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The 12th season of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season set off on February 16, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway with the Chevy Silverado HD 250, and ended on November 16, 2007 with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Ron Hornaday of Kevin Harvick Incorporated was crowned champion.
Top storylines
- Two series drivers, Tyler Walker and Aaron Fike, were suspended by NASCAR indefinitely for violations of the organization's substance abuse program. Fike's suspension came after he and his girlfriend were arrested on possession charges at the parking lot of the Kings Island theme park near Cincinnati, Ohio. Neither driver had been reinstated as of June 9.
- Ted Musgrave, the 2005 champion, was suspended for one race due to an altercation with Kelly Bires during a caution period at the Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 at the Milwaukee Mile. In the race Musgrave sat out, Brad Keselowski almost drove the #9 truck to victory until a late-race crash with Travis Kvapil took him out. Keselowski's performance is credited with his discovery by JR Motorsports and eventually signing with that Busch Series team.
- Mike Skinner won three straight races (California, Atlanta and the first at Martinsville) and led in poles as well. Skinner led the standings all season until the race at Gateway International Raceway, when he was overtaken by Ron Hornaday.
- Trip Bruce, crew chief for the #23 team and driver Johnny Benson, was suspended for two races for allowing a driver not licensed by NASCAR to test the truck at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The team and Benson also lost 25 points in the respective standings and Bruce was fined.
- SPEED Channel began a new eight-year contract to continue NCTS telecasts, but two races were moved to FOX. The second of those, the Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park, aired on that network for only 19 laps before rain came and the rest of the event aired on SPEED Channel while Major League Baseball on FOX aired on the main network. However, most of the race was moved to tape delay due to more rain and a conflict with the Busch Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway running simultaneously (NASCAR prohibits more than one national series from being televised at the same time). The other FOX telecast was the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
Schedule
Preliminary schedule based on current information available
All races are held in the USA.
2007 Team Chart
The following is a list of all full-time teams as of the fifth race of the 2007 season.
Television
FOX-owned Speed Channel will once again cover the entire 2007 Truck Series season, except for two races on FOX.
Miscellaneous
Trucks
Beginning this season, the trucks will be identical from the windshield to the rear of the truck. However, the noses will continue to be branded as the Chevrolet Silverado, Dodge Ram, Ford F-150, and Toyota Tundra.
Drivers
- On May 29, Bill Davis Racing driver Tyler Walker was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for failing to follow its substance abuse policy. Driver Ryan Matthews will take his place.
- On June 27, Germain Racing driver Ted Musgrave was suspended for one race by NASCAR following an altercation with Kelly Bires at The Milwaukee Mile. Brad Keselowski will replace him at Memphis.
- On July 9, Red Horse Racing driver Aaron Fike, along with his fiancée were stopped in Warren County, Ohio and were arrested for possession of heroin. Fike along with his fiancée were later suspended by NASCAR for the incident. Busch Series champion David Green and Jason Leffler split time in the RHR truck for the rest of the season.
- On August 14, Green Light Racing dropped driver Chad McCumbee from the #08 team. Shane Sieg drove the #08 at Bristol with "People Against Drugs" on the hood of the truck
- On August 20, Chad McCumbee replaced Blake Bjorklund at MRD Motorsports in the #8 Truck. Chad brought his sponsor's The GPS Store and Garmin to the team with him
Races
Chevrolet Silverado HD 250
This race was held February 16 at Daytona International Speedway. Jack Sprague won the pole and would win the race from the pole. On the final lap, Travis Kvapil, only a few yards short of taking the second consecutive victory at Daytona for the 6 truck, was passed by the Toyota Tundras of Sprague on the high side and Johnny Benson, who had given Sprague a bump, near (but not on) the apron in a three-wide finish reminiscent of the 2003 Daytona race which ironically Kvapil also lost.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #60 |  Jack Sprague |
Toyota | Wyler Racing |
| 2. | #23 | Johnny Benson |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 3. | #6 |  Travis Kvapil |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 4. | #5 |  Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 5. | #30 |  Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 6. | #09 | .svg){kind=small} Joey Clanton |
Ford | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing |
| 7. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 8. | #88 | Matt Crafton |
Chevrolet | ThorSport Racing |
| 9. | #9 | Ted Musgrave |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 10. | #14 |  Rick Crawford |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
