the points lead, but also the owner points lead and allow them to wrap it up at Phoenix next week.

So far in 2009, Horn has run well on the 1.5 mile tracks and has compiled—in eight races—three wins, two poles, four top fives, six top-10 finishes and led 325 laps.

One thing in Horn's favor is when you look at Loop Data Statistics since 2005 at TMS, he has some pretty impressive numbers; a rriver rating of 119.7 (second best), an average running position of 6.1 (third), a series-high 194 fastest laps run, a 91.3 percent with laps in the top 15 (second), and led the most laps 407.

So it's easy to see why Horn and his team are excited to be back racing again at Texas.

"Texas has become a really good place for us over the last few years. I used to really struggle at Texas, but Rick Ren (crew chief) and the No. 33 guys have really gotten a good set-up for the track. I'm excited to go back and try to get the finish we left there in the Spring."

Horn will be racing chassis No. 024 at Texas this weekend. It's gone to victory lane at Lowe's and it's last race was the Texas Spring race.

I think Horn will have another dominating performance, lead the most laps, and win it coming to the checkers cruising in the high-groove. But I'll be happy with any finish, as long as Horn pads both his points lead and the owner points lead.

Scott Wimmer To Pilot Turner Motorsports Debut In The Truck Series

S M Napier — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:50:11 -0500

Turner Motorsports is poised to make its debut race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and it's only fitting it happens on their home track, Texas Motor Speedway.

Steve and Sandra Turner will have veteran driver Scott Wimmer driving the No. 31 Wolfpack Rentals Chevrolet for the team in the WinStar World Casino 350K.

The team, started in 1999, was based in Hallettsville, Texas and competed in dirt events all over Texas.

After winning numerious races and championships, the Turners switched their team to asphalt racing for a new challenges.

They then competed in Legends Series, ASA Late Model Series, and USA Racing Pro Cup Series.

A decade later in 2009, the team's now based in Mooresville, N.C., and ready for its next challenge the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

The newly formed Truck Series team has been running on a part-time basis in the USA Racing Pro Cup Series with driver Logan Ruffin.

"Sandra (Turner's wife and co-owner) and I are very excited to finally make our first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start," said Steve Turner.

"A lot of hard work and preparation has gone into Turner Motorsports over the last 10 years, and to be able to make our debut in our home state of Texas is extra special.

"Racing has alway been a passion of mine, and one of our goals as a company is to help up-and-coming drivers become the next NASCAR stars.

"As we prepare for the future, Scott Wimmer has agreed to drive for us in Texas, and we are very confident that he will do a solid job for our team."

Wimmer has made 300 combined starts in all three of NASCAR top divisions.

In 2009 he's raced for Key Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, along with one start in Cup, and ran the Dover Truck race for Win-Tron Racing, finishing 21st.

In 2010, Turner Motorsports will be a two-truck operation running full-time in the Truck Series, and on Nov. 19th they will be announcing their driver line-up.

It has been unofficially announced by Speed's Ray Dunlap that rookie James Buescher will be driving for Turner Motorsports next season, driving the No. 31 and rumored with sponsorship from Wolfpack Rentals.

In these tough economic times, it's exciting news to see a new team like Turner Motorsports start up, then step up to run full-time in the series.

It'll be exciting watching them grow into a powerhouse over the coming years.

Since that's all they've done since starting on dirt, always looking for a new challenge and always finding success through their hard work, love, and passion for racing.

And as a fan it's nice to see a team dedicate itself to the "Young Talent" looking for that chance to prove themselves.

I'll also be following Turner Motorsports and writing about their rookie campaign in the coming season.

Photo Credit: nascar.com

Toyota Wins The Manufacturer's Title In The Truck Series

S M Napier — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:52:54 -0500

With Kyle Busch winning the Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, Toyota has clinched its fourth consecutive manufacturer's championship in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Toyota has won it since 2006, they have also won a pair of driver titles with Todd Bodine in 2006, and Johnny Benson in 2008.

Counting the two manufacturer titles it won in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, they've won six manufacturer titles since joining the sport in 2004 in the Truck Series.

In the trucks, it was the performance of these seven full-time teams: Billy Ballew Motorsports, Germain Racing, HT Motorsports, Randy Moss Motorsports, Red Horse Racing, Wyler Racing, and Xpress Motorsports.

That contributed to Toyota with its Tundras winning the manufacturer's championship.

Three races do remain on the 2009 schedule, but so far they've combined for 13 wins, eight poles, 58 top fives and 118 top-10 finishes.

Kyle Busch has six wins. Next is Mike Skinner with three wins, followed by Todd Bodine with two wins, then Brian Scott and Timothy Peters each earned first carer wins in 2009.

"The Camping World Truck Series is a great platform for Toyota to showcase its full-size Tundra pick-up truck and four straight manufacturer's championships in the series really enhances that exposure," said Ed Laukes, Toyota's Corporate Motorsports Marketing Manger.

