AUGUST NEWS

Anything Can Happen with Nine to Go
Last week at Chicagoland Speedway, Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 Longhorn Chevy) didn't have the results that have typified his season so far. He qualified outside of the top five for the first time and finished 11th, his lowest finish since a pair of tough races at Dover (26th) and Texas (19th).

Busch wins at Chicagoland
On a restart with just seven laps remaining, #51-Kyle Busch held on to the lead with little challenge from second place finisher, #30-Todd Bodine to win the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. This is Busch's 13th victory in 64 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races; his fourth in 2009.

Rounding out the top ten were #6-Colin Braun, #14-Rick Crawford, #13-Johnny Sauter, #8-Dennis Setzer, #07-Chad McCumbee, #15-Aric Almirola, #17-Timothy Peters, #25-Terry Cook. Points leader, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., after getting caught a lap down, managed to get back on the lead lap finishing in 11th place. There were 11 lead changes among 7 drivers with 7 caution flags for 28 laps.

Hornaday Maintains Edge in Point Standings
Following an 11th place finish at Chicagoland, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr. still managed to increase his lead by nine more points over second place, #88-Matt Crafton. Hornaday stands at 2593 points; 220 ahead of Crafton. Rounding out the top ten are; #5, Mike Skinner, #30-Todd Bodine, #16-Brian Scott, #24-David Starr, #6-Colin Braun, #8-Dennis Setzer, #14-Rick Crawford, #25-Terry Cook

Chicago Truck Tickets

Johnny's photo is on the tickets for the Chicagoland Truck race - August 28th

Former Truck Champions Careers in Different Stages
Benson - Skinner at Crossroads; Hornaday on a Roll
By:  Bill Kimm - Nascar.com
    
 

They finished 1-2-3 in the 2007 Truck Series championship. They each have at least one Truck title. They sit first, second and fourth in win percentage in the history of the series. They each had brief bouts in the Cup Series and all three drivers will tell you very little separate them behind the wheel.

There was a time not long ago when Ron Hornaday, Mike Skinner and Johnny Benson, respectively to the above numbers, were the faces of the Truck Series, the three most dominant drivers on the circuit. But in '09, they find themselves going in three completely different directions.

Some of it is luck, both good and bad. Some of it is misfortunate. Some of it is just being in the right place at the right time. But all three know they could be in the other person's shoes if it wasn't for one or two fate-changing decisions.

• Hornaday has become the king of the Truck Series. His six wins, nine top-fives and 12 top-10s are all series highs this season. He had the largest points lead in Truck history after 14 races and looks to win his fourth title -- a series record.

• Skinner is trying to find the magic again with a new organization after the one for which he garnered so much success folded. Skinner can run strong, but with a limited budget and limited resources, he can only do so much.

• Benson, the defending champion, is out of a ride and looking for his next opportunity. Gone after just eight races, he knows he can compete for a championship, but the open teams that can are slim.

Three drivers who not long ago were the crème de la crème of the Truck Series now find themselves facing new challenges as they look to regain or maintain the level of success they had just a few short years ago.

A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR
It's hard to imagine the defending Truck Series champion not in the sport the following year, but that's exactly what happened to Johnny Benson.  It all started in November 2008 when Benson announced he was leaving Bill Davis Racing a month before Benson would go on to win his first series title.

"Bill Davis gave me a great opportunity to come race in the Truck Series along with the help of Toyota and it was a lot of fun. It was great. I think everybody said what they said we were going to do," Benson said. "We wanted to go out and be a championship contender and when a championship. I think myself and the organization accomplished that. I think that is something both parties can be proud of.

"I knew there were some things going on. It sounded like they were selling the team and moving it, things of this nature. So four or five weeks before the end of the season, I chose not to come back knowing that there was going to be some changes, knowing that I didn't really know what I was going to do."

A champion with no ride, it didn't take long for Benson to find his next opportunity. In mid-December, Benson announced he would be joining Red Horse Racing with a three-year deal. Even better for Benson, most of his championship crew, now jobless with Bill Davis Racing closing up shop, would join Benson at RHR including crew chief Trip Bruce.

