Kyle “Rowdy” Busch took the checkered flag 1.415 seconds ahead of Todd Bodine to win the San Bernardino County 200 at the Auto Club Speedway Saturday afternoon. Busch took the lead for the final time when the field cycled through green-flag pit stops inside 20 laps to go. Johnny Benson, Terry Cook and 2007 champion Ron Hornaday Jr. rounded out the top five.
Johnny Benson took the checkered flag 0.600 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch to win the Truck Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway Friday night. A late spin by Chris Jones set the field up for a green/white/checkered finish for the sixth time in 2007; on the restart, Benson took the lead coming to the white flag and held off Busch for the victory. Rick Crawford, Kevin Harvick, and Jason Leffler rounded out the top five finishers. Behind them, Ron Hornaday Jr. finished seventh to clinch the 2007 Truck Series title over Mike Skinner; Skinner had mechanical problems with the left-rear wheel of his Toyota, went behind the wall for repairs and wound up 35th, handing the title to his rival by 54 points.
This is it. This is what you’ve been waiting all season for. Tonight, someone is going to be crowned the 2007 Craftsman Truck Series Champion. In the very first “battle of the grandfathers” Ron Hornaday Jr. and Mike Skinner will face off for the final time. Going into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Skinner holds only a slim 29-point advantage over Hornaday Jr.
Jimmie Johnson’s remarkable achievement of four wins in a row gave him double-digit victories for the first time since 1998, when teammate Jeff Gordon dominated the sport. Should Johnson continue on and win his second straight title, is it fair to say the No. 1 driver in the Hendrick stable is now him – not Gordon?
Apparently, Johnny Benson is not up to speed with what can only be titled the “new” NASCAR. That is, a NASCAR that endorses “team racing” as a legitimate and increasingly integral part of its sanctioned racing events. This became evident last Friday night during the running of the Craftsman Truck Series Casino Arizona 150 at Phoenix International Raceway, when Benson passed his Bill Davis Racing teammate Mike Skinner to better his finishing position. The supposed problem with that? Skinner is a championship contender, running neck-and-neck with Ron Hornaday Jr. for a title in which every point will make a difference.
Kyle Busch took the checkered flag ahead of Ron Hornaday Jr. at Phoenix International Raceway Friday night. Busch held onto the lead following a late-race red flag — the second of the night — to win the Casino Arizona 150. Mike Bliss, Jason Leffler and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.
The Lone Star State proved a lonely place for drivers out of the playoffs Sunday, as nine Chase drivers finished the race in the top 11. One by one, some of the best hopes to sneak an upset win at Texas crashed themselves out of contention, showing instead why this wasn’t the year they proved capable of challenging for that championship trophy. But amidst the smoke of an ugly day for this large group of underdogs, some longtime veterans kept up steady streaks that left them leaving with a Texas-sized smile.
Ted Musgrave took the checkered flag under caution ahead of Brendan Gaughan to win his first race since 2005 in St. Louis. Musgrave survived a green-white-checkered finish in the Silverado 350K at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night that saw the two frontrunners, Chad McCumbee and Jack Sprague, wreck each other shortly after taking the green flag. Mike Skinner, Mike Bliss and Rick Crawford rounded out the top five.
Statistically, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have combined to win 41 races over the last four seasons – making them the two best drivers on the circuit in that category. Just 53 points separate them with four races left, setting up what should be a dramatic finish to the title – but fan reaction has ranged from plain disinterest to downright detesting this battle. Why?
As the field wrecked behind him, Mike Skinner took the checkered flag ahead of Jack Sprague to win the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway Saturday afternoon. A late-race red flag set the field up for a three-lap shootout, and Skinner prevailed, winning his third race at the 0.526-mile short track. Ron Hornaday, Jr, David Starr and Rick Crawford rounded out the top five.
Just when you thought the Truck Series points race couldn’t get more exciting, the Smith’s Las Vegas 350 did just that. The combination of a dominating win by Travis Kvapil and a blown tire for Ron Hornaday Jr. has tightened up the points race just a little more… opening the door to make it a three-man affair.
Travis Kvapil took the checkered flag ahead of Johnny Benson to win the Smith’s Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday night. Kvapil outran Benson and Jon Wood, who finished third, in a couple of great side-by-side battles during the final six laps to score his fourth win of the season and ninth of his career. Terry Cook and Erik Darnell rounded out the top five.