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THE RACE: LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY - NC Education Lottery 200

Truck Series Race #6 of 25 for the 2008 Season

Last Race - Kansas Speedway
Next Race - Mansfield Motorsports Park

Jumps to sections on this page:
NASCAR News & Notes | Entry List | Goodyear Tire Notes | Practice and Qualifying Times |
Starting Lineup | Pit Stall Selections | Race Results | Owner Standings Following the Race | Driver Standings Following the Race |

Race: Friday, May 16, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway

Length: 134 Laps, 201 Miles

2007 Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr

2007 Pole: Mike Skinner

TV: SPEED: Prerace 7:30pm; Race 8:00pm

Radio: MRN

Announcers: Rick Allen, Phil Parsons, Michael Waltrip

Pit Reporters: Ray Dunlap, Adam Alexander

Prerace Host: Krista Voda

Practice Dates/Times

Practice: Friday, May 16, 2008; 9:00 - 10:00am and 10:20am - 11:50am

Qualifying Info

Qualifying: Friday, May 16, 2008; 3:35pm

Goodyear Tire Notes

Entry, Practice, Qualifying and Race Information

Preliminary Entry List
Lowe's Motor Speedway
North Carolina Eduction Lottery 200
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Mon, May 12, 2008 @ 04:13 PM Eastern

Entry	Trk#	Driver	Team	Owner
1	2	Jack Sprague	American Commercial Lines Chevy	Delana Harvick
2	4	Stacy Compton	Dodge Dealers Dodge	Lori Hamilton
3	5	Mike Skinner	Toyota Tundra Toyota	Bill Davis
4	6	Colin Braun	Con-way Freight Ford	Jack Roush
5	07	John Mickel	Dudman Group/Contact Services Chevy	Ken Smith
6	7	Andy Lally	TRG Motorsports Chevy	Kevin Buckler
7	08	Jason White	Gunbroker.com Dodge	Bobby Dotter
8	8	Chad McCumbee	Malcolmson Construction Ford	David Malcolmson
9	09	Travis Kvapil	Zaxby's Ford	Jack Roush
10	9	Justin Marks	Crocs Toyota	Bob Germain
11	10	Brendan Gaughan	Int'l MaxxForce Diesel Ford	Tom Mitchell
12	11	David Starr	Pit Corporate Training Toyota	Tom DeLoach
13	13	Shelby Howard	ThorSport Racing Chevy	Duke Thorson
14	14	Rick Crawford	Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford	Tom Mitchell
15	15	Marc Mitchell	Ergon Hyprene Chevy	Billy Ballew
16	16	Brian Scott	Albertsons Chevy	Joe Scott
17	17	Timothy Peters	Hayes Iron & Metals/Tahoe Smokeless	Steve Stallings
18	18	Dennis Setzer	TBA Dodge	Lori Hamilton
19	20	Scott Lagasse Jr	TBA Ford	Tad Geschickter
20	21	Jon Wood	U.S. Air Force Ford	Eddie Wood
21	22	Scott Speed	Red Bull Toyota	Bill Davis
22	23	Johnny Benson	Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota	Gail Davis
23	28	Wayne Edwards	TBA Chevy	Jim Rosenblum
24	30	Todd Bodine	Lumber Liquidators Toyota	Steven Germain
25	33	Ron Hornaday Jr	Camping World Chevy	Delana Harvick
26	40	Chad Chaffin	Key Motorsports Chevy	Curtis Key
27	46	TBA	TBA Chevy	David Dollar
28	51	Kyle Busch	Miccosukee/NOS Energy Drink Toyota	Billy Ballew
29	52	Ken Schrader	Federated Auto Parts Toyota	Ken Schrader
30	54	Brian Sockwell	rearyracing.com Chevy	Jerry Reary
31	59	Ted Musgrave	Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota	James Harris
32	60	Terry Cook	wyler.com Toyota	Jeff Wyler
33	71	Donny Lia	TRG Motorsports Chevy	Kevin Buckler
34	73	Nicholas Tucker	TBA Dodge	Kevin Payne
35	74	Derrike Cope	TBA Dodge	Derrike Cope
36	88	Matt Crafton	Menards Chevy	Rhonda Thorson
37	91	J.C. Stout	TBA Chevy	Donald Stout
38	99	Erik Darnell	Northern Tool+Equipment Ford	Jack Roush

