CLERMONT, Ind. — Ron Hornaday, Jr. may have led the most laps, but Johnny Benson got what he wanted — the winner’s trophy — Friday night at O’Reilly Raceway Park.
Benson moved around Hornaday with 38 laps to go and out-gunned him on four restarts for his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in his last four outings in the Vemma Toyota.
“Ron pretty much dominated the race, but we got the trophy,” Benson said. “Holding him (Hornaday) off isn’t as hard as trying to pass him.”
Driving the Bill Davis-owned Vemma Toyota, Benson passed Hornaday for good just seconds before the seventh caution flashed on lap 163. Hornaday in the VFW Chevrolet led a race-high 153 laps. Benson led twice for 43 laps.
“I took the gamble to get around him and it paid off,” Benson said of his winning pass. “I kept watching the spots where he was running and got alongside him (turn three and four) and my truck stuck.”
Benson went into the 200-lap chase with a slim one-point lead over Matt Crafton, who finished fourth. Hornaday moved into second place and trails Benson by 15 points in the standings.
Benson is taking his hot streak in stride after being winless in his first 10 starts. Eleven races remain as he seeks his first series crown.
“We don’t have our hands wrapped around that trophy,” said Benson. “It’s among four or five drivers, but nobody has a handle on it.”
It was Benson’s first victory at ORP where he finished second last year and in 1995.
There were only two cautions during the first half of the race while  nine cautions slowed the second half of the race. 
“The yellows put us that much closer,” Hornaday said. “My truck was a little tight in the center (turns) and he (Benson) was rolling through the center too good.”
Erik Darnell, driving a Roush Fenway Ford, finished third for his fourth top-five finish in five races.
First-time Keystone Light Pole winner Bobby East, who won the USAC Silver Crown race Thursday at ORP, led the first four laps and was racing among the leaders until lap 123 when he and Stacy Compton collided on the frontstretch.
“We ran in the top five until we got in that wreck,” East said. “I got shoved into the fence and that ruined our night.”
Thorsport Chevrolet teammates Crafton, who dropped to third in points, and Shelby Howard IV finished fourth and fifth.
Howard, who lives 24 miles from ORP, posted his first NCTS top five on his 23rd birthday.
“Here at home, I had a lot of fans,” Howard said. “We dropped back and had to come back through it. The truck was too tight early.”
Rounding out the top 10 were Brendan Gaughan, T.J. Bell, Kyle Busch, rookie Donny Lia and Mike Skinner.
Twenty-two of the 34 starters were running at the finish.