"Its hard to believe this is our 10th year at Daytona," said Rick Crawford, the 2003 winner and driver of the #14 International Truck and Engine Ford. "For every racer this is sacred ground and when you win at Daytona, you've accomplished a dream that many racers have chased and few have achieved."  In addition to his 2003 win, Crawford has collected three top-five and six top-10 finishes. "Daytona has been good to our race team," he added. "The only thing better than being a winner at Daytona is being at two-time winner at Daytona."

The track, rich with history, is about more than just racing for some. "I love the build-up to Daytona," said three-time series champion Ron Hornaday, Jr. (#33 Longhorn Chevy). "I think the anticipation of getting ready all off-season, putting the sponsors in place, building the trucks and rolling into a track with so much history is the best part," he said. "Being at a place where my dad always wanted me to race, just the feeling is the best part about being at Daytona."

New Look, Same Tough Trucks

Camping World prepares for its inaugural season as title sponsor for the series. While the new sponsor brings a new look for the trucks, the tough competition the trucks are known for will undoubtedly remain the same. The NextEra Energy Resources 250 has nine different winners in as many races. The largest margin of victory, in 2001, is .318 seconds. In fact, Daytona's total margin of victory (seven races) is .944 seconds. Two races have finished under caution.

Johnny Benson (#1 K&N Filters Toyota) came out on the short end of the two most recent "photo finishes" at Daytona: second to Jack Sprague in 2007 and third a year ago. Benson obviously would like to become the track's 10th different winner. He'd also like to become the series' first back-to-back champion — a feat he denied Hornaday a season ago.

"As things get rolling, we're excited to start the season. Its tough to win the championship, its tough to win races (and) tough to win a championship,"  said Benson, who'll suit up for Red Horse Racing in 2009 after  three seasons with Bill Davis Racing. "History shows you can't win back-to-back. It'll be difficult to win another championship. "

Todd Bodine: Can He Make Four In A Row?

Todd Bodine (#30 Toyota) wouldn't mind starting this season right where he left off last November: in Victory Lane. The odds are good for the 2006 series champion to do just that. He happens to be the defending winner at Daytona. Bodine not only won at Daytona last year, he grabbed his second win at Talladega, becoming the first driver in the series to sweep the superspeedways in a season. Should he win this week's season opener, it would mark four superspeedway wins in a row. The feat would seem daunting but Bodine and his team feel confident if everything goes just right.

"As a team, we do all the technical things right, but we still have to have luck," said Bodine. "If we do it right like we've been doing, and we're lucky enough, then we can continue to win at tracks like Daytona and Talladega," he added. "In order to be in a position to win, we have to have a good truck and we are confident that we have a great #30 Toyota prepared for Daytona."

Like the other competitors, Bodine realizes the significance of Daytona. "It's the first race of the season, it's the Super Bowl and all that goes with it," he said. "It would mean just as much to win again, to get to win two in a row at Daytona or anywhere is quite a feat, but to get two in a row at Daytona, it's like two Super Bowls in a row. It would be very special."

Top Of The Box With Mike Beam

Veteran crew chief Mike Beam will be calling the shots once again this season for Roush Fenway Racing driver Colin Braun and the #6 Con-way Freight Ford team. Under Beam's leadership the 20-year-old notched three top-five and eight top-10 finishes and grabbed the Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors. With that freshman season out of the way, the crew chief looks ahead to see how he can build on what was started and how he can get his driver in Victory Lane.

Below, Beam discusses his preparations for the 2009 season:

Q: Colin had a strong season last year, but is still looking for that first win. How do you prepare?

"We've spent a lot of time working on all of our trucks this year to make them as fast as we can. We've also spent a lot of time working with Colin to help him develop and mature as a driver. I think you will see a different driver in him this year.

People have to remember that he still has only run about 30 oval races, so it takes time to figure it all out. I feel strongly that he will win a few races this year. He learned a lot last year and now will have the chance to start with a clean slate in 2009."

Q: What are you doing to prepare your team to start the season off right at Daytona?

"What happened to Colin in this race last year wasn't his doing, and sometimes it's impossible to avoid another competitor's mistake. I've talked to Colin a lot in the off-season and we've watched last year's race several times, so he could see if there was something he could have done differently.

We're working on having him look farther ahead on the track to see what is developing ahead of him. He's also got to work well with the spotter to see what trouble is brewing ahead of him that he needs to be prepared to avoid."