Truck Series News & Notes - Lowes Motor Speedway

Setzer Lone North Carolina Truck Winner At Lowe's Motor Speedway:

Friday's North Carolina Lottery Education 200 is a hometown race for all but one fulltime NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team. History, however, shows Dennis Setzer (#18 Dodge) as the only North Carolina-born driver to win the 201-mile race. Setzer, from Newton, N.C., won in 2004 and is the only Tar Heel winner in NASCAR national series points competition at Lowe's Motor Speedway since Dale Jarrett's UAW-GM Quality 500 victory in 1997. That's a far cry from earlier eras when names like Petty, Baker, Parsons and Earnhardt dominated. "In the beginning, NASCAR was a southern sport but due to corporate sponsors and bigger television packages, it has now grown into a world-wide sport," said Setzer, one of six North Carolina-born winners of series races. Setzer owns 18 of the 30 victories.

The birth of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1995 aided the rush of non-southern and off-oval competitors into the sport. Only one champion - the late Bobby Hamilton - was born south of the Mason-Dixon line. Series graduates include Kurt Busch (Nevada), Kevin Harvick (California) and Greg Biffle (Washington). "As a driver, I don't have anything against it at all," said Setzer. "I think the growth of our sport is pretty impressive and something we should be proud of."

Kyle Busch Is Back: Crawford Says Give Him His Due:

Kyle Busch (#51 Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Energy Drink Toyota) forfeited his point lead last month when conflicts prevented him from competing at Kansas Speedway. This week the two-time 2008 winner is back. The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 is the first leg of a busy 10 days at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Busch anticipates competing in every NASCAR event - five races, 814 laps and 1,221 miles. "Hopefully, I can go to Charlotte (and) either win a truck race or All-Star Race or both," said Busch, who comes into Friday's race as the track's only double series winner. "That would be awesome."

Rick Crawford (#14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford) has moved into the runner-up position - #2 for the first time since June 2003. He trails leader Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 Camping World Chevy) by 61 points. Crawford agrees Busch, now sixth in the standings, will continue to impact the series although he's not likely to contend for the title. "He's probably taken himself out of the points picture because there's a lot of good trucks out there," said Crawford. Yet, having Busch in the series on a limited basis has caused everyone to elevate their game. "Hand it to the man; it fits his style right now," said Crawford. "He's on top of his game.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - Best Winning Percentage: (25 or more starts)

Driver	Percentage	Wins	Races
Kyle Busch	20.00	8	40
Greg Biffle	19.75	16	481
Ron Hornaday Jr.	16.59	34	205
Kurt Busch	16.00	4	25
Mike Skinner	15.09	4	159

Scott Speed - We're Not In Monte Carlo Anymore:

You'll never mistake Turn 1 at Martinsville for Monte Carlo's Casino Square. Scott Speed (#22 Red Bull Toyota), however, has proved himself in Formula One. And, in just his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, he finished 10th at Martinsville Speedway. Cars, trucks, fenders and no fenders; it really makes no difference to Speed, a Californian who adapted to life in Europe and has reappeared square in the heart of NASCAR racing. "A lot has happened to me in the last nine months," said Speed, 25, a Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate. "I lived in Europe for five years and the culture is completely different over there. "It's actually been an easy transition. It's nice to be closer to my family. It's been a cool homecoming but … I definitely miss everything about Austria. I'd love to live there again someday."

Facing off with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Bill Davis Racing teammate Mike Skinner isn't all that dissimilar. Both are among the toughest competitors in their respective environments. "The drivers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series are really tough racers and the level of competition is so high," said Speed, who'll get his first taste of competition at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday night. Speed, like other road racers, is having to "unlearn." "The biggest difficulty for me has been running around the outside of someone on the track and actually being faster," he said. Unlike F1, where real-time data is fed to a battery of engineers, information flows from driver to crew chief and back again. "I do feel that I'm adapting to that change pretty well," said Speed, winner of last month's ARCA RE/MAX race in Kansas. "I learn something new every time I race. One of my goals this year is to just be a sponge and absorb everything I can."

