Top performances, races highlight of Truck season

There certainly were some outstanding performances -- both from a driving and racing standpoint -- that took place during the recently completed 2009 Camping World Truck Series season.

The following is a look back at some of those standout performers and memorable races, as selected from discussions with the national series directors, competition department and NASCAR PR managers:

Nod to the champ

Ron Hornaday had plenty of history on his side, but it took one dissenting vote for him to edge Kyle Busch and be NASCAR.COM's 2009 Truck Series Driver of the Year.

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Top Drivers (in alphabetical order)

• Kyle Busch -- In 15 starts this season, Busch collected seven wins, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Busch had an average finish of 4.3. His strong performance in the final races of the season had his team owner, Billy Ballew, in contention for his first NASCAR owners' title up until the season finale.

• Matt Crafton -- Finished second in the championship standings, his best finish and fifth top-10 finish in the final points in nine seasons as a full-time competitor. Crafton earned 11 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes and collected two poles this season. He held the lead in the point standings for two weeks before falling to second behind Hornaday.

• Ron Hornaday -- At age 51 he becomes the first driver in the Truck Series to win a fourth championship. He joins first ballot Hall of Fame selections Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, along with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, as the only drivers to have captured four national series titles. Hornaday added his name to another distinguished list by becoming only the third driver to win five consecutive races in NASCAR's three national series. Petty and Bobby Allison both won five in a row in 1971 in the Cup Series. Hornaday finished the season with six wins, 15 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes, and four poles.

→ Shop: Hornaday championship gear!

Raybestos Rookie of the Year

• Johnny Sauter -- In his first full season in the series, Sauter found the right mix with his ThorSport Racing team to pull ahead in what had been a close battle among the rookie class to win Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors. The Necedah, Wis., native grabbed his first series win at Las Vegas in September. Sauter finished the year sixth in the standings with one win, seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes along with two poles.

Team Owner of the Year

• Kevin and DeLana Harvick -- With Hornaday behind the wheel of the No. 33 Chevrolet, the Kevin Harvick Inc. owners grabbed their second owners' title. Their first came with Hornaday in 2007. Since entering series competition in 2001, KHI has collected 26 wins, 93 top-fives, 144 top-10s, and 14 poles. Nineteen of those 26 victories have been delivered by Hornaday, who joined KHI in 2005.

Top Breakthrough Performers of the Year

• Timothy Peters -- In his 64th series start, the Danville, Va., resident scored his first victory at what he calls his home track, Martinsville Speedway. Peters started the season with a single-truck team doing a lot with a little. By June he made the move to Red Horse Racing. In addition to his first win, he collected five top-five and 13 top-10 finishes and one pole. Peters ended his season eighth in the final championship standings.

• Brian Scott -- Scored his first career win at Dover International Speedway in May in his 39th start in the series. The 21-year-old proved tough, finishing among the top of the field with a broken arm to earn himself the nickname "One Armed Bandit" from series champion Hornaday. Scott finished the season with one win, seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, and seventh in the final championship standings.

Comeback Driver of the Year

• Mike Skinner -- Rebounded from a disappointing 2008 to finish third in the final championship standings. Skinner, the 1995 series champion, had only one win and finished sixth in the 2008 point standings. With a new team in 2009, he collected three wins, eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. His three poles extended his lead in the series for the most all time poles with 50.

Top Five Races of the Year (in chronological order)

• NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway (February 13) -- Twelve different drivers swapped the lead 15 times before Todd Bodine made his way to Victory Lane in the season opener. Bodine became the first repeat winner in 10 years of trucks racing at the famed 2.5-mile track.

→ Race Recap | Results | Photos | Videos

• Michigan 200 at Michigan International Speedway (June 13) -- In his 35th series start Colin Braun grabbed his first career win. The win gave his team, Roush Fenway Racing, its golden 50th win in the series extending its lead for the most victory in the series.

→ Race Recap | Results | Photos | Videos

• Copart 200 at The Milwaukee Mile (June 20) -- Hornaday celebrated his 51st birthday in Victory Lane after winning for the second time at Milwaukee in 10 starts. It was the second time for Hornaday to win on his birthday. His win, the first in a string of five consecutive, was highlighted by a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0.

→ Race Recap | Results | Photos | Videos
→ Milwaukee win propelled Hornaday to title

• Built Ford Tough 225 presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers at Kentucky Speedway (July 18) -- Hornaday continued his hot streak by becoming the first repeat winner at Kentucky. Starting from the pole, Hornaday beat 2007 race winner Skinner by .135-seconds.

→ Race Recap | Results | Photos | Videos

• Mountain Dew 250 fueled by Fred's at Talladega Superspeedway (October 31) -- Busch narrowly beat teammate Aric Almirola by .057 seconds, the smallest margin of victory of the season. It was the first 1-2 finish for Billy Ballew Motorsports and Busch's fourth win in as many starts. There were 21 lead changes among 10 different drivers. The winner only led twice for a total of 10 laps.

→ Race Recap | Results | Photos

Related
• Throwback Hornaday has heart of a champion
• Hornaday honored as series champ at banquet
• Hornaday preparing for run at fifth title in 2010
• Balance keeps 33 team in championship form
• Harvick clinches title; Harvick wins the race
• Harvick wins finale, celebrates owners' title