CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

• Hornaday Jr. holds off Busch

  
  

  Fort Worth, TX (Sports Network) - Ron Hornaday Jr. held of NASCAR's hottest driver, Kyle Busch, to win Friday night's Sam's Town 400 Craftsman Truck Series race at the Texas Motor Speedway.

  The No.33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet driver took the checkered flag three lengths ahead of Busch.

  The victory was Hornaday Jr.'s second of the season and series-record 35th of his truck career.

  The race came down to a green-white checker finish between the defending series champion and Busch. Hornaday Jr. got the jump on Busch who fought back, but could never make a clean passing attempt.

  First-time pole winner Justin Marks brought the field to the green flag to start the race. He didn't last there long as the veterans ganged up on him and very quickly Hornaday Jr made the inside pass for the lead on lap two. Mike Skinner and Todd Bodine also passed the pole sitter in the first seven laps.

  Starting at the back of the field because he didn't qualify the truck, Busch was making quick work of the back of the pack. He went from 35th to 21st after the first seven laps. But then his pace slowed as he waited for the first pit stop to make some needed adjustments to the truck.

  Up front, Hornaday Jr. pulled away to a three-second lead over Skinner after 25 laps. By lap 30 the gap was more than four seconds. But debris on the track erased the lead in a heartbeat.

  Busch's No.51 Toyota team made massive changes and he restarted from the back again. The changes must have worked because Busch was up to 15th by lap 45.

  Hornaday Jr., Jack Sprague and Skinner were still showing the way after 50 laps. Sprague had taken the lead from teammate Hornaday Jr. on lap 47, but the two KHI trucks were in control. At least until Busch showed up. Hornaday Jr. took the lead back on lap 53.

  Meanwhile, Busch cracked the top-10 on lap 55.

  On the next caution flag pit stops, Johnny Benson (fuel only) and Bobby East got out in front of Hornaday Jr. But with old tires, Benson was a sitting duck and Hornaday Jr. got the lead back just six laps later.

  By lap 76, Busch was up to sixth and Scott Speed, last week's winner, was following him up the ladder and made his way into the top-10 as well.

  On lap 87 was another caution flag just after Sprague had slid around Hornaday Jr.

  for the lead and it would send the leaders to pit lane again. They would restart with Sprague, Hornaday Jr. and Matt Crafton up front. Busch would restart eighth.

  Hornaday Jr. immediately went for the lead and got it but on lap 103 Sprague returned the favor. Busch meanwhile, was going nowhere, in fact, Speed went around him for eighth place.

  On lap 113, Colin Braun, who was running in fourth at the time, blew a right- front tire and spun across the infield bringing out the caution flag and setting up final pit stops.

  This time Hornaday Jr.'s No.33 KHI pit crew did the job and even with a four- tire stop he beat Sprague and everyone else off pit lane for the lead.

  It was still Hornaday Jr. and Sprague with 40 laps to go but Busch was up to fifth.

  That was when Speed and points leader Rick Crawford made contact. It sent Speed flying across the infield towards pit lane and cut down Crawford's tire sending him spinning. Speed continued on, but Crawford got the worst of it and made multiple stops to repair his truck.

  On the restart, Busch got to the inside of East for fourth place and Benson got Sprague for second place.

  Two laps later Busch got on the inside of Sprague in a battle for third, but couldn't complete the move.

  More caution flags slowed the action and set up a short 11-lap run to the checkered flag. On the restart Busch passed Sprague for third and later on the same lap got underneath Benson for second place.

  Nine laps to go, could Hornaday Jr. hold off Busch? Four laps to go and the lead was four lengths. Then Speed made contact with Marc Mitchell setting up a green-white-checker finish.

  Hornaday Jr., the "King of Restarts," did just that and Busch could never catch him.

  "I just didn't get a good restart," said Busch, who now heads to Nashville for the Nationwide Series race on Saturday, before returning to Pocono for Sunday's "Cup" race.

  Benson, Sprague and Bodine completed the top-five.

  Unofficially, Hornaday Jr. will take a 45-point lead over Matt Crafton to the next race. Crawford, the points leader entering the race, finished 21st and is now tied for fifth.

  The next race in the series is set for Saturday, June 14th at the Michigan International Speedway.

  06/07 00:05:07 ET