"Our Tundra teams overcame many challenges in today's harsh economic environment to presevere and help us earn this title."

Love them or hate them, Toyota is the largest auto manufacturer in the US, and fans need to realize just where the sport would be without their involvement.

Photo Credit: zcars.com

Bobby Labonte Closes in on His 200th Career Top-10 Finish

S M Napier — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:39:36 -0500

Bobby Labonte drove the underfunded TRG No. 71 Taxslayer.com Chevrolet to a 10th place finish in the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

That's even with a last-lap brush with the barrier.

Labonte ran a really great race, starting in 37th position but by the second caution on Lap 49, he was running in second place.

His pit crew just put on tires and add fuel on stops and Labonte required few adjustments to the car.

It was his 199th career top-10 finish and the first top-10 finish for TRG Motorsports and for once, trouble didn't find him at Talladega.

Normally, it seems like Labonte's car is a magnet for trouble, as he's collected in the big one and not of his doing.

"I'm really happy I was able to bring TRG Motorsports and Taxslayer.com their first top-10 finish of the year and looking forward to the next three races in the No. 71," said Labonte.

"It was a typical race for Talladega, and you are always happy when you can bring the car back to the hauler in one piece."

Labonte now has collected top-10 finishes, for five teams now; Bill Davis Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Petty Enterprises, Hall of Fame Racing and TRG Motorsports.

He would love nothing more than to reach the milestone this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway and collect No. 200 at the Dickies 500.

It definitely will be cool to see him reach this milestone, even better to see him and the TRG boys doing a Texas two-step in victory lane.

Laugh if you must, but he's back in the saddle in a Chevy and damn, he's racing again.

It would make my day to see him back in a Chevrolet full-time in 2010 and guess Labonte fans can dream he's in the No. 07 Ask.com/Academy S+O car for RCR.

Photo Credit: trgmotorsports.com

Kyle Busch Gets Huge Push From Aric Almirola for Mountain Dew 250 Win

S M Napier — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:37:19 -0500

Kyle Busch, with a huge push from teammate Aric Almirola, won the Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway for his sixth win of the season and the first one-two finish for owner Billy Ballew.

It looked like Todd Bodine was a quarter-mile away from picking up the win, when Busch, with the aid of Almirola, jumped out and made the winning pass.

It was Busch's 15th career win in trucks, it came on Billy Ballew Motorsports combined 300th career team start, and it was his fourth win in his last four starts.

Colin Braun in the No. 6 Con-Way Freight Ford starts on the pole and it's his fourth pole award of the season.

Terry Cook in the No. 25 Cajun Industries/Harris Trucking Toyota starts from the outside pole position.

A interesting note on Cook, he's racing in a truck chassis called "The Freak." It's been racing since 2001, picked up three wins at Daytona, raced under multiple manufactures and poised to propel Cook to another solid finish.

Max Papis in the No. 9 Geico Toyota starts third, Jason White in the No. 23 Gunbroker.com Dodge starts fourth, and Almirola in the No. 15 Graceway Pharmaceuticals/AKawareness.com Toyota starts fifth.

The title contenders, Matt Crafton in the No. 88 Tide/Menard's Chevrolet starts seventh and Ron Hornaday Jr. in the No. 33 Copart Chevrolet starts 13th.

The Set-Up Show's Halloween theme, Batman, was very tame compared to last year and the only scary thing was Batman.

Be sure to read Janelle Jalbert's article: 281313-rules-changes-announced-for-2010-in-nascar-camping-world-truck-series, for all the changes Krista Voda talked about in the Set-Up.

In other news, Memphis Motorsports Park has closed, the 2010 race has been moved to Nashville on April 2 and gives the track two races now.

For the second race in a row, Mother Nature, with a morning full of rain, delayed the race start some 40 minutes.

At race time, it was 54 degrees, and overcast. 36 trucks started the race and the pit window is 30 to 35 laps.

On the Lap One start, Braun took the green, gets the lead by a truck length on Cook in second. Further back in the field, they were three and four wide back through the field.

Coming back to the stripe, Braun would lead lap one, but they were five wide coming through the tri-oval.

On Lap Two, One of the ladies in the race, Jennifer Jo Cobb in the No. 50 Boys Racing Dodge lost her engine, but she got out of the racing groove below the yellow line and made it back to pit road with no caution.

By Lap Four, Hornaday started 13th, but was running fifth by getting to the bottom picking up all those positions.

On Lap Five, the top-10 trucks are nose to tail on the bottom, running next to the yellow line and Skinner in 11th is the first truck in the outside groove.

The first caution came out on Lap Seven, for T.J. Bell in the No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota,which lost a right front tire, due to a brake caliber failing and leaving debris on the track.

Under caution the top five was; Braun leading, Almirola second, Bodine third, Tayler Malsam in the No. 81 One-Eighty Toyota fourth and Hornaday fifth.

