Second season of third-tier NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Ron Hornaday Jr. , wife Lindy Hornaday, and team owners Teresa andDale Earnhardt celebrate Hornaday's 1996 Truck Series championshipThe1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was the second season of theCraftsman Truck Series , the third higheststock car racing series sanctioned byNASCAR in the United States.Ron Hornaday Jr. ofDale Earnhardt, Inc. won the championship.
ESPN andTNN broadcast eight races each.CBS carried five races whileTBS aired three races.
List of full-time teams at the start of 1996.
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
Florida Dodge Dealers 400 [ edit ] The inauguralFlorida Dodge Dealers 400 was held March 17 atHomestead Motorsports Complex .Geoff Bodine won the pole. The race was broadcast onTNN .
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 [ edit ] TheChevrolet Desert Star 300 was held April 21 atPhoenix International Raceway .Mike Skinner won the pole. The race was broadcast onTNN .
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 TheCraftsman 200 was held May 4 atPortland Speedway .Rich Bickle won the pole. The race was broadcast byTBS .
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 [ edit ] TheJerr-Dan/Nelson Truck 200 was held May 11 atEvergreen Speedway .Tobey Butler won the pole. The race was broadcast onTBS .
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 TheNAPA 200 was held May 25 atTucson Raceway Park .Bryan Reffner won the pole. The race was broadcast onESPN .
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 TheColorado 250 was held June 1 atColorado National Speedway .Rich Bickle won the pole. The race was broadcast onCBS .
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 TheLund Look 225 was held June 9 atHeartland Park Topeka .Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole. The race was broadcast onTNN .
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 TheCoca-Cola 200 was held June 22 atBristol Motor Speedway .Mike Skinner won the pole. On lap 162Mike 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 onESPN .
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 [ edit ] The inauguralDeVilibiss Superfinish 200 was held June 30 atNazareth Speedway .Jimmy Hensley won the pole. The race was supposed to air onCBS ; 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 forRusty 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 [ edit ] TheSears Auto Center 200 was held July 6 atThe Milwaukee Mile .Mike Bliss won the pole. The race was broadcast onCBS .
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 TheFord Dealers 225 was held July 20 atLouisville Motor Speedway .Mike Bliss won the pole. The race was broadcast onCBS .
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 TheWestern Auto 200 was held July 27 atI-70 Speedway .Butch Miller won the pole. On lap 121Bob Keselowski crashed in turn 1, broke the wall and rolled down the banking 2 1/2 times. The race was broadcast onTNN .
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 TheCummins 200 was held August 1 atIndianapolis Raceway Park .Mike Skinner won the pole. The race was broadcast onESPN .
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 [ edit ] TheStevens Beil/Genuine Parts 200 was held August 10 atFlemington Speedway .Bryan Reffner won the pole. The race was broadcast onTNN .
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 TheParts America 150 was held August 25 atWatkins Glen International .Steve Park won the pole qualifying the truck driven byJoe Nemechek . The race was broadcast onESPN .
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 [ edit ] TheFederated Auto Parts 250 was held August 31 atNashville Speedway USA .Jack Sprague won the pole. The race was broadcast onTNN .
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 [ edit ] TheFas Mart Truck Shootout was held September 5 atRichmond International Raceway .Kenny Irwin Jr. won the pole. The race was shortened to 124 laps due to rain fromHurricane Fran . The race was broadcast onESPN .
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 [ edit ] ThePennzoil/VIP Tripleheader was held September 8 atNew Hampshire International Speedway .Mike Skinner won the pole. The race was broadcast onTNN .
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 TheHanes 250 was held September 21 atMartinsville Speedway .Bobby Hamilton won the pole. The race was broadcast onESPN .
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 The finalLowe's 250 was held September 28 atNorth Wilkesboro Speedway .Johnny Benson won the pole. The race was broadcast onESPN .
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 TheKragen 151 was held October 5 atSears Point Raceway .Mike Skinner won the pole. The race was broadcast onESPN .
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 [ edit ] TheFord Dealers/Ford Credit 300 was held October 13 atMesa Marin Raceway .Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole. The race was broadcast onTNN .
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 [ edit ] TheGM Goodwrench/AC Delco 300 was held October 26 atPhoenix International Raceway .Jack Sprague won the pole. The race was broadcast onTBS .
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 TheCarquest 420K was held November 3 atLas Vegas Motor Speedway .Bryan Reffner won the pole. The race was broadcast onCBS .
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 [ edit ] 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.1 – Post entry, driver and owner did not score points.
Bryan Reffner was named the 1996 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the year, winning three poles and finishing ninth in points. He was followed byDoug George , who had eight top-tens over the course of the season, andLance Norick , who split the season between two different teams.Bobby Gill began the year withSpears Motorsports , but was released.Jay Sauter and Lonnie Cox ran abbreviated schedules for their teams.
