Inaugural Race: ( NASCAR Busch Series) Jiffy Lube Miami 300- Nov. 5, 1995
Winner: Dale Jarrett
Pole Winner: Joe Nemechek
Inaugural NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Race: Pennzoil 400 - Nov. 14, 1999
Winner: Tony Stewart
Pole Winner: David Green
Inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race: Florida Dodge Dealers 400 - Mar. 17, 1996
Winner: Dave Rezendes
Pole Winner: Geoff Bodine
Inaugural Indy Racing League Race: Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami-April 8, 2001
Winner: Sam Hornish, Jr.
Pole Winner: Jeff Ward
Current Capacity: 65,000 Grandstand seats
Facility: 600 acres
Tower Building: Equivalent of a 12-story building in height (although only five levels)
Course:
1.5 mile oval, 2.21 mile road course
Surface:
Asphalt
Length of front straight: 1,760 feet
Length of back straight: 1,760 feet
Banking in turns: 20-degrees variable banking
Banking in straights: Three degrees
Width of Track: 55 feet
Pit Road: 1,900 feet long, 50 feet wide
Garage Area: 30 stalls (spaces for 120 cars)
Garage Suites: 30 suites available for viewing above the garages.
TV Monitors: 750 monitors. That is 15,140 inches of monitors on the premises.
Press Areas: The infield media center accommodates up to 90 writers and photographers; as well as, the timing and scoring crews. The press box on the fifth floor of the Tower Building accommodates 156 writers, while the sixth floor has seven TV/radio booths. An infield media tent can accommodate an additional 100 writers and photographers. Two auxiliary media areas can also be added to the infield, which will accommodate 90 additional media members.
Fencing: Over 33 miles of high strength steel cable are used as part of the oval fencing/cable barrier system. More than 9,000 clamps are used to hold this cable in place. The 33 miles of cable is long enough to stretch from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale.
Palm Trees: 1005 palm trees of 15 different varieties.
Tunnels: Two tunnels, both below sea level. The back tunnel is the southern-most tunnel in the continental United States, and is large enough to hold two tractor-trailer trucks.
Water: The facility's water tower has a capacity of one million gallons. That's enough water to fill 20,000 bathtubs.
Lakes: Four lakes were created, providing more than 2.5 million cubic yards of limerock fill to build the speedway. Three of the four lakes are located on the Speedway's property, with two lakes in the infield. The largest of the lakes is 18 acres and stocked with rare Peacock Bass. This lake is deep enough to submerge an entire six-story building.
Parking: Spaces for over 30,000 cars. Parking is free to all guests at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
RV Parking: There are 1300 parking spaces for RV's.
Weight: The entire project weighs 10 billion pounds, give or take a few million.
Lights: In 2005 Homestead-Miami Speedway installed state-of-the-art lights throughout the facility, making it possible for Ford Championship Weekend to be held after dark for the first time
Electrical System: 2.4 millions watts of power per hour will be necessary to illuminate the Speedway. That is equal to the amount of power needed to light 17,143 blocks with residential street lighting in South Florida
Champions Club Tower: This luxurious new facility, which is located outside Turn One, will include 16 skyboxes, seating 32 people each, and offering amenities such as an indoor, air-conditioned club area with buffet and full-liquor bars, plasma televisions, outdoor chairback seating, exclusive elevator, pre-race track pass, and a spectacular view of the Speedway.
