Second season of third-tier NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Ron Hornaday Jr. , wife Lindy Hornaday, and team owners Teresa and Dale Earnhardt celebrate Hornaday's 1996 Truck Series championship
The 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was the second season of the Craftsman Truck Series , the third highest stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. Ron Hornaday Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. won the championship.
ESPN and TNN broadcast eight races each. CBS carried five races while TBS aired three races.
Teams and drivers
Full-time schedule
List of full-time teams at the start of 1996.
Part-Time schedule
Schedule
No.
Race Title
Track
Date
1
Florida Dodge Dealers 400
Homestead Motorsports Complex , Homestead
March 17
2
Chevrolet Desert Star 300
Phoenix International Raceway , Phoenix
April 21
3
Craftsman 200
Portland Speedway , Portland
May 4
4
Jerr-Dan/Nelson Truck 200
Evergreen Speedway , Monroe
May 11
5
NAPA 200
Tucson Raceway Park , Tucson
May 25
6
Colorado 250
Colorado National Speedway , Dacono
June 1
7
Lund Look 225
Heartland Park Topeka , Topeka
June 9
8
Coca-Cola 200
Bristol Motor Speedway , Bristol
June 22
9
DeVilbiss Superfinish 200
Nazareth Speedway , Nazareth
June 30
10
Sears Auto Center 200
The Milwaukee Mile , West Allis
July 6
11
Ford Dealers 225
Louisville Motor Speedway , Louisville
July 20
12
Western Auto 200
I-70 Speedway , Odessa
July 27
13
Cummins 200
Indianapolis Raceway Park , Brownsburg
August 1
14
Stevens Beil/Genuine Parts 200
Flemington Speedway , Flemington
August 10
15
Parts America 150
Watkins Glen International , Watkins Glen
August 25
16
Federated Auto Parts 250
Nashville Speedway USA , Nashville
August 31
17
Fas Mart Truck Shootout
Richmond International Raceway , Richmond
September 5
18
Pennzoil/VIP Tripleheader
New Hampshire International Speedway , Loudon
September 8
19
Hanes 250
Martinsville Speedway , Ridgeway
September 21
20
Lowe's 250
North Wilkesboro , North Wilkesboro
September 28
21
Kragen 151
Sears Point Raceway , Sonoma
October 5
22
Ford Dealers/Ford Credit 300
Mesa Marin Raceway , Bakersfield
October 13
23
GM Goodwrench/AC Delco 300
Phoenix International Raceway , Phoenix
October 26
24
Carquest 420K
Las Vegas Motor Speedway , Las Vegas
November 3
Races
Florida Dodge Dealers 400
The inaugural Florida Dodge Dealers 400 was held March 17 at Homestead Motorsports Complex . Geoff Bodine won the pole. The race was broadcast on TNN .
Top ten results
7-Dave Rezendes
24-Jack Sprague
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
94-Ron Barfield Jr.
44-Bryan Reffner
27-Terry McCarthy
8-John Nemechek
42-Jay Sauter -1
00-Frank Kimmel -1
21-Doug George -1
Chevrolet Desert Star 300
The Chevrolet Desert Star 300 was held April 21 at Phoenix International Raceway . Mike Skinner won the pole. The race was broadcast on TNN .
Top ten results
24-Jack Sprague
3-Mike Skinner
98-Butch Miller
44-Bryan Reffner
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
6-Rick Carelli
80-Joe Ruttman
94-Ron Barfield Jr.
75-Bobby Gill
64-Michael Dokken -1
Craftsman 200
The Craftsman 200 was held May 4 at Portland Speedway . Rich Bickle won the pole. The race was broadcast by TBS .
Top ten results
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
2-Mike Bliss
3-Mike Skinner
17-Bill Sedgwick
98-Butch Miller
6-Rick Carelli
44-Bryan Reffner
24-Jack Sprague
80-Joe Ruttman
30-Jimmy Hensley
Jerr-Dan/Nelson Truck 200
The Jerr-Dan/Nelson Truck 200 was held May 11 at Evergreen Speedway . Tobey Butler won the pole. The race was broadcast on TBS .
Top ten results
2-Mike Bliss
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
53-Dan Press
43-Rich Bickle
3-Mike Skinner
52-Tobey Butler
30-Jimmy Hensley
80-Joe Ruttman
94-Ron Barfield Jr.
17-Bill Sedgwick -1
NAPA 200
The NAPA 200 was held May 25 at Tucson Raceway Park . Bryan Reffner won the pole. The race was broadcast on ESPN .
Top ten results
3-Mike Skinner
43-Rich Bickle
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
30-Jimmy Hensley
24-Jack Sprague
17-Bill Sedgwick
75-Bobby Gill
7-Dave Rezendes
64-Michael Dokken
29-Bob Keselowski
Colorado 250
The Colorado 250 was held June 1 at Colorado National Speedway . Rich Bickle won the pole. The race was broadcast on CBS .
