Photo Credit: John Sommers II/Getty Images


Hornaday Dominates Second Straight Race
By Tim Tuttle, Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Ron Hornaday Jr. took home his second straight Elvis trophy with an overpowering victory Saturday in the MemphisTravel.com 200 presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Hornaday led 175 of 201 laps on the .75-mile track. The driver of the Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet had a commanding lead over Brian Scott's Toyota before a late-race caution forced a green-white-checkered finish. Hornaday pulled away on the final restart and won by .653 seconds over Scott.

It was the second straight week Hornaday has led almost from start to finish. Hornaday led 180 of 200 laps at Milwaukee, where he took the points lead. Hornaday expanded it to 76 over Matt Crafton at Memphis with his third victory of the season and 42nd of his career, tops in the history of the series.

Hornaday also won at Memphis in 1998, but the track didn't begin giving the Elvis trophy until 2005. This was the last year for it to be presented.

"The last Elvis trophy at Memphis, that's pretty cool," Hornaday said. "It was pretty awesome to come here and win the last Elvis trophy. That means a lot."

Hornaday started from pole and led 108 of the initial 114 laps, and never was passed on the track. He made his final pit stop and restarted second behind Scott, who successfully used a different pit-stop strategy to take the lead.

Scott managed to hold off Hornaday for 18 green-flag laps. On Lap 135, Hornaday cleanly got inside Scott in Turn 1 and they raced almost side-by-side to Turn 3. Hornaday had the advantage and went to the inside of a lapped truck. Scott went to the outside and Hornaday emerged with a solid advantage. The race stayed green for the next 61 laps and Hornaday steadily built up a sizeable lead.

Scott continued his strong second full season in trucks, moving up to sixth in the points. He finished third at Milwaukee last week and had his first victory at Dover.

David Starr was third, equaling his best finish of the season. Aric Almirola finished fourth and Crafton was fifth.

Unofficial Race Results click here

Unofficial Driver Point Standings click here

Fast Facts
The Race: MemphisTravel.com 200 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts
The Place: Memphis Motorsports Park
The Date: Sat., June 27, 2009
The Time: 7 p.m. AT
Race Distance: 150 miles / 200 laps
TV: SPEED, 6:30 p.m. AT
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM
Track Layout: .75-mile Oval
2008 Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr.
2008 Polesitter: Johnny Benson
Schedule: local track time...Friday: Practice, 3 - 4:15 p.m. and 4:45 - 6 p.m.; Saturday: Qualifying, 1 p.m.
Year-To-Date Results & Standings: click here

Qualifying Notes & Starting Lineup

Complete Starting Lineup stay tuned

Track Map

not available

Event Preview

• Hornaday Jr. Turning Up The Heat...While he’ll argue that it’s too early to be predicting who will take home the 2009 title, it’s hard not to acknowledge that Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet) is a title contender. The three-time series champion is coming off a dominating win at The Milwaukee Mile, where he nailed a perfect driver rating. He also bumped Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menard’s Chevrolet) from the top spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings. The win Saturday was his 41st, which extends his hold on the most wins in the series. It also came on his birthday, the second time the veteran driver has won on his date of birth. He also celebrated his birthday in Victory Lane back in 1998 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He is the only driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to do so and one of only three NASCAR drivers to win on their birthday. Kyle Busch recently won on his birthday at Richmond (May 2, 2009) and Cale Yarborough, like Hornaday, accomplished the feat twice (1977 and 1983). The series will head to a track this weekend where Hornaday also knows the way to Victory Lane. The driver and his No. 33 team are the defending race winners at Memphis Motorsports Park. Hornaday also won at Memphis in 1998. This is the last year for the distinctive Elvis trophy before a new design is brought into the fold, and Hornaday would like to make sure he’s the one who takes it home.
• Count On Veteran Dennis Setzer As Contender At Memphis...One can’t talk about the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series without talking about veteran driver Dennis Setzer. Highly respected in the garage, Setzer looked as though he might not be back for another year at the end of last season. But when the season opener at Daytona rolled around, he was there. Driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for MRD Motorsports since Atlanta, Setzer is showing he’s still a contender each week. He’s collected five top-10 finishes in the season’s 10 races so far. Two were runner-up results, one at Dover and the second last weekend at Milwaukee. Setzer has competed in the series full time since 1999. In 277 starts, he has 18 wins, 80 top-five finishes and 153 top-10 finishes. He’s finished in the top ten in the standings eight times. Of those eight, he managed to finish second three years in a row. With another strong run at Milwaukee, he cracks the top 10 again moving from 14th to 10th in the standings. As the series prepares to head to Memphis this weekend, Setzer is one driver to watch. In ten starts at the track, he has seven consecutive top-five finishes and has finished outside the top 10 only twice. Of his 18 wins in the series, 10 have come at half-mile-or-less tracks. Of the tracks on the current schedule, Setzer has 12 wins, including a 2001 win at Memphis.
• Points Battle Tightens After Milwaukee...Ten races down, 15 to go in the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. The series is known for its championship battle going down to the wire, sometimes to the last lap in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This season appears no different than the those before. The points lead has changed for the fifth time following Milwaukee. Ron Hornaday Jr. takes over for the second time with a 36-point lead over Matt Crafton. Two former series champions looking to improve their luck and chances at another title sit third and fourth. Third-place Todd Bodine (No. 30 Copart Toyota) is 88 points out of first. The points difference is nothing to worry over, but Mike Skinner (No. 5 Exide Toyota), sitting a mere point behind Bodine, is someone worth keeping an eye on. Both Bodine and Skinner have wins so far this season. But consistency could be key. Crafton is winless since grabbing his first career win at Lowe’s in May last year. From fifth place back, the points and stakes are tighter. David Starr (No. 24 Zachry Toyota) moves up a spot to fifth following a ninth-place finish over the weekend. Rookie Tayler Malsam (No. 81 One Eighty Toyota) continues to impress and moves up two places to sixth. He is 14 points behind Starr. Only 10 lie between Malsam and Brian Scott (No. 16 Albertson’s Toyota), who is seventh. Scott can’t rest easy as the second-year driver only has a two-point cushion on veteran Terry Cook (No. 25 Cajun Industries/Harris Trucking Co. Toyota). Back in ninth, Rick Crawford barely hangs on to his spot. Crawford entered the top 10 following the race at Texas. He has just six points over Dennis Setzer, who is 10th.
• Rookie Battle...With ten races under their belts, the battle for the 2009 Raybestos Rookie of the Year honor is shaping up to be just that, a battle. Tayler Malsam collected his third consecutive top-10 finish, his fifth so far for the season, at Milwaukee. The finish helps him hold his lead over Johnny Sauter (No. 13 Fun Sand/Rodney Atkins-Curb Records Chevrolet) who is seven points back in second. None of the rookies can afford to have a bad week and be able to walk away with the rookie title. Only 10 points separate Sauter from James Buescher (No. 10 International MAXX Force Diesel Ford). In his first start at Milwaukee, Buescher brought home a fifth-place finish and was the highest-finishing rookie.

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