On Lap Eight, everyone pits, making the first of two stops, and some teams are making just fuel stops.

Mike Wallace in the No. 48 Rockingham Speedway/Polar Bear 150 Chevrolet leads, with his daughter Chrissy Wallace in the No. 08 Fuel-Doctor.com Chevrolet second, but both would pit a lap later.

Both Cook and Busch on the first stop had the hoods up using wrenches to raise the trucks' splitters from hitting on the track.

After pit stops, the top five was; Chris Jones in the No. 41 Mike Berg Trucking Dodge leads, Sean Murphy in the No. 21 Rime Garden Inn & Suites Dodge second, Braun third, Almirola fourth, and Bodine fifth.

On the Lap 11 restart, Jones gets off to a good start, creates a gap between himself and Braun in second, and gets freight trained by the field with Braun leading the way.

Braun leading, Almirola second, Bodine third, and Hornaday fourth have pulled away by three-truck length on the rest of the field on Lap 12.

The lower groove still the place to be, but with trucks further back being three and four wide the upper groove will come into play.

The second caution comes out on Lap 14, for Robert Richardson Jr in the No. 71 Mahindra Tractors/Draco Springs Chevrolet blew up crossing the stripe, leaving fluid and oil all over the track.

Chad McCumbee in the No. 07 tiwi Chevrolet, followed by Dennis Setzer No. 8 Malcolmson Construction Chevrolet did a excellent job not to wreck, driving through it as they were right behind him when it happened.

On Lap 15, the pits open with just a few takers, two that stop Busch got just fuel, then Ricky Carmichael in the No. 4 Monster Energy Drink Chevrolet made two stops for tires and fuel.

On Lap 16, the top five under caution was; Braun leads, Almirola second, Bodine third, Horn fourth and Starr fifth.

Brandon Knupp in the No. 47 FT 11 Degreaser Chevrolet was the Aaron's Lucky Dog winner under this caution.

On the Lap 18 restart, Braun takes the green with Almirola right on his bumper, and doesn't leave a gap on the start.

Nothing really exciting has happened race wise, there just logging laps and the lead packs just hunging the yellow line on the bottom.

Alimrola on Lap 19, let his crew know he was overheating and his oil pressure dropped and they'll put tape on the grill on their next stop. Just take it easy for now.

Busch was running in a 11th in the outside groove, leading them to the front fast on Lap 20.

Two laps later you had them three wide, with Braun up front leading, but Busch is in the center groove and Johnny Sauter in the No. 13 FunSand/Rodney Adkins/Curb Records is battling to pass him up in the high groove by the wall leading that groove.

Then on Lap 23, Sauter would drop back down to the center groove when he can't pass Busch and started to fall back losing positions.

On Lap 25, Braun leads the lower groove, has Skinner in the No. 5 PC Miler Navigator in the higher groove side by side with him,and Braun would be the leader by the nose at the stripe.

Sauter on Lap 26, looked like he may have been overheating, pulls out of the high groove and falls back to the tail end of the field.

On Lap 27, Crafton loses a right rear tire, he would get out of the outside line, slow down and make it to pit road safely.

Meanwhile, Skinner would momentarily take the lead, but Braun would battle back to be leading at the stripe.

On Lap 28, Braun and Skinner are side by side for the lead, while Crafton gets off pit road on the tail end, just changed right sides, and at the stripe Braun led by a nose.

On Lap 29, Crafton would get passed going a lap down, most of the lap Braun and Skinner were side by side and coming to the stripe, Skinner leads by a nose.

White on Lap 30, loses a engine, gets out of the groove below the yellow line and limps back to pit road. Results in no caution.

On Lap 32, Skinner with a push from Busch would pass Braun for first and second respectively and they would drop down to the bottom groove.

A lap later, the best racing was Todd Bodine in the No. 30 Copart Toyota, with Hornaday pushing him; they draft by Braun in third using the high groove and take third and fourth, respectively.

On Lap 34, Bodine with drafting help from Hornaday in the outside groove, challenge Skinner for the lead on the bottom. At the stripe, Skinner led by a nose.

On Lap 36, Skinner and Bodine are side by side for much of the lap, and coming back to the stripe, Bodine leads by 1/40 of a second.

On Lap 37, Hornaday, who's been tucked behind Bodine pushing him, would lose the cover to the cowl opening as it's been opening and closing the last few laps.

It resulted in the third caution coming out on Lap 39 for that cover that was laying in the racing groove and run over by Brian Scott in the No. 16 Albertson's Toyota.

Steve Park in the No. 02 Koma Unwind Chevrolet was the Aaron's Lucky Dog Award winner under this caution.

On Lap 40, everyone comes to pit road making one or two stops. NASCAR lets Hornaday's crew chief Rick Ren know that they don't have to fix the cover, if they do it has to be a functional and not just covered over.

Bodine would spin out leaving pit road, he left his pit too fast on his new tires and spun in some of the moisture still on pit road.