Top ten results
3-Mike Skinner
98-Butch Miller
30-Jimmy Hensley
24-Jack Sprague
7-Dave Rezendes
80-Joe Ruttman
17-Bill Sedgwick
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
42-Jay Sauter
21-Doug George
Lund Look 225
The Lund Look 225 was held June 9 at Heartland Park Topeka . Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole. The race was broadcast on TNN .
Top ten results
3-Mike Skinner
24-Jack Sprague
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
2-Mike Bliss
42-Jay Sauter
18-Johnny Benson
52-Ken Schrader
99-Jeff Burton
7-Dave Rezendes
17-Bill Sedgwick
Coca-Cola 200
The Coca-Cola 200 was held June 22 at Bristol Motor Speedway . Mike Skinner won the pole. On lap 162 Mike Bliss crashed on the front stretch where he hit and rode up the wall and tore down a part of the catch fencing. The race was broadcast on ESPN .
Top ten results
6-Rick Carelli
7-Dave Rezendes
42-Jay Sauter
3-Mike Skinner
24-Jack Sprague
80-Joe Ruttman
75-Bobby Gill
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
19-Lance Norick -1
20-Walker Evans -1
DeVilbiss Superfinish 200
The inaugural DeVilibiss Superfinish 200 was held June 30 at Nazareth Speedway . Jimmy Hensley won the pole. The race was supposed to air on CBS ; however, after a 3 hour rain delay, CBS left the speedway, and therefore the race was not broadcast. This was the only Truck Series start for Rusty Wallace . The race was shortened to 152 laps due to rain.
Top ten results
24-Jack Sprague
30-Jimmy Hensley
98-Butch Miller
99-Jeff Burton
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
18-Johnny Benson
80-Joe Ruttman
07-Geoff Bodine
22-Rusty Wallace
44-Bryan Reffner
Sears Auto Center 200
The Sears Auto Center 200 was held July 6 at The Milwaukee Mile . Mike Bliss won the pole. The race was broadcast on CBS .
Top ten results
24-Jack Sprague
17-Bill Sedgwick
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
30-Jimmy Hensley
2-Mike Bliss
75-Bobby Gill
3-Mike Skinner
7-Dave Rezendes -1
15-Mark Gibson -2
65-Kenny Allen -2
Ford Dealers 225
The Ford Dealers 225 was held July 20 at Louisville Motor Speedway . Mike Bliss won the pole. The race was broadcast on CBS .
Top ten results
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
3-Mike Skinner
30-Jimmy Hensley
7-Dave Rezendes
80-Joe Ruttman
44-Bryan Reffner
6-Rick Carelli
24-Jack Sprague
98-Butch Miller
8-John Nemechek
Western Auto 200
The Western Auto 200 was held July 27 at I-70 Speedway . Butch Miller won the pole. On lap 121 Bob Keselowski crashed in turn 1, broke the wall and rolled down the banking 2 1/2 times. The race was broadcast on TNN .
Top ten results
2-Mike Bliss
3-Mike Skinner
6-Rick Carelli
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
17-Bill Sedgwick
21-Doug George
75-Nathan Buttke -1
30-Jimmy Hensley -1
7-Dave Rezendes -1
43-Rich Bickle -1
Cummins 200
The Cummins 200 was held August 1 at Indianapolis Raceway Park . Mike Skinner won the pole. The race was broadcast on ESPN .
Top ten results
3-Mike Skinner
24-Jack Sprague
2-Mike Bliss
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
43-Rich Bickle
42-Jay Sauter
22-Kenny Wallace
75-Nathan Buttke
66-Mike McLaughlin
4-Tony Stewart
Stevens Beil/Genuine Parts 200
The Stevens Beil/Genuine Parts 200 was held August 10 at Flemington Speedway . Bryan Reffner won the pole. The race was broadcast on TNN .
Top ten results
3-Mike Skinner
2-Mike Bliss
43-Rich Bickle
7-Dave Rezendes
24-Jack Sprague
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
6-Rick Carelli
33-Harry Gant
30-Jimmy Hensley
98-Butch Miller -1
Parts America 150
The Parts America 150 was held August 25 at Watkins Glen International . Steve Park won the pole qualifying the truck driven by Joe Nemechek . The race was broadcast on ESPN .
Top ten results
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
87-Joe Nemechek
3-Mike Skinner
24-Jack Sprague
43-Rich Bickle
80-Joe Ruttman
27-Rob Rizzo
30-Jimmy Hensley
21-Doug George
20-Walker Evans
Federated Auto Parts 250
The Federated Auto Parts 250 was held August 31 at Nashville Speedway USA . Jack Sprague won the pole. The race was broadcast on TNN .
