The2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was the fourteenth season of theCraftsman Truck Series, the third higheststock car racing series sanctioned byNASCAR in the United States. It was contested over twenty-five races, beginning with theChevy Silverado HD 250 atDaytona International Speedway and ending with theFord 200 atHomestead-Miami Speedway.Johnny Benson ofBill Davis Racing was crowned champion. The season was also the last under theCraftsman sponsorship banner until the2023 season.Sears Holdings Corporation, the owners of the Craftsman brand name of tools, withdrew sponsorship at the end of the season. On October 23, NASCAR officials confirmed thatCamping World would become the title sponsor beginning with the2009 season.^[1]

TheChevy Silverado HD 250 was held February 15 atDaytona International Speedway.Erik Darnell won the pole. Anticipating another three wide finish such as the ones in 2003 and 2007, Darnell hoped to squash those hopes, and nearly did so by dominating the early portions of the race. During the early stages, multiple wrecks came about, including "The Big One" on lap 20, which was started whenBrendan Gaughan made contact with an extremely tightMike Skinner, forcing him up the racetrack and into the path ofMatt Crafton, who also collectedTed Musgrave,Jon Wood,Chad Chaffin, and most notablyP. J. Jones whose No. 63 truck caught fire trying to avoid the wreck, forcing a red flag. Only three laps later did the next wreck strike, withJoey Clanton getting loose and spinning, collecting outside polesitterTerry Cook,Mike Bliss, and ROTY contendersColin Braun andJustin Marks. Darnell had the race in hand until green flag pitstops began at lap 84.Todd Bodine grabbed the lead from the dominant Darnell, who thought he had a loose wheel. While slowing to enter pit road, Marks was unaware that Darnell was pitting and the two made contact, ending Darnell's night. After the pit stop, Bodine would not look back, holding off a hard chargingKyle Busch andJohnny Benson for his first ever win at Daytona.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify:Brian Sockwell (#54).

NOTE: Todd Bodine suffered a 25-point penalty when an illegal part was found on his truck during pre-qualifying inspection.

TheSan Bernardino County 200 was held February 23 at the newly renamedAuto Club Speedway. As all of Friday's activities were cancelled due to rain, Truck qualifying and the race were both cancelled, with the race being pushed back to Saturday morning. Based on the 2007 owners points, defending championRon Hornaday Jr. was on pole. However, the race would mostly be dominated byKyle Busch, coming out of a frustrating Speedweeks. Busch would dominate, leading the first 51 laps. However, Daytona winnerTodd Bodine ran down Busch and passed him on the backstretch just after the halfway point. After the final round of green flag pit stops, Busch regained the lead by 3.5 seconds over Bodine and never looked back, cruising to his first Truck Series win of the season.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 35 entries.

TheAmerican Commercial Lines 200 was held on March 7 atAtlanta Motor Speedway. Defending series championRon Hornaday Jr. won the pole. Hornaday would also dominate the race on long runs, leading for 81 laps. However, the critical moment of the race was on lap 112 whenKyle Busch's crew chief, Richie Wauters brought his driver into the pits after a ten-minute rain delay on lap 111. The stop forced leader Hornaday to pit a lap later. Busch took the lead from Hornaday within 10 laps to go, and held of Hornaday over a four lap sprint to the finish to take his second consecutive victory.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 32 entries.

TheKroger 250 was held March 29 atMartinsville Speedway.Jack Sprague won the track record breaking pole. The race would instead be dominated by "Short Track Slayer"Dennis Setzer, whose team,Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia, had recently moved to the Martinsville area to be more competitive. This competitiveness showed when Setzer took the lead on lap 128 when debutantBrent Raymer spun in front of leaderKyle Busch. Setzer would lead the rest of the way thanks to nine more cautions. Although the race went on for an extra three laps, Setzer would hang on for his first win since he won Mansfield (also on fuel mileage) with the defunctSpears Motorsports. However, behind Setzer it was complete chaos. While Setzer was rounding turn 4 to take the win, Busch, in a desperate attempt to take second, Busch attempted to drive underneathJohnny Benson However, Busch's left side hit the apron, sending both Benson Jr. and Busch spinning to 25th and 26th-place finishes. The win was emotional for the whole team as it was their first win sinceBobby Hamilton won at Mansfield in 2005.

