Déjà Vu All Over Again?
02-10-2009 3:47 pm

In 2008, Johnny Benson and Ron Hornaday Jr. waged an epic battle that not only was the best in the history of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but one of the best ever in all of NASCAR, period.

After 25 races, Benson ultimately prevailed by just 7 points in a fight that literally came down to the last lap of the last race before it was settled. When the dust cleared, Benson earned his first NCWTS title, while Hornaday was thwarted in his hopes of winning a fourth series championship. Now, as the 2009 season is set to begin Friday night with the running of the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway, the question is, can these two heavyweights do it again?

On paper, at least, the answer would seem to be a resounding yes. Hornaday, in particular, seems perfectly positioned for another championship run, as he returns to his familiar No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado out of the Kevin Harvick Inc. racing stables, with crew chief Rick Ren and his supporting cast in place, along with a new sponsor in Longhorn.

Most pundits would make Hornaday a prohibitive pre-season favorite to capture another Truck Series title in 2009, but the California veteran doesn't see it quite that way, saying the race is wide open and likely will be as the season goes on.

"Last year I was racing with (Mike) Skinner and then with Johnny (Benson), and then it was (Todd) Bodine and everybody," said Hornaday. "It's how it works. Mike Skinner was a tough guy to race for the championship the previous year, and look how his season happened last year. Anything can happen, just I'm fortunate enough that Kevin and DeLana (Harvick, team owners) are very focused on racing to put the people in the right places and we've got the same team together."

The key word here being team, which with the experience and depth of the KHI crew could be a pivotal advantage for Hornaday. "That's what it's gonna take, the gel factor of the whole team working together," said Hornaday. "They know how I am, I know how they are and I know they're gonna put great stuff underneath me, but if I say I was a favorite to come in, I'd be wrong because anybody can win a truck race. This is what's so good about the truck racing. It's unbelievable competition."

Hornaday is also mindful of the fact that he has to worry about some of the young bucks coming up through the ranks, not just Benson, Skinner and Bodine.

"These young kids got something to prove, and I'm going to go in there with an open mind and be the first race, I'm going to race as hard as I can," said Hornaday. "If you get through Daytona unscathed that's going to set the whole season for you."

Benson, on the other hand, is starting over with a new team. Bill Davis Racing, the squad he won the 2008 championship with, is now defunct, so Benson and crew chief Trip Bruce moved over to Red Horse Racing, where they will be part of a two-truck Toyota effort.

And Benson knows he'll have his work cut out for him this year, especially given that in the first 14 years of the Truck Series, there has never been a repeat champion. "It's going to be very difficult because it's a new team," said Benson. "We feel we're going to be a great race team, and I believe that. Trip Bruce is the crew chief I've had for the last two years. We've brought four or five other people from the No. 23 (BDR) team. So I think the team aspect will be strong, but because we started so late in the game I think it's going to be difficult to try to run for a championship. I don't know if we're championship caliber just yet. Do I believe we can? Absolutely, we just did it last year."

And so, on Friday night at Daytona, Benson and Hornaday will throw down with the other Truck drivers and kick off what should be another dramatic battle for the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship.

"I love the build-up to Daytona," said Hornaday. "I think the anticipation of getting ready all off-season, putting the sponsors in place, building the trucks and rolling into a track with so much history is the best part. Being at a place where my dad always wanted me to race, just the feeling is the best part about being at Daytona."