Not one regular in this weekend’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race has won at Michigan.In fact, the only entry who has taken a checkered flag there is two-time winner and past series champion Travis Kvapil (2004, ‘07). Kvapil has run mostly a part-time schedule in the truck series, starting only four races in the last three years combined. His last series win came in 2007.So, consider it a strong possibility that Saturday after the Careers for Veterans 200, there will be a new victor crowned.With 12 different winners in 14 seasons – Greg Biffle and Kvapil are the only repeat winners – Michigan is anyone’s race to win.
Let’s take a look at this year’s prospects:
- Kyle Busch: Busch enters as the clear-cut favorite. He has finished first in all five Truck events he has entered this season and boasts six consecutive victories on the circuit dating back to 2013. Busch’s five wins lead the series, as do his 143.8 driver rating and 500 laps led. The lone downside? He has yet to win at Michigan in seven starts.
- Jeb Burton: In 2013, Burton broke the track’s qualifying record en route to the Keystone Light Pole and led for 41 laps before finishing tenth in his first start at Michigan. But that was last year. Burton has posted just three top-ten finishes and has yet to log a top-five in 11 starts in 2014.
- Johnny Sauter: The model of consistency in the series seems poised to break out with a victory. The No. 2-ranked driver in the points standings carries momentum from Pocono where he finished second and led 64 laps. He has five top-five and nine top-ten finishes in 11 starts this season.
These aren’t the only drivers in the hunt. Sprint Cup Series regular Joey Logano will compete in his second Camping World Truck Series event of the year in Michigan, while points leader Ryan Blaney and two-race winners Matt Crafton and Darrell Wallace Jr. look to register top runs.
Hornaday Leans On Experience
There’s no substitute for experience. Ron Hornaday brings plenty of it to Michigan.
The four-time series champion has the highest average finish (12.5) at the track among the top-five drivers in the point standings. He now sits in fourth, 20 points behind Ryan Blaney. No stranger to the course, he has six top-ten finishes in ten starts, including a best finish of fourth in 2010. In addition to his Truck Series appearances, Hornaday has competed in two Sprint Cup and five Nationwide Series events at the track.
The 56-year-old Hornaday has shown no sign of slowing down. He holds his spot in the top-five among Matt Crafton, 38, Johnny Sauter, 36 and young guns Darrell Wallace Jr. and Blaney, who at 20, are less than half his age. His eight tens this season rank third in the series.
While still successful as the Truck Series’ elder statesman, it seems Hornaday is his toughest critic. The series leader in all-time wins (51) is not satisfied with top-five finishes. He wants to win.
“I’m not doing this to go run third to fifth,” said Hornaday in a July interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I want to win races. I can go out there and ride around with the best of them but I don’t want to ride around. I want to start winning races and if I don’t, I’m probably going to retire early and I don’t want to retire. I’m still having fun doing it.”
Familiar Foes Feud For Owner Title
Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski can’t get enough of racing…and of each other. Their rivalry as drivers boils over to the Camping World Truck Series where they both own teams vying for the owner title.
A mere two points separate the pair in the owner standings. Keselowski, whose charity is a presenting sponsor of Saturday’s race, now leads the way with 408 points credited to the No. 29 Ford driven by Ryan Blaney. Nipping at its heels is the No. 51 Toyota of Kyle Busch Motorsports driven by Busch and Erik Jones.
Busch takes the wheel this weekend in Michigan as he goes for his seventh consecutive first-place finish at the Careers for Veterans 200 Presented by The Cooper Standard Foundation & Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation. Blaney feels he is up to the task of challenging the Sprint Cup star. The points leader has the most consecutive top-ten finishes with seven this season, extending his streak at Pocono Raceway with a fifth-place finish. He leads the series with seven top-five finishes and ranks tied with Johnny Sauter for the lead in top-ten finishes, with nine. He also paces championship contenders with a 103.9 driver rating.
At the moment, Blaney is more concerned with victories than points.
“You always keep your eye on the big picture but at the same time we want to win and we want to win a bunch of races,” he said following Pocono. “We want to get Ford and Cooper Standard back to victory lane. It’s a little too early to be in a total point mindset but it’s always in the back of our minds.”