Did not qualify: None, only 36 entries.

• This was Setzer's last career victory, and the last victory forBobby Hamilton Racing.

TheO'Reilly Auto Parts 250 was held on April 26 atKansas Speedway.Ron Hornaday Jr. started from pole. For the first time this season, points leaderKyle Busch was absent in this race, due to a conflict between the finish of theAaron's 312 and the start of the Truck race. With a new truck and the guidance of crew chief Rick Ren, Hornaday dominated the race, leading 136 of 167 laps en route to his first win of the season. Making the win even sweeter was the fact that it was a KHI 1–2 finish with new teammateJack Sprague close behind. RookieColin Braun rounded out the "podium" although controversially as he was involved in incidents with veterans Sprague andMatt Crafton.

Did not qualify: None, only 36 entries.

TheNorth Carolina Education Lottery200 was held on May 16 atLowe's Motor Speedway.Kyle Busch won the pole. Busch would dominate for 86 laps at the site of his first ever truck series win. On lap 104, Busch collided with defending championRon Hornaday Jr., sending both trucks into the turn 3 wall and out of contention to win. Late in the race with seven laps to go,Erik Darnell was leading the field to the green on a restart when his tires spun, taking him out of contention. AsJohnny Benson moved by Darnell for the top spot, NASCAR penalized Benson Jr. for jumping the start. In the lead during the next restart would beMatt Crafton, followed by a resurgent Hornaday andTodd Bodine. On the subsequent restart, Bodine sent Hornaday spinning into turn one, handing second and third toChad McCumbee andBrendan Gaughan, respectively. Despite a valiant run by McCumbee on the backstretch, Crafton would take home an upset victory, his first in 178 races and the first forThorSport Racing in a decade (Terry Cook's first win atFlemington Speedway).

Did not qualify:Nick Tucker (#73),Wayne Edwards (#28).

TheOhio 250 was held on May 24 atMansfield Motorsports Park.Johnny Benson won the pole. As with most Mansfield races, the action was expected to be tight and dramatic, with fuel mileage playing out in the latter half. With the downsizing in fuel cells to 18 gallons, it was deemed mathematically impossible for any driver in the field to repeatDennis Setzer's no stop victory the previous year. With a record 15 cautions, the best of the afternoon was saved for the last part of the race.David Starr and hisRed Horse Racing team had dominated the day, leading 170 laps in total. However, in the final laps, Starr's seemingly inevitable victory would be done in. RookieDonny Lia, who had started 28th, had worked his way through the field and to the rear tailgate of Starr's truck. On the final lap, Lia daringly pulled the bump and run on Starr exiting turn 2. The two drivers along withTodd Bodine made it three wide on the backstretch. Lia would gain the advantage heading into turn three and the 2007Whelen Modified Tour champion would hang on to take the first ever win for both him and his upstart team, legendary road racing teamTRG Motorsports, as well as the second consecutive first time winner for the 2008 season.

Did not qualify: None, only 36 entries.

• This was the first and only career NASCAR victory for both Lia, and forTRG Motorsports.
• This was the last NASCAR race to be held atMansfield Motorsports Park.

TheAAA Insurance 200 was held on May 30 atDover International Speedway.Mike Skinner won the pole. Skinner would not lead for long as the dominantKyle Busch would take the top spot and stay there for the first 96 laps. However, heavy smoke was billowing from Busch's No. 51 truck, forcing him to the garage with transmission troubles and knocking him out of contention. Taking over the top spot would beTodd Bodine, who would stay out on a lap 133 restart withShane Sieg. Making only his sixth start in NASCAR competition and running on two tires, ex-Formula One driverScott Speed lived up to his name and opened up a four-second lead onRon Hornaday Jr. Although Speed's lead would be cut due to Bodine crashing on lap 170, he would hold off veterans Hornaday andJack Sprague to become the third consecutive first time winner for the 2008 season. The other time this happened was in1998, withAndy Houston (Loudon),Terry Cook (Flemington), andJimmy Hensley (Music City)

Did not qualify: None, only 36 entries.

