By the Numbers: Nashville

Drivers searching for their first Gibson guitar trophy

By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
July 30, 2009
10:57 AM EDT

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Ron Hornaday is looking to keep his winning streak alive and keep his record-breaking summer rolling. Drivers like Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner and even Jack Sprague are looking to break that run and get back into Victory Lane for themselves. And any pick of the litter could be considered a favorite for Saturday's Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.

But there's one problem. Nobody on the entry list has ever won at Nashville's 1.333-mile concrete track.

Nashville Superspeedway has hosted eight races in the Truck Series, accounting for seven winners. Only Johnny Benson has multiple victories there (2006 and 2008). So on Saturday, the Gibson guitar will be handed to yet another new winner.

"I've been so close to winning at Nashville. In 2007, we had the thing won but ended up missing it by just a little and finished second. I went by [artist] Sam Bass's studio a few weeks ago and he showed me his guitar collection. It was very impressive and I told him that I really wanted to win one of his specially designed guitars."
-- Ron Hornaday, winner of the last four Truck Series races

2Times that Ron Hornaday has finished outside the top 10 this season: Dover (26th) and Texas (19th), ironically back-to-back races.

2Finishes outside the top 10 for Ron Hornaday in his four starts at Nashville Superspeedway (2005 and 2006). His last two finishes there, however, were a second-place finish in 2007 and a fifth in 2008.

4Victories in eight Nashville races by drivers who have started 11th or worse, all coming in the last five events. The other four events were won from the pole (2001 and 2002) or the sixth position (2003 and 2005).

4Drivers who have started all eight Nashville races: Rick Crawford (12.4 average finish), Matt Crafton (13.0 average finish), Terry Cook (14.4 average finish) and Dennis Setzer (16.6 average finish).

4Drivers with an average running position of 10th or better over the last four races at Nashville: Mike Skinner (3.809), Stacy Compton (4.860), Todd Bodine (6.057) and Colin Braun (9.787).

6Victories by Chevrolet this season of the 13 total races, the last four of which were won by Ron Hornaday. A Chevrolet has not won at Nashville since Mike Bliss in 2002, the manufacturer's only victory at the track.

8Worst finish by Todd Bodine in his four starts at Nashville. He has two third-place finishes and an eighth. He has led laps in three of his starts, including a race-high 74 last year when he started from the pole.

163Green-flag passes for Matt Crafton in the last four Nashville races, 32 more than then next-closest competitor (David Starr, 131). Crafton has an 11.0 average finish in that span, and a 13.0 average finish in his eight career starts there.

250Laps led by Mike Skinner in his five starts at Nashville, the most by any driver on the entry list.

458Points scored by Jack Sprague in the last three races at Nashville, more than any other driver in that span. Sprague finished second in 2006, 15th in 2007, and fourth in 2008.

Nashville Superspeedway

Average Finish

Driver	Starts	Wins	Top-5	Top-10	Avg. Finish

Todd Bodine	4	0	3	4	4.8
Colin Braun	1	0	0	1	6.0
Stacy Compton	1	0	0	1	7.0
David Starr	7	0	3	4	9.6
Mike Skinner	5	0	2	3	10.2

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Standings

Pos.	+/-	Driver	Points	Behind

1.	--	Ron Hornaday	2098	Leader
2.	+1	Mike Skinner	1924	-174
3.	-1	Matt Crafton	1922	-176
4.	--	Todd Bodine	1803	-295
5.	+1	David Starr	1758	-340
6.	-1	Brian Scott	1750	-348
7.	--	Tayler Malsam	1693	-405
8.	+1	Dennis Setzer	1673	-425
9.	-1	Terry Cook	1657	-441
10.	+2	Colin Braun	1639	-459