On Lap 41, Hornaday on his second stop, he stalls it leaving after getting fuel, his crew gets him going with ether and a push.

Scott uses some pit strategy, just taking right side tires on his first stop and gets fuel on his second stop.

On the Lap 43 restart, Scott takes the green with Busch on his bumper and gets a great start, leaving no gap.

The lapped truck of Crafton gets in front of the leaders and is back on the tail end of the lead lap.

A lap later, Scott with drafting help from Busch re-passes Crafton, putting him a lap down again.

Scott would still lead, with Busch second on his bumper and Skinner third is right their on Busch bumper. Bodine would try the high side, but gets hung out to dry, loses the draft.

After 47 laps, the top five was; Scott leads, Busch second, Skinner third, Braun fourth and Starr fifth.

Hornaday was running back in 19th, has his teammate Carmichael behind him and has plenty of time to get back up front.

On Lap 48, Scott and Almirola are side by side most of the lap, and at the stripe, Almirola leads.

On Lap 49, Almirola and Scott are again side by side battling for the lead and at the stripe, Scott leads by a nose.

Almirola would regain the lead on the high side, he has Crafton in front of him back on the lead lap at the tail end of the field on Lap 50.

On Lap 51, Almirola would drop to the bottom groove in front of Scott in second.

Sauter (13th) would get forced below the yellow line by Mario Gosselin in the No. 12 MyMonkeyTire.com, running in 12th after contact and have no issues over it.

Gosselin tried to use the center to squeeze passed J.R. Fitzpatrick in the No. 29 Equipment Express Chevrolet with Sauter next to him.

After 55 laps, the top five was; Almirola leading, Scott second, Busch third, Skinner fourth and Braun fifth.

On Lap 58, Almirola still has Crafton in front of him; they are running three grooves battling to catch the low line.

On Lap 61, Mike Wallace had a front fender coming loose, then his right-side of the hood got loose crinkled up and he'd come to pit road, ending his day.

Hornaday was still running at the back of the pack in 23rd on Lap 63, and his truck doesn't seem to be as good before he lost the cover over one of his cowl openings.

Meanwhile, Crafton was still right there tail end of the lead lap right in front of the leader Almirola, who has Cook are side by side battling for the lead, and Cook leads by a nose at the stripe.

On Lap 65, Cook is side by side battling for the lead. When the fourth caution comes out, for Braun spinning and collecting Malsam who crashes into the inside wall.

The field got bottled up. Braun gets into Skinner, then it was McCumbee that gets into Braun spinning him. Which caused the slowing Malsam to get spun by Carmichael.

Crafton was the Aaron's Lucky Dog winner under this caution.

On Lap 66, everyone pits making one or two stops. Scott on his first stop gets two left side tires and several others take just fuel.

Cook and Papis would make contact leaving pit road, Cook has a fender rub as result and will have to make a extra stop to fix it.

Then on Lap 67, the second stops happen. It was a interesting pit stop cycle, with the teams using pit strategy, and making just fuel stops. While other teams take two or four tires on the first stop, and fuel on the second.

NASCAR would let Scott know that he was speeding on pit road, and will have to go to the end of the longest line.

Under caution, the top five was; Bodine leading, Starr in the No. 24 Zachry Toyota is second, Skinner third, Busch fourth and Almirola fifth.

Hornaday made a great stop, comes in ninth, prior to the caution he was at the back but made up 14 positions.

On the Lap 69 restart, Bodine takes the green, doesn't cause a gap and leads with Starr on his bumper running down on the yellow line.

The fifth caution comes out on Lap 72, for Gosselin spinning after contact with Papis, and he does a great job keeping it out of the racing groove.

It happened right in front of Hornaday, that could have been a bad deal for him. Park was the Aaron's Lucky Dog winner for the second time today.

On the Lap 75 restart, Bodine takes the green, he gets a great start on the bottom with Starr on his bumper and doesn't leave a gap on the start.

The sixth caution comes out on Lap 79, for Park, whose engine expired, leaving fluids all over the track.

Norm Benning in the No. 57 MotorsportsDecals.com Chevrolet was the Aaron's Lucky Dog Award winner under this caution.

It was the second caution in the row, that a crew member from James Buescher in the No. 10 International Maxx Force Diesel Ford has been in Hornaday's pit talking strategy with Rick Ren.

Hornaday's running in eighth and Buescher ninth on the track, they'll work together on the restart and that's the neat deal with Talladega. The driver alliances happen regardless of manufacturer.

On the Lap 84 restart, Bodine takes the green, gets a great start on Starr and creates a gap but Starr in second can't capitalize on it.

On Lap 85, Bodine still leads with Starr on his bumper and the top 12 trucks are single file just following the leader.

On Lap 87, Bodine still leads but the outside line has worked it's way to eighth, Busch with Almirola following him jump to the top.

On Lap 88, Busch with Almirola pushing him take the lead as both pass Bodine dropping him to third.

