Martinsville Truck Race Started Big And Grew From There

Martinsville Speedway's Clay Campbell wasn't among the doubters when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was created. The track was among its charter hosts in 1995 and added a second event to the schedule in 2003. Saturday's Kroger 200 marks the 20th time series drivers have competed at the south Virginia track — second only to Texas Motor Speedway's 21 races. "We knew the series would be good and it would be big," said Campbell. "We just didn't have any idea how big and how good it would be."

Martinsville's race was one of 17 short track races on the inaugural schedule. Just six remain; two on the flat, .526-mile oval. To say that action is constant is an understatement. "Our two truck races have grown into huge fan favorites," said Campbell. "Fans know when they come to Martinsville Speedway for a truck race, they are in for a special show. "Some of the best races we've ever had can be found in those (19) truck races that have been here."

Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) nearly won Martinsville's inaugural race. He's one of seven drivers competing this week who participated in the 1995 event. Three of them  — Skinner, Dennis Setzer (#18 Dodge Dealers Dodge) and Jack Sprague (#60 Wyler.com Toyota) — are among 15 Martinsville Speedway winners.

Skinner's eldest son, Jamie, made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck debut in 1997. The driver's second son, Dustin, hopes to do likewise on Saturday. "It'll be a real special weekend for me because it'll be the first time I've got to race against one of my sons in a NASCAR race, or any race for that matter," said Skinner. Fathers and sons have competed in 16 races—the last in 2007 when Bobby and Bobby Hamilton Jr. participated at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
 
Setzer Says: Drive With Care And Follow Directions

It can be said that Martinsville Speedway is Dennis Setzer's personal playground. Setzer added a third Martinsville victory to his resume when he captured March's Kroger 250. The North Carolina native has seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes and has led 458 laps in his 17 Martinsville appearances. He's failed to finish just once — his first race in 1995.

Setzer is one of two drivers in this week's field bidding for a record-matching fourth victory at a single track. Mike Skinner swept both Martinsville races in 2007, adding to a 1996 victory. "I think it takes two things to have success at Martinsville; the first being track position and second taking care of your equipment," said the 48-year-old Setzer. "It is easy to get aggressive during practice and use up your brakes and tires." Ultimately, Setzer thinks the make-or-break factor is the crew chief. Saturday's Kroger 200 likely is a one-stop affair and pit timing is crucial. "Track position is so important. I think the crew chief is more important than the driver now," he said. "He has to make the call when to come down pit road and when to stay out."

Director's Take: Wayne's Words

"Like many of my generation, I grew up attending NASCAR races at Martinsville Speedway. Everyone has a favorite track for many reasons but Martinsville always has stood out with me — particularly because the fans are so enthusiastic. "Racing at Martinsville is pretty basic: Get your track position and protect it but at the same time, keep the nose on the truck. Sometimes that's a pretty tall order, especially as competitive as the racing has become in 2008. "It's an old story but one that bears repeating visit after visit to Martinsville. No matter how much the technology advances and how big your brakes become, it doesn't mean a driver can abuse those brakes. "You never can have enough pedal, especially in the closing laps.

"Pit strategy has become extremely important with the increased durability of the Goodyear Wrangler tire. Speeds just don't fall off like they once did and track position usually trumps fresh rubber even with more than half a race to go. "That puts a tremendous burden on the crew chief to chart a strategy that will get his driver in and out with both track position and enough Sunoco fuel to carry the truck to the finish. "That doesn't mean everything's out of the driver's hands — especially on pit road. The best strategy can be foiled by a speeding ticket or bad luck. The pits are tight and the potential for being boxed in or a collision is always there."
     — Wayne Auton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director

This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through 20 races of the 25-race season)
Points leader – Ron Hornaday, Jr. (3,027)
Driver Rating – Ron Hornaday Jr. (115.2)
Laps led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (980)
Victories – Ron Hornaday, Jr. (5)
Keystone Light Poles – Three drivers with three
Top-five finishes – Johnny Benson, Ron Hornaday, Jr. (12)
Top-10 finishes – Mike Skinner (16)
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Colin Braun
Races led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (16)
Weeks in Top 10 – Three drivers with 20

Martinsville Speedway is one of four tracks to host a race in each of the series' 14 seasons. It's also one of three to appear twice on the 2008 schedule. The .526-mile layout is one of five tracks of less than a mile in length currently scheduled.

In The Loop:

The statistics say this will be the perfect matchup this weekend: Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 Camping World Chevy) vs. Johnny Benson (#23 Toyota Tundra Toyota); head-to-head, for the coveted top spot as the season quickly winds down.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has raced at five short tracks this season, with the sixth and final bout on tap for this weekend.

