I'm thinking the guy in red is closest to the trophy with good cause.

This weekend, the 2010 NASCAR season ends with all three major series running at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Homestead isn’t the most thrilling track on the circuit, but it’s not bad as far as longer tracks go. You occasionally get some decent action there other than when the canasta tournament at the nearby retirement center goes wild.

The track race today will conclude with Todd Bodine holding his second champions trophy in one hand and a “your name here” sign for potential sponsors on his truck in the other. It’s sad that a now two-time champion and his team have no idea whether they can afford to defend their title in 2011. But that’s the truck series, the unloved save by a small core of action-loving fans redheaded stepchild of NASCAR.

The Nationwide race tomorrow will feature Brad Keselowski hoisting what may well be the final trophy won by a Sprint Cup regular in the series. It’ll also be the last opportunity this year for sufferers of DDS (Danica Derangement Syndrome) to get their hatin’ on in-between sessions of hanging out in the chat rooms of teenagers online talk shows. Meanwhile back in the real world, being that it’s a bigger track, a top twenty finish for Danica isn’t out of the question, as she gains more of the stock car experience she’ll need a lot more of if she wants to progress in the sport.

And then there’s Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. Can Jimmie Johnson run well at a track where in recent years he’s had nothing to do but loaf around? Will Denny Hamlin beat the competition or only himself? Will Kevin Harvick channel the man who he succeeded via winning by any means necessary? Or will we all take a nap as the whole thing plays out as a snoozefest? Hopefully not, but racing is weird that way. Intense excitement can neither be forced nor suppressed. In either case, it’s must see TV. As the cap’n says, stay tuned.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone.

Anyway, quite the weekend to start off the season, what say? First there was the truck race… which became second due to the weather. Instead, first there was the Nationwide race, the only thing missing from which by ESPN’s perspective was Brett Farve as the grand marshal. All Danica, all the time.

It’s more than a little amusing to watch assorted members of the MSM pontificate about the overkill of Danica coverage even as they incessantly feed the machine. If said people were serious about such matters as promoting equal opportunity for female drivers, they’d be standing on street corners beating the drum 24/7 for Chrissy Wallace to get full-time sponsorship and a quality ride. Nothing against Rick Ware Racing; it’s terrific they’re giving Chrissy Wallace an opportunity. But we’re not talking championship caliber team come Nationwide time here.

Back to Chrissy, who last Saturday suffered a very premature exit from the race courtesy of John Menard Jr. over-indulging his son’s passion for auto racing by refusing to end his gifting of same to the child at the slot car level. It’s easy, all too easy, to hitch a ride on whichever bandwagon is currently barreling through pop culture town. Looking to be one of the Kool Kidz while doing so? Portray yourself as a vulture sneering at the soon to be carcass when its fifteen minute life span expires. In fact, you’re far more a leech than a vulture, clinging to every minute of the ride while it’s alive so as to gain maximum exposure basking in the glow of a short-lived candle belonging to someone else. Nevertheless, there is always a plethora of passengers on this carriage pulled by the dog and pony show. A far rarer animal is the one striving to shine the spotlight on those one believes truly deserve attention. Why? In the final breakdown, it’ll all about the ratings baby. Journalistic integrity? Meh. It’s implied by the byline, isn’t it? Uh… isn’t it?

That all said, Danica Patrick’s first turn at Nationwide warrants some mention from the racing aspect. She did all right before getting caught up in a wreck not of her own doing, driving cautiously and neither forcing the issue nor getting in anyone’s way. As to the race itself… what, Tony Stewart won the February Daytona Nationwide race? Wow. That never happens…

Back to Mrs. Hospenthal for a moment. A far more interesting test in her fledgling NASCAR career will be this coming weekend at Auto Club. How will she adapt to a flatter track where picking the correct line and getting the car right is of maximum importance? We’ll see come this Saturday. Regrettably, we won’t see Chrissy Wallace; she’s not scheduled for this race. Instead we’ll have the legendary Kenny Hendrick attempting to make the show. Thrillsville.

And for the record…

Chrissy Wallace is cute.

Next up was the truck race, which swiftly gave the impression most all participants had spent the twenty-four hour delay forgetting how to drive. Among those who had their evening plans unwillingly modified by others perfecting the art of brain fade was Jennifer Jo Cobb, who after a few years on the occasional guest appearance list is devoting 2010 to becoming a regular member of the NASCAR family. As a driver, not merely photo op.

Thankfully, Jennifer Jo Cobb can drive.

And then there was the Daytona 500.

To say the breaks in action courtesy of the track breaking were unfortunate is putting it as mildly as possible. Yes, drivers love worn-out racing surfaces. However, fans have the right to see a race in its entirety sans the broadcast crew interviewing everyone up to Digger in order to kill time. Certain delays are unavoidable, such as weather. That duly noted, this is the second straight year NASCAR has been unable to present its premiere and premier race either in its entirety or without interest and momentum-killing pauses. Not good.