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ENTRY LIST
Ford 200 | Homestead-Miami Speedway
November 16, 2007 | Race 25 of 25
CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN MAKE SPONSOR OWNER
00 Andy Lally Northport, NY Toyota U.S. Army Reserve Darrell Waltrip
1 Jason Leffler Long Beach, CA Toyota RFMS Inc. / Red Horse Racing Tom DeLoach
2 Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, CA Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com DeLana Harvick
4 Mike Bliss Milwaukie, OR Dodge Open Joist Lois Vance
5 Mike Skinner Susanville, CA Toyota Toyota Tundra Bill Davis
6 Travis Kvapil Janesville, WI Ford K&N Filters Jack Roush
7 Jason White* Powhatan, VA Dodge Gunbroker.com J.L. Pennington
07 Tim Sauter* Necedah, WI Chevrolet Lester Buildings Gene Christensen
8 Chad McCumbee Supply, NC Chevrolet thegpsstore.com / Garmin Dave Malcolmson
08 Chris Jones Forest, VA Chevrolet Robert's American Gourmet Snacks Bobby Dotter
9 Ted Musgrave Franklin, WI Toyota Team ASE / Germain Mtr Co. Bob Germain
09 Joey Clanton* Stockbridge, GA Ford Zaxby's Tad Geschickter
10 David Starr Houston, TX Ford Maxx Force Diesel Greg Pollex
13 Willie Allen* Nashville, TN Chevrolet ThorSport Racing David "Duke" Thorson
14 Rick Crawford Mobile, AL Ford Power Stroke Diesel Tom Mitchell
15 Andrew Myers Newport Beach, CA Chevrolet Billy Ballew Motorsports James "Billy" Ballew
16 Brian Scott Boise, ID Ford TruckSeries.com / Strutmasters.com David Fuge
18 Dennis Setzer Newton, NC Dodge Fastenal Lois Vance
21 Jon Wood Stuart, VA Ford U.S. Air Force Eddie Wood
22 Dave Blaney Hartford, OH Toyota Bill Davis Racing Bill Davis
23 Johnny Benson Grand Rapids, MI Toyota Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Gail Davis
27 Jacques Villeneuve Montreal, Quebec Toyota UNICEF Bill Davis
30 Todd Bodine Chemung, NY Toyota Lumber Liquidators Stephen Germain
31 Tim Schendel Sparta, WI Dodge Mathews Archery / Texpar Energy Shelly Brevak
33 Ron Hornaday Palmdale, CA Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com DeLana Harvick
40 Chad Chaffin Smyrna, TN Chevrolet Key Motorsports / Pollo Tropical Curtis Key
47 Regan Smith Cato, NY Chevrolet Ginn Resorts David Dollar
50 T.J. Bell Reno, NV Ford Heathcliff's Cat Litter Jack Roush
51 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, NV Chevrolet Billy Ballew Motorsports James "Billy" Ballew
59 Terry Cook Sylvania, OH Toyota Harris Trucking James Harris
60 Jack Sprague Spring Lake, MI Toyota Con-way Freight Jeffrey Wyler
63 Scott Lynch Burley, ID Ford Cooper Bussmann Michael Mittler
75 Clay Rogers Denver, NC Chevrolet Spears Manufacturing Wayne Spears
77 Brendan Gaughan Las Vegas, NV Chevrolet South Point Resort Michael Gaughan
88 Matt Crafton Tulare, CA Chevrolet Johns Manville / Menards Rhonda Thorson
99 Erik Darnell Beach Park, IL Ford Northern Tool + Equipment Jack Roush
103 Justin Marks Rocklin, CA Toyota Germain Racing Richard Germain
171 Bryan Silas Stuart, FL Chevrolet Gateway Insurance Andy Hillenburg
186 Dana White Concord, NC Chevrolet 888karport.com / Red Line Synthetic Oil Phil Bonifield
* Denotes Rookie
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PRACTICE SPEEDS
Ford 200 | Homestead-Miami Speedway
November 16, 2007 | Race 25 of 25 | Practice 1
RANK CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR SPEED TIME BEHIND
