The second fifth of the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series saw Ron Hornaday hold the lead after the first race, but with each passing week, there was a new points leader.  The series really began to heat up, and it all started in Charlotte...

Race #6: NC Education Lottery 200 - Lowe's Motor Speedway (May 16, 2008)
Kyle Busch sat on the pole in this one.  It should come as no surprise that he led the most laps.  However, he had to settle for an 8th-place finish.  Nearly 1/3 of the 36 trucks led this race, 11 to be exact.  Derrick Cope collected his paycheck after just 4 laps.  This was a bad night to be a rookie.  It all started on lap 8 when Brian Scott and Donny Lia crashed on the front stretch.  Both drivers were finished for the night.  On lap 106, a multi-truck crash occurred involving 5 trucks, including Ron Hornaday, Kyle Busch, Jack Sprague, and rookie Colin Braun.   Rookie Scott Speed got the worst of it and was finished for the night.  A few laps after the restart, it was John Mickel and rookie Justin Marks crashing out of the race in an accident that involved 2 other trucks.  On the ensuing restart, Erik Darnell didn't get up to speed quickly, and Johnny Benson passed him early.  Benson was black flagged and finished 11th.  On lap 130, Todd Bodine spun out Ron Hornaday.  Hornaday would finish a lap down in 23rd and Bodine would be penalized for aggressive driving; he would finish 12th after gaining a few spots in the final two laps.  In a green-white-checkered finish, a first-time winner emerged.  After coming so close so many times, it was Matt Crafton who finally earned that elusive first career victory!  Here's your points standings after 6 of 25 races...

1. Ron Hornaday 874
2. Rick Crawford -5
3. Todd Bodine -38
4. Matt Crafton -45 (+3)
5. Dennis Setzer -57 (-1)
6. Chad McCumbee -66 (+2)
7. Kyle Busch -77 (-1)
8. Johnny Benson -78 (-3)
9. Erik Darnell -103 (+4)
10. Terry Cook -114 (+4)

Race #7: Ohio 250 - Mansfield Motorsports Park, Ohio (May 24, 2008)
Kyle Busch sat out this race, and as a result, lost 9 points in the standings to 16th.  Johnny Benson was the pole sitter, and led some laps, but did not win.  However, he did earn a top 10, finishing 8th in what turned out to be a wreckfest.  There were 15 cautions in this race.  Todd Bodine was the first spin on lap 9, but would rebound to finish 3rd.  Scott Lagasse spun out on lap 38.  He would finish a lap down in 30th.  5 laps after this restart, Ron Hornaday kissed the points lead goodbye when he got together with rookie Colin Braun.  Braun finished 16th, while Hornaday finished 105 laps down in 35th, OUCH!  On lap 70, it was Benson with a spin, but as you saw earlier, he rebounded quite nicely.  Shortly after Benson's spin, David Starr spun out.  However, Starr led the most laps in this race and came home second.  Haven't had enough yet?  The next spin was Rick Crawford, who would finish the day in 13th.  Then came the first casualty of the day when Tim Cowen spun and had overheating problems.  Brendan Gaughan was then involved in back-to-back incidents.  2 cautions followed for debris, and then a caution for fluid on the track thanks to Dennis Setzer's kablooey.  Shane Seig was driving the #51 in this race, and he got caught up in a wreck a afew laps after the restart.  Then it was Brian Scott spinning out, followed by the trifecta for Brendan Gaughan.  In the end, it was another first-time winner.  This time it was rookie Donny Lia on his way to victory lane!  Here's the points standings after race (un)lucky #7 with a new points leader...

1. Todd Bodine 1001 (+2)
2. Rick Crawford -8
3. Matt Crafton -45 (+1)
4. Johnny Benson -58 (+4)
5. Ron Hornaday -64 (-4)
6. Terry Cook -81 (+4)
7. Mike Skinner -83 (+4)
8. David Starr -88 (+6)
9. Erik Darnell -100
10. Chad McCumbee -102 (-4)

Race #8: AAA Insurance 200 - Dover International Speedway (May 30, 2008)
Mike Skinner sat on the pole in this race after coming off a good run in Mansfield in which he gained 4 spots in the points...but he never led a single lap.  3 trucks decided to call it a day in the first 10 laps.  Ryan Seaman brought out the first caution on lap 13, and would be done for the day with a wrecked truck.  Rookie Brian Scott was the next casualty on lap 47.  Rookie Andy Lally also found trouble and would finish the day 3 laps down in 22nd.  Erik Darnell spun and wound up 5 laps down in 25th.  The next caution came out just a few laps later for J.C. Stout who would be finished for the day, also with a wrecked machine.  Jason White then lost an engine, bringing out another caution.  With 30 laps to go, Todd Bodine's day ended with a crash.  9 laps later, another engine failure, this time it was Ryan Lawler.  Kyle Busch led the most laps in this race, but had to go behind the wall for repairs when the power steering let go.  Shrub finished 17 laps down in 27th.  At the end of the day, it was the third first-time winner in a row, and this time it was Scott Speed!  With Bodine's troubles, Rick Crawford took over the points lead, check out the standings...