Fortunately, the racing itself was sublime. No Big One, a slew of lead changes, and a last lap featuring Jamie McMurray hanging on to the lead for dear life as Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally showed the fire he’s been missing for the past year plus by blasting his way around and sometimes seemingly through fellow competitors en route to a second place finish he immediately labeled unsatisfactory as it wasn’t first. Good thing yesterday was a holiday for many, as the Junior Nation needed time to recuperate.

On to California.

Hornaday Steady; Braun, Starr Make Significant Gains

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 29, 2009) – What many call the toughest stretch of racing on the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule has ended.

In Wimbledon terms, Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet) held serve. Hornaday, the leader by 84 points entering five consecutive weekends of racing in late May, remains in the No. 1 position. He leads Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) by 76 points.

Hornaday, bidding for a record, fourth series championship, won two of the five races, most recently at Memphis Motorsports Park on June 27. The 51-year-old Palmdale, Calif., veteran is the season’s only three-time winner.

The points leader, however, isn’t the only one to watch when racing resumes July 18 at Kentucky Speedway. The Dover-to-Memphis swing significantly shook up top-10 rankings. Three competitors — Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford), Tayler Malsam (No. 81 One-Eighty Toyota) and David Starr (No. 24 Zachry/Harris Trucking Toyota) —  moved into the elite grouping.

Braun, on the strength of his victory at Michigan International Speedway, made the biggest gain from 19th to 10th. After finishing 22nd at Dover, the 20-year-old Roush Fenway driver reeled off four straight top-10 finishes.

Starr, a 12-year veteran of the series, is enjoying his best season since 2006. Driving for Virginian James Harris, the Houston native scored top-10 finishes in four of his five most recent starts, including thirds at Memphis and Dover. He was 13th after the Lowe’s race and stands fifth in current standings, just 231 points behind leader Hornaday.

Malsam Making Most Of Raybestos Rookie Campaign

Team co-owner David Dollar calls him “an owner’s dream.”

Patience, says crew chief Doug Wolcott, is what sets Tayler Malsam apart from his peers.

Malsam currently leads Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, albeit by a single point, over Johnny Sauter (No. 13 Fun Sand/Rodney Atkins/Curb Records Chevrolet), but the 20-year-old holds the rare distinction of being a freshman driver ranked among the championship top 10. The Sammamish, Wash., sprint car graduate posted consecutive top-10 finishes at Texas, Michigan and Milwaukee.

His greatest achievement may be finishing on the lead lap in 10 of his 11 starts.

“Tayler is really coming on and has exceeded all our expectations,” said Dollar, co-owner of Randy Moss Motorsports. “He is a team owner’s dream by taking care of the equipment and bringing the trucks home each week in one piece.”

Wolcott calls Malsam a team player. “Tayler has a lot of talent but what really sets him apart is that he is very patient and really looks out for his crew,” he said. “He really stands behind the guys, even when we have trouble in the pits. He’s on the radio telling them it’s okay and gets back on the track and races hard to get the spots back.”

Loop Data: Hornaday Is Perfection

Ron Hornaday Jr. has experienced perfection each of the last two weeks – literally.

In his victories at both Milwaukee two weeks ago and Memphis this past weekend, Hornaday scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0. It is the first time since the inception of the Loop Data statistic in 2005 that a driver in any of NASCAR’s three national series has posted two consecutive perfect Driver Ratings.

Hornaday has made a habit out of being perfect. Since 2005, there have been 14 perfect Driver Ratings in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – seven of those belong to Hornaday. That is by far the most in the series. Mike Skinner comes in second in that category, with three perfect Driver Ratings.

But maybe the most compelling statistic is the regularity of his statistical perfection. Since 2005, Hornaday has 16 wins. With seven of those victories notching a Driver Rating of 150.0, Hornaday has been perfect in an amazing 44% of his wins.

Breaking it down even further, Hornaday scored his first perfect Driver Rating in 2007. So, all seven of his perfect ratings came in the last two-plus years. With 13 wins since 2007, Hornaday’s perfection percentage jumps to 54%.

Hornaday, who has led the series in Driver Rating through 11 races in three of the last five season, owns the top statistics in practically every key category this season: Driver Rating (121.9), Average Running Position (6.3), Fastest Laps Run (278) and Laps Led (537).

Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

Rk  Driver                   Points
1.   Tayler Malsam       120
2.   Johnny Sauter        119
3.   James Buescher    102
4.   Ricky Carmichael    70
5.   J.R. Fitzpatrick       60
6.   Brian Ickler             59
7.   Brent Raymer         41
8.   Chris Jones            32
9.   Chase Austin          16

Etc.