1 21 Jon Wood Ford CarRacing.com 170.989 31.581 Leader
2 6 Travis Kvapil Ford K&N Filters 170.568 31.659 -0.078
3 60 Jack Sprague Toyota Con-way Freight 170.283 31.712 -0.131
4 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com 170.175 31.732 -0.151
5 27 Jacques Villeneuve Toyota UNICEF 170.073 31.751 -0.170
6 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar 170.036 31.758 -0.177
7 30 Todd Bodine Toyota Lumber Liquidators 169.721 31.817 -0.236
8 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com 169.582 31.843 -0.262
9 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet Johns Manville / Menards 169.194 31.916 -0.335
10 51 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 169.115 31.931 -0.350
11 99 Erik Darnell Ford Northern Tool + Equipment 169.109 31.932 -0.351
12 77 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet South Point Resort 168.982 31.956 -0.375
13 8 Chad McCumbee Chevrolet thegpsstore.com / Garmin 168.792 31.992 -0.411
14 47 Regan Smith Chevrolet Ginn Resorts 168.645 32.020 -0.439
15 1 Jason Leffler Toyota RFMS Inc. / Red Horse Racing 168.581 32.032 -0.451
16 9 Ted Musgrave Toyota Team ASE / Germain Mtr Co. 168.497 32.048 -0.467
17 92 Terry Cook Toyota Harris Trucking 168.492 32.049 -0.468
18 23 Johnny Benson Toyota Exide Batteries 168.481 32.051 -0.470
19 50 T.J. Bell Ford Heathcliff's Cat Litter 168.450 32.057 -0.476
20 14 Rick Crawford Ford Power Stroke Diesel 168.287 32.088 -0.507
21 10 David Starr Ford Maxx Force Diesel 168.214 32.102 -0.521
22 13 Willie Allen* Chevrolet ThorSport Racing 168.203 32.104 -0.523
23 5 Mike Skinner Toyota Toyota Tundra 168.125 32.119 -0.538
24 46 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com 168.052 32.133 -0.552
25 103 Justin Marks Toyota Construction Corps 167.546 32.230 -0.649
26 09 Joey Clanton* Ford Zaxby's 167.033 32.329 -0.748
27 15 Andrew Myers Chevrolet Neo Synthetic Oil 167.007 32.334 -0.753
28 4 Mike Bliss Dodge Open Joist 166.950 32.345 -0.764
29 75 Clay Rogers Chevrolet Spears Manufacturing 166.883 32.358 -0.777
30 00 Andy Lally Toyota U.S. Army Reserve / TRG 166.734 32.387 -0.806
31 08 Chris Jones Chevrolet Robert's American Gourmet Snacks 166.415 32.449 -0.868
32 07 Tim Sauter* Chevrolet Lester Buildings 166.179 32.495 -0.914
33 163 Scott Lynch Dodge Cooper Bussmann 166.133 32.504 -0.923
34 18 Dennis Setzer Dodge Fastenal 166.128 32.505 -0.924
35 59 Donny Lia Toyota Simply Fit 166.103 32.510 -0.929
36 40 Chad Chaffin Chevrolet Westerman Companies / Pollo Tropical Restaurants 165.330 32.662 -1.081
37 16 Brian Scott Ford TruckSeries.com / Strutmasters.com 165.330 32.662 -1.081
38 186 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 888karport.com / Red Line Synthetic Oil 164.760 32.775 -1.194
39 31 Tim Schendel Dodge Mathews Archery / Texpar Energy 163.612 33.005 -1.424
40 7 Jason White* Dodge Gunbroker.com 161.377 33.462 -1.881
41 171 Bryan Silas Chevrolet Gateway Insurance 161.170 33.505 -1.924
* Denotes Rookie
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QUALIFYING ORDER
Ford 200 | Homestead-Miami Speedway
November 16, 2007| Race 25 of 25
ORDER CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR
1 18 Dennis Setzer Dodge Fastenal
2 50 T.J. Bell Ford Heathcliff's Cat Litter
3 9 Ted Musgrave Toyota Team ASE / Germain Mtr Co.