Busch with Almirola locked on his bumper pushing him are one to two and Bodine still right there in third following them on Lap 90.

The seventh caution comes out on Lap 92, for the big one as in the closing laps the drivers were fighting for spots and involved 11 trucks. Contact between Starr, Sauter, and Skinner initiated the mess.

It involved the following drivers; McCumbee, Carmichael, Skinner, Papis, Buescher, Sauter, Crawford, Scott, Peters, Fitzpatrick and Hornaday.

The trucks ran under the yellow till Lap 95, no red flag and till the mess was cleaned up. It's going to be the first green/white/checkers finish for the trucks.

Of those wrecked trucks, Peters, Sauter, Buescher and Fitzpatrick were able to continue and finished on the lead lap.

Hornaday had looked like he was going to sneak through the wreck on the bottom, but at the last second Scott came down and collected him.

He had right front damage to the truck, around the tire and tore up everything in right front. But being in the points race, they lost two laps in the pits getting him repaired, and Hornaday would finish 17th.

Under caution, the top five was; Busch leads, Almirola second, Starr third, Bodine fourth and Crafton fifth.

On the Lap 96 restart, Busch takes the green flag, on a green/white/checkers finish, gets a good start with Almirola on his bumper.

Coming into turn three, Bodine third and Crafton fourth jump to the high groove, they pass Busch and Almirola coming to the strip Bodine takes the white flag on Lap 97.

On the final lap, Bodine and Crafton were side by side most of the lap, with a quarter mile to the finish and his fifth win.

Braun who was behind Crafton tries for the pass, as Busch with Almirola pushing him passes Bodine coming to the checkers.

They get a one-two finish in Billy Ballew Motorpsorts 300th start in the series and there first one. It was a four-wide finish to the checkers, Crafton fell back to 10th.

Busch now has the No. 51 truck, a 100 points out for the owner title with three to go and picked up 67 points on Hornaday's No. 33.

Aric Almirola finished second, ran a really great race, led twice for 15 laps and pushed Busch to the win.

Todd Bodine finished third, led four times for 24 laps and was a quarter mile away from getting his fifth consecutive superspeedway.

Terry Cook finished fourth, ran a really good race, "the Freak" chassis comes through for another top five finish and he led one lap.

David Starr finished fifth, got as high as second and ran a really good race today.

Sixth through 10th were; Mario Gosselin, Stacy Compton, Dennis Setzer, Justin Hobgood and Matt Crafton.

Chrissy Wallace ran a very exciting race today, finishing 13th on the lead lap, and showed she belongs in the series. It's really a shame that she can't find a sponsor.

It was another exciting finish, that was four wide and with the pass for the win coming with a quarter mile left to the checkers.

The points now have Hornaday leading by 202 points over Crafton in second and 327 points over Skinner in third.

With Hornaday having problems, the points lead could have been 167 points, but Crafton tried for the win and got hung out to dry draft wise. Costing him 35 points, and he only picked up 25 points.

The next race is Nov. 6: the Lone Star 350K at Texas Motor Speedway at 8:30PM the Set-Up Show and 9:00PM Race Time (Friday).

Authors note: This race recap is based solely on my race notes any mistakes are my own.

Photo Credit: racingone.com

Todd Bodine Poised for His Fifth Consecutive Superspeedway Win

S M Napier — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:41:25 -0400

Germain Racing's Todd Bodine is bring "old faithful" chassis No. 058 to Talladega to run in Saturday's Mountain Dew 250, and a unprecedented fifth consecutive Superspeedway win.

Bodine has scored four consecutive wins on Superspeedway's with two wins each at Daytona and Talladega.

It's also the same truck that Bodine drove in 2005, when he went for a wild ride through the grass flipping repeatedly at Daytona.

He's lead a combine total of 130 laps in those four wins, and won a pole at Talladega.

Bodine has always qualified well at both tracks, starting in the top 5 and 12th has been the worst starting position for him during this streak.

He credits his drafting success on Superspeedway to his brothers Geoffrey and Brett and learning from Dale Earnhardt Sr..

His crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. also gets credit, knowing what his driver likes to run and providing him with a stout truck.

"Experience is everything at Talladega, especially in the draft," said Bodine.

"Knowing what you want to do and how you can accomplish it. The draft is tricky thing and you can just as easily make a mistake as make the right move."

It all comes down to not only luck, but also while in the draft being smart, being patient and knowing your going to need other trucks to make passes.

During last year's, Mountain Dew 250, Bodine led nine laps early and with drafting help from Ron Hornaday Jr. made a thrilling four wide last lap pass for the win.

I expect it to come down to another last lap win by Bodine again coming to the checkers, and it definitely will be another exciting finish at Talladega.

Source and Photo Credit: racingone.com

Top Five Picks for the Mountain Dew 250 Powered by Fred's Truck Race

S M Napier — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:32:35 -0400

This week the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be racing Saturday afternoon on Halloween at Talladega Superspeedway.