"I hemmed and hawed for a little bit because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I looked at a partial schedule and things of that nature, but Red Horse had pushed really hard to get Trip and me over there to run for a championship," Benson said. "He had come up with a three-year plan, a three-year deal to make that happen and at that point in time I was like, 'Alright, I'm excited about it, let's do it.' So that was the plan."

Things got off to a good start, too. Although the team struggled to find full-time sponsorship for the No. 1 Toyota, Benson was competitive and after eight races had three top-fives and was sitting seventh in points. That's when the bottom dropped out.

On June 8, Tom DeLoach, owner of Red Horse Racing, announced he was shutting down the No. 1 team immediately due to lack of funding. The move came as a total shock to Benson.

"It was a business decision, that's what he chose to do, it's not what was agreed upon but that's what happens," Benson said. "There's nothing you can do outside of that. The hard part that's hard to swallow is the fact that we were actually closer to the championship lead than I was the year before and we continued on and won the championship. I really believed we could have done that this year.

"We had all the right people. We had everything in place to make that happen, that's what Red Horse wanted. We had everything in place to make that happen and now its not. So it was a business decision. You can't argue that. It's his decision, it's his race team."

Benson could have found have a ride for the rest of the '09 season, but he's not one to be satisfied with being a field-filler. He wants to compete. He wants to win.  "At this stage in my career, I'm capable of winning races and going to win a championship," Benson said. "I don't want to do something that doesn't have that opportunity. It doesn't make sense for me to go run 10th, 15th, 20th -- my nature is to go win races and go run for a championship."

Skinner, former teammate of Benson at Bill Davis Racing, agrees.  "There would have been several places he could have gone and drove, but not at the level of competition he wants to run in," Skinner said. "I don't think Johnny wants to run in the back.  He's not done. He'll be back. He's not financially broke, he can take this year off and go play and kind of get his ducks in a row and find sponsorship and I feel sure that Johnny Benson will be back."

Benson's return was sidelined even more after a violent crash at Berlin Speedway in Marne, Mich., during a supermodified race. Benson suffered broken ribs, a separated shoulder and burns sidelining him for the rest of the '09 season.  Doctors expect a full recovery and the '08 champion is hard at work looking for his next opportunity.

"We will see what next year brings but I think what we can expect from myself in the future is to run for another championship and I honestly believe that," Benson said. "I'm capable of doing that and when I get the right people and everything lined up, we will go do that. It's just a matter of crossing your t's and dotting your i's and getting to the right situation to make that happen."

THE MOSS IS ALWAYS GREENER
Unlike former teammate Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner "had no earthly idea" that he wouldn't be driving the No. 5 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing in 2009.  "It was devastating," Skinner said. "I had some really good offers from good teams that I could have gone to and I passed on them. We had a really good program over there with Johnny and myself and we always kept a development driver in the 22 truck. It was a good program. We all kind of fed off each other and the crew chiefs seemed to get along pretty good. It was a good deal."

Ron Hornaday can sympathize with Skinner. A friend on and off the track for many years, Hornaday, too, has been in that situation.  "I go back [to when I was with Dale Earnhardt Inc.]. I won them two championships and was running real good in the Nationwide car, top-five in points and he starts a Cup team and all of a sudden I'm out looking for a job," Hornaday said. "Things change, that's what so tough about this sport."

Skinner found out on New Year's Day that Bill Davis Racing was no more, which left six weeks for the 1995 Truck Series champion to find a new home. In late January, that new home became Randy Moss Motorsports.  "The team that I'm with now has the potential to be even better," Skinner said. " This team here is running on six cylinders, they don't have any money and it makes it awfully hard to get the personnel and the people in there -- but the potential with the leadership of [crew chief] Eric Phillips and [co-owner] David Dollar, I was shocked at the potential this team has, I'm shocked we won a race this year."

Through the first 15 races, Skinner sits third in points with a win, six top-fives and 10 top-10s. He's competitive with his new team, something he realizes is rare. And Skinner is appreciative for the opportunity, because he knows he could have easily been out of the sport as is Benson.  "We could be out of [a ride] next year," Skinner said. "That's the nature of our business. We've been blessed that we've been able to find a situation that we could keep racing and keep going. Randy has indicated that he can help pump some blood into our veins in this thing and hopefully he'll do that."

