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Week In Pictures
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Saturday
At Kentucky Speedway
2 p.m.: Gates open
3:30 p.m.: Truck series, Built Ford Tough 225 qualifying
5:30 p.m.: Concert by Blood Sweat & Tears
7 p.m.: Built Ford Tough 225
Tickets: $45-75
TV: Speed Channel
Kyle Busch's2008 victories
SPRINT CUP SERIES
March 9 — Kobalt Tools 500, Hampton, Ga.
April 27 — Aaron's 499, Talladega, Ala.
May 10 — Dodge Challenger 500, Darlington, S.C.
June 1 — Best Buy 400, Dover, Del.
June 22 — Toyota Save Mart 350, Sonoma, Calif.
July 5 — Coke Zero 400, Daytona Beach, Fla.
July 12 — LifeLock.com 400, Joliet, Ill.
NATIONWIDE SERIES
April 5 — O'Reilly 300, Fort Worth, Texas
April 11 — Bashas' Supermarkets 200, Avondale, Ariz.
April 20 — Mexico 200, Mexico City
May 24 — Carquest Autoparts 300, Concord, N.C.
July 11 — Dollar General 300, Joliet, Ill.
CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Feb. 23 — San Bernardino County 200, Fontana, Calif.
March 7 — American Commercial Lines 200, Hampton, Ga.
Rick Crawford has always been one of the more candid voices inside the Craftsman Truck Series garage, so it's no surprise the longtime driver didn't mince words when asked about facing Sprint Cup Series leader Kyle Busch this weekend.
“I'd just like to catch him,” Crawford proclaimed during a national teleconference on Tuesday.
If Crawford can pull off that feat Saturday night, he'd be the first driver to do so in several weeks.
After a four-week hiatus from the Truck Series, the ridiculously red-hot Busch is starting in the Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway.
Since making his last appearance in a truck race on June 14 at Michigan, Busch has gone from dominating to virtually unbeatable.
The 23-year-old phenom has racked up three Cup triumphs in the past four weeks — including back-to-back wins at Chicago and Daytona to give him seven for the season — and even tossed in a Nationwide Series victory last Friday for good measure.
In all three of NASCAR's premier series this season, Busch has combined for 14 victories, two of which have come in eight Truck Series starts.
“I watch him on the other Saturday and Sunday night shows and I think a lot of the Nationwide and Cup drivers probably would like for him to come back and run trucks full time,” joked Crawford. “You know, I'm looking forward to it. I don't think he's hit me yet, so it's been fun racing against Kyle.”
There are few tracks at which Busch hasn't excelled in his meteoric career, and the Sparta 1.5-mile tri-oval is no exception.
Busch has previously notched wins in both the ARCA RE/MAX and the Nationwide Series at Kentucky Speedway and is vying to becoming the first three-series winner in the Sparta track's history.
“I've never raced a truck at Kentucky,” Busch said. “Kentucky is one of my favorite places. It's always a lot of fun. Hopefully, our Cup test there last week helped me get a better sense and feel for the place and what I can learn there for the truck. I'm kind of itching to get back into the Truck Series.”
Busch might be the marquee name in the field, but it is the performance of three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. that will be of utmost interest to his competitors.
Hornaday, who won the Built Ford Tough 225 in 2006, is in the midst of another ultra-consistent season that has put him atop the series points standings, just ahead of Matt Crafton.
In 12 starts this season, Hornaday has a series-high three victories and has finished outside the top 10 just twice.
“Kentucky is another one of those 1.5-mile tracks, and with the way our program has been this year, we have a chance to be really good,” Hornaday said. “It is a fast racetrack with two racing grooves. We won this race in 2006 and I would like to win there again, especially since nobody else has won there twice.”
Regardless of who triumphs at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday night, it will be hard for him to match the clinic Mike Skinner put on one year ago en route to claiming the 150-lap contest.
Skinner, who lost the championship by a mere 54 points to Hornaday, led 135 of 150 laps at Kentucky en route to claiming the fourth of what would be a series-high five wins last season.
A return to Kentucky could be what Skinner needs to get back on track as he is still seeking his first win of 2008 and is mired in sixth in the points standings.
“We had a great truck there last year and pretty much dominated the race,” Skinner said. “I am confident we are taking a truck that will be as good as last year. We are still in the hunt to be a contender for the championship, but we need to continue to do our jobs.”
