Camping World Truck Series

Facing an uphill battle is not something new for Jennifer Jo Cobb, a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie who owns and drives the No. 10 drivenmale.com/DrivenBoutique.com Ford.

After years of racing sporadically in the Nationwide and ARCA RE/MAX divisions, the pride of Kansas City, Kan., has found herself with a huge career opportunity and a home in the Truck ranks.

In her first full season competing in a major NASCAR series, Cobb's made the most out of her limited resources, with adequate sponsorship and manpower against the powerhouse teams who have some affiliation to a Cup or Nationwide group.

Against the odds, she's stacked up well against the highly competitive freshman class, just within striking distance of the rookie points lead.

It's been a learning experience for the most part, learning the nuances of the trucks, as well as the racing code amongst the seasoned veterans and established winners who've been a fixture in these vehicles for several years.

All things considered, she's shown a bit of her potential through the four races held thus far in 2010.

While the finishes aren't exactly screaming instant success, much like Alan Kulwicki's initiation into Cup racing in 1986, Cobb has been showing flashes of brilliance with her efforts, supported by team general manager Mike Harmon and crew chief Rudy Pricker Jr.

When she looks back at her past racing experiences, she's grateful to be in the position she's in, racing with some of the sport's best like Ron Hornaday Jr., Todd Bodine, and Mike Skinner.

"I'll be the first to say that I've gotten in 'less than' equipment due to lack of funds," Cobb said during Bleacher Report's "Women In Motorsports" panel discussion . "This year makes me glad I gave it my all and stayed behind the wheel to persevere for a better opportunity."

Her diligence and attention to detail has been displayed in the first four races of the 2010 season, despite getting swept up in a first lap crash as a victim of circumstances during the season opener at Daytona.

Following her 34th place finish, the results have started to turn the corner for her No. 10 team. Witness:

Race No. 2 : After a poor qualifying effort of 31st at Atlanta, Cobb and JJCR team finished 21st, which was a victory of sorts with an ill-handling truck she has affectionately named "Marley."

She realized that "Marley" had its nose "pointed up" as well as it not being coil-bound with its springs.

Lesson learned : A tight truck means a comfortable ride, but a truck willing to go on the borderline of a loose, yet snug ride around the track translates to faster times in a race.

Race No. 3: Martinsville looked promising for Cobb, who tested at Caraway Speedway in anticipation for her first short track race in the big leagues of NASCAR. Those extra laps from the test session paid off, as she qualified 14th at the beloved paperclip-shaped track.

It looked like a great day of learning and a solid finish until her truck experienced electrical problems, resulting in a 26th-place finish and a DNF.

Lesson learned : Everything has to work and hold together in unison, no matter what spot you're in during the race. Finishing races translates to becoming a contender for good showings in a race-to-race basis.

Race No. 4: Friday night's Nashville 200 was a microcosm of her season, logging in laps as well as gaining a feel for the intermediate tracks with the truck. Starting 27th, Cobb brought the No. 10 Ford home with a decent 25th-place finish.

Lesson learned: As she said during the round table discussion last month, "You have to want it, work hard for it, and keep getting up, no matter how many times you are knocked down."

While she placed five laps behind race winner Kyle Busch, everything held together on every aspect of her race.

Now it's all about finding that speed, which she mentioned on her Twitter following the race at Nashville Superspeedway.

"We got the finishing part down, which is important," Cobb said through a Twitter entry. "Now we gotta get the passin' trucks part down! We're getting there."

Business savvy and fearless on the track, Cobb was realistic about her goals heading into the season. In a pre-season interview held after her acquisition of Rick Crawford's Circle Bar team, she understood the challenges that would stand in her team's way in its growing pain period.

"Having a good bit of money to start the season, but knowing it's not quite enough to finish," Cobb reflected. "My investors have allowed us to buy some really good equipment and trust our decisions.

"We have to tread carefully with the spending at first so that we can ensure what few employees we can afford full-time that are able to take care of them.