1. Rick Crawford 1131 (+1)
2. Matt Crafton -20 (+1)
3. Ron Hornaday -24 (+2)
4. Todd Bodine -49 (-3)
5. Johnny Benson -54 (-1)
6. Jack Sprague -65 (+5)
7. Mike Skinner -67
8. David Starr -68
9. Terry Cook -82 (-3)
10. Chad McCumbee -105

Race #9: Sams Town 400 - Texas Motor Speedway (June 6, 2008)
This was the weekend where Kyle Busch discovered the reason you don't try to run all 3 series full-time in the same year.  We'll get to his problems in the Nationwide and Cup Series for this particular race weekend when those reviews are written.  This was also where the streak of first-time winners came to an end.  Rookie Justin Marks was the pole sitter.  4 of the 35 drivers decided to call it a night in the first 11 laps, the usual nobodys.  Then on lap 39 T.J. Bell lost an engine.  Aric Almirola finished 16th, but not before bringing out the caution for an accident on lap 62.  On lap 76, Stacy Compton had transmission problems and ended his race early.  Dover's winner Scott Speed spun on lap 114.  On lap 119 it was Jason White with a race-ending crash, a tough break after he had led the race earlier.  Ted Musgrave lost an engine on lap 146, David Starr may have found some oil as he crashed out on the next lap, bringing out the caution.  On lap 164, Scott Speed spun again, and this time his night was done.  This led to a green-white-checkered finish.  On the final restart, Ron Hornaday held off Kyle Busch, who had to start in the rear of the field due to not qualifying his truck himself.  He was mad, but Hornaday would not be denied, as he led 7 times for 140 of the 172 laps.  Thanks to this win, he re-gained the points lead thanks to Rick Crawford's 21st-place finish.  Here's a look at the standings...

1. Ron Hornaday 1302 (+2)
2. Matt Crafton -45
3. Johnny Benson -55 (+2)
4. Todd Bodine -65
5. Jack Sprague -71 (+1)
6. Rick Crawford -71 (-5)
7. Mike Skinner -100
8. Chad McCumbee -126 (+2)
9. Terry Cook -138
10. David Starr -157 (-2)

Race #10: Cool City Customs 200 - Michigan International Speedway (June 14, 2008)
Mike Skinner was the pole sitter, and this time, he did lead the race.  This was the first race after Kyle Busch announced he would focus on running ONLY the Sprint Cup Series full-time for the rest of the year, but he was in this race.  Ron Hornaday had to start at the rear because of an engine change.  1 driver called it quits after 6 laps, and Rick Markle lost an engine on lap 7.  2 more drivers called it a day on lap 15 and lap 16 respectively.  There were only 4 cautions in this race, and it was a short one, only 100 laps.  Rookie Justin Marks, the Texas pole sitter, brought out the first caution for an actual spin (the first 2 were for debris) on lap 60.  Jack Sprague had troubles and finished 8 laps down in 30th.  With 5 laps to go, rookie Marc Mithcell spun.  Todd Bodine led the most laps, but had to settle for a 4th-place finish.  Erik Darnell took the lead with 25 laps to go, and never relinquished it.  On the final lap, the Shrub spun out Ron Hornaday as Darnell beat Johnny Benson to the line in a photo finish.  As a result of the spin, Hornaday finished 23rd and lost the points lead to Johnny Benson.  Here's your top 10 in points after 40% of the season...

1. Johnny Benson 1422 (+2)
2. Todd Bodine -15 (+2)
3. Ron Hornaday -21 (-2)
4. Matt Crafton -47 (-2)
5. Rick Crawford -61 (+1)
6. Mike Skinner -73 (+1)
7. Chad McCumbee -108 (+1)
8. Jack Sprague -118 (-3)
9. Terry Cook -119
10. Erik Darnell -152 (+2)

Stay tuned for Part 3.  In the meantime, I'm your NASCAR VP wondering who's going to have the points lead after race #11...you'll find out next time!

BK over and out