4 77 Brendan Gaughan Chevrolet South Point Resort
5 14 Rick Crawford Ford Power Stroke Diesel
6 51 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming
7 92 Terry Cook Toyota Harris Trucking
8 8 Chad McCumbee Chevrolet thegpsstore.com / Garmin
9 186 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 888karport.com / Red Line Synthetic Oil
10 59 Donny Lia Toyota Simply Fit
11 40 Chad Chaffin Chevrolet Westerman Companies / Pollo Tropical Restaurants
12 30 Todd Bodine Toyota Lumber Liquidators
13 60 Jack Sprague Toyota Con-way Freight
14 07 Tim Sauter* Chevrolet Lester Buildings
15 22 Dave Blaney Toyota Caterpillar
16 16 Brian Scott Ford TruckSeries.com / Strutmasters.com
17 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com
18 08 Chris Jones Chevrolet Robert's American Gourmet Snacks
19 00 Andy Lally Toyota U.S. Army Reserve / TRG
20 10 David Starr Ford Maxx Force Diesel
21 103 Justin Marks Toyota Construction Corps
22 09 Joey Clanton* Ford Zaxby's
23 163 Scott Lynch Dodge Cooper Bussmann
24 7 Jason White* Dodge Gunbroker.com
25 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com
26 4 Mike Bliss Dodge Open Joist
27 13 Willie Allen* Chevrolet ThorSport Racing
28 47 Regan Smith Chevrolet Ginn Resorts
29 99 Erik Darnell Ford Northern Tool + Equipment
30 27 Jacques Villeneuve Toyota UNICEF
31 31 Tim Schendel Dodge Mathews Archery / Texpar Energy
32 88 Matt Crafton Chevrolet Johns Manville / Menards
33 46 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Camping World
/ RVs.com
34 171 Bryan Silas Chevrolet Gateway Insurance
35 6 Travis Kvapil Ford K&N Filters
36 15 Andrew Myers Chevrolet Neo Synthetic Oil
37 1 Jason Leffler Toyota RFMS Inc. / Red Horse Racing
38 75 Clay Rogers Chevrolet Spears Manufacturing
39 23 Johnny Benson Toyota Exide Batteries
40 5 Mike Skinner Toyota Toyota Tundra
41 21 Jon Wood Ford CarRacing.com
* Denotes Rookie
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Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday Jr. will be close enough to keep an eye on each other at the start of the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as their battle for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship goes down to the final race of the season.
Meanwhile, the entire field will have to keep an eye on Jon Wood, who took the pole position for Friday's race with the only qualifying run faster than 173 mph. Wood, who was the final driver to qualify, turned a fast lap around the 1½-mile track in 31.180 seconds for an average speed of 173.188. That was good enough to beat out second-place Johnny Benson (172.872) and third-place Jacques Villeneuve (172.150).
Skinner, who holds a precarious 29-point lead over Hornaday in the standings heading into the season-finale, qualified fourth with an average speed of 172.139. Hornaday will start eighth following a qualifying run of 171.043.
The rest of the top-10 consists of Dave Blaney in fifth (171.690), Erik Darnell sixth (171.548), Kevin Harvick - the owner of Hornaday's truck - seventh (171.293), Chad McCumbee ninth (171.011) and Travis Kvapil 10th (170.967).
Joey Clanton will start 11th, making him the highest-qualifying Raybestos rookie. Kyle Busch, who has won two of the past three NCTS races, will start 14th.
Toyota is making its 100th NCTS start in the Ford 200, and it appeared the manufacturer might hold down the top four starting positions before Wood placed his Ford on the pole position. It is the first pole of the season in 11 starts for Wood, who came into this race with an average starting position of 21.8.
The only incident during qualifying occurred when Scott Lynch, driver of the No. 63 Ford, crashed during his second qualifying lap. Lynch was one of five drivers who failed to make the field of 36. The other drivers who are going home are Kevin Lepage, Tim Schendel, Jason White and Bryan Silas.
The Ford 200 is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised live on SPEED.
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'The X Factor Will Be Help From Teammates' - Ray Dunlap
For the 12th time in 13 seasons, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title fight is coming down to the final race of the season, as only 29 points separate former champions Mike Skinner (1995) and Ron Hornaday Jr. ('96, '98) heading into Friday night's race at Homestead.
With the NASCAR Busch Series title long since decided and defending champ Jimmie Johnson leading Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon by nearly 90 points for the Nextel Cup title, the Truck Series battle is now the undeniable headliner for NASCAR Championship Week in South Florida. Skinner vs. Hornaday. Toyota vs. Chevy.
"I think if someone knew why the Truck Series championship always goes down to the last race of the year, they would build it into the Busch Series and fix their points battle situation," said Krista Voda, host of the SPEED NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pre-race show NCTS Setup. "I think the Truck Series has such a phenomenal battle because of the level of competition across the board. Even the Cup drivers who come into the Truck Series to race for a few select events say the same thing.
"It's just so competitive," Voda added. "The level of teams doesn't drop off across the board as much (as they do in the other series) and it's pretty level across the playing field. There's not the A, B and C levels of teams that you tend to see in the Cup Series. Also, there are so many guys with experience under their belts. You've got the older guys who know how to save their trucks and be patient, and so many guys at the end of the race who haven't fallen off, as well. The younger guys are learning every week and have become contenders by season's end."