"It is so important to remember how many lives are at stake when working with a big league team. Having enough money will be a major challenge so finding sponsorship is key. "

Thus far in 2010, she's raced with limited sponsorship, with her truck carrying the colors and logos of her business venture called "Driven Boutique," which are garments and fashion designed for any racing fan.

While her clothing line's had on-track time, JJCR could certainly use a full-time sponsor to help her team progress at a faster pace.

For now, like many racing greats who've had to start small with so little, Cobb and her crew arrive at each track as an underdog competitor amongst the sharks of the Truck Series.

It's all about small gains in the short-term, with day-to-day successes which will hopefully translate to big-picture success in the long run for the No. 10 Ford team.

Given the competitive nature of NASCAR racing and Cobb's strength and determination to succeed, stock car fans, competitors, and media outlets may want to pay attention to the Kansas City native as this season progresses with a tremendously talented rookie field.

With gradual gains that'll surely be supported with great finishes down the stretch, look for her Ford F-150 to march toward the front, mixing it up for top-10 finishes in the hotly-contested Truck division.

GR Smith, an up and coming NASCAR driver, will make his Truck Series debut at this weekend's race, the Nashville 200. 

Smith's team, MAKE Motorsports, owned by Tracy Lowe and Mark Beaver, is also making their debut appearance in the Truck Series at the Nashville Superspeedway.

Smith notes that MAKE Motorsports is new to the NASCAR scene, although both owners have had success in dirt late models and other forms of motorsports. MAKE actually is the composite of all of the names of the team owners' children.

"That just fits our model," Smith said.  "We want to 'MAKE' the race; we want to 'MAKE' ourselves known to the sponsors this year; we want to have a presence on the scene; and we want to 'MAKE' an impression on NASCAR."

MAKE Motorspots plans to run at least five races in the Camping World Truck Series, including Nashville, Charlotte, Talladega, Kentucky, and Darlington, with GR Smith behind the wheel of the No. 50 race truck. The team's hope is then to run the entire 2011 season with Smith competing for Truck Rookie of the Year honors.

28 year old Smith has been racing professionally for over 10 years. He hails from a racing family in southern New Jersey.

And if you're wondering what GR stands for, the driver says simply "Great Racer."

Smith began his racing career on the dirt in Southern Jersey. He has won championships at both Bridgeport Speedway and New Egypt Speedway, in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

As with many current racers, Smith raced while also going to college. He is a graduate of West Virginia University, with a degree in communications and athletic coaching.

"We have to win the Final Four," Smith said of his alma mater. "We make it back once a year to a football game. It will be very hard to keep me away from Morgantown (WV) if we win the national championship."

After graduating from WVU, Smith went full-time Super Late Model racing, from New Jersey, to Ohio, to Florida, and "everywhere in between." Smith plans to continue his dirt racing in addition to his select Truck ride.

Smith admits that he has "never been in a Truck." But he also shares that he is not nervous, as he has been in many other types of race vehicles, including on the dirt and in the ARCA Series.

The young driver is also not intimidated by the hard-core veteran drivers in the Truck Series. "A Ron Hornaday or a Kevin Harvick are great, but they all have flaws," Smith said. "Without being cocky, I think we can hold our own."

Although confident, Smith is also realistic about his chances in his Truck debut. "A 15th place finish is a win for us," Smith said.

"We're looking forward to this new challenge," Smith said. "We're excited about the opportunity with MAKE Motorsports this weekend in Nashville."

Smith and MAKE Motorsports will also have a special incentive to win their debut Truck race this weekend. They are driving for the Ronald McDonald House of Nashville and if they win, 50 percent of the prize money will go to the charity.

"What a great cause," MAKE Motorsports team owner Mark Beaver said. "Who doesn't love to make kids smile?"

"Our NASCAR roots are built on family support and thousands of young fans," Beaver continued. "We can't wait to help families with their 'home away from home' initiative. 

“We are thrilled to partner with the MAKE Motorsports team for this exciting event," Liz Piercy, Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House of Nashville said. "This is a wonderful opportunity for the children and families who make our House their home away from home."