Andy Houston Trades Helmet For A Headset:

This is a story of one decade and two garages. In 1998, a furious, final-laps battle between then rookies Greg Biffle and Andy Houston ended with a bump on the backstretch and Houston in New Hampshire Motor Speedway's Victory Lane. Both will be busy at Lowe's Motor Speedway Friday - in different garages with different duties. Biffle went on to win NASCAR Craftsman Truck and Nationwide Series titles and counts 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup victories. Houston, who had a brief NASCAR Sprint Cup career, left the driver's seat for jobs on the other side of the pit wall. He now works for Kevin Harvick Inc. as Jack Sprague's spotter. "When I'm up in the spotter's stand there are a lot of guys just like me up there - David Green, Tim Fedewa and Rick Carelli, just to name a few," said Houston. "I think that by being former drivers, we know what is going through the guys' minds sitting in the seats. You also have the distinct advantage knowing when to speak and when to shut up."

Houston, son of NASCAR Nationwide Series legend Tommy Houston, won three times in NASCAR Craftsman Truck competition. He frequently competed alongside his brother Marty. Houston is one of just six North Carolina-born competitors to win a series race. "I am very proud to have grown up in the racing center of the world," he said. "Since my dad was involved in racing, I have never known anything different. I now feel privileged to be a part of such an elite group. "The best years that I've had in my entire racing career were while I was involved with the series. I feel like I played a small part in where it is today."

Etc:

Hornaday Holding The Cards. ... You'll see a bounce in Ron Hornaday's step this week heading into the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 as the defending race winner, current standings leader and defending series champion. A year ago, the 49-year-old Californian wasn't sure he'd ever win a race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Five Down; Two To Go. … Todd Bodine (#30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) needs two more wins for an unprecedented sweep of the seven "intermediate" tracks on the current schedule. He lacks victories at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway. Hornaday also is five-for-seven. His targets are Texas Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Toyota Looks For 50th Pole. … This might be a good week to reach the milestone. Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) has won three consecutive poles at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Toyota has run just 105 races.

Raybestos Rookies Haven't Fared Well At Lowe's:

Lowe's Motor Speedway proclaims itself "The Beast of the Southeast." Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates aren't about to argue the point. Aric Almirola's ninth-place finish in 2006 stands as the best performance.

Here is how each season's Raybestos Rookie of the Year fared at LMS:
Carl Edwards, 12th, 2003
David Reutimann, 36th, 2004
Todd Kluever, 20th, 2005
Erik Darnell, 10th, 2006
Willie Allen, 21st, 2007

Edwards, however, went to school on his initial brush with LMS. He finished second the following year. Darnell, conversely, finished 30th last year. Regardless, all the candidates will be on equal footing. None has competed in a series race at LMS.

Standings After Five Races Of The 2008 Season:
1. Colin Braun, 53
2. Justin Marks, 48
3. Brian Scott, 44
4. Phillip McGilton, 38
5. Donny Lia, 37
6. Andy Lally, 35
7. Marc Mitchell, 28

In The Loop:

Ron Hornaday Jr. put on a racing clinic during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway last season. It was something to behold. Hornaday, starting seventh, needed only 19 laps to grab the lead. He led a race-high 98 of 136 laps and scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0. Some of his other race highlights: He had an Average Running Position of 1.7 and 49 Fastest Laps Run. He was passed during a green flag run only three times and spent all 136 laps running in the top 15.

Few challenged Hornaday. Mike Skinner was among them. Skinner, who's had surprising difficulties at LMS, finished eighth last season. It was his only top-10 finish in four series races there. A lot of Skinner's poor finishes were a result of bad luck. In 2005, he led 40 laps and scored a Driver Rating of 113.9, but finished 26th because of an accident. In 2006, he led 38 laps and had a Driver Rating of 106.8, but finished 31st thanks to engine problems.

Todd Bodine has followed a similar LMS path - strong runs but zero wins. Bodine has consecutive third-place finishes at LMS, and over the past three years has a Driver Rating of 98.4 and an Average Running Position of 12.0.

Kyle Busch will be a story whenever he's running in the series. He'll be back this weekend, and carries two wins and series-high marks at LMS in Driver Rating (122.6) and Fastest Laps Run (81) into this race.

