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NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
TRUCKS: SPEED Q&A - The 2010 NCWTS Stories And Players
SPEED talked to its on-air Truck Series personalities to break down the upcoming year...
Megan Englehart  |  Posted February 09, 2010   Daytona Beach, FL
Ron Hornaday was leading the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 when rain began falling at Kansas Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
SPEED ON-AIR PERSONALITIES PREDICT THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE 2010 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SEASON
Ray Dunlap, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Reporter. (Photo: SPEED)

Can anyone dethrone four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr.? How will Kyle Busch’s new Truck Series teams factor into the equation? Will Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton continue to claw their way to the top? With a slew of changes in place amongst the teams, drivers and NASCAR rules, the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, set to kick off its first race Feb. 12 at Daytona (8 p.m. ET live on SPEED; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 7:30 p.m. ET) promises a plethora of storylines and drama. In the Q&A below, SPEED caught up with its on-air Truck Series personalities to break down the upcoming year:

SPEED: Is there a driver or team “flying under the radar” that you think will emerge as the dark horse and become the biggest surprise of the season?

“Matt Crafton and the No. 88 Thorsport team will surprise some people this year. I think they have the foundation to compete for a title and stay closer to the points leader than they did last season. And with the changes at KHI, who knows ...” -- Adam Alexander, SPEED reporter

“Johnny Sauter almost fits into the dark horse category, although he didn’t really fly under the radar last year. But I don’t know that someone can step out of the pack and elevate their program to where they can contend with Hornaday. I will be looking to see what the new Turner Motorsports team does. Ricky Carmichael has some races under his belt although I’m not sure he has enough oval track experience to emerge from the pack. But I don’t see that sleeper right now.” -- Phil Parsons, SPEED analyst

“It’s hard to call Kyle Busch’s new team a dark horse but with crew chiefs Dan Stillman and Eric Phillips working there, I think people may be underrating them a bit. Although Kyle’s truck won’t compete for the driver’s championship because he’s splitting driver duties with Brian Ickler, Tayler Malsam could easily become a contender for wins and the points race.” -- Ray Dunlap, SPEED reporter

“Timothy Peters had a pretty good year last season and if things come together for them, they might be a dark horse that could surprisingly challenge. Matt Crafton looked like the only challenge Hornaday had last season but the kid had so much bad luck. This is a tough one - there are a lot more dark horses than favorites this year.” -- Darrell Waltrip, three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and SPEED and FOX Sports analyst; analyst for SPEED’s Truck Series coverage at Daytona

“I think Michael Waltrip will be the biggest surprise of the season. After watching from the SPEED announce booth for the last six years, Michael will now be behind the wheel of one of these trucks and he’ll have the expertise of Richie Wauters. Not only will this be the biggest surprise, but it will be the most entertaining.” -- Rick Allen, SPEED play-by-play announcer

SPEED: Who is your pick for the 2010 Truck Series championship?

“It will be interesting to see how Rick Ren’s departure will affect Ron Hornaday’s performance. Ren has been a winner everywhere he has gone. I also give a nod to Kyle Busch. His operation is not brand new and had a lot of things in place (with the former Xpress Motorsports) where they can just pick up and go. If you throw Ren and Busch in, I think it will give Hornaday a lot of competition. Todd Bodine had kind of an off-year last season and I think they’ll get back in the mix. Hornaday will have his hands full – there’s plenty of competition to challenge him this year.” -- Darrell Waltrip, three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and SPEED and FOX Sports analyst; analyst for SPEED’s Truck Series coverage at Daytona


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