In addition to the Nashville race, MAKE Motorsports plans to partner with children's charities in each city where they are racing, providing awareness and publicity to those organizations. 

"NASCAR gives back, and we believe teams should give back-even the teams just starting out," team co-owner Tracy Lowe said. "Especially in today's economy, helping others isn't just about feeling good-it helps all of us move forward by leading by example. When you give without expectation of return, there is no better feeling."

In addition to the paint scheme on the car, eight children will be chosen from the Ronald McDonald House in Nashville to give the command for the drivers to start their engines.  The children and the families will also visit the pit and garage area, as well as participate in driver introductions for the Truck race.

"We're all just excited," Smith said.  "It's my car owners' first trip out; it's my first trip out. Everybody's been there since day one since it was a plan on the paper."

"It makes it that much more special to see the whole puzzle coming together."

This week the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be racing Friday night, at Nashville Superspeedway.

It's race number four of 25. The trucks are always exciting under the lights on the 1.33-mile tri-oval, and I was happy to see a Spring race date added to the schedule.

Here are my top five picks for the race, along with my Raybestos Rookie of the Race pick and sleeper pick.

1. Ron Hornaday Jr.

In five races at the track, Hornaday has compiled one win, three top-five finishes, three top-10s, led 145 laps, and posted an average start of 12.0 with an average finish of 10.6.

Horn is the "Concrete King," the best on the concrete tracks in the truck series. He'll have a stout truck, be fast, should qualify top-five or higher, and run the majority of the race in the top five.

If he doesn't dominate the race, he should be challenging for the win in the closing laps.

2. Todd Bodine

In five races at the track, Bodine has compiled three top-fives, four top-10s, won one pole, led 99 laps, and posted an average start of 9.32 with an average finish of 6.4.

Bodine will have a decent truck; he and Germain seem to rebound after having a bad outing, and Bodine should be a contender for the win.

If he qualifies well, he'll be among the leaders battling for the win or best possible finish.

3. Rick Crawford

In nine races at the track, Crawford has compiled three top-fives, six top-10s, led 50 laps, and posted an average start of 13.3 with an average finish of 11.8.

Crawford will have chassis CB-21 at Nashville; it's the teams workhorse on the intermediate tracks, and its last start was a top-10 finish at Atlanta.

He should have a fast truck. A good qualifying spot and pit strategy will help him get track position.

Crawford and Starland could use a late caution to get up front, then battle hard for the win or best possible finish.

4. Mike Skinner

In six races at the track, Skinner has two top-fives, three top-10s, won two poles, and posted an average start of 7.2 with an average finish of 10.6.

Skinner should have a decent truck and be fast, but he, too, needs to qualify well. He should be among the lead pack, with a good handling truck, and he may challenge for the win or battle his way to the best possible finish.

5. Johnny Sauter

As a rookie last season, Sauter ran a really good race and battled hard for a sixth-place finish.

Sauter should be another with a really good truck and should qualify top-10 or better. He could challenge for the win with his truck handling well in the closing laps.

My Raybestos Rookie of the Race Pick: Justin Lofton

Going with Lofton, since he ran a really good race in ARCA at the track in 2008 and picked up a top-five finish.

Lofton should have a decent truck, needs to qualify top-15, needs to stay out of trouble, and should finish 11th to 15th.

My Sleeper Picks: David Starr and Timothy Peters

This week I have two sleepers—couldn't decide which one to pick— and decided to go with both drivers.

In eight races at the track, Starr has compiled three top-fives, four top-10s, led 40 laps, and posted an average start of 12.4 with an average finish of 10.6.

In four races at the track, Peters has compiled one top-five, one top-10, won one pole, led 33 laps, and posted an average start of 7.2 with an average finish of 17.8.

Crew chief Jeff Hensley will be an asset for Peters. Peters may use pit strategy to steal a win, but he will probably be battling for another top-five finish.

Matt Crafton, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, and Brad Keselowski just missed the cut.