TheSam's Town 400 was held June 6 atTexas Motor Speedway.Justin Marks won his first career pole. As the series was on a streak of three consecutive first time winners, many looked towardsChad McCumbee, who had nearly won the fall Texas race in '07, polesitter Marks, andPlano nativeColin Braun. It was not just the young drivers seeking the win at Texas, but veterans as well, such as defending championRon Hornaday Jr.,Mike Skinner, who started on the front row at Texas for his eighth consecutive start had never won, andBrendan Gaughan, who literally turned the track into his personal playground in both '02 and '03. Although Marks led early he would fall back to 8th before the first round of pit stops. As usual, Cup series points leaderKyle Busch would also be a factor in the race. Although Busch started in the back (Shane Sieg qualified the No. 51 truck while Busch was inPocono, Pennsylvania and he also missed the drivers meeting.) he was able to work his way into the top 10 within 60 laps. However, Busch's fortunes would be undone as he had not had the proper seat time to adjust the truck. All the while, "Restart Master" Hornaday would lead a record 140 laps (breakingGreg Biffle's record of 119) and hold off Busch on a green-white-checkered to take his first win at Texas.

Did not qualify: None, only 35 entries.

TheCool City Customs 200 was held on June 14 atMichigan International Speedway.Mike Skinner won the pole. Skinner would only lead the opening lap before falling back and eventually finishing 8th. From then on, the race would be dominated byTodd Bodine who would lead for 39 laps. However, the final pit stop, it would beErik Darnell taking the top spot, holding it for the final 25 circuits. However, a late caution came out with three to go, setting up a fast finish. On the last lap,Johnny Benson took the lead from Darnell in turn 3 and the two were side by side on the frontstretch. In the final 50 yards it appeared as though Benson Jr. would win by a nose, but Darnell surged at the last minute with a side draft and beat Benson to the line by less than 0.005 seconds, the second closest finish in Truck Series history. During the final lap, points leaderRon Hornaday Jr. was running fourth after starting in the back due to an engine change. In turn 2, Hornaday was spun byKyle Busch into the infield, but no caution came out, handing Hornaday a 23rd-place finish and the loss of the points lead. After the race Hornaday and team ownerKevin Harvick confronted Busch on pit road.

Did not qualify: None, only 34 entries.

TheCamping World RV Sales 200 was held June 20 atMilwaukee Mile.Johnny Benson took the pole and won the race.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 36 entries.

TheO'Reilly 200 was held June 28 atMemphis Motorsports Park.Johnny Benson took the pole butRon Hornaday Jr. won the race.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 35 entries.

TheBuilt Ford Tough 225 was held July 19 atKentucky Speedway.Mike Skinner took the pole butJohnny Benson won the race.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify:Wayne Edwards (#28).

ThePower Stroke Diesel 200 was held July 25 atO'Reilly Raceway Park.Bobby East took his first Craftsman Truck Series pole butJohnny Benson won the race.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 34 entries.

TheToyota Tundra 200 was held August 9 atNashville Superspeedway.Todd Bodine took the pole butJohnny Benson won the race.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 34 entries.

NOTE: Todd Bodine suffered a 25-point penalty for an illegal modification to his truck found in post race inspection.

TheO'Reilly 200 was held on August 20 atBristol Motor Speedway.Scott Speed won the pole and would fall back and eventually finished 3rd.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify:Norm Benning (#57).

•Jimmie Johnson would make his lone career Truck Series start to date, driving the #81Lowe's/Kobalt ToolsChevrolet Silverado forRandy Moss Motorsports. He would lead 28 laps and finish 34th after crashing on lap 102.