• Three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series figures will be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in July 3 ceremonies at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.). Wayne Spears, whose Spears Motorsports team competed in 315 series races between 1995 and 2007 winning four times, is joined by Kevin Harvick Inc., general manager Rick Carelli and Billy Ballew Motorsports crew chief Doug George. Carelli and George are NASCAR Camping World Series West and Southwest Tour champions.
• Mike Skinner will spend the Fourth of July weekend at Goodwood Estate in Sussex, England, participating in the annual Festival of Speed. He will drive a Team Red Bull Toyota, formerly campaigned in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Held since 1993, the Festival celebrates historic cars from all forms of racing. The three-day event, hosted by the Earl of March at his family’s estate, features a 1.16-mile hill-climbing competition for all classes and types of race cars and motorcycles, plus a 2.5-kilometer course for historic rally cars. This year’s Festival runs from July 3-5. Rusty Wallace, Landon Cassill and Taylor Earnhardt also will participate.
• DeLana Harvick’s No. 33 team has taken the lead in the series Owners’ Championship points standings for the first time in 2009. Harvick holds a 31-point edge over the No. 51 of Billy Ballew, the leader since race No. 2 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Up Next: Kentucky Speedway

Who’s next?

Or, will Ron Hornaday Jr. do to the Kentucky Speedway record book what he accomplished at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2007?

There have been nine consecutive different winners at the 1.5-mile speedway, host of the July 18 Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers. Hornaday won in 2006.

Hornaday, who will be gunning for his third consecutive series victory, snapped NHMS’ run of 11 different winners. He added another win at the New England facility last September.

Two other former Kentucky winners are expected to compete: Mike Skinner (No. 5 Exide Toyota) and Dennis Setzer (No. 8 Malcolmson Construction Chevrolet).

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2009 Manufacturers’ Championship Standings following Race 11 of 25 at Memphis Motorsports Park:
Toyota:     84
Chevrolet: 76
Ford:        48
Dodge:     34

Fast Facts

Next Race: Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers

The Place: Kentucky Speedway

The Date: Sat., July 18, 2009

The Time: 7 p.m. ET

Race Distance: 225 miles / 150 laps

TV: SPEED, 6:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM. Listen locally on WYGY-FM 97.3

Track Layout: 1.5-mile Oval

2008 Winner: Johnny Benson

2008 Polesitter: Mike Skinner

Schedule: Friday: Practice, 3:15 – 4:50 p.m. and  6:30 – 7:30 p.m.; Saturday: Qualifying, 3:30 p.m.

2009 Standings
Rk Driver                  Points
1   Ron Hornaday Jr. 1,713
2   Matt Crafton        1,637
3   Mike Skinner       1,579
4   Todd Bodine        1,564
5   David Starr          1,482
6   Brian Scott         1,468
7   Tayler Malsam    1,418
8   Terry Cook          1,415
9   Rick Crawford      1,397
10 Colin Braun         1,381

By Tim Tuttle
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Ron Hornaday Jr. took home his second straight Elvis trophy with an overpowering victory Saturday in the MemphisTravel.com 200 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Hornaday led 175 of 201 laps on the .75-mile track. The driver of the Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet had a commanding lead over Brian Scott’s Toyota before a late-race caution forced a green-white-checkered finish. Hornaday pulled away on the final restart and won by .653 seconds over Scott.

It was the second straight week Hornaday has led almost from start to finish. Hornaday led 180 of 200 laps at Milwaukee, where he took the points lead. Hornaday expanded it to 76 over Matt Crafton at Memphis with his third victory of the season and 42nd of his career, tops in the history of the series.

Hornaday also won at Memphis in 1998, but the track didn’t begin giving the Elvis trophy until 2005. This was the last year for it to be presented.

“The last Elvis trophy at Memphis, that’s pretty cool,” Hornaday said. “It was pretty awesome to come here and win the last Elvis trophy. That means a lot.”

Hornaday started from pole and led 108 of the initial 114 laps, and never was passed on the track. He made his final pit stop and restarted second behind Scott, who successfully used a different pit-stop strategy to take the lead.

Scott managed to hold off Hornaday for 18 green-flag laps. On Lap 135, Hornaday cleanly got inside Scott in Turn 1 and they raced almost side-by-side to Turn 3. Hornaday had the advantage and went to the inside of a lapped truck. Scott went to the outside and Hornaday emerged with a solid advantage. The race stayed green for the next 61 laps and Hornaday steadily built up a sizeable lead.

Scott continued his strong second full season in trucks, moving up to sixth in the points. He finished third at Milwaukee last week and had his first victory at Dover.

David Starr was third, equaling his best finish of the season. Aric Almirola finished fourth and Crafton was fifth.

(Photos Credit: John Sommers II/Getty Images)

Ron Hornaday Jr. Turning Up The Heat

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 22, 2009) – While he’ll argue that it’s too early to be predicting who will take home the 2009 title, it’s hard not to acknowledge that Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet) is a title contender. The three-time series champion is coming off a dominating win at The Milwaukee Mile, where he nailed a perfect driver rating. He also bumped Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menard’s Chevrolet) from the top spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.