More Etc:

Rosenblum Recovering. … Jim Rosenblum, whose #28 Chevy will be driven at Lowe's by Wayne Edwards, underwent a successful cardiac procedure last week at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. He expects to be with the team in Charlotte.

Top 30 Battle Boils. … Having a truck among the top 30 in owner points is a ticket into the race regardless of qualifying speed. Sixteen points is the difference between the 27th and 31st positions.

Special Colors For Red Horse. … Red Horse Racing will fly the colors of PIT Corporate Training on the #11 Toyota Tundra this week As part of the corporate partnership with the team, David Starr's truck will be adorned in a special blue and black paint scheme.

2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings:
Toyota, 34
Chevy, 30
Ford, 24
Dodge, 22

Director's Take: Wayne's Words:

"My memories of Lowe's - well, it was then Charlotte Motor Speedway - go back nearly four decades. "I was 12 years old when my dad took me to my first race there. He ran the fire crew but just because he got me in didn't mean I could go into the garage. I was too young. "The first race I actually worked was in 1974. I was a spotter in the tower down in Turn 1. David Pearson won with only one caution and it definitely was the longest day I ever had working a race. "Chances are good that a veteran driver will be celebrating in Victory Lane at the end of the evening. "Lowe's Motor Speedway seems to have way too much for a rookie driver to absorb in one night. "Of course, that's not always the case. Kyle Busch became the series' youngest winner in 2005 at the age of 20. "A driver has to finesse his way around this track and understand what it takes to both keep up but still be around at the end. "It takes a very good crew chief to understand how the track changes and make the adjustments to keep his driver in the game.

"Bottom line: A veteran driver is best able to provide the feedback to help his crew chief make those critical adjustments." (Wayne Auton, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Director)

This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders: (through five races of the 25-race season)
Points leader - Ron Hornaday Jr. (775)
Driver Rating - Kyle Busch (122.0)
Laps led - Ron Hornaday Jr. (236)
Victories - Kyle Busch (2)
Keystone Light Poles - Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Top-five finishes - Three drivers with three
Top-10 finishes - Ron Hornaday Jr. (4)
Raybestos Rookie Leader - Colin Braun
Races led - Ron Hornaday Jr. (5)
Weeks in Top 10 - Five drivers with five

Up Next:

Competitors go from one of the series' larger speedways to its smallest when the fifth edition of the Ohio 250 is held May 24 at the .5-mile Mansfield Motorsports Park.

Four races have produced four different winners. Jack Sprague (#2 American Commercial Lines Chevy) won the inaugural race in 2004 and has finished second in each of the past three seasons.
(NASCAR Media)(5-12-2008)

Truck Series News & Notes - May 5, 2008

Multiple Entries Breed Success In NASCAR Craftsman Trucks:

Multiple truck teams were unheard of in 1995 when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debuted. Fact is, having one raceable truck was tantamount to victory for many entrants. That is ancient history, to say the least. Three different organizations - Kevin Harvick Inc., Bill Davis Racing and Circle Bar Racing - placed seven trucks among the top 10 of the recent O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. BDR did it for the third time; the other organizations also put each of their entries in the top 10.

Off-road champion Walker Evans was first to field two fulltime teams in 1996. Now, it's common practice.

The last owner to win a title with a single-truck entry was Dave Fuge's Xpress Motorsports in 2003. KHI fielded one fulltime team for 2007 champion Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 Camping World Chevy) but backed it with a second truck in 16 races.

Why is more better? "The benefits can leverage off each other," said Mark Chambers, truck team and general manager for Bill Davis Racing. "The ability to share information and data across the board is invaluable. "They become sounding boards for each other." The trick, of course, is to keep everyone on the same page. BDR has succeeded despite employing drivers with strikingly different styles and personalities. Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) and Johnny Benson (#23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota) finished two-three in 2007 points with a combined nine victories. "You'll never make anyone happy all the time," said Chambers. "You do the best to ensure all three teams have the resources, equipment and manpower they need to be competitive. "At the end of the day it comes down to communication with everyone involved."

