Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The battle for the Sprint Cup Series
championship continues at Phoenix International Raceway, while Kyle Busch has
an opportunity to clinch the Nationwide Series title and Ron Hornaday Jr. can
wrap up the Camping World Truck Series championship there this weekend.
driving the No.61 Ford. Bowles will miss his
championship awards banquet, held in Concord, NC on Saturday, in order to
race.
"For this weekend in my first start, my goals are to first finish the race,
and I think a top-20 finish is reasonable," Bowles said. "The biggest thing I
need to show is that I am capable of running at this level and taking care of
the equipment."
Camping World Truck Series
Lucas Oil 150 - Phoenix International Raceway - Avondale, AZ
While Kyle Busch attempts to clinch the Nationwide Series title at Phoenix,
Ron Hornaday Jr. is looking to wrap up his record-setting fourth Camping World
Truck Series championship. Hornaday currently holds a 197-point lead over Matt
Crafton. If he leaves Phoenix with a 195-point advantage over the second-place
driver, he takes the title.
Last year, Hornaday was engaged in a tight points battle with Johnny Benson
heading into Phoenix. Benson held just a slim six-point lead over Hornaday
with two races to go.
Hornaday was involved in an opening lap crash, but rebounded for a 25th-place
finish and moved to within three points of Benson before the season-ending
race at Homestead. Benson also crashed early at Phoenix and settled for a
26th-place run.
Benson barely won his first Truck Series title after finishing seventh at
Homestead. Hornaday finished eighth and ended the 2008 season just seven
points behind the champion.
Hornaday will clinch if he has a 22nd-place average finish in the next two
races. While he sits in a comfortable spot in the drivers' standings, the
battle for the owners' championship continues to be a good one. Kyle Busch
picked up his seventh victory of the season last Friday at Texas, as Billy
Ballew Motorsports cut Kevin Harvick Inc.'s lead in the owners' points to just
75.
"To me right now we are just focused on two more races," Hornaday said. "I
don't look at the championship until Homestead. The No.33 team is not only
racing for the driver's championship, but we want to make sure Kevin and
DeLana [Harvick] win the owner's championship as well. I don't go into it
looking at how many points we are ahead. I know that we just need to win the
last two races. That's what I want to go do and then the points will take care
of themselves."
Busch has won the last five races he's entered with Ballew's No.51 Toyota. He
won at Phoenix in 2007.
Hornaday is a two-time race winner at Phoenix.
"I have been pretty successful at Phoenix International Raceway over the
years," he said. " I have had a lot of great races there and have two wins
there in 1998 and 1999."
He also has finished second there twice (2005 and '07).
Kevin Harvick has won at Phoenix three times, including last year's race
there. Harvick is competing in this weekend's race.
Thirty-five teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Lucas Oil 150.
Mike Bliss will replace Terry Cook in the No.25 Toyota at Phoenix. HT
Motorsports and Cook parted ways after Texas.