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After the finish last year, neither Erik Darnell nor Johnny Benson is competing Saturday at Michigan.By the Numbers: Michigan
Close finishes always a characteristic of 2-mile oval
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Jack Roush probably likes the nose of his Ford trucks. He would contest it is better than the nose of a Toyota. Why? Because one of his Fords edged Johnny Benson's Toyota last year by the closest of margin of victory.
Erik Darnell beat Benson in the closest Truck Series race since computer scoring was installed when the series went north to Michigan International Speedway last year. But that's nothing new to the track.
Five of the nine Truck races held there were decided by less than a second:
1999 -- Greg Biffle beat Jay Sauter by 0.153 seconds.
2002 -- Robert Pressley beat Jason Leffler by 0.102 seconds.
2006 -- Johnny Benson beat Mark Martin by 0.116 seconds.
2007 -- Travis Kvapil beat Kyle Busch by 0.292 seconds.
2008 -- Erik Darnell beat Johnny Benson by 0.005 seconds.
Darnell isn't racing in the series this year, and Benson lost his ride with Red Horse Racing earlier in the week. But Roush still has a weapon in Colin Braun, who is searching for his first Truck Series victory. If he gets it, it will be a special one for Roush Fenway Racing.
49Victories for team owner Jack Roush in the Truck Series. His last victory was Erik Darnell's Michigan win a year ago.
"Fifty wins in the Truck Series would really be keeping in concert with what our goal is: to set a lot of standards, to set a lot of high marks for ourselves, and to enjoy the celebration of those milestones with Ford Motor Company. It would be great, since Ford has been such the leader in trucks on the public highways, to come back and get 50 in the Truck Series.
-- Jack Roush, Roush Fenway Racing owner
0Times prior to this week that Matt Crafton has held the top spot in the point standings. Crafton leads Ron Hornaday by 30 points after finishing second last week at Texas to Hornaday's 19th-place showing.
1Top-10 finish for Matt Crafton in seven Michigan starts. He was fifth in the 2006 race. His average finish at the track is 18.4. He has led two laps there.
1Past Michigan winner who is slated to compete in Saturday's race: Dennis Setzer. He won in 2005.
3Drivers who have competed in all nine Michigan races: Dennis Setzer (10.4 average finish), Terry Cook (9.7 average finish) and Rick Crawford (13.1 average finish).
3.7Average finish for Kyle Busch in three starts at Michigan. He was second in 2005 and 2007, and he finished seventh in 2008. His average running position in those races is 6.6.
4Victories for Roush Fenway Racing at Michigan: 1999 (Greg Biffle), 2000 (Greg Biffle), 2007 (Travis Kvapil) and 2008 (Erik Darnell).
11Worst starting position for a Michigan winner. It happened twice, ironically the first (Greg Biffle) and last (Erik Darnell) races.
67Laps led by Mike Skinner in six Michigan races, the most of any other driver who has not won at the track.
777Points scored by Mike Skinner in the last five Michigan races, more than any other driver. Johnny Benson is next on the list at 754, but he is not entered in the race.
1,214Laps completed this season by Matt Crafton. Total possible laps: 1,214. He is the only driver to complete every lap this season, with rookie Tayler Malsam ranking second with 1,211 laps completed.
Michigan International Speedway
Average Finish of 10th or Better
| Pos. | Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kyle Busch | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3.7 |
| 2. | Todd Bodine | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6.0 |
| 3. | Colin Braun | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 |
| 4. | Kevin Harvick | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7.7 |
| 5. | Mike Skinner | 6 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7.7 |
| 6. | Terry Cook | 9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9.7 |
| 7. | Dennis Setzer | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10.4 |
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Camping World Truck Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | +2 | Matt Crafton | 1,202 | -- |
| 2. | -1 | Ron Hornaday | 1,172 | -30 |
| 3. | -1 | Mike Skinner | 1,163 | -39 |
| 4. | +2 | Todd Bodine | 1,136 | -66 |
| 5. | -- | Brian Scott | 1,067 | -135 |
| 6. | +3 | David Starr | 1,049 | -153 |
| 7. | +3 | Johnny Benson | 1,047 | -155 |
| 8. | -- | Chad McCumbee | 1,040 | -162 |
| 9. | -2 | Terry Cook | 1,023 | -179 |
| 10. | +3 | Rick Crawford | 1,013 | -189 |
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