It's race No. 22 of 25, the trucks are always exciting on the Superspeedways, and it makes for some four-wide racing action.

Here are my top five picks for the race, along with a sleeper pick and my Raybestos Rookie of the Race pick.

1. Todd Bodine

In three races at the track, Bodine has compiled two wins, three top fives, three top 10 finishes, one pole, and led 61 laps.

Bodine will have old faithful back at Talladega—its chassis No. 058, and it has won the last four consecutive superspeedway races.

He'll have a really good truck and should qualify front row. Expect him to be leading or near the front so in the closing laps he can make his move for the win.

2.) Ron Hornaday Jr.

In three races at the track, Hornaday has compiled one top five and three top 10 finishes.

Horn will have another stout truck, be fast, should qualify top five, stay out of trouble, and should use strategy to be vying for the win in the closing laps or points race for another top five.

3.) Rowdy Busch

In three races at the track, Busch has compiled one top five finish, one top 10 finish, and has led 14 laps.

Busch will have a decent truck, be fast, and should qualify well. He may try to dominate early, but the final laps that are the most important and Busch should be one of the drivers vying for the win in the closing laps.

4.) Mike Skinner

In three races at the track, has compiled one top five finish, two top 10 finishes, and has led nine laps.

Skinner will be another one with a decent truck, should be fast, needs to qualify well and stay out of trouble, and could be there in the end vying for the win or a top five finish.

5.) Colin Braun

As a rookie last year, he finished fourth and led four laps.

Braun should be another one with a decent truck, should be fast, and he could qualify on the pole. He will have to drive a smart race, log laps, and be in position in the closing laps to be vying for the win.

My Raybestos Rookie of the Race Pick: J.R. Fitzpatrick

In his first Superspeedway race, he finished fourth at Daytona and led 17.

Fitzpatrick will need qualify well, run a smart race while staying out of trouble, and pick up another top 10 finish.

My Sleeper Pick: Mike Wallace

He's run one race at the track, has compiled one top five finish, one top 10 finish, and has led four laps.

He's won in the Nationwide at Daytona in not the best equipment and I could easily see him using his veteran experience to put himself in position for a good finish.

Brian Scott, Rick Crawford, and Johnny Sauter just missed the cut.

Rick Crawford, James Buescher, David Starr, Matt Crafton, Chad McCumbee, Timothy Peters, and Terry Cook could all factor in as well.

It should be a really exciting race, it's just cool to see the Trucks drafting on a Superspeedway and it should be another four-wide finish like last year's race.

Ron Hornaday Jr.'s Mountain Dew 250 Powered By Fred's Race Preview

S M Napier — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:36:57 -0400

It's going to be an exciting weekend for Ron Hornaday Jr., as he's receiving his Third Quarter Driver of the Year Trophy and a Tissot wristwatch on Saturday at Talladega.

Talladega also marks the finale in the Copart Challenge of Champions, were Horn holds a 530 to 424 lead over Bodine and if my math is correct he just needs to collect 60 points to win the Challenge.

In three prior truck races at Talladega, Horn has yet to break through to victory lane and collect his first career win on a Superspeedway or a track over two miles in length.

His best finish was second in 2008 but interestingly enough he has managed to complete every lap of competition at the 2.66 mile track.

"I Think getting a win at a restrictor-plate track would be pretty cool. I think it would say something about the versatility of our race team. We are a championship caliber group and getting a win at Talladega would help prove that we can not only win at Short Tracks but also at bigger venues."

Last week at Martinsville, Horn picked up 27 points to pad his points lead in the title hunt, and it could prove to be valuable heading into Talladega.

Were it's all about survival, you don't have to make any mistakes but have a competitor make one and get collected in the ensueing mayhem of the big one.

A lot of strategy plays into the race, but you also need to keep yourself in position that a error by another driver doesn't collect you.

Horn will be racing, chassis No. 026 at Talladega and in it's only race this season he finished fifth in the season's opening race at Daytona.

Horn will unload with a wicked good truck, be fast, qualify top five, stay out of trouble just log the first 80 laps and set himself up in the final 14 laps to win on the last lap battling to the checkers.

But both his spotter Rick Carelli and Crew Chief Rick Ren, will keep him focused on the big picture being the Championship at Homestead.

Either way I'll be happy with a win or a great points day at Talladega and it sure would be awesome to see him collect that first Superspeedway win.

Source for quote kevinharvickinc.com, for the editor Horn is a nickname for Hornaday, that I use a lot.

Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com

Ron Hornaday vs. Todd Bodine: The Challenge Of Champions Finale at Talladega

S M Napier — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:41:12 -0400

Copart's Challenge of Champions between Ron Hornaday Jr. and Todd Bodine comes to its conclusion at Talladega Superspeedway.

Copart, Inc. has sweetened the pot, by upping the ante in the Challenge by announcing it will donate $5,000 to the winner's favorite charity.