Money, right now, is the big obstacle for Skinner and his race team and it has changed how he does things on the track. With only so many trucks available, Skinner has to be extra cautious, something he's not exactly accustomed to doing.  "It makes you a better points racer but you win fewer races," Skinner said. "I've never really claimed to be a points racer, it's not my style. I want wins, I want top-fives.  We've finished second two times in a row this year and we probably could have won the race. I would have had to go up there and take the chance of wrecking and we chose not to."

Skinner understands that his team, while contending, isn't on par with Hornaday and Kevin Harvick Inc. He looks back to this year's race at Nashville, where he has dominated in the past and says this year "we couldn't hit our butt with two hands."

The former champ knows it takes many years together to get to the level that Hornaday and KHI are right now, and he hopes he has the opportunity with Randy Moss Motorsports to make it happen because he believes the pieces are there for a championship.  "I feel quite sure when we go back to these places again we are going to be competitive," Skinner said. "You give us until this time next year, I feel quite sure we are going to be better. And if we stay together another year, we are going to be like where [crew chief] Rick [Ren] and Ron are right now."

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Ron Hornaday is smiling more now than he ever has.  In his fifth year with Kevin Harvick Inc., Hornaday just rolled off a Truck Series-record five consecutive victories to catapult him to the top of the standings. His No. 33 team is the favorite to win each and every week and if Hornaday can just maintain a top-10 finish in the final 10 races, he will cruise to his record fourth Truck championship.

All this coming at 51 years of age, a time when he should be thinking about retirement, not racing domination.  "We are having fun," Hornaday said. "I'm fortunate enough where my kids are old enough and grown up where I can go out and it's basically mine and my wife's vacation. We go to these race tracks and we spend more time with the fans and we don't have to worry about the kids having a get-together at the house or driving one of our cars, so it's kind of cool."

Hornaday's situation is one every driver in the series hopes to achieve in their career, and it all starts at the top. Hornaday knows he is blessed to be driving for one of the best owners in the business in Kevin Harvick.  "Kevin and [wife] DeLana have definitely given us the right equipment to put the right people in place and to work with," Hornaday said. "I've been real fortunate in my career to drive for owners who have driven before and own teams and Kevin is top-notch. He's hands on, he knows what he's got in the shop. He's not one of those guys who takes his money and throws it at a team. He spends his money wisely. DeLana, she hands on, she's there every day. It's just so much fun."

There are two instances last year, Hornaday recalls, that show why Kevin Harvick Inc. is successful, and it all comes down to attitude. The first was during a rough patch of races early in the season and the second was after a crash in Phoenix that all but ended Hornaday's bid for the championship.

After a bad stretch of finishes, Hornaday was being hard on himself. Harvick told the team: "You know what, if you guys can't have fun doing this, it's not even worth doing. So you gotta first have fun and if you have fun everything else will fall your way."

It was exactly the words Hornaday needed to hear as he would go on to win six races and challenge Benson for the title.  But at Phoenix, the second-to-last race of the season, Hornaday had what he called a "brain fade" and crashed on the first lap. As Hornaday was apologizing to everyone for ruining the championship, Harvick was calm and offered these words to his distraught driver: "I don't want you to drive any different. That's how you got here right now is by driving hard so you don't worry about that race."

"That's what kind of owner he is, he hired me to do a job and he's never told me how to change my driving style or what to do, he just puts the right people in the right places to fit around my driving style," Hornaday said.

With all the pieces lining up, the No. 33 team is "in their own league" according to Mike Skinner. He says the success of Hornaday all comes to down to one thing: Kevin Harvick.  "It's the race team. Ron is a fantastic driver, but it's the situation, it's the equipment," Skinner said. "If you put him in the 8 truck, he ain't gonna run any better than Dennis Setzer does in it. It's the team. It's the program and they've had years now to get a grip on that.

"If you look at pictures of their stuff going around the race track, their truck is down on the front, its down on the back, its diggin'. If you look at the bodies, they are all sweet. They got the drag out of them but yet they've got a lot of downforce. Their program is just better. They are setting the bar and nobody else out there is in that league. I'm not taking anything away from Ron because he's a great driver, but it's the program."