TheCamping World 200 was held September 6 atGateway International Raceway.Dennis Setzer took the pole butRon Hornaday Jr. won the race.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 35 entries.

TheCamping World RV Rental 200 was held on September 13 atNew Hampshire Motor Speedway.Ron Hornaday Jr. won the race and there was a large post race scuffle after the race between the crews ofTodd Bodine andDavid Starr.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 33 entries.

TheQwik Liner Las Vegas 350 was held September 20 atLas Vegas Motor Speedway.Ron Hornaday Jr. won the pole. Hornaday would be passed byMike Skinner after the opening lap. During a series of pit stops, points leaderJohnny Benson decided to stay out, despite the fact his tires were old. He would lead for 26 laps before the right front tire went flat, sending Benson Jr. into the wall and ending his bid for the win. After pit stops following a caution byDennis Setzer andShane Sieg,Erik Darnell would take the lead stay there for 56 laps, leading the most. However, Mike Skinner chased down Darnell on the white flag lap and was side by side with him along the backstretch. Darnell side drafted Skinner to retake the lead coming out of turn 4 but Skinner hit Darnell's side, breaking the No. 99's momentum and taking Skinner to his first win of 2008.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 31 entries.

TheMountain Dew 250 was held on October 4 atTalladega Superspeedway.Erik Darnell won the pole. The points race had tightened withJohnny Benson only a single point ahead of defending championRon Hornaday Jr. Like Daytona, Darnell dominated the race, leading 48 laps with teammatesColin Braun andJohn Wes Townley close behind. Townley would later be spun unintentionally by defending race winnerTodd Bodine while on pit road at lap 50. Alabama nativeRick Crawford earned a speeding penalty during the series of pit stops, ending his chances at a home state victory. After another series of green flag pit stops,John Andretti, Braun,Kyle Busch, andBrian Scott took turns leading until 14 to go when Busch, Hornaday, and Bodine all pulled away. With 1 to go Braun was pushed into the lead byT. J. Bell, but was later passed by Busch on the backstretch. However, Bodine pulled the "bump and run" on Busch, loosening him and eventually passing him for the win, with new points leader Hornaday in tow.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 33 entries.

TheKroger 200 was held October 18 atMartinsville Speedway.Ron Hornaday Jr. took the pole butJohnny Benson won the race.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify:Tayler Malsam (#41),Robert Bruce (#73),Russ Dugger (#89), Craig Wood (#50).

TheE-Z-GO 200 was held October 25 atAtlanta Motor Speedway.Ryan Newman won his first everCraftsman Truck Series race in his first start.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 33 entries.

TheChevy Silverado 350K was held October 31 atTexas Motor Speedway inFort Worth, Texas.Rick Crawford won the pole. The sparks flew early on lap 2 asTravis Kvapil, attempting a three wide pass, pushed rookieCale Gale into the left side of Crawford's truck. Gale's resultant spin forcedT. J. Bell to hit his brakes, butTodd Bodine couldn't avoid Bell and tapped him up the track while also turningJon Wood into the wall. Gale's car steered from the wall and hit Bell's rear quarter panel, sending him into the fence. At lap 51, spring Texas winnerRon Hornaday Jr. passedKyle Busch for the lead. While Hornaday was pitting on lap 56, Jack Smith spun on the backstretch, pinning Hornaday a lap down. 10 laps later Hornaday would be in 16th thanks to a caution. Hornaday would charge to the lead, passing Kvapil on lap 108 and holding off Busch to sweep at Texas and cutJohnny Benson's point lead down to only six points.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 34 entries.

TheLucas Oil 150 was held November 7 atPhoenix International Raceway.Ron Hornaday Jr. took the pole butKevin Harvick won the race.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify: None, only 35 entries.

TheFord 200 was held November 14 atHomestead-Miami Speedway.Mike Skinner took the pole butTodd Bodine won the race.

Top ten results:

Did not qualify:Mike Harmon (#89).

• Jack Sprague would make his last career NASCAR start in this race, finishing 20th forWyler Racing.

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time.Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.