Bodine's favorite charity is the American Cancer Society, while Hornaday's is Victory Junction and both are great organizations.

Copart sponsors the two champions, Hornaday in the No. 33 a three-time Champion (1996, 1998, & 2007) and Bodine in the No. 30 is the 2006 Champion.

They've raced Copart sponsored trucks three times each in five races, that made up the Challenge where one or both of them have raced in a Copart truck. They'll both race a fourth time in the Mountain Dew 250 powered by Fred's.

While Hornaday leads the Challenge 530 points to Bodine's 424 points, but with 195 points still available it's far from over and Bodine could still win it.

The winner will receive a trophy and a $5,000 check to donate to their favorite charity post race.

But it's not just Hornaday or Bodine winning, two lucky fans Sherly Montavan and Darlene Coleman will receive a VIP race weekend at Talladega and will cheer on the driver they voted for.

Montavan will be in Hornaday's pit cheering him on and Coleman will be in Bodine's pit stall.

Should their driver win the Challenge, they'll also get autographed memorabilia from them and also a lifetime status as a Copart member.

It definitely will be an exciting conclusion to the Challenge that saw Hornaday pick up a win, a second and a sixth, versus Bodine with a fourth, a 10th and a 16th.

And all Hornaday needs is 60 points to win Copart's Challenge of Champions.

S.M.'s Camping World Update, Issue No. 56

S M Napier — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:56:23 -0400

Happy Halloween !!

Ah my pretties, be very scared to watch the Speed's the Set-Up Show for Saturday's the Mountain Dew 250 powered by Fred's as they are celebrating Hall-O-Dega. It could be a very frightening experience. (My picture this week will remind you how frightening)

I hear they will be topping the trauma they caused at Texas, when the Wizard of Oz Speed's version visited the Set-Up Show and they scared everyone on pit road.

Rumors

Chrissy Wallace will be driving the No. 08 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet at Talladega in conjunction with Rick Ware Racing.

Austin Dillon will not only be making his first start at Talladega, but also RCR's first restrictor plate race in the Truck Series. It's his third start of the season. He'll be driving the No. 3 Realtree Outfitters Chevrolet.

Chad McCumbee will be back driving the No. 07 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet for the four remaining races this season.

Andy Lally will be back driving the No. 28 FDNY Racing Chevrolet at Talladega for Jim Rosenblum.

J.R. Fitzpatrick will be driving the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing Chevrolet at Talladega.

Circle Bar Racing will be in the spirit of Hall-O-Dega, as both Rick Crawford's No. 14 and James Buescher's No. 10 will be sporting black and orange paint scheme's.

Billy Ballew Motorsports Update

First, Talladega will mark their 300th start in the Truck Series for the team.

Second, Rowdy Busch will be back driving the No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts/Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota and for the rest of the season.

Kevin Harvick Inc. Update

First, Ricky Carmichael will be back driving the No. 4 Monster Energy Drink Chevrolet at Talladega.

Second, Ron Hornaday, Jr. will have Copart on his No. 33 as sponsor at Talladega.

Sponsorship News

Mario Gosselin and his DGM Racing team will be debuting new sponsor MyTireMonkey.com on his No. 12 Chevrolet at Talladega.

Gosselin who started the team in 2008, has run part-time based on whether or not they had sponsorship. But with MyMonkeyTire.com it will give them a chance to run full-time in 2010, and the young team is excited to be racing every week.

Speed TV will have the No. 12 trucks unveiling live on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 3:00PM.

It's supposed to be not only a very colorful truck, but one that will capture fans' attention.

MyMonkeyTire.com launched in December 2008; it's an online tire purchasing facility based in Edenton, NC.

But it has 1,500 dealer locations, with 90 distribution centers scattered across the lower 48 states, which still expanding operations and revolutionizing the way we can purchase tires today.

News & Notes

Entries

At Talladega for the Mountain Dew 250 powered by Fred's there are 38 entries on the preliminary entry list. It will be a full field of 36 trucks, and two teams will be going home.

The breakdown is 25 full-time teams and 13 part-time teams.

The Points Battle

Ron Hornaday Jr. appears, with his 224-point lead, to have wrapped up the 2009 drivers title.

He did take care of business at Martinsville but he'll have to survive the coming storm at Talladega and make it through the race unscathed.

Matt Crafton looks like he'll finish the season in second but Talladega could make it a more interesting points battle.

Skinner, while in third, is 102 points behind Crafton. While he has conceded the championship he could still challenge for the position.

He also could very well finish the season in third, since his nearest rival Todd Bodine sits some 234 points back in fourth.

Once you get to Bodine in fourth, it's anyone's game. Brian Scott in fifth is 10 points behind Bodine and he's only eight points ahead of Colin Braun in sixth place.

Then Braun is only 29 points ahead of Timothy Peters in seventh and Johnny Sauter is just sixth points back in eighth.

