Homestead-Miami Pre-Race Championship Statistics

Hornaday’s average finish for the final race in the three years he won the title: 6.3.

Ron Hornaday

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Benson's three-point lead over Hornaday is the closest in the 14-year history of the NASCAR Truck Series going into the final race and the second closest in a NASCAR national series since the current points system was adopted in 1975. The closest point margin with one race remaining was in 1979 when Darrel Waltrip had a two-point lead over Richard Petty. Petty went on to win the 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup championship.

By winning the 2008 title, Ron Hornaday would become the first driver in Truck Series history to win four championships. The only other drivers to win at least four championships in NASCAR’s three elite divisions (Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series) are Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon.

Hornaday will be attempting to become the first driver to win back-to-back titles and four championships in the series and the first 50-year-old to take a NASCAR national series. In 2008, Hornaday and Johnny Benson each have 14 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.

In case of a points tie at the end of the race, Hornaday holds the tie-breaker with six wins over Benson’s five.

In 13 of the last 24 races, Hornaday has finished higher than Benson. In seven of the last 10 races, Hornaday finished higher than Benson. Hornaday goes into the final race 26 points closer to the lead than he did last season.

When Hornaday won his record-tying third Truck Series title, Mike Skinner had a 29-point advantage over Hornaday going into the final race in 2007.

In 1996, Ron Hornaday led Mike Skinner by 72 points going into the final race of the season on the way to his first NASCAR Truck Series championship. Then in 1998, Ron Hornaday led Jack Sprague by 13 points going into the final race of the season on the way to his second NASCAR Truck Series championship.

Ron Hornaday could make history by becoming the first back-to-back champion in Truck Series history. In a series that has boasted owners like Richard Childress Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Roush Racing, Kevin Harvick Inc. could become only the second team to repeat as championship owners (Steve Coulter repeated in 2002 and 2003 with Mike Bliss and Travis Kvapil). Hornaday and Benson are second generation drivers. Both have an average finish of 10th in the final race of the last three seasons.

Hornaday’s average finish for the final race in the three years he won the title: 6.3.

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