The win Saturday was his 41st, which extends his hold on the most wins in the series. It also came on his birthday, the second time the veteran driver has won on his date of birth. He also celebrated his birthday in Victory Lane back in 1998 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He is the only driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to do so and one of only three NASCAR drivers to win on their birthday. Kyle Busch recently won on his birthday at Richmond (May 2, 2009) and Cale Yarborough, like Hornaday, accomplished the feat twice (1977 and 1983).

The series will head to a track this weekend where Hornaday also knows the way to Victory Lane. The driver and his No. 33 team are the defending race winners at Memphis Motorsports Park. Hornaday also won at Memphis in 1998.

This is the last year for the distinctive Elvis trophy before a new design is brought into the fold, and Hornaday would like to make sure he’s the one who takes it home.

Count On Veteran Dennis Setzer As Contender At Memphis

One can’t talk about the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series without talking about veteran driver Dennis Setzer. Highly respected in the garage, Setzer looked as though he might not be back for another year at the end of last season. But when the season opener at Daytona rolled around, he was there.

Driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for MRD Motorsports since Atlanta, Setzer is showing he’s still a contender each week. He’s collected five top-10 finishes in the season’s 10 races so far. Two were runner-up results, one at Dover and the second last weekend at Milwaukee.

Setzer has competed in the series full time since 1999. In 277 starts, he has 18 wins, 80 top-five finishes and 153 top-10 finishes. He’s finished in the top ten in the standings eight times. Of those eight, he managed to finish second three years in a row. With another strong run at Milwaukee, he cracks the top 10 again moving from 14th to 10th in the standings.

As the series prepares to head to Memphis this weekend, Setzer is one driver to watch. In ten starts at the track, he has seven consecutive top-five finishes and has finished outside the top 10 only twice. Of his 18 wins in the series, 10 have come at half-mile-or-less tracks. Of the tracks on the current schedule, Setzer has 12 wins, including a 2001 win at Memphis.

Veteran Crew Chief Rick Ren Says Consistency Key For Hornaday’s Team

Veteran crew chief Rick Ren is just as competitive as his driver, Ron Hornaday Jr. And just like his driver, he’s keeping the entire season in perspective, not thinking too far ahead (i.e. an unprecedented fourth series title for Hornaday).

Here Ren tackles that subject and looks ahead to Memphis:

What do you think it will take to get Ron Hornaday Jr. that fourth championship?

“We have to stay consistent. Really the only two issues we’ve had this year (tire issue at Dover; oil pump belt in Texas) have been out of our control. They had nothing to do with the driver or the crew, but simply circumstance. I heard Jeff Gordon say one time that to win a championship, you have to have luck. I agree. Whether it is luck you have created or just racing luck, we will have to have some things just fall our way. If we maintain our consistency and continue to improve on pit road, then we should be right there when the checkers fall in Homestead.”

Do you do anything different to prepare for a track that you won at last year?

“No, I really prepare the same for every track. The thing winning the year before does for you is provide you with a great set of notes. However, each year is different and there are going to be different circumstances so you just have to work off of what you have.”

Can you take anything from the win this past weekend at Milwaukee and apply it to Memphis?

“I tried a few things in Milwaukee that I hope transfer over to Memphis, but we will just have to try them in practice to see if they work.”

Your driver at Milwaukee said he wanted another Elvis trophy. Does that put any pressure on you as a crew chief?

“No. I look at every race the same way. I want to go there, lead the most laps and most importantly, lead the last one.”

What about Memphis makes it challenging for a crew chief?

“Well, I have won this event twice, once with Travis Kvapil and last year with Hornaday. I think the hardest thing is finding the maximum amount of grip and keeping the truck from getting tight. If you can do that, you have a great shot at winning the race.”

Points Battle Tightens After Milwaukee

Ten races down, 15 to go in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. The series is known for its championship battle going down to the wire, sometimes to the last lap in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

This season appears no different than the those before. The points lead has changed for the fifth time following Milwaukee. Ron Hornaday Jr. takes over for the second time with a 36-point lead over Matt Crafton.

Two former series champions looking to improve their luck and chances at another title sit third and fourth. Third-place Todd Bodine (No. 30 Copart Toyota) is 88 points out of first. The points difference is nothing to worry over, but Mike Skinner (No. 5 Exide Toyota), sitting a mere point behind Bodine, is someone worth keeping an eye on.

Both Bodine and Skinner have wins so far this season. But consistency could be key. Crafton is winless since grabbing his first career win at Lowe’s in May last year.

From fifth place back, the points and stakes are tighter. David Starr (No. 24 Zachry Toyota) moves up a spot to fifth following a ninth-place finish over the weekend. Rookie Tayler Malsam (No. 81 One Eighty Toyota) continues to impress and moves up two places to sixth. He is 14 points behind Starr. Only 10 lie between Malsam and Brian Scott (No. 16 Albertson’s Toyota), who is seventh.