Two drivers are the class of the short-track field: Hornaday and Benson. The two lap the field in short-track stats this season – much like they have everywhere else in this bitterly-fought championship campaign.

At those tracks under a mile, Hornaday and Benson's stats mirror each other. Each has one win, two top fives and three top 10s.

But Hornaday is slightly better at the short tracks this season. In the five races, he has a Driver Rating of 114.0, an Average Running Position of 10.1 and 146 Fastest Laps Run.

Benson has a Driver Rating of 109.8, an Average Running Position of 10.5 and 119 Fastest Laps Run.

No driver has registered a top 10 in all five of the short tracks this season, but Mike Skinner has done it in four. Plus, he swept Martinsville last season, scoring a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0 in the spring race. Count on him making a run for Victory Lane. In the four short-track races this season, Skinner has a Driver Rating of 91.0, an Average Running Position of 10.8 and 30 Fastest Laps Run.

Manufacturers' Battle:

Between the 2004 Kroger 200 and the Kroger 250 in 2006, each of the series' four manufacturers won at Martinsville Speedway.

Since then, however, the scoring has been decidedly lopsided. Toyota, the current Manufacturers' Championship leader, won four straight races beginning in the spring of 2006, a streak broken by Dennis Setzer's Dodge in March.

With a 12-point lead with five races remaining, Toyota would appear to have a significant edge.

The truck maker's closest rival Chevy, despite owning a Martinsville-high six victories, last won with Bobby Labonte in the spring of 2005.

Toyota has won 11 of the season's 20 races. Each has a pair of victories on short tracks.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2008 Manufacturers' Championship Standings Following Race 20 of 25 at Talladega Superspeedway:

Toyota, 142
Chevy, 130
Ford, 96
Dodge, 72

For Title Contenders, The Kroger 200 Means Playing Defense

Neither Ron Hornaday Jr. nor Johnny Benson has a Martinsville Speedway victory on his resume. But looking at the big picture — the 2008 championship — a solid performance likely will satisfy both. Fact is, with five races to go and the title contenders separated by 39 points, winning probably isn't foremost in their minds.

That's what one previous champion guesses. "Heading into Martinsville protecting your points position means you want to leave Martinsville with a top-five finish," said Todd Bodine (#30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota), who (along with two other champions; see chart) wasn't able to do that in 2006. "You have to be protective about your racing. "Basically, you are there to qualify decent, make laps and stay out of trouble. If someone is pushing the issue to pass you, you're gonna let them go. You don't put you or your truck in position to not have a good run."

Bodine "escaped" the Kroger 200 despite his finish for one simple reason: He entered the race with a 91-point lead. Hornaday doesn't have that luxury. One slip and the advantage swings back to Benson. "Overall, I've had some success at the track," said Hornaday, who finished third in 2007 and has seven top-10 finishes in 12 previous Martinsville appearances. "So hopefully we can take care of business this time around." Adds his crew chief, Rick Ren, "There is also a chance this will be a one pit stop race so it's very important to have a 'money stop' and keep your driver up front."

Bodine, who would like to join elder brothers Geoffrey and Brett as Martinsville winners, figures all of that is well and good — until you factor in the variables. "You can have a really good truck, excellent pit stops, be running up front and get a flat tire, have an issue with a lapped truck or a brake failure," he said. "A million things that you can't control can go wrong. If you don't have a good run there, it can kill your points chase."

Etc. & Quotable:

• Final Short Track ‘Go' … The Kroger 200 is the season's sixth and final short-track race. Both Hornaday (Memphis) and Benson (O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis) are among the year's five winners.
• Seven Winners In The Field … Joining Setzer and Skinner this week are Rick Crawford (#14 Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford), Jamie McMurray (#09 Zaxby's Ford), Jack Sprague, David Starr (#11 Red Horse Racing Toyota) and Jon Wood (#21 The Barnhill Group Ford). This is McMurray's first appearance since his Oct. 23, 2004 Martinsville victory at the wheel of Jim Smith's Team ASE/Carquest Dodge.
• New Rides For Two … Sprague will be back in the truck in which he won the 2006 Kroger 200 following his release Oct. 6 by Kevin Harvick Inc. Terry Cook, Wyler Racing's previous driver, moves to the #59 Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota based in Martinsville.
• ‘Visitors' Eye Martinsville Win … Kevin Harvick replaces Sprague in the #2 R&L Chevy. Harvick last appeared at Martinsville with a third-place finish in the 2007 Kroger 250. Kyle Busch (#51 Miccosukee/NOS Energy Drink Toyota) looks for his fourth series win of the year. Busch's fifth-place finish in his 2005 Kroger 200 debut is his track best. Set for his series debut is Sam Hornish Jr. who'll belt up in the #4 Ford out of the BHR-VA stable.
• Caisse Tries Again … NASCAR Camping World Series East veteran Sean Caisse (#9 Toyota) failed to make his debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when inclement weather washed away qualifying. "I've always thought Martinsville Speedway was the ideal track for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series," said Caisse. "It's a really cool bumping, banging and aggressive track."