So, as another close NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season comes to an end, who has the advantage and what will make the difference?
"The 'X' factor for this race will be help from teammates," said SPEED pit reporter Ray Dunlap. "We saw at Phoenix that Hornaday got some help from Kevin Harvick and Harvick will be in the Homestead race again. From my viewpoint, Hornaday and Skinner have raced each other all year long, so let them race each other only at the end. But it's a business, as well, and you've got to look at doing whatever you can to get that championship for your sponsors. I just hope that one of those ancillary trucks entered doesn't make a difference in who wins the title. I hope Mike and Ron can race each other and let the best man win."
SPEED's Adam Alexander, who joined the SPEED on-air team full time this season, agrees Harvick (Hornaday's truck owner and teammate) just may be a factor.
"Kevin is going to be in the Homestead race and we all saw at Phoenix how Kevin being in the race can impact things," Alexander said. "I don't think he's going to do anything crazy like take out Skinner, but I think he's going to do everything he can to play mind games with the No. 5 team to make sure they earn the championship. Whoever wins will probably celebrate more than they would winning the title another way because Skinner and Hornaday have really gone back and forth this year. This has been as classic a battle for a championship as you can have."
Added Voda: "Friday's race at Homestead is going to be crazy. Look at what happened at Phoenix - Hornaday cut that 57-point gap down to 29 points. Both drivers are good at any track. Leading a lap is going to be huge, so qualifying is going to be important and the first lap is going to be important. The pit stops are going to be crucial. Everything is just so heightened that you can't miss a single second. You can't step away from the TV for one second because that could be the moment that Skinner falters or Hornaday jumps into the lead. It's going to be so exciting that I wish it was tomorrow. I can't wait."
While Alexander gives the advantage to Skinner, SPEED's Rick Allen isn't so sure: "I think the points lead will bounce back and forth two or three times during the Homestead race and will come down to the final five or 10 laps where we won't know who the champion is going to be until the checkered flag waves."
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The Toyota Tundra will reach a milestone at the start of Friday's Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Mike Skinner is hoping the manufacturer will have even more to celebrate at the end of the race. But Ron Hornaday Jr. and Chevrolet have other plans.
Friday's race will mark the 100th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start for the Toyota Tundra, which debuted in the series at the beginning of the 2004 season. In 99 races, Tundra drivers have registered 37 victories and captured 49 pole positions.
Leading the way for Toyota this season has been Skinner, who has five victories, 17 top-five finishes and 20 top-10s, and currently holds a slim 29-point lead in the series standings heading into the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Skinner is seeking his first NCTS championship since winning it all in the inaugural season in 1995.
Close behind Skinner is Hornaday, who has four victories, 13 top-five finishes and 21 top-10s this season. Hornaday is looking to capture his third NCTS title, but his first since 1998.
The two drivers have been engaged in a see-saw battle the past 2½ months, swapping the point lead six times over an eight-race span. The lead did not change hands following last week's race at Phoenix International Raceway, but Hornaday was able to chop Skinner's advantage from 57 points to 29.
It will all be decided Friday beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Two drivers going for their first championship this decade, and two manufacturers trying to obtain bragging rights for the 2007 season.
"I think the manufacturer battle makes it exciting for the fans," Skinner said. "I think it goes back to the fact that Toyota isn't in this sport for its health but to sell product. If they're able to sell product, it justifies them paying the engineers and being as involved in racing as they are. Obviously it is working or they wouldn't be doing it."
Toyota already has clinched its second consecutive NCTS manufacturer's championship this year. Toyota won both the manufacturer's championship and driver's title (with Todd Bodine taking the trophy) in 2006. Chevrolet, however, still has an eye on gaining a split this year by having a Chevy driver win the series championship.
"Chevrolet is very involved in our program at Kevin Harvick Inc.," Hornaday said. "We have Chevrolet engineers in our pit every weekend at the track who give us their support on our race setups. We also get a lot of support from Richard Childress Racing since we run RCR engines. I would like to thank everybody over at RCR for the great horsepower. They have put a lot of work into the motor program this year."
