What many call the toughest stretch of racing on the 2009 NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series schedule has ended.
In Wimbledon terms, Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Longhorn Chevrolet) held serve.
Hornaday, the leader by 84 points entering five consecutive weekends of racing
in late May, remains in the No. 1 position. He leads Matt Crafton (No. 88
Menards Chevrolet) by 76 points.
Hornaday, bidding for a record, fourth series championship, won two of the five
races, most recently at Memphis Motorsports Park on June 27. The 51-year-old
Palmdale, Calif., veteran is the season's only three-time winner.
The points leader, however, isn't the only one to watch when racing resumes July
18 at Kentucky Speedway. The Dover-to-Memphis swing significantly shook up
top-10 rankings. Three competitors — Colin Braun (No. 6 Con-way Freight Ford),
Tayler Malsam (No. 81 One-Eighty Toyota) and David Starr (No. 24 Zachry/Harris
Trucking Toyota) — moved into the elite grouping.
Braun, on the strength of his victory at Michigan International Speedway, made
the biggest gain from 19th to 10th. After finishing 22nd at Dover, the
20-year-old Roush Fenway driver reeled off four straight top-10 finishes.
Starr, a 12-year veteran of the series, is enjoying his best season since 2006.
Driving for Virginian James Harris, the Houston native scored top-10 finishes in
four of his five most recent starts, including thirds at Memphis and Dover. He
was 13th after the Lowe's race and stands fifth in current standings, just 231
points behind leader Hornaday.