Dennis Setzer, Rick Carmichael, Jason White, Steve Wallace, Jason Buescher and Tayler Malsam could all factor in as well.

Now, I didn't forget Kevin Harvick—it's just that I think the bubble will burst and he'll get knocked out of the way in the closing laps and finish top-15.

It should be an awesome race. Nashville is a fun race with the trucks and a fan favorite.

It's always neat to see the drivers and teams celebrate with the trophy—a one-of-a-kind Sam Bass hand-painted Les Paul Guitar—and unless Rowdy wins, it won't get smashed.

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Photo Credit: zimbio.com

Ron Hornaday is known in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as the "Concrete King" for his skill at driving on concrete tracks in the series.

He's even completed the trifecta, winning on all three of the current tracks on the schedule—Nashville Superspeedway, then Bristol Motor Speedway, and finally Dover International Speedway.

"Concrete is just more sensitive than asphalt. If the temperature takes a dramatic shift then you will have to adjust your setup, but for the most part, the tracks just seem to have more grip than asphalt tracks," said Hornaday.

Arguably the coolest and most unique trophy in NASCAR is given out by Nashville Superspeedway. The winner of the race is awarded a one-of-a-kind hand-painted Sam Bass Les Paul Guitar.

In 2009, Horn—after years of trying—finally won one. It has some history and is now hanging in his trophy room.

He won his fifth consecutive race at Nashville last August, a feat that hadn't been accomplished in 38 years. Horn became only the third driver ever to do it.

He joined Hall of Famer Richard Petty and Bobby Allison.

Horn is looking to become the first in the series to repeat as winner at Nashville and he's also the favorite based on his team's 1.5-mile performance last season.

He'll be racing chassis No. 037 at Nashville. It's a very stout truck. In 2009, the chassis led 1,001 laps and had an average start and finishing position of 3.0. 

With Nashville being a one-day affair, it gives Horn and his No. 33 Longhorn team an advantage considering how well he drives on concrete tracks.  

Horn will have a very fast Silverado, and he should qualify top-five or better, if not already leading. He'll be challenging for the win in the closing laps and we may just see him dominate the race.

Of course for Hornaday Nation, it would be a sweet deal to see him dump the boss for a win or just ignore "Melonhead" Harvick's team orders this week.

Source for Quote and Photo Credit: kevinharvickinc.com

Track Stats:

Name: Nashville Superspeedway

Race Date: April 2, 2010

Location: Lebanon, Tennessee

Length: 1.333-mile oval

Banking in the turns: 14 degrees

Banking on the frontstretch: 9 degrees

Banking on the backstretch: 6 degrees

Grandstand Seats: 50,000

Tickets/track info: http://www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com/ or (866) 722-3849

 

 

Last year’s Top 10

1. Ron Hornaday
2. Brian Scott
3. Colin Braun
4. Timothy Peters
5. Matt Crafton

6. Johnny Sauter
7. Rick Crawford

8. Dennis Setzer

9. Taylor Malsam

10.T.J. Bell

In the previous five races at Nashville, certain drivers have been reoccurring in the top 10.

Todd Bodine is the most apparent, as even though he finished 13th in 2009, the previous four races he finished third, fifth, eighth and third.

Ron Hornaday has also backed up his win in 2009 with a fifth place finish in 2008 ands second in 2007.

Rick Crawford has finished sixth in 2007 and 10th in 2005.

Lastly, David Starr has also run well at Nashville before as he finished ninth in 2008 and fourth in 2007.

 

Tracking Key Camping World Truck Series Drivers

 

When it comes to Truck Series picks, most people center their picks on a certain key group of drivers who are known as the best of the series. Here are some of those drivers and their past stats for Nashville:

Ron Hornaday – Hornaday has five starts at Nashville and in that time, he has won a race, has three top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 10.6. Bringing that average down, however, is a crash that happened in 2006, which resulted in Hornaday finishing 33rd.

