Notes: Hornaday, Skinner shaping up to battle again

Four races into the 2009 season, Ron Hornaday and Mike Skinner sit third and fourth in the Camping World Truck Series standings, respectively, with a mere five points separating the two.

This isn't anything new.

They have been here before, battling for wins and titles in 155 races in the past 15 seasons in the Truck Series.

Hornaday easily appears to be an early contender for this year's title. His lowest finish in four races was seventh at Atlanta.

Although with a new team, Skinner is off to a strong start after what was an up-and-down 2008. So far, he has finished outside the top 10 only once -- coming in 11th at Fontana.

The pair hold four titles between the them. Skinner was the inaugural series champion in 1995 with Hornaday finishing third. The drivers swapped places the following season as Hornaday grabbed his first title. They went on to finish 1-2 in 2007, with Hornaday beating rival Skinner by 52 points in a down-to-the-wire title battle.

As the season unfolds, these are two to keep your eye on.

No repeat winners at Kansas

The series heads to Kansas Speedway on April 25 where in eight visits the track has yet to produce a repeat winner. Midwest fans have seen winners from all experience levels, from rookie Ricky Hendrick in 2001 to three-time series champion Hornaday a year ago.

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Kansas fans also have witnessed drivers grab their first career victories, such as Erik Darnell in 2007. Fellow Roush Fenway Racing driver Colin Braun still is searching for his first career NASCAR win. He was third in last year's O'Reilly Auto Parts 250, his best career finish. Braun looks to follow Darnell's footsteps.

Someone else to watch could be Matt Crafton, who has been a factor already this season, collecting three top-10 finishes. This past May, he grabbed his first career win at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a track with a similar layout to Kansas.

Todd Bodine, second in the standings, found Victory Lane in 2005. Bodine, who is off to an incredible start, could possibly be the driver to break the no-repeat-winner streak.

Bodine's only finish outside the top three this year came at Martinsville after he was caught up on a last-lap incident which relegated him to 18th place.

In the Loop

Johnny Benson had spent four-and-a-half seasons with Bill Davis Racing before joining Red Horse Racing this season as the defending NASCAR series champion.

So you can forgive him if it took Benson a little time to adapt.

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It didn't take much time.

Benson has improved his finish in each of the season's four races, and now sits seventh in points.

So, too, did his statistics improve with each passing race:

• At Daytona, Benson finished 26th with a Driver Rating of 79.7 and an Average Running Position of 17.5.

• At Fontana, he finished 12th with a Driver Rating of 81.7 and an Average Running Position of 10.7.

• At Atlanta, Benson finished ninth with a Driver Rating of 96.0 and an Average Running Position of 8.8.

• At Martinsville, Benson posted his first top-five, finishing fourth with a Driver Rating of 105.9 and an Average Running Position of 6.8.

Now, Benson finds himself in the top 10 of every key Loop Data stat category. He has a Driver Rating of 90.8 (sixth-best), an Average Running Position of 10.9 (sixth) and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 80.4 (sixth). Even more promising for Benson: In his 2008 championship winning season, Benson was ninth after four races -- two spots lower than he is now.

Benson to compete in pro/celebrity race

Now it's Benson's turn to represent the Truck Series in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race at the 33rd Long Beach Grand Prix in Southern California.

Benson, who'll make his debut in the annual charity event on April 18, is the third Truck champion to compete in the through-the-streets race that matches professional drivers against celebrity entrants. All will drive race-prepared Scion cars.

Benson

Skinner competed in the race the past two years. Bodine participated in the 2006 event. Each won the professional division as did Max Papis in 2004.

Last year's race saw celebrity entrant and ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little edge Skinner by .324 seconds -- the closest margin of victory in the race's history.

Little returns to defend her title, this time in the professional category, along with two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. Also entered is Coy Gibbs, a former Truck Series competitor and owner of the JGRMX Supercross/Motocross Team. Celebrity entrants include Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody, Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, comic Carlos Mencia and pro skateboarder Danny Way.

"It's fun for us to hobnob with all the celebrities and superstars," Benson said. "I know one of the celebrities won it last year so even though they get a head start, it will be fun to try and catch them, pass them and then go for the win ourselves.

"It would be so cool to win it but just being a part of the race is special. We have the opportunity to raise money for some great charities and that's what it's all about."

The race has enabled Toyota to donate $1.7 million dollars to various children's hospitals since 1991.