Talent Identified Here

Martinsville Speedway has a way of identifying rookie talent. Raybestos Rookies of the Year Travis Kvapil, Carl Edwards and Todd Kleuver each posted second-place finishes at the .526-mile track — Edwards and Kleuver in the Kroger 200.

This spring's Kroger 250 saw two Raybestos candidates log top-10 finishes. Donny Lia (#81 NationRides Chevy) was ninth; Scott Speed (#22 Red Bull Toyota)  was 10th.

Not so coincidentally, perhaps, each subsequently recorded a NASCAR Craftsman Truck victory. Lia won at Mansfield Motorsports Park on May 24 followed six days later by Speed at Dover International Speedway.

NASCAR Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings After 20 Races of the 2008 Season:

1. Colin Braun, 182
2. Donny Lia, 152
3. Brian Scott, 145
4. Justin Marks, 131
5. Marc Mitchell, 108
6. Scott Speed, 97
7. Andy Lally, 71

Who Is The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series' Most Popular Driver?

Have you cast your vote yet? For the first time in series history, voting for the Series' Most Popular Driver is in the hands of the fans. Be sure to check out NASCAR.com and vote for your favorite. More than 50,000 votes have been cast since voting began July 5. Voting ends Oct. 31.

Up Next:

Kyle Busch eyes his fourth Atlanta Motor Speedway victory — and third win in a row at the Hampton, Ga., facility — when the series makes its second stop of 2008 at the 1.54-mile track. Current championship leader Ron Hornaday Jr., AMS' spring 2005 winner, finished second to Busch in March and in last fall's Atlanta 200.(NASCAR PR)(10-13-2008)

Bodine Makes It A Sweep At Talladega

Todd Bodine (#30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) needs a broom. The 2006 series champion surged to the top with a little help from the #33 Camping World Chevy of Ron Hornaday Jr. to win big at Talladega last Saturday. With his victory, Bodine, also the defending winner at Talladega, became the first driver to accomplish three straight wins on a superspeedway, thanks to his win in the 2008 season opener at Daytona.

The trio of Roush Fenway Racing Fords dominated at the drop of the green flag. ";We knew the Fords were going to be tough," Bodine said. ";We had a good truck. I knew if we could get ourselves positioned in the right spot at the end of the race, we would have a shot at it."

Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. was glad to have the race in the books. ";Talladega's always scary," Hillman Jr. said. ";When its all said and done, we're sitting back here again. This is three superspeedway wins in a row. It's great." Bodine was quick to acknowledge his team as he celebrated his 14th series win. ";There is a lot of hard work that goes in at the race shop to get to us to this point," he said. ";I'm just the end result of a lot of hard work. What I do on the race tracks just complements what goes on at the shop."

Bodine also might want to consider the number 20  as a lucky number. The driver has won race #20 in three of the last four seasons. 

Is This The Pair To Beat?

Reigning series champion Ron Hornaday Jr.  might have come in second to his friend Todd Bodine Saturday, but that runner-up finish sent the veteran driver to the top of the championship standings. While Talladega Superspeedway is known for its unpredictability on the track, a shake-up in the standings is almost just as predictable. Hornaday swiped the lead from Johnny Benson (#23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota) who went into the weekend with a single-point lead over his rival. Benson now trails Hornaday by 39 points.

Seems Hornaday and crew chief Rick Ren know how to get it done. They also could make history should the team hold off the competition. If the #33 is on top after the last race, Hornaday Jr. will be the first back-to-back champion in the series and the first four-time series champion. In this final stretch, he is heading to tracks where he and his team have had success. While he hasn't visited Victory Lane at Martinsville, in 12 starts he's amassed four top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

The veteran driver also has wins at Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami. A good omen for the team — the leader following the 20th race of the season has gone on to win the championship in three of the last four seasons and nine times overall in the 13-year history of the series.