Timothy Peters – Peters has four starts at Nashville and in that time, he has only one top 10 finish (fourth last year) and an average finish of 17.8.

Matt Crafton – Crafton has nine starts at Nashville and in that time, he has one top five, four top 10s and an average finish of 12.1.

Johnny Sauter – Sauter only has one start in the Truck Series at Nashville, which came last year with a sixth place finish. However, Sauter has 11 Nationwide starts at Nashville that saw two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 16.2

Todd Bodine – Bodine has five starts at Nashville and has yet to win a race there. However, he has completed all of the laps there with three top five, four top 10s and an average finish of 6.4.

Mike Skinner – Skinner has six starts at Nashville and in those six starts, he has two top fives, 3 top 10s and an average finish of 10.8.

 

Keep in Mind: NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch will be making their first ever Nashville Truck starts this weekend.

Harvick has won the last four truck races he’s entered and in his three Nationwide starts at Nashville, he has finished first, seventh and third.

In every race that Busch enters, he’s bound to be near the front of your picks as in 71 Camping World Truck Series starts, he has 16 wins, 36 top fives and 52 top 10s. In eight Nationwide starts, however, he has a win, two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 15.4

Kevin Harvick wins easily in dominating fashion from the pole, leading 187 laps of 250 and picking up his second straight win. Going back to last year, it's his fourth win in a row when he runs in the series.

Hornaday due to qualifying being rained out on Friday, would start the Kroger 250 from the 31st position using the past champions provisional.

He would have a tough day battling his way to the front, making up 32 positions, led nine laps and picked up 15 positions in the points.

Don't blink after his runner-up finish, Ron Hornaday now sits 12th in the points and now is 178 behind points leader Timothy Peters.

Guess someone needs to let the experts in the media know two races don't make a season.

Oh I had plan to recap Horn's day from the back to the front, but the post race altercation between him and Sauter changed all that and the fact he let his boss win.

I see all three sides of this deal, Sauter had every right to be pissed at Horn and he shouldn't have spun him like that.

Regardless, if I feel that Sauter was blocking, was drifting ever so slightly to the high side checked up and Horn in the throttle couldn't slow down and spun him out.

After all Sauter in a way is a teammate, since he's driving a Kevin Harvick Inc. chassis.

But with the way Mike Skinner was battling with Horn, tell me you didn't see the deal with Sauter happening.

All the damage to the rear of the No. 33 was from Skinner bouncing off of him prior to the Lap 223 altercation and Skinner really has no room to cry foul.

Now let me mention one thing, didn't Sauter way back on Lap 92 get Horn loose moving him out of his way to take second after a restart and chase after Harvick.

Was it just me or didn't Sauter drive aggressively back to the front, after his pit road mishap were he damaged his left rear quarter panel from not having the tire tightened on a pit stop.

Didn't Rick Crawford dump rookie Justin Lofton not to lose a third lap to the leader?

Didn't Narian Karthikeyan have multiple race deals were he got knocked around repeatedly in his debut?

It's Martinsville everytime the trucks race here, we always see multiple race deals were drivers just beat and bang each other out of the way and tempers flare.

So while Harvick was doing burnouts on the front stretch, saluting the fans and collecting the checkers.

The other 35 trucks were driving onto pit road back to there pit stalls, but Sauter would block Horn and not follow the post race procedure in the series.

He'd climbed out of his truck, then proceeded to fling one of his crew members out of the way and first on the scene trying to calm him down.

Horn barely got out of his truck. Oh right, I can't really say that since he had time to put on his Longhorn hat.

But man was Sauter ever pissed off, he got into old Horn's face yelling had his finger wagging and just let him have it.

I was disappointed not too see Speed's Ray Dunlap or Krista Voda microphones in hand running to get into the fray and let us listen in.

I agree with Sauter, he had every right to do that and I think Horn was 100% wrong for what happened on the track. But I also think, if Skinner wasn't on his bumper this never would have happened.

Both crew chiefs of the drivers were right there, along with Jessica Stroupe Horn's P/R lady and two NASCAR officials were right there.

