What a difference a year makes for Hornaday, Bliss

Atlanta has provided Truck Series fans with some of the best racing in the series. Three of the five races have ended in a green-white-checkered finish and the largest margin of victory is just over a half a second. Combine that with two fantastic finishes so far in this 2007 season, and Friday night's American Commercial Lines 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, SPEED) should provide one amazing ending.

One thing Atlanta has not seen though is a repeat winner. In five races, five different drivers have taken their truck to Victory Lane, something 2005 winner Ron Hornaday hopes he can change.

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"I'm looking forward to Atlanta -- we know where the winner's circle is. We did a burnout there before, and I'd like to put another one in there," Hornaday said.

Hornaday knows all about close finishes at Atlanta. His .008-second margin of victory in 2005 is the closest race in Truck Series history at the 1.54-mile track when he edged Bobby Labonte in a green-white-checkered shootout.

Through two races, Hornaday's season is a complete 180 compared to last year. In 2006, heading into Atlanta, Hornaday was 28th in the point standings, 219 behind leader Mark Martin. This year, Hornaday sits fourth in the standings, just 34 points behind co-leaders Jack Sprague and Mike Skinner.

Hornaday looks at the expansion to two trucks at Kevin Harvick Inc. as the reason for his success.

"Having the second truck, it is really going to make our team shine this year," Hornaday said. "Clint Bowyer is going out there in the No. 2 truck and we will get some good feedback from him during practice.

"It's 10 times better than the start of last year, with a loose wheel and carburetor shaft busting at California. Now here we are in the top five in points, it gives us so much more of a head start than last year."

Bowyer will become the third driver in as many races to take the wheel of the No. 2 Chevrolet. At Daytona, Cale Gale drove the truck to a 14th-place finish. Team owner Kevin Harvick pulled triple-duty at California and finished eighth. Now it's Bowyer's turn to pull the weekend trifecta.

And he is no stranger to the Truck Series. Despite running only three races, he has a win, a seventh-place finish and he's led laps in all three races. His win came in his last Truck race, where he started on the pole at Texas and led 103 laps before taking the checkered flag.

"I'm really excited to get back behind the wheel of a truck," Bowyer said. "I had a lot of fun last year in the Truck Series and I was really happy when Kevin and DeLana [Harvick] asked me to drive for them in a few races this season.

"I'm looking forward to racing in Atlanta, especially since the track is similar to Texas, where I got my first Truck Series win last season. I'll be pulling triple-duty, so hopefully I can start the weekend off right with a good run in the Camping World Silverado."

Mike Bliss, who won the fall race at Atlanta in 2006, is another past winner who would love to be the first repeat champ at the track.

"It's always nice to go back to a place where you won before," Bliss said. "We had a good run in the truck in California, and I'll be driving that same truck in Atlanta. It helps to know that you'll be driving a truck that is dependable and that you have some experience with it as far as setup is concerned, that should definitely help."

Bliss is in a similar situation to Hornaday. Last year, Bliss was more of an afterthought following the California race. He didn't make the field at Daytona, finished 18th at California and found himself at the bottom of the Truck Series standings.

Two races into this season, Bliss sits 14th on the year in points and has a new outlook on his race team.

"One thing is for certain," Bliss said. "This race team is improving from race to race. How much it has improved remains to be seen, and I just hope that we are all up to the task.

"Atlanta is a tough place to race at, and I hope I know what I need in Atlanta to have another good effort. But everyone is pumped up, and if the team was able to work on its weaknesses and make improvements to the truck that we felt we needed, we should be good."