Hornaday agrees, knowing it's his job to go out and win, but he wouldn't be able to without the crew he has had for years.  "It's all the gel factor," Hornaday said. "You see guys, they are changing the corporations around and putting different crew members with different drivers and crew chiefs. My guys, they've been working together for three years now and everything is gelling.  "We ran good last year. We are just learning by our mistakes and hopefully don't do them again."

For Johnny Benson, he's had fun watching Hornaday's domination off the track and is using it to motivate him in his return.  "Ron has been running great this year but you know what, he ran great last year too," Benson said. "Right now, they are definitely on a roll. They are just hitting on everything the way they need to. It's good to see that, but it's good to see that to a certain extent.

"I don't think it's gonna be fun to watch him win every race but it just gives us more motivation to go beat that next year. I've learned a lot by watching what's going on and it's given me extra motivation to go figure out what it's going to take to go beat that."

Whether looking for the next big thing, helping build a contender, or trying to remain the best, Benson, Skinner and Hornaday all have their work cut out for them the rest of 2009 and into the future.

As all three can attest, things can change in an instant -- one minute you're on top of the world as a champion, the next you are out of a ride just looking for a way back in. But there is one thing we know for sure: Ron Hornaday, Mike Skinner and Johnny Benson will remain in the Truck Series, looking to best each other each and every week, for a long time to come.

"The Chet" at Berlin Raceway
The Coors Light Late Models will run a special 100-lap feature and they will be joined by the Kerkstra Services Pro Stocks and the Young Guns.  The Late Models will also have an on-track autograph session.  Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12 and five and under are free.  Pit passes for those 14 and up are $25 and the first race starts at 7 p.m.

Camping World Trucks at Chicagoland
Chicagoland Speedway New To Series, Not For Everyone

One might assume an inaugural event at a track new to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series would find everyone on equal footing. Not necessarily so.

Stacy Compton (#60 SafeAuto Insurance Toyota) has amassed nearly 1,400 laps at Chicagoland in NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide events. "Undoubtedly, the trucks are going to go there and run wide open," said Compton, who likens the track to Kentucky Speedway where he contended for a victory last month before a late-race accident foiled his challenge.

Busch Wins at Bristol
 #51-took the lead with a little under 50 laps remaining to easily pick up the win in the O'Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline at Bristol Motor Speedway. This makes two wins in a row for Busch at Bristol, and his third series victory in 2009. Great job by #23-Jason White who led the most laps for the night at 86. Following a late-race pitstop, White wound up with a 14th place finish.

Rounding out the top ten were; #88-Matt Crafton, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #2-Ryan Newman, #16-Brian Scott, #15-Aric Almirola, #24-David Starr, #11-TJ Bell, #50-Stacy Compton, #17-Timothy Peters. There were 5 lead changes among 4 drivers and 5 caution flags for 32 laps.

Still Recovering and Lacking a Ride - Johnny Benson Won't Race Again this Season
By:  Steve Kaminski

Johnny Benson Jr. would be twiddling his thumbs if his left arm wasn't in a sling and probably will be for another two weeks. 

Think the injuries Benson sustained in the horrific crash at the Berlin Raceway in Marne on June 13 hurt?  Benson has raced every summer since he was 19, but doctors told him to take this one off.

He is so bored, it's painful.

"It's bad," said the 46-year old Grand Rapids native, who resides in Cornelius, N.C. with his wife, Deb, and two daughters. "It's so bad that I went out and bought a remote control helicopter. That's about as exciting as it gets around my house."

Benson will make his first trip to a race track in more than two months this week when he heads to Bristol, Tenn., for Wednesday's O'Reilly 200 NASCAR Camping Truck Series race.

He has yet to find a ride, and he has months to go before he is all healed up, anyway, so Benson will just watch the race and visit with old friends and foes. Benson won the Truck Series championship last year and was set to defend his title in 2009.

Then came Hell Week.

Red Horse Racing folded up Benson's team on June 8, leaving him without a ride. Five nights later, Benson slammed his homemade Supermodified into Berlin Raceway's Turn 4 cement retaining wall, which left him in serious condition and required a three-night hospital stay with several broken bones and minor burns.