Top ten results
7-Dave Rezendes
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
24-Jack Sprague
98-Butch Miller
44-Bryan Reffner
21-Doug George
64-Michael Dokken
30-Jimmy Hensley
6-Rick Carelli
2-Mike Bliss -1
Fas Mart Truck Shootout
The Fas Mart Truck Shootout was held September 5 at Richmond International Raceway . Kenny Irwin Jr. won the pole. The race was shortened to 124 laps due to rain from Hurricane Fran . The race was broadcast on ESPN .
Top ten results
3-Mike Skinner
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
99-Mark Martin
80-Joe Ruttman
62-Kenny Irwin Jr.
75-Nathan Buttke
98-Butch Miller
33-Harry Gant
5-Darrell Waltrip
52-Tobey Butler
The Pennzoil/VIP Tripleheader was held September 8 at New Hampshire International Speedway . Mike Skinner won the pole. The race was broadcast on TNN .
Top ten results
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
24-Jack Sprague
2-Mike Bliss
18-Steve Park
28-Ernie Irvan
9-Joe Bessey
44-Bryan Reffner
80-Joe Ruttman
30-Jimmy Hensley -1
17-Bill Sedgwick -1
Hanes 250
The Hanes 250 was held September 21 at Martinsville Speedway . Bobby Hamilton won the pole. The race was broadcast on ESPN .
Top ten results
3-Mike Skinner
98-Butch Miller
24-Jack Sprague
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
5-Darrell Waltrip
80-Joe Ruttman
43-Rich Bickle
99-Jeff Burton
30-Jimmy Hensley
33-Harry Gant
Lowe's 250
The final Lowe's 250 was held September 28 at North Wilkesboro Speedway . Johnny Benson won the pole. The race was broadcast on ESPN .
Top ten results
99-Mark Martin
24-Jack Sprague
98-Butch Miller
22-Kenny Wallace
80-Joe Ruttman
6-Rick Carelli
18-Johnny Benson
43-Rich Bickle
3-Mike Skinner
5-Darrell Waltrip
Kragen 151
The Kragen 151 was held October 5 at Sears Point Raceway . Mike Skinner won the pole. The race was broadcast on ESPN .
Top ten results
7-Dave Rezendes
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
3-Mike Skinner
80-Joe Ruttman
21-Doug George
24-Jack Sprague
2-Mike Bliss
44-Bryan Reffner
6-Rick Carelli
30-Jimmy Hensley
Ford Dealers/Ford Credit 300
The Ford Dealers/Ford Credit 300 was held October 13 at Mesa Marin Raceway . Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole. The race was broadcast on TNN .
Top ten results
3-Mike Skinner
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
80-Joe Ruttman
2-Mike Bliss
24-Jack Sprague
19-Butch Miller
21-Doug George
43-Rich Bickle
20-Walker Evans -1
7-Dave Rezendes -1
GM Goodwrench/AC Delco 300
The GM Goodwrench/AC Delco 300 was held October 26 at Phoenix International Raceway . Jack Sprague won the pole. The race was broadcast on TBS .
Top ten results
24-Jack Sprague
18-Johnny Benson
80-Joe Ruttman
3-Mike Skinner
99-Ted Musgrave
52-Tobey Butler
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
87-Joe Nemechek
21-Doug George
33-Harry Gant
Carquest 420K
The Carquest 420K was held November 3 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway . Bryan Reffner won the pole. The race was broadcast on CBS .
Top ten results
24-Jack Sprague
4-Bill Elliott
80-Joe Ruttman
1-Michael Waltrip
7-Dave Rezendes
18-Robby Gordon
3-Mike Skinner
52-Ken Schrader
44-Bryan Reffner
16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
Final points standings
Drivers
Key
Color
Result
Gold
Winner
Silver
Finished 2nd–5th
Bronze
Finished 6th–10th
Green
Finished 11th–20th
Blue
Finished 21st or worse
Purple
Did not finish (DNF)
Black
Disqualified (DSQ)
Red
Did not qualify (DNQ)
Tan
Withdrew From Race (Wth)
White
Qualified for another driver (QL)
Qualified but replaced due to injury or incident (INQ)
Relieved another driver (RL)
Blank
Did not participate (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Bold – Pole position awarded by time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or by practice speeds. * – Most laps led.1 – Post entry, driver and owner did not score points.
Rookie of the Year
Bryan Reffner was named the 1996 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the year, winning three poles and finishing ninth in points. He was followed by Doug George , who had eight top-tens over the course of the season, and Lance Norick , who split the season between two different teams. Bobby Gill began the year with Spears Motorsports , but was released. Jay Sauter and Lonnie Cox ran abbreviated schedules for their teams.
See also
References