No fighting, no punching, and it did amount in nothing more than verbal altercation. Kind of boring, compared to Kez vs Hamlin or should I be saying "Crazy Carl."

I respect Sauter more for this altercation, not that I already wasn't a fan of his, but you have to respect him for being a man and handling himself the way he did just voicing his displeasure.

I'm proud of Horn, for admitting he basically spun him out and accepted blame. You won't here me complain should Sauter return the favor down the road.

After all if you live by the sword, you die by the sword or if you race with your bumper, then expect it dished back to you.

Now Skinner what a bleep-bleep, the man has no leg to stand on when it comes to wrecking the competition and just needs to stop crying.

The Trucks will be racing next Friday night at 8:00PM, at Nashville Superspeedway for the Nashville 200.

Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com

On Monday, when Darrell Waltrip was adding his Mountain Dew car to the Hall of Fame, Waltrip suggested that Dale Earnhardt Jr. drive some truck races for Kevin Harvick.

"I told (car owner) Rick (Hendrick), and I really, honestly believe this, I'd run him in some truck races," Waltrip said on Monday. "He needs to get somewhere where he can win, and I'd get him in a truck. Not a Nationwide car, a truck. They're fun to drive, have a good time in the truck series.

"If I was Junior, I'd go talk to (Kevin) Harvick and ask him if I could drive that No. 2 truck. I'd go out, and I'd win me a couple of races and I think that's what he needs, it would really help his confidence, and I think his fans would enjoy seeing him do that. I think it would be a win-win."

On Tuesday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway spoiler test, Kevin Harvick was asked about Waltrip's comments.

"He hasn't been center of attention and Carl (Edwards) and Brad (Keselowski) were, and he thought he ought to get his dog in the fight," he commented.

Despite these comments, Harvick did say that he’d love to have Earnhardt Jr. drive one of his trucks down the road.

On Wednesday at the Charlotte test, Earnhardt Jr. displayed his thoughts.

“I don’t have any interest,” he told David Newton. “I want to drive a truck before I retire to see what they feel like and Kevin Harvick said I could drive his anytime I wanted. Hopefully that offer will be around for quite a while, because I don’t plan on doing it anytime soon.”

Ron Hornaday Looks to Rebound

Hornaday lost 2009 crew chief Rick Ren to Kyle Busch Motorsports sending the season into questions from the start. After finding a crew chief, Hornaday went into Daytona and finished 27th after getting into a wreck; plus, something not feeling good in communication resulted in another crew chief change.

He then went to California and didn’t fare much better as he finished 33rd after cutting a tire, though communication looked better there.

Hornaday championship chances remain in question and to keep him a possible contender with the competitiveness of the truck series, he needs to score a good finish at Martinsville.

“The biggest thing is getting back on track,” Hornaday said in the pre-race report. “We haven’t had the greatest start to the season so it’s just really important for us to get out there do the best we can and gain the maximum amount of points. 

"Martinsville is one track that I have yet to get a win at so I would really like to get to victory lane there.  A win would help our point’s situation a lot but Martinsville is also one of the ‘upset’ tracks.  You really never know what is going to happen so survival is the goal.”

He has been good at the short tracks overall in the truck series as out of his 45 career wins, 20 of them have come on short tracks, though none at Martinsville. Despite that, he has faired well at Martinsville in the past as since he began running for Kevin Harvick, he has only finished outside of the top 15 once. That non-top 15 finish came in 2008 after he ran out of gas with less than three laps to go.

Kevin Harvick Goes for Four in a Row

In the last three races he has ran with his team, he has won them. He closed out the 2009 season with wins at Phoenix and Homestead, and followed that with a win at Atlanta in 2010. Harvick’s chances look good for this year as his team is still strong and he has two wins at Martinsville (2010 truck, 2006 Nationwide).

“Martinsville has been a good track for us,” Harvick said in the pre-race report. “We ran really well there last spring, obviously, winning the race. We had a little trouble in the fall race with a flat tire, but we were able to make up a couple laps and come back with a solid top five. Based upon our most recent success in the Truck Series, confidence is very high.”