Benson since had shoulder surgery and is in physical therapy. Doctors have advised him not to race again until at least November, so he is taking is easy, and he said his recovery is right on schedule.

"The physical therapy and everything else is going great," Benson said. "I'm able to do some stretching exercises, and I'm able to go into the pool and move (my shoulder) around.

"Physically, I probably could get back into a race car (before November) and drive, but the problem is if I hit something. That's what the doctors are worried about. They put some holes in me and tethers to hold things together when I had surgery, and the doctors want everything to heal up first."

Benson still has to find a team to give him a shot, and he is looking aggressively, primarily in the NASCAR Nationwide and Truck circuits.

"If I am going to race again ­-- and I will race again -- I want to find something that will give me a chance to win races and run for championships, whether it's in the Nationwide Series or Trucks," Benson said. "I know that limits the people I can talk to.

"But we have been talking to some people, and I'm excited about it. Hopefully, we can get things moving in the right direction."

Benson broke his right wrist, both sides of the collarbone where it connects to the sternum, three ribs and the left-side scapula.

However, he said has no desire to quit, even though he has enjoyed a rewarding career that has included championships in the NASCAR Busch Series (1995), American Speed Association (1993) and Berlin Raceway (1989) to go with his NASCAR Winston Cup win at Rockingham (2002).

Benson said he is driven to return, not only to the NASCAR ranks, but to the short tracks as well.

"I do it for the love of the sport," Benson said. "I'm still at an age where I can race, and when you love this sport, you want to keep doing it."

Benson is a 1981 Forest Hills Northern graduate and a second generation driver. His father won eight Berlin track championships during the 1970s.

 

Since Johnny has taken a hiatus from racing, I decided to travel to Michigan Speedway when the Nextel Cup and Nationwide series were making their appearance.  What a better way to spend a Saturday when it's 90 degrees and humid! 

 

Left Grand Rapids at 7:00 a.m. and arrived at MIS just after 9:00 a.m.  Drove into the area where the NASCAR truck was located get my garage pass.  Bad news - it didn't open until 10:40 a.m.!  

 

After cruising around the track to see friends in the camping area and pick up will call tickets for other friends it time to head into the infield.  The gate officials were very understanding about the delay of getting my pass - so they let me in through the tunnel.  It's nice to have friends with connections and my car had a premier parking spot just outside the driver's motor home compound. 

 

It was fun to watch the race of the mini vans and rental cars bringing in the crew guys that had to be ready when the Nextel Cup garage opened at 10:30 a.m.  Everyone had back packs and were ready for their day of practice sessions and adjustments. 

 

It was finally time for me to head back to the NASCAR truck.  Once they opened the doors, the line moved very quickly. They have a guard at the door and you are expected to have the paperwork filled out completely before entering.  A big sign on the door informs fans to refrain from talking on cell phones.  They have 4 NASCAR employees checking people in and one person overseeing the production line.  It took me a total of 20 minutes from the time I stood in line, until I was out the door. 

 

My view of the NASCAR Truck as I stood in line

For the complete story and photos - click here.   Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into the garage area!

A Look Back
Photos By:  Randy Ellen

Johnny and Berlin - quite a history	A unique view
Traffic jam	Trying to see through the smoke

Bristol Set Up Show
As part of the set up show with Krista Voda - they are going to do a feature about Johnny and his wreck at Berlin.  Randy Ellen has provided them with photos of the wreck sequence.  It will be on the SPEED channel at 8:00 p.m. eastern - Wednesday night.

Johnny planning to visit Bristol race
Sources have confirmed that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, current Camping World Truck Series Champion Johnny Benson plans to visit Bristol Motor Speedway when the series takes to the track for the O'Reilly 200 on Wednesday, August 19th. Benson has been at home recuperating from surgery to repair a shoulder separation resulting from a fiery crash during a supermodified race at Berlin Raceway on June 13th.

Up Next: Bristol Motor Speedway
Prerace Show - 8:00 p.m.
Race:  8:30 p.m. on SPEED
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series gets to stay in the state of Tennessee. The trucks will head East on I-40 where Bristol Motor Speedway will host the series for the O'Reilly 200 on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Ron Hornaday Jr. holds the most wins at the track with two (1997, 1998). Should he keep his winning streak alive in two weeks, the driver would make it a Tennessee sweep having won races at Memphis and Nashville earlier in the season. Travis Kvapil is the only other series driver to win at all three Tennessee tracks.