Failed to qualify: Wayne Edwards (#95)
San Bernardino County 200
This race was held February 23 at California Speedway. Carl Edwards won the pole in the unsponsored Roush Fenway Racing #50 truck. On one of the 2nd from the final restart #33 Ron Hornaday spun out #21 Mark Martin due to a slow restart, the caution flag was soon waved but not until after #5 Mike Skinner made the pass for the lead. NASCAR didn't issue any penalties to the #33 team and Mark Martin after the spin ended up finishing 23rd On the final restart #5 Mike skinner held off #33 Ron Hornaday to get his first truck series win since last year at Las Vegas.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 2. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 3. | #60 | Jack Sprague |
Toyota | Wyler Racing |
| 4. | #50 |  Carl Edwards |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 5. | #9 | Ted Musgrave |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 6. | #23 | Johnny Benson |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 7. | #30 | Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 8. | #2 | Kevin Harvick |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 9. | #14 | Rick Crawford |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
| 10. | #40 |  Mike Bliss |
Chevrolet | Key Motorsports |
Failed to qualify: none (34 entrants)
American Commercial Lines 200
The American Commercial Lines 200 was held March 16 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole. In another exciting race for the NCTS, NEXTEL Cup regular Clint Bowyer held the lead on a restart with seven laps to go. While he tried to bunch up the field on a restart, California winner Mike Skinner bumped Bowyer out of the way and went on to win his second consecutive race. Despite the bump and run, Bowyer finished 5th.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 2. | #30 | Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 3. | #88 | Matt Crafton |
Chevrolet | ThorSport Racing |
| 4. | #10 | Rick Crawford |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
| 5. | #2 |  Clint Bowyer |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 6. | #77 | Brendan Gaughan |
Chevrolet | South Point Racing |
| 7. | #75 |  Dennis Setzer |
Chevrolet | Spears Motorsports |
| 8. | #9 | Ted Musgrave |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 9. | #09 | Joey Clanton |
Ford | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing |
| 10. | #7 | Kelly Bires |
Ford | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing |
Failed to qualify: none (35 entrants)
Kroger 250
The Kroger 250 was held on April 1 at the Martinsville Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole. Mike Skinner would win his third consecutive race and second in a row from pole. Skinner dominated the tiny Martinsville short track, leading 246 laps, easily breaking Rich Bickle's old record of leading 204 laps en route to victory in 1997.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 2. | #30 | Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 3. | #14 | Rick Crawford |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
| 4. | #2 | Kevin Harvick |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Inc. |
| 5. | #9 |  Ted Musgrave |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 6. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Inc. |
| 7. | #1 | Aaron Fike |
Toyota | Red Horse Racing |
| 8. | #36 | Tyler Walker |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 9. | #46 | Timothy Peters |
Chevrolet | Morgan-Dollar Motorsports |
| 10. | #23 | Johnny Benson |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
Failed to qualify: Bradley Riethmeyer (#49), Brian Sockwell (#54), Shane Sieg (#28), Chris Jones (#87), Tim Cowen (#42)
O'Reilly Auto Parts 250
The O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 was held on April 28 at Kansas Speedway. This race was moved from its traditional July weekend to late April in hopes of cooler temperatures. It was also held in conjunction with the IndyCar Series' event, the Kansas Indy 300. The race was dominated by 2006 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Erik Darnell, who would lead 91 of 166 laps en route to his first career NCTS victory. Darnell's win ended the win streak of Mike Skinner, who started from the pole but had trouble in the pits.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #99 | Erik Darnell |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 2. | #14 | Rick Crawford |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
| 3. | #60 | Jack Sprague |
Toyota | Wyler Racing |
| 4. | #23 | Johnny Benson |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 5. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 6. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 7. | #30 | Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 8. | #1 | Aaron Fike |
Toyota | Red Horse Racing |
| 9. | #59 |  Terry Cook |
Toyota | HT Motorsports |
| 10. | #88 | Matt Crafton |
Chevrolet | ThorSport Racing |
Quaker Steak and Lube 200
The Quaker Steak and Lube 200 was held on May 18 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mike Skinner won the pole. The race saw a classic showdown between truck series veteran Ron Hornaday and NEXTEL Cup rookie A.J. Allmendinger. However, the veteran stole the show by passing Allmendinger with 36 laps to go. It looked like Hornaday might coast to victory, but Johnny Benson, who had already been in controversy during the week, cut a tire with 11 laps to go. However, Hornaday held off Allmendinger and Todd Bodine to take his first truck victory of the season. The win also gave Chevrolet its first truck win since Texas last year.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 2. | #00 | A. J. Allmendinger |
