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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Race
#15 | Toyota Tundra 200
Nashville Superspeedway
August 9, 2008
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The 15th race of the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Season
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After a one-week break, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series gets back in action this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, site of Saturday night's Toyota Tundra 200, race No. 15 of 25 on the 2008 schedule. Johnny Benson, driver of the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra, comes into the event on a roll, having won the last two races of the season. But Benson's points lead is anything but secure, as defending NCTS Champion Ron Hornaday Jr. is just 15 points behind and Matt Crafton only 31 points back in third. And with a wide-open title race, none of the leaders can afford any kind of slip-up under the lights on Saturday night. Of three drivers atop the points, Benson has had the most success on the 1.33-mile, D-shaped concrete Nashville oval, winning here in 2006 and posting three top-10 finished in four NCTS starts. Interestingly, Benson is the only previous Nashville winner entered in Saturday night's race. None of the other six drivers who've captured this race will be in the field this time around. "The track is pretty neat, although it's tough place to pass," said Benson. "It's a finesse-type of race track, where you have to really concentrate to hold it down at the bottom of the track. It also requires a lot of discipline to make sure you don't go into the corner too hard. It is also a special place for Toyota, being they are the title sponsor, so that give all their drivers more incentive to win." (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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With 7,000 Toyota associates in the stands rooting him on, Todd Bodine got the job done during Keystone Light Pole qualifying for tonight's Toyota Tundra 200 on SPEED starting at 7 pm Eastern. Bodine wheeled his No. 30 Germain Racing Toyota to the top of leaderboard in Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying session at Nashville Superspeedway. Bodine posted an average lap speed of 158.669 mph with a 30.244 second lap around the 1.33-mile, D-shaped concrete oval in Lebanon, Tennessee. Bodine scored his fourth pole in 105 races, a first amidst seven top-10 starts this season. This is Bodine's first pole award in four truck series starts at Nashville Superspeedway. (Marc Serota/Getty Images/NASCAR Photo)
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VPS Motorimages from Nashville Superspeedway...
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Johnny Benson won Saturday night's Toyota Tundra 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, becoming the sixth driver in series history to win three races in a row. Benson triumphed over Erik Darnell, Todd Bodine, Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday to extend his points lead over Hornaday. At the drop of the green flag, Mike Skinner dove to the bottom of the track and took his Toyota Tundra No. 5 Toyota three-wide with pole-sitter Bodine's No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota and the BobFrensley.com Chrysler Jeep Dodge No. 4 Dodge Ram of Stacy Compton. Skinner got loose into Turn 2 and had to make a great save to keep from crashing, as Bodine took the lead over Compton. Bodine controlled the opening laps, opening up a lead of more than 3 seconds over Compton by Lap 25, with the leaders followed by Kevin Harvick Inc. teammates Sprague in the No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado and Hornaday in the No. 33 VFW Chevy. Behind them were the Bill Davis Racing Toyotas of Johnny Benson in the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles entry and Skinner. (Ronda Greer/NASCAR Photo)
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When Saturday night's Toyota Tundra 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race got underway at Nashville Superspeedway, Johnny Benson hated how his No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Tundra felt.
Hated it.
That certainly wasn't the typical mindset for Benson, who is usually calm and about as easygoing as a top-caliber racer can be. The bespectacled Benson is the complete opposite of, say, Kyle Busch, who can be leading a race and still be on the radio yelling at his crew chief about what a total piece of junk his vehicle is. For Benson to be reading the riot act to crew chief Trip Bruce, something had to be bad wrong with his truck. And indeed, in the opening laps of the race it didn't seem like there was any way Benson was going to win his third consecutive NCTS race and fourth in five tries. In fact, after Benson pitted the first time on Lap 38, he got on the radio with Bruce and told him the truck was even worse after the first set of adjustments. No way Benson was going to win again. No way. The driver certainly didn't think so. (VPS Motorimages Photo)
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Johnny Benson won Saturday night's Toyota Tundra 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, becoming the sixth driver in series history to win three races in a row. Benson triumphed over Erik Darnell, Todd Bodine, Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday to extend his points lead over Hornaday. At the drop of the green flag, Mike Skinner dove to the bottom of the track and took his Toyota Tundra No. 5 Toyota three-wide with pole-sitter Bodine's No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota and the BobFrensley.com Chrysler Jeep Dodge No. 4 Dodge Ram of Stacy Compton. Skinner got loose into Turn 2 and had to make a great save to keep from crashing, as Bodine took the lead over Compton. Bodine controlled the opening laps, opening up a lead of more than 3 seconds over Compton by Lap 25, with the leaders followed by Kevin Harvick Inc. teammates Sprague in the No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado and Hornaday in the No. 33 VFW Chevy. Behind them were the Bill Davis Racing Toyotas of Johnny Benson in the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles entry and Skinner. (Ronda Greer/NASCAR Photo)
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