While Ron Hornaday was a major force heading in to Wednesday night's O'Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline, Kyle Busch used a dominating performance of his own to take his second straight Camping World Truck Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Hornaday came to Bristol on a hot streak, having won the last five Truck Series events. He hoped to make Wednesday's event the sixth in a row, but had to settle for third when the checkered flag fell.
Busch led 82 laps en-route to the win, including the final 77. After the race's half way point, Busch battled a surprisingly strong Jason White to take the lead. White led the most laps of the evening, 86, after pit strategy left him off sequence with the other leaders.
Once Busch cleared White, however, the No. 51 truck set sail in search of the win. Busch drove across the finish line ahead of Matt Crafton, Hornaday, Ryan Newman, in his second event of the night, and Brian Scott.
"I love this place," said the24-year-old winner after the race. "It is fun for all of us; it is a fun place. I really want to thank the fans for coming out here on a Wednesday night.
"It was a good night for us. I think this win helps. It sets the tone for the rest of the weekend."
While Hornaday was unable to continue his record-setting streak, leaving Bristol in one piece, and at the top of the standings, was enough for him.
"To come out of Bristol with a top five with a clean truck is an accomplishment," Hornaday said. "We run good, just run into bad luck here. Five in a row; it has been fun. Now we can start all over again."
Busch said that Hornaday's string of victories highlights the veteran's abilities.
"It just shows the strength of Ron Hornaday. You want to be that guy that sets those records," said Busch. "We just need to capitalize on Hornaday's bad days."
Aric Almirola, David Starr, T.J. Bell, Stacy Compton and Timothy Peters rounded out the top ten.
On Friday, the Food City 250 Nationwide race will see the series regulars take on the invading Sprint Cup Series stars. The week concludes with the granddaddy of night races, the sold-out Sharpie 500.
Tickets for the Food City 250 are $45 and may be purchased by calling the BMS ticket office at (423) BRISTOL (274-7865), (423) 989-6900 or by visiting www.bristoltix.com.