Both David Starr ninth and Rick Crawford have the same number of points and are just 68 points behind Sauter.

It looks like Horn maybe in the driver's seat title wise, with the largest points lead ever this late in the season. Look deeper into the points standing, their are some great battles going on as the final four races tick off.

Autograph Session

11 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers are taking part in a free autograph session on Friday at Talladega behind the OV Hill South Grandstands Sections D & E from 2PM to 3PM Central time.

Those participating are; Colin Braun, James Buescher, Ricky Carmichael, Terry Cook, Todd Bodine, Rick Crawford, Tayler Malsam, T.J. Bell, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter, and David Starr.

The Rookie Chase

James Buescher was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race, at Martinsville with a 11th place finish, and won his fourth rookie honors of the season.

Buescher ran a really great race, stayed out of trouble, had a really good handling truck, earned a hard fought finish of 11th and just missed getting a top-10.

Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

Johnny Sauter 212

Tayler Malsam 176

James Buescher 160

Ricky Carmichael 127

Brian Ickler 95

J.R. Fitzpatrick 88

Chris Jones 66

Brent Raymer 65

Upcoming Races

Oct. 31 : The Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on Speed at 3:30PM the Set-Up Show and 4:00PM Race Time (Saturday).

Nov. 6 : Lone Star 350K at Texas Motor Speedway on Speed at 8:30PM the Set-Up Show and 9:00PM Race Time (Friday).

Nov. 13 : Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway on Speed at 7:30PM the Set-Up Show and 8:00PM Race Time (Friday).

Track Facts

This week it's Talladega Superspeedway where the trucks have run since 2006.

Track Info

Track Length: 2.666 Miles

Race Length: 94 Laps/ 250.04 Miles

Banking: 33 Degrees (Corners); 18 Degrees (Frontstretch); 2 Degrees (Backstretch)

Lengths: 4,300 Feet (Frontstretch); 4,000 Feet (Backstretch)

Seating: 143,231

Race Winners: Todd Bodine two wins

Weekend Schedule

Friday, Oct. 30th

9:00AM - 11:00AM [10:00AM - 12:00PM Eastern] Final Practice

4:10PM [5:10PM Eastern] Qualifying (Two Laps/ All Positions)

Saturday, Oct. 31st

3:00PM [4:00PM Eastern] Race Time (94 Laps/ 250.04 Miles)

2009 Manufacturers Championship Standings

Toyota 160

Chevrolet 142

Ford 93

Dodge 67

2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owners Points Standings

1.) Delana Harvick No. 33 3,375

2.) Billy Ballew No. 51 -178

3.) Rhonda Thorson No. 88 -224

4.) David Dollar No. 5 -326

5.) Tom Deloach Nos. 1 & 17 -463

6.) Steve Germain No. 30 -560

7.) Joe Scott No. 16 -570

8.) Jack Roush No. 6 -578

9.) Mike Curb No. 13 -613

10.) Jim Harris Jr. No.24 -681

2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivers Points Standings

1.) Ron Hornaday Jr. 3,375

2.) Matt Crafton -224

3.) Mike Skinner -326

4.) Todd Bodine -560

5.) Brian Scott -570

6.) Colin Braun -578

7.) Timothy Peters -607

8.) Johnny Sauter -613

9.) David Starr -681

10.) Rick Crawford -681

Photo Credit: speedtv.com

Justin Lofton: Reigning ARCA Champion May Be Heading to the Truck Series

S M Napier — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:57:29 -0400

The 2009 ARCA Re/Max Series Champion, Justin Lofton, has options with three Toyota teams in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010.

He had initially hoped to race in the Nationwide Series next season, but unfortunately, he did not have the backing to run a full season.

Since Lofton does have sponsorship help, from his family's Lofton Cattle Company and several associate vendors that work with Lofton Cattle, he would be able to run the entire 25 Truck Series schedule fully funded.

Not only will he run for ROTY honors, but it will also help his development as a driver to run an entire season instead of just a partial one.

"This year, I learned how important points are to the big teams," Lofton said.

"That would be more beneficial for my future to try to run for a championship than run 10 or 15 Nationwide races."

With the Truck Series having numerous breaks between races, Lofton could still add a few Nationwide races to his schedule.

Lofton doesn't mention team names regarding which Toyota teams, but does have support from Triad Racing Development and some support from Toyota.

It could very well be one of the teams that they currently support, with one of them either expanding, making a driver change, or he could have some very big shoes to fill replacing Brian Scott.

Of course, that would mean that Scott will be moving onto the Nationwide Series and just speculating that Jay Scott would keep Xpress Motorsports running.

I'm excited that Justin Lofton may be coming to the Truck Series; he's a great addition for the series and has the talent to be successful.

Author's note: The remark on Brian Scott is pure speculation on my part and not from any rumors. Merely the fact that Xpress is a TRD supported team and Lofton would make the perfect replacement for Scott.

Source for quote: scenedaily.com

Photo Credit: racingone.com