THE CHAMP

Returning full-time to the series where he first made a mark on the national level, Ron Hornaday, Jr. raced to his third Craftsman Truck Series championship but first since 1999.
Driving for Kevin and DeLana Harvick, Hornaday posted four victories during the 25-race campaign. The 49-year-old Californian also steered his No. 33 Chevrolet to 13 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes.
Hornaday entered the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway 29 points behind longtime rival Mike Skinner, but when Skinner had trouble, Hornaday’s seventh-place finish was good enough for the title.
“This has been an unbelievable year,” Hornaday said.

MOMENTOUS OCCASIONS

ACE: Willie Allen earned the rookie-of-the-year award in the Craftsman Truck Series.
BACK TO BACK: In the first 12 Craftsman Truck races at The Milwaukee Mile, no driver won in consecutive years. However, Johnny Benson ended that streak with his second-consecutive triumph at the one-mile oval when the series made its 13th stop at the Wisconsin track.
RETURN WINNER: Dennis Setzer ended a nearly two-year-long drought with a victory at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park in May. It was his first triumph since Aug. 5, 2005, and the 17th of his career.
ON A TEAR: After finishing fourth at Daytona, Mike Skinner won three consecutive races to start the season. The third victory came at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway where Skinner led  246 of 253 laps of the .525-mile oval.
UPSET — ALMOST: Subbing for suspended Ted Musgrave, Brad Keselowski nearly pulled off an upset for the ages. He led 62 laps at Memphis Motorsports Park before he was spun by eventual winner Travis Kvapil with only nine laps remaining.
KICKED OUT: Johnny Benson and the Bill Davis Racing team were docked 50 points after Benson allowed supermodified driver Mike Lichty to try out his Toyota ride during a test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Lichty, who did not have a NASCAR license, crashed. The team was promptly escorted from the 1.5-mile speedway.
BOWTIE AFFAIR: Chevrolet did not win until the sixth race of the season when eventual champion Ron Hornaday, Jr. triumphed at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
PUNISHED: Drivers Aaron Fike and Tyler Walker were each suspended for violating NASCAR’s drug policy during the course of the season.

ON THE RECORD

“I owe Johnny (Benson) big, and I know why he did it because I ran with him at Talladega. I can’t believe I won Daytona.” — Jack Sprague

“There’s no way he made it on fuel. It is impossible.”— Sprague after Dennis Setzer won by stretching his fuel mileage at Mansfield, Ohio

“We led every race except for one this year, so I can’t go stick my head in the sand. We were where we were supposed to be when the truck broke.” — Mike Skinner

“Winning at Talladega would have been big to Rick Crawford. To be at this showplace in my home state is great. I finished second, so I’m going to party anyway. I just came up a little short.” — Rick Crawford after losing in a photo finish at Talladega

“I hate to see it for Mike. But only one of us was going to win this thing.” — Ron Hornaday, Jr.

“It feels awesome. We’ve been trying so hard and have been so close so many times. We haven’t been able to pull it off until now.” — Erik Darnell on his first Truck Series victory

LOOKING AHEAD

The Craftsman Truck Series schedule will again feature 25 races next season, with the same 22 venues hosting events.

STAT PACK

2,500      Gallons of gas used in four jet dryers in Mansfield, Ohio

49      Years of age of champion Ron Hornaday, Jr.

3      Former Indianapolis 500 winners — Buddy Lazier, Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti — to participate in the Craftsman Truck Series this season

12      Victories by a Toyota Tundra

21      Lead changes at Daytona

TOP 10

    Driver    Points    Wins    Top 5    Top 10    Poles
    1. Ron Hornaday, Jr.    3,982    4    13    22    1
    2. Mike Skinner    3,928    5    17    20    11
    3. Johnny Benson    3,557    4    12    19    0
    4. Todd Bodine    3,525    2    10    16    2
    5. Rick Crawford    3,523    0    11    18    0
    6. Travis Kvapil    3,511    4    8    12    3
    7. Ted Musgrave    3,183    1    7    15    0
    8. Matt Crafton    3,060    0    1    10    0
    9. Jack Sprague    3,001    1    6    10    2
    10. David Starr    2,921    0    3    5    0

WHO, WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE

    Date    Track    Winner    Truck    Laps
    Feb. 16    Daytona Int’l Speedway (Fla.)    Jack Sprague    Toyota    100
    Feb. 23    California Speedway    Mike Skinner    Toyota    100
    March 16    Atlanta Motor Speedway (Ga.)    Mike Skinner    Toyota    130
    March 31    Martinsville Speedway (Va.)    Mike Skinner    Toyota    253
    April 28    Kansas Speedway    Erik Darnell    Ford    167
    May 18    Lowe’s Motor Speedway (N.C.)    Ron Hornaday, Jr.    Chevrolet    136
    May 26    Mansfield Motorsports Park (Ohio)    Dennis Setzer    Chevrolet    250
    June 1    Dover Int’l Speedway (Del.)    Ron Hornaday, Jr.    Chevrolet    200
    June 8    Texas Motor Speedway    Todd Bodine    Toyota    169
    June 16    Michigan Int’l Speedway    Travis Kvapil    Ford    100
    June 22    The Milwaukee Mile (Wis.)    Johnny Benson    Toyota    200
    June 30    Memphis Motorsports Park (Tenn.)    Travis Kvapil    Ford    200
    July 14    Kentucky Speedway    Mike Skinner    Toyota    150
    July 27    O’Reilly Raceway Park (Ind.)    Ron Hornaday, Jr.    Chevrolet    200
    Aug. 11    Nashville Superspeedway (Tenn.)    Travis Kvapil    Ford    150
    Aug. 22    Bristol Motor Speedway (Tenn.)    Johnny Benson    Toyota    200
    Sept. 1    Gateway Int’l Raceway (Ill.)    Johnny Benson    Toyota    160
    Sept. 15    New Hampshire Int’l Speedway    Ron Hornaday, Jr.    Chevrolet    200
    Sept. 22    Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Nev.)    Travis Kvapil    Ford    146
    Oct. 6    Talladega Superspeedway (Ala.)    Todd Bodine    Toyota    94
    Oct. 20    Martinsville Speedway (Va.)    Mike Skinner    Toyota     200
    Oct. 27    Atlanta Motor Speedway (Ga.)    Kyle Busch    Chevrolet    130
    Nov. 2    Texas Motor Speedway    Ted Musgrave    Toyota    149
    Nov. 9    Phoenix Int’l Raceway (Ariz.)    Kyle Busch    Chevrolet    150
    Nov. 16    Homestead-Miami Speedway (Fla.)    Johnny Benson    Toyota    138