Toyota | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports |
| 3. | #30 | Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 4. | #21 |  Mark Martin |
Ford | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing |
| 5. | #9 | Ted Musgrave |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 6. | #16 | Mike Bliss |
Ford | Xpress Motorsports |
| 7. | #88 | Matt Crafton |
Chevrolet | ThorSport Racing |
| 8. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 9. | #50 |  T. J. Bell |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 10. | #14 | Rick Crawford |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
Failed to qualify: Jason White (#7)
NCTS Ohio 250
The NCTS Ohio 250 was held on May 17 at Mansfield Motorsports Park. Mike Skinner won the pole. In a race that featured much attrition and varying strategies, it seemed as though Matt Crafton would be able to end his 154 race winless drought by going on an unbelievable no-stop strategy. However, two six hour rain delays held up his goal. Although Crafton had the lead after the delay, he soon lost the top spot to Rick Crawford and would eventually blow out a tire. Crawford, meanwhile, dominated the race, leading the most laps, as his only contenders were rookie Aaron Fike and "Short Track Slayer" Dennis Setzer. When it seemed as though Crawford would sail to an easy win, he cut down a tire with 11 laps to go, handing the lead to Setzer. For Setzer, it had been almost 2 years since he last won a race, and for his Spears Racing team, they had not won since Phoenix in 2004. The crafty veteran outlasted the competition on a shocking no stop strategy to win. Second-place finisher Jack Sprague said that it was unbelievable that Setzer won without pitting.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #75 | Dennis Setzer |
Chevrolet | Spears Motorsports |
| 2. | #60 | Jack Sprague |
Toyota | Wyler Racing |
| 3. | #18 | Ken Schrader |
Dodge | Bobby Hamilton Racing |
| 4. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 5. | #23 | Johnny Benson |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 6. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 7. | #6 | Travis Kvapil |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 8. | #9 | Ted Musgrave |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 9. | #77 | Brendan Gaughan |
Chevrolet | South Point Racing |
| 10. | #4 |  Kevin Hamlin |
Dodge | Bobby Hamilton Racing |
Failed to qualify: Kelly Sutton (#51)
AAA Insurance 200
The AAA Insurance 200 was held June 1 at the Dover International Speedway. Mike Skinner won his sixth consecutive pole. This race was a historic milestone for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, as it was the series’ 300th race. The race featured early attrition, including a six-truck pileup on the first lap involving Cup drivers Clint Bowyer and Ken Schrader, along with truck drivers Brendan Gaughan, Bill Lester, Erik Darnell, and Jack Sprague. From the outset, it appeared as though Kyle Busch would walk away with another victory at Dover. However, Ron Hornaday began to catch up to Busch, who was having handling problems. Hornaday would eventually win by 7 seconds over Stacy Compton.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 2. | #09 |  Stacy Compton |
Ford | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing |
| 3. | #6 | Travis Kvapil |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 4. | #23 | Johnny Benson |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 5. | #4 | Mike Bliss |
Dodge | Bobby Hamilton Racing |
| 6. | #21 | Mark Martin |
Ford | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing |
| 7. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 8. | #59 | Terry Cook |
Toyota | HT Motorsports |
| 9. | #00 | A. J. Allmendinger |
Toyota | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports |
| 10. | #1 | Aaron Fike |
Toyota | Red Horse Racing |
Failed to Qualify: none
Sam's Town 400
The Sam's Town 400 was held June 8 at Texas Motor Speedway. Todd Bodine won the pole, breaking Mike Skinner's six pole streak. The race was action-packed, and fuel mileage and strategy became a factor late in the race. With only a few laps to go, Travis Kvapil, looking for his first NCTS victory since 2004, was leading on a restart when he was bumped by Todd Bodine. Points leader Mike Skinner chased Bodine down but did not have enough for the eventual winner.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #30 | Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 2. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 3. | #14 | Rick Crawford |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
| 4. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 5. | #10 |  David Starr |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
| 6. | #6 | Travis Kvapil |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 7. | #88 | Matt Crafton |
Chevrolet | ThorSport Racing |
| 8. | #18 | Ken Schrader |
Dodge | Bobby Hamilton Racing |
| 9. | #9 | Ted Musgrave |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 10. | #21 | Stacy Compton |