Skinner obviously holds a slight advantage heading into Friday's race since he has the lead in the standings. But Hornaday has had a better history at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In seven career NCTS starts at the track, Hornaday has posted an average finish of 6.4, including a victory in 2002. Skinner, meanwhile, has an average finish of only 15.4 in five career starts and has never finished better than fourth at the track.
But the edge goes to Skinner when it comes to racing on 1½-mile tracks this season. Skinner has two victories, seven top-10s and an average finish of 4.75 on 1½-milers, compared to one victory, six top-10s and an average finish of 9.25 for Hornaday.
That is not much of an advantage, which is appropriate for this NCTS season. It has been a tight race for the championship all year (the fourth-closest in series history), so there should be no reason for things to change now.
"This is it," Skinner said. "(Crew chief) Jeff (Hensley) and my guys have done a heck of a job this year, and hopefully we can get it done this weekend for Bill Davis Racing and Toyota. Homestead is a great track, and even though we have not had that much luck on it in the past, we are going to give it all we've got to make it come out in our favor this weekend."
Hornaday said he and his team are equally determined to win the championship.
"I have a team that never says die," Hornaday said. "They work their guts out to figure out my favorite trucks, and they have been bringing them back. We are going to do everything we have to do to win this thing."
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Order Driver (No.) Car Pts/Bonus Laps Laps Led Winnings
1 Johnny Benson (23) Toyota 190/5 138 34 $60,975
2 Kyle Busch (51) Chevrolet 180/10 138 69 $31,325
3 Rick Crawford (14) Ford 165/0 138 0 $26,900
4 Kevin Harvick (2) Chevrolet 165/5 138 1 $16,600
5 Jason Leffler (1) Toyota 155/0 138 0 $15,500
6 David Starr (10) Ford 150/0 138 0 $18,600
7 Ron Hornaday Jr. (33) Chevrolet 146/0 138 0 $16,300
8 Justin Marks (103) Toyota 142/0 137 0 $13,850
9 Regan Smith (47) Chevrolet 138/0 137 0 $13,650
10 Dave Blaney (22) Toyota 139/5 137 2 $13,450
11 Tim Sauter (07) Chevrolet 130/0 137 0 $17,125
12 Matt Crafton (88) Chevrolet 127/0 137 0 $16,125
13 Jon Wood (21) Ford 129/5 137 18 $17,100
14 Todd Bodine (30) Toyota 121/0 137 0 $16,200
15 Brian Scott (16) Ford 118/0 137 0 $15,775
16 Jack Sprague (60) Toyota 115/0 137 0 $14,975
17 T.J. Bell (50) Ford 112/0 137 0 $15,075
18 Ted Musgrave (9) Toyota 109/0 137 0 $14,775
19 Brendan Gaughan (77) Chevrolet 106/0 137 0 $14,675
20 Terry Cook (92) Toyota 0/0 137 0 $12,775
21 Travis Kvapil (6) Ford 100/0 137 0 $14,375
22 Chad McCumbee (8) Chevrolet 97/0 137 0 $14,125
23 Scott Wimmer (46) Chevrolet 0/0 137 0 $14,000
24 Erik Darnell (99) Ford 91/0 136 0 $13,700
25 Donny Lia (59) Toyota 88/0 136 0 $13,500
26 Joey Clanton (09) Ford 85/0 136 0 $12,050
27 Clay Rogers (75) Chevrolet 82/0 136 0 $11,850
28 Willie Allen (13) Chevrolet 79/0 136 0 $10,650
29 Dennis Setzer (18) Dodge 76/0 135 0 $10,425
30 Chad Chaffin (40) Chevrolet 73/0 135 0 $9,725
31 Chris Jones (08) Chevrolet 70/0 135 0 $9,675
32 Mike Bliss (4) Dodge 67/0 135 0 $9,650
33 Andy Lally (00) Toyota 64/0 134 0 $9,625
34 Andrew Myers (15) Chevrolet 61/0 134 0 $9,600
35 Mike Skinner (5) Toyota 63/5 127 6 $9,570
36 Jacques Villeneuve (27) Toyota 60/5 80 8 $9,508
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For weeks, Ron Hornaday Jr. and Mike Skinner went back and forth atop the Truck Series standings, neither ever taking command of the title chase.