Last year, Hornaday was the leader after a seventh-place finish put him 14 points over Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota).

Manufacturers' Battle

Toyota keeps the lead after the beating and banging at Talladega. Ron Hornaday Jr. fought hard but Chevy will have to wait until next year to try and notch a win at one of the ";big tracks" on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2008 Manufacturers' Championship Standings Following Race 20 of 25 at Talladega Superspeedway:

Toyota     142
Chevy  130
Ford          96
Dodge       72

Points Battle Shuffle After Dega

Not only did Ron Hornaday Jr. take away the points lead from Johnny Benson and his #23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota team, but the guys behind him played a round of musical points swap.

While Matt Crafton (#88 Menards Chevy) holds on to his third-place spot 179 points out of second, he has his eye on the drivers behind him.

Todd Bodine's win helped him leap from seventh to fourth in the standings, shuffling Erik Darnell (#99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford) out of the spot to fifth. Darnell, who started from the pole, dominated the majority of the race, leading the most laps with 48. However, he ended his day with a 12th-place finish after losing some positions during the final stop on Lap 68. The jump in standings has Bodine only 18 points behind Crafton, yet just 20 over Darnell.

Mike Skinner brought his #5 Toyota Tundra Toyota home among the top 10 but slipped from fourth to fifth. Chances are he and Darnell will swap spots again. A mere two points separate the two.

This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through 20 races of the 25-race season)
Points leader – Ron Hornaday, Jr. (3,027)
Driver Rating – Ron Hornaday Jr. (115.2)
Laps led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (980)
Victories – Ron Hornaday, Jr. (5)
Keystone Light Poles – Three drivers with three
Top-five finishes – Johnny Benson, Ron Hornaday, Jr. (12)
Top-10 finishes – Mike Sinner (16)
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Colin Braun
Races led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (16)
Weeks in Top 10 – Three drivers with 20

Rookies Hold Their Own

Rookies made a strong showing over the weekend at the  2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway. Colin Braun kept his #6 Con-way Freight Ford up front, even overcoming a blown tire on Lap 84 to finish fourth. ";It definitely was an exciting race for me," Braun said. ";I learned a lot, obviously, racing up front with guys like Todd (Bodine) and Ron (Hornaday, Jr.) and Kyle (Busch). That's the best of the best right there. It was a lot of fun." The 20-year-old, who started the day behind his two Roush Fenway Racing teammates in third, opens a 30-point lead over fellow rookie Donny Lia.

Brian Scott also was among the top of the field. The freshman driver brought his #16 Albertson's Toyota to a seventh- place finish, his best career finish in the series and his third top-10 of the season. ";It was a good day all around," Scott said. ";We weren't always in the front, but we were always able to get there when we wanted to. You just can't be upset with a top-10 finish at a place like this."

NASCAR Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings After 20 Races of the 2008 Season:

1. Colin Braun, 182
2. Donny Lia, 152
3. Brian Scott, 145
4. Justin Marks, 131
5. Marc Mitchell, 108
6. Scott Speed, 97
7. Andy Lally, 71

In The Loop:

Here's what two wins and six top-five finishes in the last seven races will produce: The points lead and the top spot in every key Loop Data statistical category. Those accolades all now belong to Ron Hornaday Jr., the defending NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion.

With his second-place finish at Talladega, Hornaday nabbed the series lead from Johnny Benson, and pushed his statistics to the top of the charts. Hornaday leads the series in Driver Rating (115.2), Average Running Position (7.1), Fastest Laps Run (410) and Laps in the Top 15 (2,869 for a percentage of 86.5%).

Also helping his statistical cause this weekend was Talladega winner Todd Bodine, who is one of three full-time drivers with a Driver Rating over 100.0 (Benson and Hornaday are the others). Bodine has a season Driver Rating of 102.6, an Average Running Position of 8.1 and 152 Fastest Laps Run. He also has a series-best Pass Differential (passes minus times passed) of 243. Bodine has 683 passes, compared to being passed only 440 times.

With yet another strong run—this time at Talladega—Colin Braun continued his ascent into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series hierarchy. Braun, who holds the top spot in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, had a Driver Rating of 115.9 and an Average Running Position of 5.7 at Talladega. The performance improved his season-to-date Driver Rating to 85.1.

Up Next:

The series will return to action at the .526-mile track of Martinsville Speedway for the Kroger 200 on Oct. 18. Dennis Setzer took his #18 Dodge to Victory Lane there in March.
(NASCAR PR)(10-6-2008)