Ford | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing |
Failed to Qualify: none
Michigan 200
The Michigan 200 was held on June 16 at the Michigan International Speedway. Travis Kvapil won the pole. The race was dominated by part-time NEXTEL Cup driver Mark Martin, who led for 35 laps before retiring with a blown engine. After Martin's exit, the race lead was handed over to another Cup driver, Kyle Busch, who appeared to have another truck win in sight but was battling an extremely loose truck. Eventually, after 99 laps of hard racing, polesitter Travis Kvapil took advantage of Busch's problems and passed him coming to the white flag. Kvapil would hold on to win his first race since 2004.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #6 | Travis Kvapil |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 2. | #51 | Kyle Busch |
Chevrolet | Billy Ballew Motorsports |
| 3. | #77 | Brendan Gaughan |
Chevrolet | South Point Racing |
| 4. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 5. | #9 | Ted Musgrave |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 6. | #14 | Rick Crawford |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
| 7. | #30 | Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 8. | #2 | Kevin Harvick |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 9. | #23 | Johnny Benson |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 10. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporataed |
Failed to Qualify: #71-Bryan Silas
Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200
The Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 took place June 22 at The Milwaukee Mile. Mike Skinner won the pole. Like most races of the 2007 NCTS season, Mike Skinner dominated the first half of the race, leading 103 laps. However, defending winner Johnny Benson was looking to jumpstart his season. Benson would eventually pass Skinner just past the halfway mark and would not look back, leading 96 laps en route to his first victory of the season.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #23 | Johnny Benson |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 2. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 3. | #30 | Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 4. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 5. | #14 | Rick Crawford |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
| 6. | #99 | Erik Darnell |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 7. | #4 | Mike Bliss |
Dodge | Bobby Hamilton Racing |
| 8. | #6 | Travis Kvapil |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 9. | #88 | Matt Crafton |
Chevrolet | ThorSport Racing |
| 10. | #10 | David Starr |
Ford | Circle Bar Racing |
Failed to Qualify: none
O'Reilly 200
The O'Reilly 200 was held June 30 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Brad Keselowski won his first career pole. Subbing for a suspended Ted Musgrave, Keselowski had, as race analyst Phil Parsons called it, "the biggest night of his career". Keselowski was recommended by NASCAR veterans such as Mark Martin and Todd Bodine. He led the first 20 laps from pole before being passed by veteran Ron Hornaday. However, as Ron's truck faded, Keselowski's got better and had the truck to beat, with his only competitor being 2002 Memphis winner Travis Kvapil. Brad was leading with 9 laps to go until Kvapil took advantage of Keselowski's loose truck and unintentionally spun him off of turn 4. Keselowski would end the bittersweet night in 16th. With the polesitter out of contention, the race was in the hands of Kvapil, who held off a hard charging Jack Sprague to win.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #6 | Travis Kvapil |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 2. | #60 | Jack Sprague |
Toyota | Wyler Racing |
| 3. | #33 | Ron Hornaday |
Chevrolet | Kevin Harvick Incorporated |
| 4. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 5. | #1 | Aaron Fike |
Toyota | Red Horse Racing |
| 6. | #36 | Ryan Matthews |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 7. | #23 | Johnny Benson |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 8. | #30 | Todd Bodine |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 9. | #99 | Erik Darnell |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 10. | #88 | Matt Crafton |
Chevrolet | ThorSport Racing |
Failed to qualify: none
Built Ford Tough 225 presented by Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers
The Built Ford Tough 225 took place on July 14 at the Kentucky Speedway. Ryan Mathews won his first career pole. However, it was African American driver Bill Lester to lead the first lap as Mathews struggled on restarts all night. As a testament to the competitive nature at Kentucky Speedway, there were four lead changes in the first eight laps of the race. The race, like many others, would end up being dominated by Mike Skinner, who led the field for 135 of 150 laps en route to cruising to his fourth win of the season.
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Truck | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #5 | Mike Skinner |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 2. | #6 | Travis Kvapil |
Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 3. | #9 | Ted Musgrave |
Toyota | Germain Racing |
| 4. | #22 | Ryan Mathews |
Toyota | Bill Davis Racing |
| 5. | #1 |  |