Harvick also looks to do well as he’ll be reunited with 2003 Nationwide crew chief Butch Hylton. In 2003 in the Nationwide Series, Harvick and Hylton combined to win three races and eight poles and in combination with Johnny Sauter driving some of the races, they won the owner’s championship for Richard Childress.

Hylton also has experience with Kevin Harvick Incorperated as he’s served as Tony Stewart’s crew chief in the Nationwide Series, winning two races for KHI (2005 and 2010).

“I’m excited about that,” Harvick said in the pre-race report in regards to working with Hylton again.

“We’ve talked about getting the No. 2 truck back to where we needed to be, and we’ve won a lot of races in the past, so hopefully we can continue that same success. Obviously he and Tony had success at Daytona a couple times, including this year. Hopefully we can rekindle the winning tradition we had in the past with our Nationwide program at RCR.”

Ron Hornaday and his No. 33 Longhorn team are looking to turn their luck around with a good finish at Martinsville and to get back into the hunt, point wise.

Horn has a series-leading 45 wins, 20 of which have come on the short tracks. But he's still looking for his first Martinsville win which he's been close to achieving in the past.

Since joining Kevin Harvick, Inc. in 2005, he has had only one finish outside the top-15 at the track, so the odds are in his favor that he'll have some good karma this weekend.

Of course he is superstitious, so he's back to sticking with his proven pre-race routine. Back are his lucky, dirty, old sneakers and a friendly love punch to Dennis Adcock, the head of the Truck Series officials.

Martinsville is a tough track. It's all about keeping the fenders on, and it's a matter of survival.

Another key element is pit strategy and the teams play a key role for the winner on pit road.

Horn's new crew chief Doug George just may give him the edge needed to break through to celebrating victory on the front stretch.

"The biggest thing is getting back on track. We haven't had the greatest start to the season, so it's just really important for us to get out there do the best we can and gain the maximum amount of points," Hornaday said.

He'll be driving chassis No. 039 at Martinsville. It's the same truck that Kevin Harvick dominated Phoenix with for a victory last season.

Horn no doubt will have a stout truck; they'll be fast and should qualify top-five or higher. He should be among the leaders all race long, running in the top 10, and will challenge for the win or the best possible finish.

It's also a race that just might be what Horn, George, and the No. 33 Longhorn team need to shrug their newness working together and make them stronger as the season kicks into gear in another month.  

Source of Quote and Photo Credit: kevinharvickinc.com

Due to a driver change with the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18, Busch won't be running the Truck race Saturday and Brian Ickler will be. So I re-edited my picks, eliminating Busch, moved Horn to fifth and changed my sleeper pick.

This week the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be racing Saturday afternoon at the historic Martinsville Speedway.

It's race number three of 25 and the trucks will be beatin' and bangin' and playing a game of survival for the win.

Here are my top five picks for the race, along with a sleeper pick and my Raybestos Rookie of the Race pick.

1) Mike Skinner

In 14 races at the track, Skinner has compiled three wins, six top-fives, nine top-10s, two poles, led 593 laps, has an average start of 8.6, and a average finish of 11.9.

Skinner will have the oldest truck chassis in the fleet of Toyota Tundras and it's the one that he won three races with in 2009.

He'll have a really stout truck, be fast, and should qualify on the pole. I expect he'll lead most of the race, if not he'll be near the front and in the closing laps will challenge for the win.

1) Dennis Setzer

In 20 races at the track, Setzer has compiled three wins, eight top-fives, 13 top-10s, led 458 laps, has an average start of 14.0, and an average finish of 10.2.

Never look over Setzer at Martinsville. He's one of two multiple winners and it doesn't matter the quality of his equipment—he's always tough on the "Paperclip."

He's in a one-race deal this weekend with RBR Motorsports and he should be challenging for the win by race end.