Sweeping The Board: There Only Can Be One Winner:

When a team finishes first and second, the news is both good and bad. Good for the winner; bad for the runner-up. As Jack Sprague (#2 American Commercial Lines Chevy) noted, after finishing second to his Kevin Harvick Inc. teammate Hornaday last month at Kansas Speedway, "We both had good trucks and we finished one-two but I really wanted to win this race real bad. "But who better to lose to than your teammate?" KHI is the latest of five teams to nail down the top two spots in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck race.

It's happened 19 times, starting with Roush Fenway Racing at Phoenix International Raceway in 1997. Joe Ruttman was chased to the checkered flag by Chuck Bown. With Jack Roush fielding multiple, fulltime entries in each season since 1997, it's not surprising that the organization is the all-time leader in top-two sweeps. Roush drivers have been one-two 11 times, most recently in 2006 at Dover International Speedway.

Noteworthy was 2000 in which Roush claimed his first NASCAR title. The team's drivers went one-two on six occasions - champion Greg Biffle on top five times; Kurt Busch once. The pair also was first and second in final points.

One-Two Finishes By NASCAR Craftsman Truck Teams:
Roush Fenway Racing, 11
Ultra Motorsports, 5
Bill Davis Racing, 1
Germain Racing, 1
Kevin Harvick Motorsports, 1

Quest for 2008 Manufacturers' Crown Sizzles:

Toyota is looking for a hat trick.

Chevy wants a record-extending seventh title.

Dodge broke a long drought earlier this year and Ford hopes to do likewise at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Put another way, the battle for the 2008 Manufacturers' title is already at a boil. And it's only May. Chevy's Kansas victory cut significantly into Toyota's early edge built on three wins to open the season. Four points separate the pair. "There has been an incredible amount of parity this year between brands," said Dane Pierantoni, GM Racing Silverado program manager. "We have narrowed the gap … but it's still early and we will have our work cut out for us." Chevy was champion from 1995-98 and again in 2002 and 2005. Toyota entered the series in 2004 and took the last two titles. "Toyota's Tundra teams did, in fact, get off to a strong start with three wins early in the season but we knew, once again, it will be hard-fought through the entire, 25-race season," said Les Unger, national motorsports manager, Toyota Motorsports. "There are too many strong competitors, both young and veteran in stature, to expect any sort of cakewalk to a championship of any kind."

2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings:
Toyota, 34
Chevy, 30
Ford, 24
Dodge, 22

Etc:

Before Moss There Was Daugherty … The announcement that NFL star Randy Moss will field a NASCAR Craftsman Truck team recalls the series' early years when Cleveland Cavalier (and now ESPN NASCAR analyst) Brad Daugherty co-owned Liberty Racing. The team's driver, Kenny Irwin, won Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in 1997.

Hamilton Featured on CNN … Lori Hamilton, co-owner of Bobby Hamilton Racing VA, was interviewed Monday on CNN discussing head and neck cancer, the illness that claimed husband Bobby Hamilton. A story about Lori and Bobby is also featured on www.cnn.com/health.

In The Loop:

The statistics make sense in some ways, but go against conventional wisdom in others. Chad McCumbee (#8 MRD Chevy), learning with every race run, has improved statistically since last season. Sounds about right.

But so has 13-year veteran Terry Cook (#60 Wyler.com Toyota). Though 14th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings this season compared to 16th last season at this time, Cook is far ahead statistically over the same span. Take a look at the tale of the tape between Cook's 2007 and 2008 stats: Driver Rating: Cook has an 88.5 compared to a 60.9 last season. Average Running Position: This year he has a 12.2; last year he had a 20.1. Fastest Laps Run: He has had 10 this season, three last season. Laps in the Top 15: Cook spent 36.8 percent of the total laps through five races in the top 15 in 2007. This year, he's run 73.5 percent of them in the top 15. Quality Passes: Cook has 133 Quality Passes this season (passes of cars in the top 15 under green). Last season, he had 61 at this point.

McCumbee has also made a big leap this season, in both the standings and the stats. After five races last season, McCumbee was a respectable 18th in the series standings. This season, he's eighth. He has a Driver Rating of 82.3 and an Average Running Position of 12.8. Last year at the same juncture, McCumbee had a Driver Rating of 55.7 and an Average Running Position of 20.8.