Scott can’t rest easy as the second-year driver only has a two-point cushion on veteran Terry Cook (No. 25 Cajun Industries/Harris Trucking Co. Toyota). Back in ninth, Rick Crawford barely hangs on to his spot. Crawford entered the top 10 following the race at Texas. He has just six points over Dennis Setzer, who is 10th.

Loop Data: Career Year Continues For Starr

David Starr quietly entered the top five in points with another top-10 finish last Saturday, his fourth in the last five races.

Now Starr heads to Memphis, a spot where he has had strong runs in his 12-year career. Currently, he sits 112 points behind fourth-place Mike Skinner – a coveted spot.

Starr’s highest career points finish was fourth, in 2006. That season, he had a win, six top fives, 12 tops 10s and an average finish of 11.0. Through 10 races this season, Starr has two top fives, five top 10s and an average finish of 11.6. With 15 races remaining this season, Starr is on pace to match his 2006 numbers.

Another strong Memphis race would help that cause. In nine Memphis races, Starr has two top fives and four top 10s. But some of his strongest runs have come recently.

Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, Starr has a Memphis Driver Rating of 93.5, an Average Running Position of 11.7, three Fastest Laps Run, a Pass Differential (passes minus times passed) of +39 and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 79.5%.

Starr’s best Memphis performance might have come in last year’s fifth-place finish. In that event, he had a Driver Rating of 104.9 (fourth-best), an Average Running Position of 7.1 (fifth) and ran all but two of the 204 laps among the top 15.

Wayne’s Words: Memphis & The Elvis Trophy

“The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will make the trip to Memphis Motorsports Park this weekend.  This will be the 12th time for the trucks to compete at this .75-mile track and every time its been quite a show, one that goes down to the last few laps.

“The trophy is one of the most coveted on the circuit—a bronze Elvis Presley just like the statue that’s down on Beale Street. This could be the last chance to win this infamous trophy before a new one is created and everyone wants to win it.

“In the 11 previous races we’ve had three competitors figured out how to make it to Victory Lane more than once. One of those drivers is Ron Hornaday Jr., who said after his win last week in Milwaukee that he’d like to have a third Elvis trophy.

“The drivers and teams will have to face an ever-changing track. Qualifying takes place in the afternoon. The race gets underway as the sun sets and ends after dark.

“Memphis is a fun place to visit. The Tennessee fans are always great and I guarantee they’ll see a great race.”
- Wayne Auton, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Director

Memphis Motorsports Park is host to both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Fans can expect to see typical short-track racing, which means nothing less than exciting.

Rookie Battle

With ten races under their belts, the battle for the 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year honor is shaping up to be just that, a battle.

Tayler Malsam collected his third consecutive top-10 finish, his fifth so far for the season, at Milwaukee. The finish helps him hold his lead over Johnny Sauter (No. 13 Fun Sand/Rodney Atkins-Curb Records Chevrolet) who is seven points back in second.

None of the rookies can afford to have a bad week and be able to walk away with the rookie title. Only 10 points separate Sauter from James Buescher (No. 10 International MAXX Force Diesel Ford). In his first start at Milwaukee, Buescher brought home a fifth-place finish and was the highest-finishing rookie.

Raybestos Rookie Of The Year Standings

Rk  Driver                  Points
1.   Tayler Malsam      112
2.   Johnny Sauter       105
3.   James Buescher     95
4.   Ricky Carmichael    61
5.   J.R. Fitzpatrick       60
6.   Brian Ickler             49
7.   Brent Raymer         36
8.   Chris Jones            26
9.   Chase Austin          16

Manufacturers’ Standings

Toyota holds on to the lead in the 2009 Manufacturers’ Championship Standings. Looking ahead to Memphis, it’s Chevrolet that holds the most wins at the track with five. Toyota has two victories, as does Ford and Dodge.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2009 Manufacturers’ Championship Standings following Race 10 of 25 at the Milwaukee Mile:
Toyota:     78
Chevrolet: 67
Ford:        44
Dodge:     31

Up Next: Kentucky Speedway

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will have a couple weeks to prepare for the Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday, July 18.

The upcoming visit will be the tenth for the series. In the previous nine races, there has yet to be a repeat winner. Johnny Benson won last season. Other former winners include Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday Jr., and Dennis Setzer.

No driver has managed to win from the pole. The furthest back one has started and won: Hornaday, winning in 2006 after starting 22nd.

Jack Roush and former team owner Bill Davis are tied for the most wins with two apiece.

Fast Facts

Next Race: MemphisTravel.com 200 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts

The Place: Memphis Motorsports Park

The Date: Sat., June 27, 2009

The Time: 6 p.m. ET

Race Distance: 150 miles / 200 laps

TV: SPEED, 5:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM. Listen locally on WGKX-FM 105.9

Track Layout: .75-mile Oval

2008 Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr.

