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TRUCKS: Truck Points Still Tight
Written by: Tom Jensen   
07/26/2008 - 10:42 AM
Indianapolis, In.
 
Johnny Benson leads a group of trucks during the Power Stroke Diesel 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park. (Jerry Markland/Getty Images Photo) ยป More Photos

Even though Johnny Benson’s victory Friday night at O’Reilly Raceway Park was his third in the past four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, the Michigan native’s points lead is anything but secure.

With 14 of 25 NCTS races now in the books, Benson now leads three-time and defending NCTS champion Ron Hornaday Jr. by a mere 15 points, as the two are slowly separating themselves from the pack.

In Friday night's Ford Power Stroke Diesel 200 at ORP, Benson’s Vemma Toyota Tundra and Hornaday’s VFW Chevrolet Silverado were by far the class of the field, combining to lead 196 of 200 laps. Finishing fourth in the race in his Menards Chevy was third-place points man Matt Crafton, who is just 31 points behind Benson.

From there, the field spreads out a little, as Rick Crawford is 155 points in arrears of Benson.

Although Benson is red-hot, he knows that this season has seen a lot of ups and downs, with more likely to come. “We’re hoping we’re one of the guys to beat but we no way have our hands around this thing,” admitted Benson. “We’ve been 50 points ahead and fell to fourth in one race. It’s going to be a tough battle all the way to the end.”

Then again, close racing is one of the hallmarks of the Truck Series.
“That’s one of the things that’s great about the Craftsman Truck Series,” said Biffle. “The championship race isn’t going to be over until they throw the checkered flag down in Miami, that’s just how it is. You can be dominant and have something happen and lose the race and the championship. There’s no way anyone has their hands around it. It’s probably going to be about four of five but nobody has their hands around it right now.”

For his part, Hornaday was disappointed to finish second, especially after leading 153 laps on the night. “Johnny had the dominant truck all day,” said the three-time series champion. “I will take second to him anytime
here at ORP, but darn, just a little frustrated. I think we led the most laps so I don’t think he gained too many points on us. We still have a lot of races left and I am proud we brought this home in one piece.”

Crafton, on the other hand, was delighted to rebound, finish fourth and keep the points race tight. “We started the race and were horrible,” said Crafton, who is tied with Benson for most top fives in the series. “I told my guys, ‘I am not trying to be a jerk here, but this thing is just … this truck is a piece of crap.’ I am as much to blame as they are because we work on this together and make decisions together on what we are going to do to our Menards Chevrolet. We started that race horrible and we made some wholesale changes during that race. Like I said, these guys are awesome, they never give up. Another good finish for this team.”

The Truck teams will have next week off before racing again in the Toyota Tundra 200 Aug. 9 at Nashville Superspeedway. And expect the race for the title to stay close as the NCTS season nears its home stretch. For as hot as Benson is right now — and he is red hot —Hornaday and Crafton are right there with him.

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to


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