This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders: (through five races of the 25-race season)
Points leader - Ron Hornaday Jr. (775)
Driver Rating - Kyle Busch (122.0)
Laps led - Ron Hornaday Jr. (236)
Victories - Kyle Busch (2)
Keystone Light Poles - Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Top-five finishes - Three drivers with three
Top-10 finishes - Ron Hornaday Jr. (4)
Raybestos Rookie Leader - Colin Braun
Races led - Ron Hornaday Jr. (5)
Weeks in Top 10 - Five drivers with five

Rookies: (after five races of the 2008 season)
1. Colin Braun 53
2. Justin Marks 48
3. Brian Scott 44
4. Phillip McGilton 38
5. Donny Lia 37
6. Andy Lally 35
7. Marc Mitchell 28

Up Next:

The May 16 North Carolina Lottery Education 200 may be a home game but just one native of the Tar Heel State has been able to win the race.

Dennis Setzer (#18 Dodge) won the series' second Lowe's race in 2004. Setzer, a native of Newton - near Hickory - would like nothing better than to become the track's second two-time winner. The 48-year-old already has one victory in 2008 in March at Martinsville Speedway.
(NASCAR Media)(5-5-2008)

Truck Series News & Notes - April 28, 2008

Reigning Champ Back In Victory Lane:

It's pretty easy to say Ron Hornaday Jr. had a good weekend. The reigning series champion kicked things off at Kansas Speedway with one of the fastest trucks in practice. He took qualifying, capturing his second Keystone Light Pole of the season. The driver of the #33 Camping World Chevy then dominated the race. After leading 136 of 167 laps - most by a Kansas winner - Hornaday won the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250. He's the first driver in eight editions of the race to win from the pole position.

Add another first to the mix. The win was Hornaday and crew chief Rick Ren's first win at the 1.5-mile track. "I've got to thank Chevy, Camping World, the VFW, everybody at KHI and this whole Camping World team for giving me this awesome truck," he said. "I hadn't won at Kansas before so this is really cool." The driver added, "What Kevin and DeLana (Harvick) are doing at KHI, just putting the right people in the right places, it's an honor to race equipment like this. To sit on the pole and win this race was amazing. "Ren echoed his driver's comments. "We unloaded and were fast. We had a really awesome truck," he said. While the truck was good, it was a fuel gamble for the team as the cautions fell and the laps dwindled down. "I normally don't mention saving fuel to him (Ron), but I think he heard it more than ever this race," Ren said.

Hornaday has led laps in all five races so far this season. His Kansas win brings him to the top of the driver point standings, 61 points over Rick Crawford.

Series Veterans Meeting Challenge Of 'Young Guns':

It is clear there is up and coming talent in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with young drivers like Roush Fenway Racing's Erik Darnell (#99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford), Colin Braun (#6 Con-Way Freight Ford) and Germain Racing rookie Justin Marks (#9 crocs/Construct Corps Toyota) among them.

The almost 23-year-old Kyle Busch (#51 Toyota) is throwing his hat in the ring, too, throughout the season. Busch returns to the series at Lowe's Motor Speedway, where he's a double winner.

But don't count out the other competitors. A glance at the driver point standings and race finishes proves the veterans are holding their own. Defending series champion Hornaday, with a dominating win at Kansas, has taken the points lead from the absent Busch.

Not far behind, Crawford, driver of the #14 Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford, has jumped to second. Strong performances over the weekend helped other seasoned drivers break into the top of the pack.

Three-time series champion Jack Sprague (#2 American Commercial Lines Chevy) weathered a rocky start to the season, but finished second to teammate Hornaday in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 and moved to ninth in the driver point standings. Sprague is hungry for a win. "I am really proud of this team," he said. "To be able in just five races to come together and run as strong as we have says a lot about KHI and this team. I know we will get a win soon."

Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota Tundra Toyota), just shy of the top-10, is a three-time pole sitter at Lowe's. He finished fifth at Kansas. The former series champion is definitely not out of contention.