2008 Polesitter: Johnny Benson

Schedule: Friday: Practice, 3 – 4:15 p.m. and  4:45 – 6 p.m.; Saturday: Qualifying, 1 p.m.

2009 Standings
Rk Driver                  Points
1   Ron Hornaday Jr. 1,518
2   Matt Crafton        1,482
3   Todd Bodine        1,430
4   Mike Skinner       1,429
5   David Starr          1,317
6   Tayler Malsam     1,303
7   Brian Scott          1,293
8   Terry Cook          1,291
9   Rick Crawford      1,267
10 Dennis Setzer      1,261

WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Happy birthday, Ron Hornaday Jr.

The Kevin Harvick Inc. driver dominated Saturday’s rescheduled Copart 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, winning on his 51st birthday.

“It’s a cool day,” Hornaday said. “What’d they (say), ‘How old are you?’ I don’t know. I’m in my 50s, now, I guess.”

Hornaday led 189 of the race’s 200 laps and easily beat MRD Motorsports’ Dennis Setzer. The race was postponed from Friday night after heavy rain struck the Milwaukee area.

“I hate to tell you but I don’t think the truck was that good,” Hornaday said.

Say what?

“I think we were just that much better than the rest of them,” Hornaday said.

Whatever the case, Hornaday was the class of the field, as crew chief Rick Ren made numerous adjustments after Friday’s practice to propel Hornaday to dominance.

“You just can’t expect to be as good as we were today,” Ren said. “But it sure is a darn nice feeling.”

Hornaday took control of the race early, passing Matt Crafton on the third lap and pulling away. Disaster nearly struck later in the race, when a caution came out for Aric Almirola’s spin after Hornaday had pitted his No. 33 Chevrolet.

But Hornaday was fast enough to remain on the lead lap, and after the other seven trucks on the lead lap pitted, Hornaday was back in the lead.

Setzer finished second, one second behind Hornaday. Xpress Motorsports driver Brian Scott finished third with a broken right wrist, with Germain Racing’s Todd Bodine fourth and Circle Bar Racing’s James Buescher fifth.

Sixth through 10th were Stacy Compton (Wyler Racing), Tayler Malsam (Randy Moss Motorsports), Colin Braun (Roush Fenway Racing), David Starr (HT Motorsports) and Terry Cook (HT).

Hornaday dedicated the victory to his wife’s mother, who has been in the hospital all week.

“This is probably the eighth race in 30-some years me and my wife’s been married that she’s missed,” Hornaday said. “Her mom is really deathly sick, and she’s been in the hospital all week long. … all she wanted to know was when I was going to race, and she kept calling. Hopefully this will boost her up a little bit.”

Youngsters On Impressive Run In 2009

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 15, 2009) – The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is known for its great competition amongst seasoned veterans and developing drivers, and over the past three weeks, young drivers like Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford), Brian Ickler (No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts / Samsung Instinct Toyota) and Brian Scott (No. 16 Albertson’s Toyota) have been on their game, combining for two wins and a pole.

Braun is coming off an impressive victory at Michigan after passing one of NASCAR’s best, Kyle Busch, in the closing laps, giving him his first series victory. Braun moved up six spots in the standings to 12th — 27 points behind Scott (11th).

Team owner Jack Roush lauds the competition in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

“When he (Braun) jumped in here, like when I started in 1988, having had a lot of success road racing, I was ready to kill the world,” said Roush. “But NASCAR racing is the toughest racing on the planet, which makes me glad to be sitting next to Colin right now.”

Scott posted his first series victory at Dover International Speedway on May 30. He has one win, two top-five and four top-10 finishes this season. Both Braun and Scott made their first starts at Milwaukee last season and both were caught in an accident and finished 31st and 32nd, respectively.

Ickler finished third at Michigan last Friday after starting on the pole. His top-five finish moved him up four spots in the standings to 24th. Ickler has put up two top fives this season in only five starts.

300: The Magic Number This Week In Sports

On paper, many would look at Phil Jackson, 2009 NBA champion coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Terry Cook (No. 25 Harris Trucking-Cajun Industries Toyota), NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver for HT Motorsports, and wonder what would these two have in common.

But this week, the two share a special milestone in each of their respective sports. On Sunday, June 14, Jackson participated in his 300th NBA playoff game and won an NBA-leading 10th championship. On Friday, June 19, Terry Cook will make his 300th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at the famed Milwaukee Mile. Cook is second on the all-time list of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts behind Rick Crawford, who has 306. What is most impressive about Cook’s starts is 281 of his soon-to-be 300 starts were consecutive (from Jan. 18, 1998 — Present).

Cook heads to Milwaukee seventh in the standings after moving up two spots from ninth with his 10th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway last Friday.