Q: With the rule adjustments for the series, how does that affect your strategy?

"There is going to be a lot more pressure on the crew chiefs to figure out whether to take tires or fuel on each stop and what is going to save the most time in the pits. There will also be added responsibility on the drivers as well. The drivers are going to have to start thinking about tire and fuel management. Since quite often we are going to have to stretch both as far as we can, the drivers are going to have to do their part to conserve both."

Raybestos Rookie Of The Year Lineup Looks Strong

As teams gear up to start the season, a new class of rookies is preparing to duke it out for the top honors.

Johnny Sauter (#13 Chevy) enters into his first full season competing in the series with ThorSport Racing. Sauter already has a couple rookie titles to his credit. He was the 2001 ASA Rookie of the Year and the runner-up in 2002 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series battle. The driver, who comes from a racing family, has 11 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with one top-five and two top-10 finishes.

James Buescher would like to join fellow Texas native Colin Braun in the record books as Raybestos Rookie of the Year. The 18-year-old will pilot the #10 International MAXX Force Diesel Ford for Circle Bar Racing. Buescher is off to a pretty decent start. He won Saturday's ARCA RE/MAX Series race.

Ricky Carmichael, a household name for motocross fans, moves up to the series this year and eyes adding another title to his resume. The 29-year-old won an unprecedented 15 American Motorcycle Association (AMA) championships and a record five AMA "Rider of the Year" awards. He will be behind the wheel of the #4 Monster Energy Chevy for Kevin Harvick Inc.

Tayler Malsam will look to give the others a run for their money as he joins Randy Moss Motorsports this season in the #81 Toyota. Malsam finished ninth in points in the ARCA RE/MAX Series last season.

In The Loop

No Camping World Truck Series driver has entered Daytona's Victory Lane more than once. The statistics suggest that'll change this year. Count on Todd Bodine making a major bid for back-to-back wins in the series' 10th trip to historic Daytona International Speedway.

Bodine is strong on the 2.5-mile high-banked superspeedway. Over the last four Daytona races, Bodine has a Driver Rating of 132.2, the highest of any driver with more than one race there. Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, Bodine has an Average Running Position of 4.7, a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 94.8 (a series-high total of 381 laps), 300 Green Flag Passes, 10 Fastest Laps Run and a series-high 79 laps led.

Bodine's top competition likely will come in the form of last year's runner-up at Daytona, Kyle Busch. In his lone Daytona start, Busch had a Driver Rating of 99.7, an Average Running Position of 7.1, 60 Green Flag Passes, five Fastest Laps Run and spent 99 of the 100 laps in the top 15.

Also watch for Mike Skinner, who needed 19 races to pick up his first win last season. Skinner, with new team Randy Moss Motorsports, has a strong record at Daytona – despite going winless in five starts. Since 2005, he has a Driver Rating of 95.6, an Average Running Position of 13.3, 310 Green Flag Passes and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 65.9%.

Director's Take: Wayne's Words

"Get ready race fans, because here we come. We've got a new look for the series this season but you can guarantee we'll bring you the same great competition you watched in 2008. Last year we had a championship battle that went down to the very last lap. Johnny Benson beat Ron Hornaday Jr. by only seven points. Both are eyeing making series history—a back-to-back-championship for Benson and a fourth championship for Hornaday.

It will all kick off this Friday night under the lights. The trucks are known to put on quite a show on the high banks of Daytona. You'll see multiple lead changes, and a three-wide finish is almost standard for this race. The new rules adjusting over-the-wall crew members and pit stops will force crew chiefs to come up with some different strategies, which should add to the excitement of the season."
 - Wayne Auton, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Director

Daytona International Speedway hosts the series opener on Friday, Feb. 13. The 2.5-mile tri-oval produces multiple lead changes and typically three-wide racing. The high banking and long straightaways provide plenty of room for drivers to maneuver.

Up Next

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rolls out west to California next week for the San Bernardino County 200 at Auto Club Speedway. The series is home to several California natives including previous race winner Mike Skinner (#5 Toyota), Ron Hornaday Jr. and Matt Crafton (#88 Menards Chevy). Hornaday and Skinner still are chasing their first victory at the two-mile track. Kyle Busch (#51 Miccosukee Resorts/NOS Energy Drink Toyota) grabbed the checkered flag  in 2008.
(NASCAR PR)(2-9-2009)