Points Battle a Different Picture This Year
With 14 races down and 11 to go in the 2009 season, Ron Hornaday Jr.'s impressive winning streak has him perched at the top of the standings with a 216-point cushion over Matt Crafton (#88 Menards Chevy).

Crafton moved up to the second position following the race at Nashville, putting Mike Skinner (#5 PC Miler Navigator Toyota) back to third. Only 32 points, however, separates Crafton and the series' 1995 champion. Both are looking to get back to Victory Lane and for better luck in the weeks ahead to help diminish the points deficit.


Manufacturers' Standings
Chevy swipes the top spot from Toyota following Ron Hornaday Jr.'s win at Nashville Superspeedway over the weekend. While the lead is by only one point, it's a different picture for the manufacturer this season versus last season. After 14 races, Toyota held a seven-point lead over Chevy and never looked back in claiming the 2008 title.
 

Toledo Speedway - CRA Race
You can listen to the CRA Race at Toledo Speedway tonight (Friday, August 14th) on racetalkradio.com. 

Berlin Raceway - Cancelled
The races at Berlin Raceway for tonight have been cancelled due to rain. 

CRA Returns to Berlin Raceway
The CRA Super Series will be back in town for the second time in 2009 to run the Radisson of Grand Rapids 125.  Brian Campbell will be trying to win for his third time at Berlin in 2009.  There are 23 cars signed up and ready to try and end the Campbell domination at Berlin!  CRA point leader Johnny VanDoorn is coming to Berlin with hopes to extend his point lead in front of his hometown fans!  The Young Guns will be back this weekend with Kelsey Steele looking to add to her 95 point lead over Dalton Haney.  Dan Reimersma and Ben Kleis will battle it out for the #1 spot in the Burnips Equipment 4-Cylinder Points standings as Ryan Hamm and Jason Scheid look to jump over both of them to take the top spot.  It should be an exciting weekend of racing at Berlin Raceway!  Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for kids.

JB's Update
08/03/09

Just got back from a weekend trip with my mom to Charlotte to visit Johnny, Debbie and the girls.  Johnny looks well - getting around pretty good since he limited in his movement.  Still not behind the wheel - but runs the tv remote quite well - the power of tivo! 

I can honestly say I am interested in watching the X games after watching a couple of nights of competition.  Of course, we spent time watching the ARCA, Truck and Nationwide race. 

I spent a good hour browsing through all of the get well cards he has received so far.  So many JB fans from across the United States and Canada have shown there support and prayers - THANK  YOU! 

There was a little time to go shopping  .....  check this photo out!  

                                                  Barb

Ren Breaks Record for Most Crew Chief Wins
With Ron Hornaday Jr.'s Nashville win driving the #33-Longhorn Chevy for Kevin Harvick Inc, Crew Chief, Rick Ren broke the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series crew chief wins record. He now has 27 career victories. He was previously tied for first with Dennis Connor.  Rick Ren victories were with 5 drivers - including Johnny. 


Hornaday Enters Record Book with Win
Ron Hornaday Jr. moved higher into the NASCAR record book alongside some famous company Saturday in the Toyota Tundra 200 Camping World Truck Series at Nashville Speedway, becoming the third driver to win five straight races in a national series and the first in 38 years. Hornaday joined Richard Petty and Bobby Allison, who both did it in 1971 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, in a tie for second on the all-time consecutive win list. Petty holds the all-time record with 10 straight in 1967 in the Cup series.

Kansas Race Moves to Sunday in 2010
 When the Indy Racing League announces its schedules for the 2010 season later today, there will be a new twist for Kansas Speedway's 10th anniversary. The IndyCar Series, for the first time, will run on a Saturday instead of a Sunday at Kansas Speedway. The IndyCar race will be Saturday, May 1; the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series, traditionally a Saturday event, will move to Sunday, May 2.