Cook is having one of the best seasons of his career. He has posted three top fives and five top 10s in nine starts. He is 22 points behind David Starr (No. Zachry / Harris Trucking Toyota) in sixth, and 205 points back from standings leader Matt Crafton.

“This is a huge milestone for me in my career,” Cook said. “I’ve had some really great times in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and it has always been my favorite racing in NASCAR. But this is also my passion, my dream and my goal to be a race car driver since I was young. Three hundred starts has been a wonderful ride; I can’t wait to see how it continues.”

Roush Fenway Racing Is Focused And Carrying Momentum To Milwaukee

Roush Fenway Racing scored a series of firsts this past weekend at Michigan International Speedway. It was the team’s first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory in 2009 and it was Colin Braun’s first series victory in his career. The win also marked a milestone, 50 series wins, for owner Jack Roush.

“It takes three elements to win these races,” Roush said. “It takes a great manufacturer like Ford Motor Company, it takes great technology like engineers and working in the wind tunnel, and it takes a great team and driver to put it all together. And we have that with this No. 6 team.”

As the No. 6 team heads to Milwaukee, momentum and belief in their young driver should prove to continue their early success.

“Colin is a good driver now, and is going to be a great driver once he gets more experience and figures how to be able to prevail when he has the fastest truck and be able to get the most out of it when it is not as fast,” Roush said. “But he is well on his way to being as good in this business as anybody has been.”

Roush Fenway Racing has two wins at the Milwaukee Mile, in 1999 with Greg Biffle and 2000 with Kurt Busch.

Ron Hornaday Jr. Doing Double Duty This Weekend At Milwaukee

When you speak of “double-duty drivers,” the first thing that comes to mind is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers participating in the NASCAR Nationwide or Camping World Truck Series, but not this weekend.

On Friday, Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Copart Chevrolet) will make his 10th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Milwaukee.

In nine previous series starts, Hornaday has one win, seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes. He has led 199 laps and completed 100% of the laps.

Saturday, June 20, also will mark Ron Hornaday’s 51st birthday. On his birthday in 1998, Hornaday won at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series after starting from the pole and leading 187 of 200 laps, driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI). On this Saturday, the birthday boy looks to repeat his victory in ‘98 and score his fifth win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

It will be Hornaday’s 10th career start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Milwaukee. In nine previous starts at the track, Hornaday has one win, three top-five and five top-10 finishes and has led 119 laps.

“Milwaukee is flat, and a lot like Phoenix,” Hornaday said. “Down the front and back straightaways you are pretty much wide open on the gas then hard on the brakes getting into the corners.

“The turns aren’t as narrow as Martinsville, they are more wide open so it is key to get a good arch to get down into them so you can quickly pick up the throttle and run hard down the straightaways.”

Loop Data: Crawford A Top-10 Lock At Milwaukee?

Rick Crawford (No. 14 Circle Bar / International Truck Engine Ford) can give Terry Cook some advice on how to celebrate 300 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts.

Crawford was the first driver ever to accomplish the feat, turning 300 at Atlanta earlier this season. Cook will join Crawford in the 300-start club this weekend at Milwaukee.

So, Crawford has the starts. Now he needs the finishes.

Crawford has been consistently around the top 10 this season, but has only cracked it twice, finishing fifth at both Martinsville and Texas.

Figure on making it three top-10 finishes this weekend.

Crawford has finished in the top 10 in each of the last six Milwaukee races. Since the inception of NASCAR’s Loop Data statistics in 2005, Crawford ranks in the top five in practically every key category.

He has a Driver Rating of 102.0 (third-best), an Average Running Position of 9.3 (fifth), 39 Fastest Laps Run (fifth) and 715 Laps in the Top 15 (89.4%), which is second-best.

Though a few seasons away from the 300 start mark, Mike Skinner (No. 5 Brooklyn Products / Exide Toyota) is scheduled to make his 200th start by the end of this season. He is currently at 188 starts.

The way Skinner is running, he may also pick up his second championship by the end of this season. Third in points, Skinner is having a strong first year with Randy Moss Motorsports.

That should continue at Milwaukee, where Skinner won in 1995 and has a Driver Rating of 100.7 and a Driver Rating of 9.6 over the last four Milwaukee races.

Matt Crafton Turning Into ‘Mr. Consistency’ In 2009

In NASCAR two things bring success in a career as a driver: winning and consistency.

Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) is proving that the latter can take you to the top of the series standings. Crafton has posted a series-leading eight top-10 finishes in nine starts this season.

Crafton took the lead in the standings after Texas two weeks ago, and now leads standings by 39 points over veteran Ron Hornaday Jr. (second).

Crafton finished second to Johnny Benson last season at Milwaukee. He has made eight starts at Milwaukee, posting one top five and five top 10s.