Etc:

Speed Finding His Way … Scott Speed (#22 Red Bull Toyota) is finding his way toward Victory Lane. The driver, who made his debut with Bill Davis Racing in Kansas, won the previous day's Kansas Lottery $150 Grand ARCA RE/MAX race. The former Formula One driver started the race from the outside pole position but found himself a lap down after he had to make a pit stop to fix his window net which had fallen down. Awarded the Aaron's Lucky Dog, he fought his way back to contention and took the checkered flag. Speed continued his momentum in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 Saturday with an eighth-place finish.

A Return In Richmond … Key Motorsports for the first time in 10 NASCAR seasons hopes to qualify for this Friday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Richmond Int'l Raceway. The team, which has competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series since 2004, will field the #31 Key Motorsports Chevy with veteran driver and former NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Jeff Green behind the wheel.

Owner's Championship Battle Heats Up … Ron Hornaday's win at Kansas brought a lead change in the Owners' Championship point standings. DeLana Harvick and the #33 Camping World Chevy now lead the battle by 21 points over Billy Ballew and his #51 Toyota. Not far behind in third, 61 points out from the #33 is Tom Mitchell with his #14 Power Stroke Diesel by Int'l Ford team.

Kyle Busch is scheduled to return to the series at Lowe's Motor Speedway where he has two series wins to his credit. Points could swap again.

In The Loop:

It's hard to have a better day than the one Ron Hornaday Jr. had during Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. Statistically speaking, it's impossible. Hornaday was perfect. The defending series champion won his first of 2008 in a truly dominating fashion, notching a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0. He held race-best figures in Laps Led (136), Average Running Position (1.6), Fastest Laps Run (55) and was the only driver to run all 167 laps in the top 15. With the win, Hornaday took the series points lead, and is now 61 points ahead of second-place Rick Crawford.

Also notable during Saturday's race was the strong performance by rookie Colin Braun. The Roush-Fenway upstart scored a third-place finish and ran up front throughout the 250-mile race. Braun had a Driver Rating of 118.5, an Average Running Position of 5.2, seven Fastest Laps Run and spent 164 of the 167 laps running in the top 15.

Jack Sprague also chimed in with a season-best run. Sprague, finishing second, scored a Driver Rating of 121.0, an Average Running Position of 5.7, 20 Fastest Laps Run and spent 152 of the laps among the top 15.

Chad McCumbee was the only other driver to break the 100.0-point Driver Rating barrier - he tallied a 103.1 Driver Rating in his seventh-place finish. He also earned a fourth-best Average Running Position of 7.4.

This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders: (through five races of the 25-race season)
Points leader - Ron Hornaday Jr. (775)
Driver Rating - Kyle Busch (122.0)
Laps led - Ron Hornaday Jr. (236)
Victories - Kyle Busch (2)
Keystone Light Poles - Ron Hornaday Jr. (2)
Top-five finishes - Three drivers with three
Top-10 finishes - Ron Hornaday Jr. (4)
Raybestos Rookie Leader - Colin Braun
Races led - Ron Hornaday Jr. (5)
Weeks in Top 10 - Five drivers with five

Rookie Shake Up:

The rookie class has experienced a shake-up in points as Colin Braun moves from fourth to first in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year battle. The rookie's third-place finish gives him a five-point advantage over Justin Marks (#9 crocs/Construct Corps Toyota). Marks posted an 11th-place finish in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250. Braun's performance is the best by a Raybestos rookie since Roush Fenway Racing teammate Erik Darnell ran third in the 2005 season finale.

Donny Lia (#71 Autism Speaks/TRG Chevy) and Brian Scott (#16 Albertsons Chevy), likewise, had strong finishes among the top 15.

Toyota Strong:

Toyota remains on top after five races of the 2008 season. Last Saturday's victory was the first of the year for Chevy. Ford is the only one of the four truck makers without a win in 2008.

2008 Manufacturers' Championship Point Standings:
Toyota, 34
Chevy, 30
Ford, 24
Dodge, 22

Up Next:

Coming off his performance at Kansas Speedway, Ron Hornaday Jr. looks to carry that momentum in defense of his 2007 win at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Mike Skinner, who has started from the pole position in the last three races at the track, will aim to visit Victory Lane for the first time this season.
(NASCAR Media)(4-28-2008)

Additional Lowes Truck Series Race Info at:
lowesmotorspeedway.com
espn.go.com
NASCAR.com
truckseries.com

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