Because of television conflicts with Talladega, Kansas Speedway started the IndyCar and trucks races after 4 p.m. In 2010, they can start at noon or 1, Central time because the Sprint Cup series will be at Richmond on Saturday night, so there will not be conflicts on either day. "From the feedback we received from the fans, we were trying to move the start times earlier in the day, and this works out well," said Jeff Boerger, president of Kansas Speedway. "Fans were telling us we were starting the races too late. Saturday was not so much of a concern, but Sunday is a concern because people have to get back to work on Monday. "If we're starting the races at 4, by time they get out of the race track, it's 6 o'clock and they have some driving to do because so many of our fans come from outside of Kansas City. It's a switch that accommodates schedules and times, and something we all agreed to do to help the fans and accomplish what we want."

Hornaday Wins at Nashville, Fifth in a Row
 #33-Ron Hornaday Jr. continues to make history in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series by picking up his fifth win a row when he took the checkers for the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway. This was Hornaday's first win at Nashville, his sixth win this season, and 45th overall in the series.

Rounding out the top ten were;#16-Brian Scott, #6-Colin Braun, #17-Timothy Peters, #88-Matt Crafton, #13-Johnny Sauter, #14-Rick Crawford, #8-Dennis Setzer, #81-Tayler Malsam, #11-TJ Bell. There were 3 lead changes among 3 drivers and 6 caution flags for 28 laps.
 

No Double File Restarts for Truck Series
During the prerace show on SPEEDtv, Krista Voda reported that Series Director Wayne Auton told the teams that the Camping World Truck Series will not be changing to double-file restarts and also no changes to pit stops for the remainder of 2009.

Hornaday Sets New Series Record
Ron Hornaday Jr., held off a late challenge from Mike Skinner to win the AAA Insurance 200, making him the first driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to win four consecutive races. Hornaday, the three-time series champion, had won at Milwaukee, Memphis and Kentucky. Five drivers had shared the record of three wins in a row: Hornaday (1997 and 2009), Skinner (1996 and 2007), Greg Biffle (2000), Todd Bodine (2005) and Johnny Benson (2008).
Congratulations to Ron Hornaday, Rick Ren and the #33 crew!
 

Hornaday Wins at ORP; Makes it Four in a Row
A battle to the finish with #5-Mike Skinner, but in the end #33-Ron Hornaday Jr. took the checkers first to pick up a record-breaking win in the AAA Insurance 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park. It was the 44th career win for Hornaday; his fifth this season and he became the first driver to win four in a row in the Camping World Truck Series.

 #5-Mike Skinner was second. #15-Aric Almirola had a great run, coming back from one lap down to finish third. Rounding out the top ten were; #8-Dennis Setzer, #10-James Buescher, #81-Tayler Malsam, #60-Stacy Compton, #24-David Starr, #51-Kyle Busch. There were 5 lead changes among 4 drivers and 5 caution flags for 27 laps. 

Lofton wins Wolverine Power Systems 200
The ARCA RE/MAX cars were back at Berlin Raceway and kicking off the evening was a concert by Lee Greenwood.  Taking the checkers on the night were Ryan Gruppen (Kerkstra Services Pro Stock), Brandon Hermiller (Young Guns) and Justin Lofton (ARCA RE/MAX).

The Kerkstra Services Pro Stocks were the first feature race of the night with #88 Tony Davis and #20 Dave Hull on the front row.  Hull was quick to grab the lead, but by lap 8, Davis was challenge Hull for the lead.  Davis got loose on lap 10 right in front of #50 Justin Regnerus just as Regnerus and #76 Brian Tillema were battling for position.  By half-way, #76 Ryan Gruppen was giving chase and was on Hull’s bumper while they caught the back of the pack.  With five laps to go, Gruppen got by Hull and Regnerus rallied up to second, but ran out of time.  Gruppen got his first win of the season and the rest of the top ten were Regnerus, Hull, Tillema, #51 Weston Jewett, #36 Ken Smith, Jr., Davis, #15 Scott Root, #7 Kevin DeGood and #40 Dave Cutler.