Setzer will use pit strategy, probably make one stop, and will need to qualify top-10 or better. He'll be tough, but should he qualify bad it won't matter since he'll battle his way to the front and challenge for the win.

I have Skinner and Setzer winning the race because I couldn't decide which driver to go with because both are equally good on this track.

3) Timothy Peters

In eight races at the track, Peters has compiled one win, one top-five, four top-10s, led 130 laps, has an average start of 11.9, and an average finish of 15.2.

Peters always seems to run well on his home track. He should have another fast truck, needs to qualify well, and should be among the leaders up front.

I expect he may lead a segment of the race, feel he'll race the majority of the race in the top-five, and challenge for the win or the best possible finish.

4) Kevin Harvick

In nine races at the track, Harvick has compiled one win, four top-fives, five top-10s, led 11 laps, has an average start of 9.3, and an average finish of 11.6.

Harvick will have another brand new chassis. He has won four of five races when  breaking in one of his own stout trucks.

He should qualify on the outside pole position, be fast, lead a segment of the race, and should be among the leaders challenging for the win or the best possible finish.

5) Ron Hornaday Jr.

In 15 races at the track, Horn has compiled six top-fives, nine top-10s, one pole, led 231 laps, has an average start of 15.4, and a average finish of 10.6.

Horn will have a stout truck, be fast, and qualify top-five. He should run top-10 most of the race, and in the closing laps the wily veteran will challenge for the win or the best possible finish.

My Raybestos Rookie of the Race Pick: Jennifer Jo Cobb

All four of this year's rookie class are making their debuts at Martinsville so I'm looking at it as a survival of the fittest and which one will be the last rookie standing.

So I'm picking Cobb to be the top-finishing rookie, she should stay out of trouble and finish top-20 or better.

My Sleeper Pick: Johnny Benson Jr.

In 12 races at the track, Benson has compiled one win, four top-fives, six top-10 finishes, led 46 laps, has an average start of 15.2 and and an average finish of 13.7.

JB who's been struggling to get back in the driver seat, will be driving the No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports at Martinsville and right now it looks like a one race day.

He should have a decent truck, no doubt he'll be fast and needs to qualify well. Sure we'll see him among the leaders, he should challenge for the win or race for the best possible finish.

It would be pretty cool to see him have a good race, even win if he has the truck to do. Since we very well could see him signed by Ballew to drive the truck for the season or longer.

Rick Crawford, Matt Crafton, and Todd Bodine just miss the cut.

Aric Almirola, Johnny Sauter, Tayler Malsam, Ricky Carmichael, Ken Schrader, and David Starr could all factor in as well.

It should be a really exciting race. Nothing is better than seeing the trucks on the "Paperclip" and it's a battle of survival for the winner.

Circle Bar Racing's Rick Crawford is poised to set another career milestone, but it's one he'll share with another wily veteran.

Crawford and fellow driver Dennis Setzer will be making their 21st career starts at Martinsville and it's the most, by far, of any other driver in the series.

With Saturday's drop of green flag, Crawford will have another very impressive career milestone and it's one that he shares with his team. Crawford and Circle Bar Racing have made 325 consecutive career starts together and counting.

It's a pretty cool feat, since it's rare to see a driver in today's era of NASCAR to achieve a record like this and it's all with one team.

The pair will be making their 326th start at Martinsville. The pairing dates back to the beginning of 1997, but it's in jeopardy as the team continues to look for sponsor funding. 

It would be a shame to see the streak end. He's one of the veteran faces in the Truck Series, mixed in with young talent that makes it entertaining, competitive, and NASCAR's best racing.

Currently Crawford is 16th in the points, coming off of a ninth place finish at Atlanta and heading into Martinsville he's poised for another great finish.

At Atlanta during a pre-race interview, Crawford mentioned they had a sponsor close to signing with the team.

Maybe Martinsville is just what Crawford and Circle Bar Racing need to get the deal done and have them set for the remainder of 2010, which would be a pretty cool deal, since Crawford is one of the many faces of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and he's one of the good guys in NASCAR.