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Mike Skinner is searching for another victory with Moss Motorsports.By the Numbers: Texas
Hornaday hot, Bodine looking ... but Skinner one to watch
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Seven races. Six winners.
It matches a Truck Series record set in 1997 as this season has begun full of parity from week to week. That, however, could be coming to an end.
Enter Texas Motor Speedway, home to eight different winners in its first eight Truck Series races from 1997 to 2002. But since then, things have changed. Since 2002, Brendan Gaughan won four in a row. Todd Bodine won four within six events. And Ron Hornaday swept last season's races. Four others won single events at Texas, but the glaring trend is the list of repeat offenders.
What does the Texas track history have to do with this season's parity? Both Hornaday (Charlotte) and Bodine (Daytona) have won races this season. And both Hornaday and Bodine are considered favorites. Bodine has six top-fives in nine Texas starts, while Hornaday ranks second in five key Loop Data statistics since 2005: Average Running Position (6.1), Driver Rating (119.9), Fastest Laps Run (161), Laps in the Top 15 (91.2 percent) and Laps Led (352).
The driver that ranks first in all those categories: Mike Skinner, searching for his first victory at Texas.
"There's an old saying about fishing where the fish are and that's absolutely true in Texas, where the folks like their racing and their pickup trucks. That's why competitors look forward to their two visits to Texas Motor Speedway where they always get a rousing reception. Another thing: Texas races usually are unpredictable. We've had surprise winners; rookie drivers finishing 1-2-3; last lap, come-from-behind drama; and a couple of championship contenders wrecking each other with the title on the line."
-- Wayne Auton, Truck Series director
2Races in which Mike Skinner has not led laps at Texas over the course of his 10 starts at the track, both coming in 2008. He has led 458 total laps, the most by a driver who has not won at the track.
5Finishes of second or third for Mike Skinner at Texas. His average finish is 5.5.
8Races in which Mike Skinner has started first (five times) or second (three times) in his 10 Texas starts.
11Worst finish for Mike Skinner at Texas. He finished 11th in both 2004 races and has since finished ninth or better.
1,600Points that Mike Skinner has scored in the last 10 races at Texas, 142 more than the next driver on the list, Jack Sprague (1,458).
The WinStar World Casino 400 gets under way from Texas Motor Speedway at 8:30 p.m. ET on SPEED.
2Drivers who have started all 22 Texas races: Terry Cook (15.4 average finish) and Rick Crawford (11.6 average finish). Neither has won at the track.
6Drivers with an average running position of 10th or better in the last eight Texas races: Mike Skinner (4.341), Ron Hornaday (6.068), Colin Braun (9.523), Johnny Benson (9.709), Terry Cook (10.318) and Rick Crawford (10.827).
29Points that separate first-place Ron Hornaday from third-place Matt Crafton in the standings. A year ago, the separation at this point in the season was 24 points.
275Green-flag passes made by Matt Crafton in the last eight races at Texas, 70 more than the next driver on the list, Todd Bodine (205). Crafton's average finish in his 16 Texas starts is 12.4.
5,083.5Miles that Rick Crawford has driven at Texas, 480 more than Terry Cook although both drivers have competed in all 22 races at the track.
Texas Motor Speedway
Average Finish
| Pos. | Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mike Skinner | 10 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 5.5 |
| 2. | Todd Bodine | 9 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8.1 |
| 3. | Ron Hornaday | 12 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10.7 |
| 4. | Dennis Setzer | 21 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 10.9 |
| 5. | Johnny Sauter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 |
Also
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Camping World Truck Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Ron Hornaday | 1056 | Leader |
| 2. | -- | Mike Skinner | 1029 | -27 |
| 3. | -- | Matt Crafton | 1027 | -29 |
| 4. | -- | Kyle Busch | 1000 | -56 |
| 5. | +5 | Brian Scott | 949 | -107 |
| 6. | -1 | Todd Bodine | 946 | -110 |
| 7. | -1 | Terry Cook | 920 | -136 |
| 8. | -- | Chad McCumbee | 916 | -140 |
| 9. | +4 | David Starr | 903 | -153 |
| 10. | -3 | Johnny Benson | 887 | -169 |
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