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Harvick wins race and owner's title
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Ron Hornaday may have clinched his fourth Camping World Truck Series driver's championship last weekend, but there was still a title on the line heading into the season finale Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday night.
Hornaday's ride, the No. 33 truck of Kevin Harvick Inc., headed into this weekend's event in a battle with the No. 51 (driven mostly by Kyle Busch) of Billy Ballew Motorsports.
Prior to the drop of the green flag, Hornaday looked to have an advantage. After all he had the fourth starting position, and Busch had to fall to the back of the pack due to an engine change.
Busch may have started in the back, but he got by most of the field quickly, and was already running second to Kevin Harvick by the time the first caution waved on lap 33.
Pit strategy would end up biting Busch and the No. 51 team, when a decision was made not to take tires during a caution near the halfway point of the race. Several laps later, he was forced to pit under green for right-side tires, going a lap down. He soon went a second lap down when he was black flagged because one of his tires didn't make it at least halfway back across the pit stall before he left pit road.
Busch got so frustrated from the situation that he wanted to just park the truck, but crew chief Richie Wauters talke him into completing the race. Busch continued the race to post a finish of 13th. Hornaday drove the No. 33 truck to the owner's championship by finishing eighth.
Meanwhile, Harvick dominated the event, taking his third win of the season in only six starts and his second-consecutive, adding to his win last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.
"To close out the season like this is what we really wanted to do," Harvick said.
While a pit strategy of not taking tires burned Busch, Timothy Peters tried a similar move late in the race in a ditch effort to get his second-career win. When a caution came out with four laps to go, Peters stayed out, but everyone else on the lead lap came down pit road for tires.
"I knew the 17 (Peters) was a sitting duck," Harvick said after the race.
While Peters was at the point on the restart, he didn't stay there long. Harvick was racing him for the lead by the time they reached turn one.
Peter did, however, hold on to finish fourth.
Matt Crafton who finished out the year second in the points standings also finished the Ford 200 in the runner-up position.
Pole-sitter Colin Braun finished third to propel himself two positions in the points standings to fifth -- the final spot that will be recognized at the awards banquet on Monday night. The occupant of the fifth position heading into Friday's event, Johnny Sauter, finished the race ninth.
Todd Bodine rounded out the top-five despite suffering electrical problems early on.
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