By the Numbers: Loudon

Hornaday, Skinner in second-closest NCTS points battle

By Bill Kimm, NASCAR.COM
September 13, 2007
11:29 AM EDT

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While the Cup Series resets to the Chase and the Busch Series has Carl Edwards running away with the championship, the Truck Series has itself a good old-fashioned points battle brewing as the series moves to New Hampshire for the New Hampshire 200 on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, SPEED).

Two-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday has a miniscule four-point lead on 1995 champ Mike Skinner after 17 races, the second-closest margin at this point in the season in Truck Series history.

In 2003, Travis Kvapil was trailing Brendan Gaughan by five points heading into Race 18 and put up seven top-10s in the final eight races to claim the title. Back in 1997, Jack Sprague also held a five-point lead through the first 17 races on Rick Bickle but that week at Nashville, Sprague took the checkered and then never finished worse than 10th the rest of the way to win his first of three championships.

The closest margin heading into Race 18 was Scott Riggs' one-point advantage on Joe Ruttman in 2001, which leads us to the interesting fact.

Interesting Fact

1Scott Riggs' point lead on Joe Ruttman after 17 races in 2001 but ironically, neither of them won the championship that year. Jack Sprague was only 48 points behind Riggs and put together a run of six consecutive top-fives, including a win, in the final seven races to claim his third series title.

Fun Fact

1New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H., has a capacity of 91,000 race fans but the town itself is so small that they only have one public school. Loudon Elementary is located in town, but once the kids move on to middle school, they go to school in Penacock, N.H., which is about eight miles away.

All the Facts

0In 11 Truck Series races at New Hampshire, there has yet to be a repeat winner.

0.691Last year's margin of victory at New Hampshire, the second-largest in Truck Series races at the track. The largest was 0.932 seconds in 2001 and the average margin of victory for the Truck Series at New Hampshire is 0.463 seconds.

1David Green can become the only driver to win both a Busch Series and Truck Series race at New Hampshire. Kurt Busch is the only driver to have won both a Cup and Truck Series event at NHIS.

2Number of drivers who have six top-10 finishes at New Hampshire, most among all drivers. (Dennis Setzer and Jack Sprague)

5.3Average Running Position of Ron Hornaday in the last two races at New Hampshire, tops among all drivers.

7In the last seven Truck Series races at New Hampshire, the winner has started inside the top-five. One time has the race been won from a starting position outside the top 10, Jay Sauter in 1997.

7.54Average number of cautions in 11 races at New Hampshire for an average number of 35.36 laps.

8Number of drivers who average a top-10 finish at New Hampshire entered in this weekend's race. (Clay Rogers, 4.0; Travis Kvapil, 4.2; Kyle Busch, 5.0; Dennis Setzer, 8.1; Stacy Compton, 9.0; Erik Darnell, 9.0; David Starr, 9.5 and Jack Sprague, 10.0)

12Number of cautions in last year's New Hampshire race, the most for a Truck Series race at the track.

16.1Percent of laps Johnny Benson had the fastest truck on the track in the last two races at New Hampshire, tops among all drivers.

108Number of laps led by Stacy Compton at New Hampshire, the most for a driver who hasn't won at NHIS.

129.626Qualifying speed of Mike Skinner for last year's race, a Truck Series record at the track.

145Number of laps Johnny Benson led in last year's win at New Hampshire. In all, four drivers had the lead at one point last year.

183Number of laps Jack Sprague led in his 2001 victory at New Hampshire. The most laps led by a winning driver in the Truck Series at any track.

399Number of laps, out of 400, Ron Hornaday has spent in the top 15 in the last two races at New Hampshire, tops among all drivers. Ironically, he doesn't have a win to show for it as he finished fifth and sixth.

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New Hampshire Intl. Speedway

NCTS Winners

Year	Winner	Make	Speed

1996	Ron Hornaday	Chevrolet	97.129
1997	Jay Sauter	Chevrolet	97.138
1998	Andy Houston	Chevrolet	104.222
1999	Dennis Setzer	Dodge	101.810
2000	Kurt Busch	Ford	99.491
2001	Jack Sprague	Chevrolet	109.244
2002	Terry Cook	Ford	103.549
2003	Jimmy Spencer	Dodge	103.867
2004	Travis Kvapil	Toyota	89.482
2005	Rick Crawford	Ford	101.244
2006	Johnny Benson	Toyota	92.323

Official Standings

Craftsman Truck Series

Pos.	+/-	Driver	Points	Behind

1.	+1	Ron Hornaday	2769	Leader
2.	-1	Mike Skinner	2765	-4
3.	--	Travis Kvapil	2575	-194
4.	--	Todd Bodine	2506	-263
5.	+1	Johnny Benson	2349	-420
6.	-1	Rick Crawford	2326	-443
7.	+1	Ted Musgrave	2122	-647
8.	-1	Jack Sprague	2094	-675
9.	--	Matt Crafton	2087	-682
10.	--	Erik Darnell	2021	-748