Crew Chief Change At BDR. … Joe Lax was atop the pit box in Memphis directing the No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota and driver Mike Skinner. Lax held a similar position with Bill Davis Racing’s ARCA RE/MAX team that was folded when Michael Arnett (No. 22 Pilot Travel Centers Toyota) moved into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Jeff Hensley, who guided Skinner to eight wins, remains a BDR employee.
Speaking Of Skinner. … No driver has been more consistent this year than the 1995 series champion. In any other year, his title hopes would literally have been nil after two finishes of 29th in the season’s first four races. Skinner came alive after failing to defend his Martinsville victory and hasn’t finished outside the top 10 since — a run of eight races. Four races in, he ranked 14th in points, facing a deficit of 176. He’s now sixth, 113 points back, after finishing seventh at Memphis Motorsports Park.
Chevrolet Regains Lead
All indicators show the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Manufacturers’ Championship going down to the wire.
Chevrolet’s fifth victory matched the total of rival Toyota and gives the GM Silverado brand a four-point lead as the season reaches its mid-point July 19 at Kentucky Speedway.
Each truck maker has held the lead six times in the season’s first 12 races.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 2008 Manufacturers’ Championship Point Standings after Race 12 of 25 at Memphis Motorsports Park
Chevrolet 82
Toyota 78
Ford 60
Dodge 44
This Week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through 12 races of the 25-race season)
Points leader – Ron Hornaday Jr. (1,742)
Driver Rating – Ron Hornaday Jr. (113.9)
Laps led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (561)
Victories – Ron Hornaday Jr. (3)
Keystone Light Poles – Johnny Benson (3)
Top-five finishes – Four drivers with six
Top-10 finishes – Mike Skinner (10)
Raybestos Rookie Leader – Colin Braun
Races led – Ron Hornaday Jr. (11)
Weeks in Top 10 – Three drivers with 11
In The Loop
Ron Hornaday Jr. makes his wins count
The defending series champion and current points leader has won three races this season, and according to the statistics, has left little to chance.
In his first two wins (Kansas and Texas), Hornaday scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0, and in his victory at Memphis this past weekend, he earned a near-perfect 149.8.
During his three wins, Hornaday has an Average Running Position of 1.5, 159 Fastest Laps Run and has run all 543 Laps in the Top 15.
Those numbers have propelled him to the top of most of the season-to-date statistical rankings.
Hornaday ranks first in Average Running Position (7.7), Driver Rating (113.9), Fastest Laps Run (255) and Laps Led (561). He has been passed fewer times than any other driver – 222 times. Second-best in that category among drivers who have competed in every race is Jack Sprague with 255.
Also noteworthy this season is the gradual climb by Mike Skinner. Though without a win this season, Skinner has chipped away at his points deficit since falling to 14th after Martinsville, the fourth race of the season.
Skinner is now in sixth, 113 points out of first. His stats this season have likewise improved as the season wore on. He has Driver Rating of 98.0 (fourth-best), an Average Running Position of 9.5 (third) and a series-high Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 87.7 percent.
Memphis Takes Its Toll — Again
After 12 races of the 2008 season:
1. Colin Braun 123
2. Justin Marks 108
3. Donny Lia 108
4. Brian Scott 95
5. Marc Mitchell 78
6. Andy Lally 62
7. Scott Speed 61
8. Phillip McGilton 38
Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates had an “off” night at Memphis Motorsports Park.
After placing candidates among the top five in the past two editions of the O’Reilly 200, the freshman class was shut out of the top 10.
Brian Scott (No. 16 Albertsons Chevrolet) was the Raybestos rookie leader. His 13th-place finish came within a position of matching his career best.
Up Next:
Teams take the next two weeks off before heading to Kentucky Speedway for the July 19 Built Ford Tough 225.
2008 Standings:
Rank Driver Points
1 R. Hornaday Jr. 1742
2 M. Crafton 1715
3 T. Bodine 1688
4 J. Benson 1686
5 R. Crawford 1668
6 M. Skinner 1629
7 E. Darnell 1605
8 J. Sprague 1578
9 T. Cook 1553
10 C. McCumbee 1514
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