Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
VODA: 2010 Tops In The Trucks
The 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season had some memorable moments that foreshadow the level of competition we could see in 2011...
Krista Voda  |  Posted December 24, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Krista Voda, host of NCWTS Setup (SPEED Photo)
The 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season was a bit of an anomaly as the championship didn’t go down to the wire at Homestead like we’re accustomed to seeing. However, the “little series that could” still had some thrilling and memorable moments that foreshadow the level of competition we could see in 2011.

Here are my picks for “tops in the Trucks” in 2010:

Best Finish:
Hands down, the best finish of the year came in a controversial photo finish at Talladega in October when Kyle Busch edged Aric Almirola in a three-truck battle to the checkered flag. That was an incredible moment produced by sheer determination, skill and a gutsy move by Busch, who pushed Almirola the entire way around the track on the final lap only to bail on him in the closing seconds, flirt with the yellow line and take the victory by a series record 0.002 seconds. The obvious dejection on Almirola’s face over losing by such a close margin non-verbally summed up the significance of winning at NASCAR’s biggest and scariest track.

Best Fight:
There were no punches thrown but our best skirmish of the season transpired between Ron Hornaday Jr. and Johnny Sauter at Martinsville in March. Sauter, angry with Hornaday for turning him in the closing laps, parked his truck alongside Hornaday’s when the race concluded. He then pushed his own crew member out of the way to reach Hornaday and got in his face, yelled at him for a little while and then walked away. Ironically, this squabble sort of carried over to the Kansas race in a good way when the guys staged a dual save of their trucks within inches of each other while battling for the lead with 13 laps remaining. While they displayed excellent skill in keeping their trucks out of the wall and each other, we all held our collective breath, thinking things could turn ugly if they wrecked simultaneously. But Sauter went on to win that race and Hornaday was the first to Victory Lane to congratulate him.

Biggest Disappointment:
Labeling former series champion Mike Skinner a disappointment in anything seems a bit strange, but given his talent and resume, the 2010 numbers he posted have to be considered a disappointment. He finished eighth in the points with only two top fives and never really was a factor for a win. I know Skinner would agree with me and is fired up about improving his team’s performance in 2011, hoping to never again endure such a dismal season.

Most Improved:
On the opposite end of the spectrum sits Timothy Peters. The polite, mild-mannered young man charged out of the gate at Daytona to win the season opener, maintained the points lead for a while and finished the year sixth in points. I don’t think anyone expected him to make such a splash. It was nice to see what a former independent driver/owner could do with the right equipment.

Biggest Surprise:
When you win the Truck Series championship the previous season, everyone expects you to at least post a win in the first few races the following season. Not so with Ron Hornaday in 2010. In fact, it took him until the July race at O’Reilly Raceway Park to find Victory Lane, which shocked many of us in the garage area. That just goes to show how much the competition changes from year to year and how easy it can be to get behind just enough to throttle your performance. Don’t look for Hornaday’s first 2011 victory that late in the year, though.

Biggest Foot-In-The-Mouth:
If there was a time in 2010 when a driver probably wished he would have thought a little more before opening his mouth for an interview, it likely was Todd Bodine talking about Kyle Busch at Kentucky. Bodine won the race but “thanked” Busch for racing him dirty, an accusation that became the talk of the Cup weekend when Busch arrived at Atlanta the next morning. At the banquet in November, Bodine told us he knew those remarks would come back to haunt him. The drivers harbor no ill will toward each other and have a good relationship, but it will be a while before everyone forgets that Victory Lane interview.

Krista Voda is the host of NCTS Setup, the popular pre-race program for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on SPEED. She also hosts Trackside, The Speed Report and special events such as the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, in addition to serving as a pit road reporter for FOX Sports. Voda also covers the NFL and BCS for FOX and has reported on sporting events ranging from The Kentucky Derby to the NCAA Final Four. Visit Krista's official website at KristaVoda.net

SPEED Dream Ride!
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
krista_voda's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Krista Voda

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.