That is, until Skinner lost a wheel in the season finale - a break that helped Hornaday make history.
Hornaday won his third Truck Series championship Friday night, finishing seventh to edge Skinner by 54 points after the season-ending Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hornaday trailed by 29 points entering the night, but benefited nicely when Skinner's left rear wheel broke away midway through the race.
"It comes down to great teams, and everybody here had a part in it," said Hornaday, who matched Jack Sprague for the most career Truck Series titles.
Johnny Benson won the race, holding off Kyle Busch on a final lap where Busch wound up sliding into the wall. Busch seemed like he was set to take the win, until Chris Jones spun out on lap 134 and the caution flag came out, setting up a green-white-checkered finish.
Not surprisingly, Busch wasn't happy. Benson was thrilled.
"I wasn't the one that threw the caution," Benson said. "That's his gripe with whomever. But it sure made for a great event for the fans."
After crossing the line, Benson shouted "Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!" into his radio.
Hornaday's team felt exactly the same way.
"They don't give these things away," said Rick Ren, Hornaday's crew chief. "We've been trying for an awful long time."
Hornaday became the eighth driver to win the title in eight years. No driver has ever successfully defended the yearlong title.
Skinner thought he had a problem with right-side tires - he reported that the front tire was deflating, but his team later found the pressure was fine - and took an unscheduled pit stop 27 laps into the race.
He recovered from that problem. The next one, though, doomed him.
Skinner's left rear tire broke free and bounced across the track, and his crew needed several minutes in the garage area to fix the problem. By the time Skinner returned to the race, he was 11 laps down and needed Hornaday to meet some serious misfortune to close the standings gap.
It didn't happen, and Skinner - whose lone truck title came in the series' first year, 1995 - settled for second.
"Guys did a good job," said Skinner, who led six laps in the early going. "I regret we didn't have a spare hub in the pits. We took one off another housing, but as it came down, it wasn't going to make any difference anyway."
Rick Crawford was third, Kevin Harvick - the owner of Hornaday's truck - finished fourth and Jason Leffler was fifth.
It was just another frustrating night for Skinner at Homestead.
He entered the night with one top-five showing and an average finish of 15th in five previous starts in South Florida - far below the pace he set this year, when Skinner won five times and had a ridiculous 17 top-five finishes in 24 previous starts.
"When I saw Mike do that, I was like, 'What'd he do?' I didn't see his tire rubbing or anything," Hornaday said. "Hate to see it for Mike, but you know what? This is the only way one of us was going to win this thing."
When the race was extended after Jones' spin, Hornaday sitting comfortably in seventh place.
He avoided disaster, and the title was soon his.
In a way, it was fitting that the title came down to Hornaday and Skinner, who flip-flopped atop the points standings six times in the final seven races.
Hornaday and Skinner have both been with the Truck Series since the beginning 13 seasons ago in Phoenix, when the circuit's best-known driver probably was former NFL coach Jerry Glanville. Hornaday won the pole for that very first race and earned $2,750, Skinner wound up taking the checkered flag and $15,750.
Each has come a long way since.
Combined, they entered the night with 57 Truck Series victories and more than $8 million in earnings. And maybe in the best testament to their racing longevity, both had grandchildren watching Friday's race.
"I don't think either one of us can walk away from here tonight and say, 'Ah, what a horrible year,"' Skinner said. "Because it's been a great year, and we've had a hell of a lot of fun."
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Ford 200 at Homestead - Race 25
Homestead-Miami Speedway
November 16, 2007
Truck Penalty Reason Lap
03 TE Pitting before Pit Road is Open 15
4 PT Excessive Speed-Entering pits 61
13 TE Pitting before Pit Road is Open 73
05 TE Excessive speed - Exiting pits 75
10 TE Rolling a tire(s) beyond the center of pit road 76
08 TE Pitting before Pit Road is Open 76
PT – Pass through
TE – Tail end of the longest line
SG – Stop and Go
OL – One lap
ND – NASCAR discretion
MCI – Must come into pits
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To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Wood Captures First Pole of Season
Skinner Faces The 'X' Factor at Homestead
Final Race Results
Benson wins, Hornaday crowned champ
Penalty Report
Linear Mode
