As the 2009 season winds down for the ASRS Camping World Truck Series, two drivers have emerged as solid championship contenders with a third waiting in the wings for someone to make a mistake and give him the chance at the top prize.
With five races to go, 3 time defending series champion Jim Foose leads Eric Bannenberg by 2 points, while Bannenberg's teammate resides third just 52 markers out of the lead. The tale to be told is of three different seasons.
- Jim Foose, currently sits on top with four race wins including the season opener at Daytona.
- Eric Bannenberg, currently 2nd, just two markers behind has two wins including the dominating run at Kansas Speedway.
- Steve Buhala, 3rd with no wins in his truck career has had a rollercoaster ride in 2009 as he has struggled at times and at others been a force on the racetrack.
But at the last event, which Foose and Bannenberg were the two most recent winners at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, none of the top four drivers finished the race. Two similar incidents in the tri-oval eliminated all of them as they raced towards the championship.
Bannenberg has momentum on his side as he has taken 23 points out of Foose's lead in the two most recent events, at Las Vegas and New Hampshire Motor Speedway and is the defending winner at Mansfield Motorsports Park.
Buhala could come out of this whole thing as the spoiler as he could score his first ASRS Camping World Truck Series win and take home a championship through the final five events.
With the series heading to Music City Motorplex, one of the smaller venues on the 2009 schedule, the action is sure to be close and fenders will definetely be rubbing as the trucks battle on the tight high banked 5/8 mile track.