NASCAR Season-To-Date Loop Data shows why Crafton is having such early success in 2009. He is ranked first in Laps In Top 15 with 88.6% of his laps completed in the top 15. He is ranked fourth in Driver Rating with (103.2).

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Milwaukee Mile Quick Facts

Most Wins by Driver: Johnny Benson (3)
Most Wins by Owner: Bill Davis and Jim Smith (3)
Most Poles: Jack Sprague (4)
Most Top Five Finishes: Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague (7)
Most Top-10 Finishes: Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague (9)

NCWTS Etc.

►Cream Rises To The Top In Rookie Race: Tayler Malsam (No. 81 One-Eighty Toyota), driving for Randy Moss Motorsports, continues to show why he’s leading this season’s Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. He’s currently two points ahead of second-place Johnny Sauter (No. 13 Fun Sand / Rodney Atkins / Curb Records Chevrolet) in the rookie standings.
Malsam posted his fourth top-10 finish of the season at Michigan last Friday. He also leads all other rookies in the series driver standings and is eighth overall, 205 points behind series leader Matt Crafton.
This Friday will be Malsam’s first start at Milwaukee. The other 1-mile size track he has competed on this season was Dover, where he finished 12th.

►Manufacturers’ Standings Rolling After First Nine Races: In the hometown of three of the four manufacturers in NASCAR, Ford came out strong with the win at Michigan. It was the fifth win for Ford at Michigan International Speedway — the series’ leader at the track.
Toyota continues to lead the manufacturers’ standings by 14 points over Chevrolet in second. Ford and Chevrolet lead the series in wins at Milwaukee with four, but Toyota is just one win behind with three. Ford trails Chevrolet by 18 points in the manufacturers’ standings

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2009 Manufacturers’ Championship Standings following Race 9 of 25 at Michigan International Speedway:
Toyota: 72
Chevrolet: 58
Ford: 40
Dodge: 28

Up Next: Memphis Motorsports Park

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will head to Memphis, Tenn. next weekend for the MemphisTravel.com 200 at the famed Memphis Motorsports Park on Friday, June 27.

Ron Hornaday Jr. started third there last season and went on to win the event . Hornaday has six starts at Memphis, posting two wins, four top fives and five top 10s.

Fast Facts

Next Race: Copart 200

The Place: Milwaukee Mile

The Date: Fri., June 19, 2009

The Time: 9 p.m. ET

Race Distance: 200 miles / 200 laps

TV: SPEED, 8:30 p.m. ET

Radio: WAUK-AM 540 MRN, SIRIUS XM.

Track Layout: 1-mile Paved

2008 Winner: Johnny Benson

2008 Polesitter: Johnny Benson

Schedule: Friday–Practice, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and 12:45-2 p.m.; Qualifying, 5:30 p.m.

2009 Standings
Rk Driver Points
1 Matt Crafton 1,362
2 Ron Hornaday Jr. 1,323
3 Mike Skinner 1,318
4 Todd Bodine 1,265
5 Kyle Busch 1,180
6 David Starr 1,179
7 Terry Cook 1,157
8 Tayler Malsam 1,157
9 Rick Crawford 1,140
10 Chad McCumbee 1,131

An issue during the race and even more so during the subsequent truck race, won by Brian Scott, was how many right side tires tired prematurely to the point of saying let’s blow this joint.  Literally.  Considering that Scott’s win came via making a call to stay on the track with worn tires when most everyone else came in late and got new ones, his win is all the more remarkable.  Goodyear swears it won’t happen during the Cup race tomorrow, but with the amount of stress said cars put on tires I’m not exactly brimming with confidence Miles won’t be constantly picking up car parts scattered across the track from accidents not of the driver’s doing.

… a personal injury lawyer firm.

Snark aside, I could easily live without any more such accidents.  As, I imagine, can the drivers.

Sorrow is better than laughter,
because a sad face is good for the heart.

In this light, Kevin Harvick had a better time than Kyle Busch during today’s Atlanta truck race.

The natural tendency whenever Busch is in a race and starting up front, as was the case today, is to automatically put it in his win column and get ready to catch up on ones sleep during the content to see who gets to finish second behind Shrub.  Not today.  Harvick and Todd Bodine with occasional guest appearances by Matt Crafton and friends joined forces with Busch fighting an ill-handling truck that often was too loose for even his tastes to assemble a slam-bang affair with no dearth of drama throughout.

The race was mostly incident-free save when Colin Braun took umbrage with Ricky Carmichael not leaving him comps for the next AMA event and later on Mike Skinner enabling Braun to demonstrate why all tracks should have mandatory SAFER barriers on inside walls.  Meanwhile, up front there was plenty of seriously good stuff going on with passing a-plenty, massive charges through the field, and a concluding segment which saw Busch immediately slide back several positions due to a missing gear and then get it in gear to first slip by and then hold off a furiously charging Harvick.

Here’s hoping tomorrow’s Cup race is even close to being as good.