The #18 of Mitch Meppelink and #19 Dalton Haney started the Young Gun feature on the front row and Haney took the lead as soon as the green flag flew and started to pull away.  The #48 of Seth Moody was the car on the move, jumping three positions by the second lap.  By lap 8, second place #6 Brandon Hermiller caught Haney and while the two were battling for the lead, Haney spun on lap 10 while leading. This gave the lead to Hermiller, who held off the field and got his first win of the season.  The rest of the finishing order was Meppelink, #32 Gabe Ensing, Moody, #101 Lauren Bush, #16 Kelsey Steele and Haney.

The Wolverine Power Systems 200 presented by Generac was the last race of the night, #6 Justin Lofton and #29 Chad Finley lead the field to the green flag.  Just as the field took the green flag, caution was out; #73 Dale Shearer spun, as did the #0 of Wayne Peterson.  The restart was single file and Lofton rocketed to the lead and by the time he got to turn 3, he already had the tail of the field in his sights.  Lap 7, caution was out again; the #18 of Billy Leslie went off the backstretch in turn 3.  The field raced single-file until lap 28 when the third caution came out for an incident on the backstretch.  Lap 37, the #32 of Matt Merrell was catching Lofton while maneuvering lapped traffic, but as soon as they were clear, Lofton pulled away again.  Lap 52, Merrell caught Lofton again, but it wasn’t until lap 66 when Merrell was really putting on the pressure while they were in heavy traffic.  The fourth caution of the night came on lap 67, the #23 of Jeremy Petty spun in turn 2.  After falling back to sixth from pitting, Merrell was working his way through the field and made it up to third before the fifth caution came out on lap 89. The cars of Shearer, #15 Justin Lloyd, #2 Tim George, Jr. and #11 Bryan Silas were involved in a wreck in turn 3.  After the race was restarted, the leaders were rounding turn 3 when Lofton drifted high and the let #44 Frank Kimmel take the lead.  He was able to pull away while a three-car battle for third was happening between Lofton, Merrell and #4 Jonathan Eilen.  Lap 128, caution was out again, ending Eilen’s luck; he was collected in an accident when the #48 James Hylton got loose coming out of turn 4 and veered into the path of Eilen.  Racing resumed on lap 137 and the #16 of Joey Coulter was challenging Kimmel for the lead; Lofton and Merrell were also back in the picture making is a 4-car battle for the lead  Lofton swing his car to the outside of Kimmel and regained the lead on lap 145.  The next time around, caution was out for the spinning car of #60 Patrick Sheltra. The cars had a run of nine laps before caution was out again for George, Jr.; his car came to a stop next to the turn 3 wall.  Coulter was all over the back of Merrell on the restart, but the field spread out and raced mostly single-file.  With three laps to go, caution came out; Kimmel spun coming out of turn 4 and after his car came to rest,  #21 Michel Disdier got a piece of the wreck.  This forced a green-white-checker finish and Lofton was able to hold off the competition to take the win.  Merrell, Finley, #25 Pete Shepherd, Coulter, 377 Parker Kligerman, #81 Craig Goess, Silas and #09 Tom Hessert completed the top ten. 

Next Saturday, August 1, is 59^th Anniversary Night at Berlin Raceway.  The Coors Light Late Models will race for 59 laps and joining them will be the Super Stocks, Pro Stocks and the Vintage Racing Organization of America.  The night will also feature many prize giveaways and fireworks!  Tickets are $13 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12 and 5 and under are free.  Pit passes for those 14 and older are $25 and the first race starts at 7.  For more information, please visit www.berlinraceway.com.

Saturday, August 1
59th Anniversary Night presented by Lane Automotive at Berlin Raceway

The Coors Light Late Models will race for 59 laps and joining them will be the Super Stocks, Pro Stocks and the Vintage Racing Organization of America. The night will also feature many prize giveaways and fireworks!
 

Tickets are $13 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12 and 5 and under are free. Pit passes for those 14 and older are $25 and the first race starts at 7.

Hall of Fame Bricks
JB Fans will be represented at the NASCAR Hall of Fame located in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Thanks to the efforts of Ray Patten and donations from JB fans, there will be a permanent memory of Johnny's 2008 Craftsman Truck Championship and his 1995 Busch Championship.  Once the information is distributed on where the bricks are located, it will be posted on the board.  See photos of the bricks below.  Thanks, Ray for all your hard work!